The Duke University men’s basketball team released its full schedule for the 2024-25 season on Tuesday evening, which includes its season opener versus the University of Maine on Nov. 4, two games in New York state and a visit to Boston College.
Fans of Newport native Cooper Flagg will be able to see him play the Golden Eagles in Boston on Saturday, Jan. 18 (time TBA), the Syracuse Orange in upstate New York on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m.
The Illinois game, dubbed the SentinelOne Classic, is one of three marquee Duke games that will take place at neutral sites. The Blue Devils will also play Kentucky in the 14th annual State Farm Champions Classic in Atlanta on Nov. 12, and Kansas in the Vegas Showdown on Nov. 26. The games will be broadcast on FOX, ESPN and ESPN2, respectively.
Flagg and the Blue Devils will play a total of 17 games at home at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC, and 11 true away games. They will play in-state rivals Wake Forest and UNC both home and away, with all four games being broadcast on ESPN.
The Associated Press has not yet released its preseason top 25 list, but ESPN ranked Duke No. 8 nationally in its annual “Way-Too-Early Top 25” on Sept. 9. The Blue Devils were the highest-ranked team in the ACC.
Duke has just two returning players in guards Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor, but brought in the nation’s top freshman class and five transfers. Flagg was the consensus No. 1 prospect from the high school class of 2024, and is one of five incoming Duke freshmen ranked in the top-21 nationwide, per CBS Sports.
Flagg and company began basketball-related activities in June, and official practices began on Tuesday for programs nationwide.