Duke basketball schedule becomes foggy as more details emerge

Details continue to emerge surrounding the Duke basketball schedule.

The college basketball schedule-makers continue to be knee-deep in headaches as programs around the country try and navigate some type of non-conference schedule before league play begins, but quarantine rules and regulations are making it much more difficult.

However, specifically focusing on the Duke Blue Devils, will the season in fact begin on the November 25 start date?

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Duke typically begins the season in the Champions Classic against either Michigan State, Kansas, or Kentucky, and the Blue Devils are slated to face the Spartans this year, but the venue has been changed from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois to the ESPN Wide World of Sports inside the bubble in Orlando, Florida.

CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported that the Champions Classic will not be the tipoff event for the 2020-21 season.

Rothstein said that the biggest event of the non-conference schedule will be on December 1, but that leads everyone into a whole new series of questions.

Because of quarantine, will teams who are making the trip to the college basketball bubble not play games before December?

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Will the Champions Classic be the first event that starts the bubble in Orlando?

Will programs have to wait until other tournaments are completed to schedule other high-profile non-conference games inside the bubble?

So where does this leave the Duke basketball program?

Well, the Blue Devils are still awaiting the ACC schedule, where the conference is looking to hold some league games in December on December 15, 16, 29, and 30, but the ACC and Big Ten are still hoping to have their annual challenge on December 8 and 9.

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Both conferences are hoping to have these games played on campus, with the absence of fans, and Duke is planning to host its own mid-season tournament on December 4 and 5, which was first reported by Jeff Goodman.

The event in Durham is slated to replace the Battle 4 Atlantis that will be taking place in South Dakota under a new name, which reports have surfaced Duke has opted out of.

Based on these dates, it could be difficult for Duke to play games before December 1, unless it’s against other teams inside the Orlando bubble, and there is no wiggle room to play games inside the bubble after December 1. But it sure looks like the Blue Devils will be playing a lot of basketball in the month of December, which is typically a slow month in the sport because of final exams and holidays.