Duke basketball: Major reactions to unveiling of complete schedule
The complete Duke basketball schedule has been unveiled and there are some major reactions.
The countdown to the Duke basketball season is officially on as the Atlantic Coast Conference has released the complete 2022-23 conference schedule, completing the Blue Devils’ slate for Jon Scheyer’s first season as the program’s head coach.
Scheyer will have the impossible task of replacing Mike Krzyzewski on the bench but the 35-year old has done an incredible job compiling talent in Durham as Duke has the top ranked recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023.
The Blue Devils bring in seven freshmen to its 2022 class, headlined by top overall recruit five-star center Dereck Lively II.
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Duke also holds five-star power forward Kyle Filipowski, five-star small forward Dariq Whitehead, five-star power forward Mark Mitchell, four-star point guard Tyrese Proctor, four-star shooting guard Jaden Scutt, and three-star center Christian Reeves.
Jeremy Roach returns for his junior season after the Leesburg, Virginia native was a main catalyst in Duke’s run to the Final Four a season ago.
However, the page has now been turned to the 2022-23 season and major reactions to the Blue Devils’ conference schedule.
Duke basketball gets favorable start to begin league play
The non-conference schedule for Duke has been out for nearly two months and the Blue Devils have a brutal stretch from November 24 through December 6.
Jon Scheyer will take his team to Portland, Oregon for the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament and begin the weekend with a matchup against Oregon State before facing either Florida or Xavier the next day.
It is likely that Duke will play Gonzaga in the championship game of the event on November 27 before returning home to play Ohio State in the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge.
In the non-conference schedule, the Blue Devils travel to New York City to face the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 6, but the ACC snuck the conference opener for Duke in between its two games.
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The five-time National Champions will begin its gauntlet of league games inside Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Boston College Eagles on December 3.
It is a much more manageable game to open up league play with for Duke, compared to either traveling North Carolina State or Virginia Tech or hosting a program like Virginia or Florida State in the midst of its stretch of playing five straight non-conference games against major opponents.
Duke gets a breather on December 10 against Maryland Eastern Shore before its bye week due to final exams as the full ACC slate begins on December 20 on the road against Wake Forest.
There is never a ‘must-win’ game in early December but Duke is given the chance at an easy start to conference play with this schedule.