Duke basketball: 5 games you have to see in person this season
By Matt Johnson
![Duke basketball (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports) Duke basketball (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5423c39fdffe3795c0c755c60d1d6b7f035aeb64716024651027b6853d83c2cf.jpg)
Duke basketball vs. Gonzaga
- T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.
- Nov. 26, 2021
This matchup has everything. Two great programs, recent success for both, the top two recruits going head to head. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot it’s in Vegas.
Yours truly got his first taste of Vegas earlier this year, and let me tell you, it’s worth a weekend trip. My party days are long behind me, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly (I have to add that if you’re going to gamble, go to Freemont Street, buy-ins are lower and I may or may not have cleaned up on the roulette table).
This isn’t my travel blog, so I apologize for the distraction. But I’m telling you, the venue alone should get you booking a ticket right now.
As for the game itself, I and everyone else with eyes and a pulse are looking to see how the Blue Devils stack up against a team that has been absolutely dominant the past decade. Sensational Duke big man Paolo Banchero will get to spar with fellow freshman phenom Chet Holmgren to see who early favorite for Freshman of the Year will be.
The 7-foot-1 sharpshooting Holmgren traded places with Banchero on the 247Sports 2021 Composite for a majority of their senior year, so I feel like it may be a pride-soaked battle resulting in points for the masses.