The Duke basketball program is at a disadvantage heading into the 2021-22 season.
College basketball fans were chomping at the bit to ridicule Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke basketball program for hosting the Michigan State Spartans in 2020-21.
Many cited Krzyzewski’s dominance and ability to get things his way for the Blue Devils after finding a way to host Tom Izzo and the Spartans in the Champions Classic instead of playing the game at a neutral site like Kentucky and Kansas, as per usual for the event.
A major reason why Duke and Michigan State will not play in the same arena as the Wildcats and Jayhawks is the COVID-19 protocols within the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12 Conferences.
All non-Duke fans were outraged that the Blue Devils found a way to play yet another non-conference game at home, but some didn’t think hard enough to realize Duke is actually at a disadvantage for hosting the contest in 2020-21.
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Yes, Michigan State will be coming to Cameron Indoor Stadium in December, but all the Spartans will have to handle is fake crowd noise and potentially cheers of family members of the Duke players and coaches.
That’s it.
No Cameron Crazies, no raucous Cameron Indoor Stadium.
An eerie sight is certainly awaiting all opponents this season as the NCAA tries to play college basketball in the midst of a pandemic.
Why Duke basketball is at a disadvantage
Enter the fact that Duke will have a return game with the Spartans in East Lansing next season, where there will most likely be a full capacity crowd at the Breslin Center, as the pandemic will hopefully be a distant memory come next winter.
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Whether it be in the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge or a standalone non-conference game, Michigan State playing in an empty Cameron compared to Duke playing in a packed Breslin clearly gives the Spartans a major advantage, but that doesn’t fit the Duke-hater narrative.
While we continue to patiently wait for the start of the 2020-21 season, you can pen Kentucky at Madison Square Garden and Michigan State in East Lansing for the Blue Devils in the 2021-22 season.