Duke released its non-conference schedule for the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season on Thursday, and it features matchups with multiple powerhouse programs.
On Nov. 12, the Blue Devils will face Kentucky at a neutral site in Atlanta as part of the Champions Classic. Duke will also have a road game against Arizona on Nov. 22 and a neutral-site game against Kansas on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas.
That will be followed by an ACC/SEC Challenge home game against Auburn on Dec. 4 and a special clash with Illinois at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 22.
Perhaps no team is generating as much buzz as Duke entering the 2024-25 campaign thanks to the arrival of freshman sensation and No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg.
Although Duke has not won a national championship since 2015, the program is coming off a strong performance in its second season under head coach Jon Scheyer in 2023-24.
The Blue Devils went 27-9 and finished second in the ACC before reaching the Elite Eight in the 2024 NCAA tournament.
Duke lost its top four scorers from last year’s team in Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain, Jeremy Roach and Mark Mitchell, but Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster are returning and figure to have even bigger roles in 2024-25.
Most importantly, Duke has the No. 1 recruiting class in college basketball this year, per 247Sports, which includes four 5-star prospects.
In addition to the No. 1 overall recruit in Flagg, Duke will add center Khaman Maluach, wing Isaiah Evans and wing Kon Knueppel, who are ranked fourth, 13th and 18th nationally by 247Sports.
Duke also has the No. 21 overall recruit in Patrick Ngongba II and the No. 40 recruit in Darren Harris, plus some notable transfers such as Sion James from Tulane, Mason Gillis from Purdue and Maliq Brown from Syracuse.
Based on the quality of their non-conference schedule and the fact that they play in an elite conference in the ACC, the Blue Devils figure to have one of the toughest schedules in the nation next season.
That means they will be battle-tested and ready for anything once the 2025 NCAA tournament rolls around.