Biggest takeaways after Duke basketball conference schedule gets released

The complete Duke basketball schedule became publicized on Tuesday night as anticipation continues to build for the Blue Devils to take the court this season.

Returning guards Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster will lead the squad but the entire basketball community eagerly awaits the debut of freshman forward Cooper Flagg, who is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Flagg, the crown jewel of Duke's recruiting class, is also surrounded by several of the top recruits in the country like Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris, and Patrick Ngongba. The Blue Devils also added Sion James, Maliq Brown, Mason Gillis, and Cameron Sheffield in the transfer portal.

Each game that Duke plays will be one of the hottest tickets in the country, which includes games in the non-conference portion of the schedule in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and New York City.

However, there are some major takeaways from the ACC's schedule release that will have an impact on the Duke basketball season going forward.

Duke begins ACC play with back-to-back road games

It is difficult to win on the road in college basketball, specifically in conference play and Duke will begin its ACC slate with back-to-back road games.

The Blue Devils learned of its league opener on Monday, which is a road game against Louisville on December 8, Duke will return to the non-conference for two games before another ACC road trip begins against Georgia Tech on December 21.

Duke has lost its first road game of conference play in each of the last two seasons and this year will prove to be just as big of a challenge with Louisville looking to make a statement early in its campaign under new head coach Pat Kelsey, who will be energizing the passionate Cardinal fanbase throughout the week.