Duke basketball: 5 things to watch for this upcoming season
The Duke basketball team is ready to embark on the final season under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
This season will be one of the most emotional seasons in the history of the Duke basketball program.
From November to March (hopefully into April as well), it will be the farewell tour of Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and it all begins in The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, on Tuesday night.
Krzyzewski will lean on heralded freshman Paolo Banchero, who could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, this season.
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The Blue Devils have put together a challenging non-conference schedule that includes matchups against Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Ohio State all in the month of November, none of which will take place inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke is coming off its first missed NCAA Tournament since the 1994-95 season and the first missed tournament in which Krzyzewski was the head coach for the entire season since 1982-83, the third year under the Hall of Famer.
Banchero is joined by Trevor Keels, AJ Griffin, and Jaylen Blakes in the Blue Devil freshmen class while Krzyzewski added graduate transfers Theo John and Bates Jones.
Duke basketball hoping for home cooking this season
Last year was unusual for many reasons in Durham, but perhaps the sight that many cannot shake from their minds was a basketball game inside Cameron Indoor Stadium with no fans.
Duke will be looking to feed off the energy of the Cameron Crazies this season as 71-percent of its roster has not experienced the fans at a Blue Devil game.
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The only players on the roster who have the full Duke experience are Wendell Moore, Joey Baker, Keenan Worthington, and Michael Savarino.
Duke has seen its fans in attendance at Countdown to Craziness as well as in an exhibition against Winston-Salem State, but the Crazies are back for real on Friday night against Army.
Here are five things to watch for as the season unfolds for the Blue Devils.