Jon Scheyer gives the people what they want.
While it won't take place in Cameron, Duke will get an opportunity for a double-dose of revenge against UConn next year on Thanksgiving Eve in Las Vegas in a game that is working to be finalized, per college basketball insider Jon Rothstein:
NEWS: UConn and Duke are finalizing an agreement to meet in a neutral site game on Thanksgiving Eve in Las Vegas, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/bl14Cf8ONT
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 29, 2026
Duke won't lack for motivation after how its season ended last month. The Blue Devils blew a 19-point lead in the Elite Eight against UConn, culminating in Braylon Mullins' 35-foot dagger to sink Duke and hand Scheyer a second consecutive season-ending heartbreaker.
If there wasn't enough motivation for that game already, more was provided by an offseason transfer.
Nikolas Khamenia's transfer to UConn adds more intrigue to the matchup
After a solid freshman season, Nikolas Khamenia entering the Transfer Portal was disappointing. He has a boatload of potential, and it seemed that with another offseason under his belt and a year's worth of experience at the college level, he'd have played a significant role for the Blue Devils next season.
Even more disappointing than that decision was where he decided to transfer. Khamenia signed with the Huskies in a move straight out of the Kevin Durant playbook. He joined the ops, and now he'll have to stare his Duke teammates in the face the day before Thanksgiving.
Duke basketball is a brotherhood. Players transferring out from Duke have become exceedingly rare under Scheyer, and it is typically a mutual decision to part ways. That was the case with Darren Harris, who left for Indiana this offseason, and there are no bad feelings between him and the Duke fanbase.
The same can't be said for Khamenia, whom Duke hoped to retain. You can't blame a player for looking for a better opportunity, and he was unlikely to carve out a starting role for the Blue Devils in 2026-27 with the addition of John Blackwell in the portal and the return of Dame Sarr.
But outside of trekking down Tobacco Road and joining North Carolina, there wasn't another portal landing spot for Khamenia that would have been more of a slap in the face to Scheyer, his former teammates, and Duke fans.
Duke fans will be circling that date on the calendar for multiple reasons.
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