Per Duke Sports Information:
DURHAM, N.C. — The Duke men’s basketball program has finalized plans for a week-long trip to Canada in August, head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Tuesday. The Blue Devils will play three times on the Duke Canada Tour, with coverage of all three games on ESPN’s family of networks in the United States and TSN in Canada.
Duke is set for a pair of contests at Hershey Centre in Toronto against Ryerson University on August 15 at 7 p.m. ET and the University of Toronto at 6 p.m. ET on August 17. The tour concludes in Montreal against McGill University at Place Bell on August 19 at 3 p.m. ET.
The Blue Devils will depart Durham on Monday, August 13 and return August 20. The NCAA allows its institutions one foreign tour every four years, and this Canadian trip replaces one to the Dominican Republic that was cancelled last summer due to Coach K’s knee replacement surgery.
“We are excited about the opportunity to be tested against three quality basketball programs in Canada this summer,” said Krzyzewski. “More than a third of our roster includes players competing for the first time as collegians. The practices and games associated with the tour will allow us to bond as a team, while providing us with a terrific educational opportunity to see another country and two amazing cities – Toronto and Montreal. It should be especially fun for one of our newcomers, R.J. Barrett, who will be home.”
Esteemed Canadian R.J. Barrett leads Duke’s 2018-19 freshman class, which is regarded as one of the best in college basketball history. In addition to the top-ranked Barrett, the class also includes Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones, who are ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 10 respectively, on the ESPN 100 Class of 2018 behind Barrett.
Barrett enters his freshman year at Duke with more high school accolades than any other Canadian in history. Barrett won the Gatorade Player of the Year and Naismith Player of the Year en route to an undefeated season and a national championship at Montverde Academy in Florida. Barrett also led Canada to its first gold medal at an international FIBA competition at the U19 Basketball World Cup in 2017.
This past April, Barrett helped guide the World Selects to a Nike Hoops Summit title Portland. That team was coached by Ryerson head coach Roy Rana.
“It’s going to be amazing to take part in this tour,” said Barrett. “Not only will I be putting on the Duke jersey for the first time, but I will be doing it in my home country in front of friends and family. It will be a good way to start our year, and bond with each other as teammates.”
The games will be played at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario and Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. The 5,395-seat Hershey Centre is home to the Toronto Raptors’ G League affiliate, Raptors 905. Place Bell is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose venue, which houses the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate, Laval Rocket (Rocket de Laval).
SCHEDULE
August 15, 2018, 7 p.m. ET —vs. Ryerson University — Hershey Centre
August 17, 2018, 6 p.m. ET —vs. University of Toronto — Hershey Centre
August 19, 2018, 3 p.m. ET — vs. McGill University — Place Bell
TICKETS
Tickets will go on sale in early June. Please visit: www.DukeCanadaTour.com for more information. Fans can choose from a number of different options. Hospitality packages are also available, including marketing assets, executive boxes and courtside suites.
ABOUT DUKE CANADA TOUR
The Duke Canada Tour is a three-game exhibition series between the Duke men’s basketball team and Ryerson University, University of Toronto, and McGill University. The tour will take place in Toronto and Montreal, Canada from August 13-19, 2018. This will be the first time that the Blue Devils historic freshman class, led by Canadian R.J. Barrett, will suit up together.
