Duke basketball will not face John Calipari, Arkansas in ACC/SEC Challenge

Many people around the country were hoping to see John Calipari roam the sidelines of Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Duke basketball team this winter, but that will not be the case after the ACC vs. SEC Challenge matchups were released.

Auburn will make the trip to Durham to play the Blue Devils, according to a report from Jon Rothstein.

It will be the first time the programs have played each other since the Maui Invitational in 2018, a matchup which was won by Duke.

Many believed after Calipari jumped from Kentucky to Arkansas that there would be a rematch between the Blue Devils and Razorbacks after Duke fell in Fayetteville in last season's inaugural ACC vs. SEC Challenge.

There was even the thought of Alabama, a Final Four team from last season, coming to Durham before the matchups were unveiled but the Crimson Tide will be playing in Chapel Hill against North Carolina, a rematch from last season's Sweet 16.

Duke, earlier in the offseason, was slated to see John Calipari but his departure from Kentucky changed those plans. However, the Blue Devils are still playing the Wildcats in the State Farm Champions Classic.

The Blue Devils are 4-0 against Auburn in its all-time series, but it will be the first time the Tigers have played at Duke since 1981.

Auburn is coming off a season in which it won the SEC Tournament but fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to Yale.

In addition to hosting Auburn, Duke's non-conference schedule will now feature a road game against Arizona, Kentucky (Atlanta), Kansas (Las Vegas), and Illinois (New York). The expectation is that no other high-major game will be added to the non-conference schedule.

Maine, George Mason, and Seattle are also on the non-ACC slate for the Blue Devils.

The matchup will be on Tuesday, December 4. A time has not been announced but it will likely be a doubleheader on ESPN with Alabama vs. North Carolina.