Jon Scheyer isn't afraid of challenging his team with a difficult non-conference schedule. The Duke head coach hopes that the tough matchups early in the season will prepare his squad for ACC and tournament play, and once again, he's loaded up the early part of the Blue Devils' season with some marquee battles.
Before the official season even begins, the co-favorites to win the national ****** le will face off against Tennessee and Kansas, the latter in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
The regular season hits the ground running with a matchup against perennial Big 10 powerhouse Michigan State on Nov. 10 in the United Center in Chicago. The Spartans reached the Sweet 16 last season before falling to UConn, who went on to defeat Duke in the Elite Eight and make the national ****** le game.
A home game against Illinois, which made the Final Four this past season, arrives on Nov. 17 before Scheyer and his squad fly west to take on Washington State in Palm Desert, Calif., on Nov. 21 and a rematch against UConn on Nov. 25 in Las Vegas.
A battle of the two favorites to bring home the national ****** le trophy comes on Dec. 1 when the Blue Devils travel to Gainesville, Fla., to face Todd Golden's Gators. After the Brotherhood Game against Harvard, another SEC foe awaits in Georgia when Duke battles the Bulldogs in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8.

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