The biggest non-conference games for Duke basketball in 2024-25.
By Hugh Straine
Duke will most likely enter the season as an AP Top 10 team in the country, and coach Jon Scheyer will certainly have his team battle-tested once ACC play begins in early 2025. The Blue Devils will face at least four preseason top 25 teams, let's take a look at the biggest matchups.
Duke vs. Kentucky, November 12th.
Duke will once again participate in the Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta as the first battle of heavyweights in the college basketball season. Duke will face Kentucky and Michigan State will square off against Kansas. Duke should enter the game 2-0 and face its first true test against the Wildcats, which has had maybe the most chaotic offseason in college basketball this summer. Longtime head coach John Calipari left to take the job at Arkansas, leaving former BYU coach Mark Pope, a former Kentucky player, to take over after the Wildcats swung and missed on their first few head coach choices. Every contributor on Kentucky last season is now gone, and Pope has done a complete roster overhaul through the transfer portal, bringing in nine high-level transfers. Some of the names of note include: Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia), Amari Williams (Drexel), Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), and Koby Brea (Dayton). Kentucky will be one of the most intriguing teams to watch in college basketball this season, as with this new transfer portal era, it will be interesting to watch if a team completely compiled of transfers who have never played together can fit and create a tournament-level team. Mark Pope's teams play fast and shoot threes all day long, so it will be a fun test to watch how Duke can keep up and guard the perimeter.
Duke at Arizona, November 22nd.
This is the second game of a two-game home-and-home series between Arizona and Duke. Last year, Arizona came into Durham to beat the Blue Devils 78-73. Arizona brought back its star guard and former UNC Tar Heel Caleb Love, but lost key contributors like Oumar Ballo and Kylan Boswell. It brought in several transfers and should enter the season as a top 15 team, posing to be a tough challenge for the Blue Devils. Arizona has consistently been one of the top teams in college basketball since Tommy Lloyd arrived in 2021. Duke is 0-2 all-time on the road against the Wildcats, and will find themselves in a position to make a huge statement early on in the season as one of the best teams in the country if it can seal a victory.
Duke vs, Kansas, November 26th
Duke will face Kansas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the 2024 Vegas Showdown. The Jayhawks will probably enter the season as the #1 team in the country after bringing back several key pieces such as Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, and DaJuan Harris. It also brings in one of the top transfer classes in the country and five-star center Flory Bidunga. The Blue Devils match up really well with Kansas as the length in the frontcourt can pose to be really bothersome for a Kansas team that likes to get in the paint. Khaman Maluach and Maliq Brown will have tough jobs containing Dickinson and Bidunga when they are in the game, along with guys like Adams who thrive at getting to that mid-range spot. This Kansas team looks like it has the potential to be the best offensive team in the country, so Duke will certainly be tested defensively to not let the Jayhawks get out and run in transition, like Bill Self loves to do.
Duke vs. Auburn, December 4th
Auburn, another team that will probably enter the season in the top 15 of the AP Poll, will head to Cameron Indoor Stadium to try to knock off the Blue Devils on its home floor. The Tigers brought in a few transfers and two top-65 ranked prospects out of high school to replace the big contributors it lost this offseason. This will be another big test for Maluach, as Auburn center Johni Broome will enter the season as an All-American candidate and one of the best shot blockers in the country. Bruce Pearl thrives on physicality and doing all the little things right, so this matchup will definitely test the Blue Devils on if it can handle an SEC-level opponent trying to take over Cameron Indoor. If Duke can contain the defensive glass and get out running on offense, it will have a great shot to beat the tough-nosed Tigers. This is probably the last preseason-ranked team Duke will face in the non-conference slate.