Duke basketball scheduled one of the most anticipated games of the 2021-22 season.
The Duke basketball program is not afraid of scheduling big games, and the Blue Devils are proving that once again.
CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein is reporting that Duke and Gonzaga will play on November 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 2021-22 season.
Sources: Gonzaga will play Duke in a neutral site game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on November 26th.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 1, 2021
Heck of a matchup for Black Friday.
The two teams last met at the Maui Invitational in the 2018-19 season when the Blue Devils’ comeback bid fell just short in the Championship Game.
Previous to that, No. 1 seed Duke defeated No. 2 seed Gonzaga in the 2015 Elite Eight, where the Blue Devils advanced on their way to a fifth National Championship.
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The meeting next season will be the fifth all-time matchup between the two schools, with Duke posting a 3-1 record against the Zags.
Duke is also scheduled to play the Kentucky Wildcats in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden next season in addition to a rumored return game in East Lansing against the Michigan State Spartans, who traveled to Durham this season to face the Blue Devils in the Champions Classic.
It is not known if the pending matchup between Duke and Michigan State would be a part of the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge.
Duke basketball game will look a lot different against Gonzaga
As February is here in the 2020-21 season, the Bulldogs look by far the best team in the country, but it is anticipated that there will be a lot of roster turnover in Spokane, Washington.
Jalen Suggs, Drew Timme, and Corey Kispert are all expected to leave the program and enter the 2021 NBA Draft following the season while Duke’s Matthew Hurt and Jalen Johnson are also anticipated to leave the Blue Devils after this season.
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However, Gonzaga is the favorite to land the top recruit in the Class of 2021, Chet Holmgren, while the Blue Devils might have the top-ranked freshman class next season.
Mike Krzyzewski has already landed commitments from Top-10 prospects Paolo Banchero and Adrian Griffin Jr., and the Blue Devils are the favorites for Top-20 recruits Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Trevor Keels.
The last time Duke played in Las Vegas, the Blue Devils romped UNLV, 94-45, during the 2016-17 season behind 34 points from Grayson Allen.