Fourth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer continues to embrace tough non-conference challenges—and he prefers his Blue Devils to face them under the spotlight.
ALSO READ: Player Comparisons for Projected Duke Basketball Lottery Picks
Last season, Duke convincingly defeated Illinois at Madison Square Garden in one of the year’s most high-profile matchups. And looking ahead, the Blue Devils are already slated for several headline non-conference games.
The first of those showdowns will come against Texas on November 4. That matchup just gained extra significance with the announcement that it will serve as the inaugural Dick Vitale Invitational.
ESPN legend Dick Vitale—affectionately known as “Dickie V”—has long been the most recognizable voice in college basketball, with a career spanning over four decades. After a courageous battle with cancer, Vitale made an emotional return to the sidelines this past season, calling Duke’s game at Clemson in February—his first appearance in more than two years.
Now, the sport is honoring one of its most beloved figures with the creation of the Dick Vitale Invitational, set to become an annual fixture on the college basketball calendar. It’s only fitting that Duke, a program with deep ties to Vitale, will headline the inaugural event.
The Blue Devils will take on Texas in a marquee season-opening clash on November 4 at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center—one of the first high-profile showdowns of the year.
Duke’s ambitious non-conference slate doesn’t stop there. The Blue Devils are also set for true road games against Army and Michigan State, along with neutral-site battles versus Arkansas, Kansas, and Michigan.
Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for continued coverage of Duke basketball.
Leave a Reply