The Duke men’s basketball program has unveiled the team’s 2021-22 non-conference schedule, as the final season for Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski draws near.
Three of Duke’s 11 non-conference matchups away from Cameron Indoor Stadium – marquee games versus Kentucky, Gonzaga and Ohio State – had previously been announced. The remaining eight non-conference opponents, which include reigning conference champions Appalachian State and Cleveland State, come to Cameron Indoor.
The Blue Devils battle Kentucky in the regular-season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 9 in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Continental Tire Challenge, which pits Duke vs. Gonzaga, is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., while the Blue Devils’ annual appearance in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge will be Tuesday, Nov. 30 at Ohio State.
Duke’s first event at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the 2021-22 season is the program’s Countdown to Craziness event on Friday, Oct. 15. Winston-Salem State will serve as the lone exhibition game, which is set for Saturday, Oct. 30 at Cameron Indoor. Times have not yet been announced.
Following Kentucky in the season opener, the Blue Devils host the Duke Veteran’s Day Weekend Showcase at Cameron Indoor Stadium Nov. 12-13. Duke battles Coach K’s alma mater, Army West Point, on Friday, Nov. 12, with a matchup versus Campbell the following day. Hartford is the fourth team in Duke’s multi-team event (MTE) and the Hawks will play Army and Campbell at Cameron.
Midweek home games against Gardner-Webb (Tuesday, Nov. 16), Lafayette (Friday, Nov. 19) and The Citadel (Monday, Nov. 22) precede the back-to-back battles versus Gonzaga and Ohio State.
A final trio of non-conference games lead the Blue Devils into ACC play as Duke welcomes South Carolina State (Tuesday, Dec. 14), Appalachian State (Thursday, Dec. 16) and Cleveland State (Saturday, Dec. 18).
Cleveland State is the reigning Horizon League champion having gone 19-8 last season, including 16-4 in the Horizon to also share the regular season crown. Appalachian State was 17-12 last season, 7-8 in the Sun Belt, but rattled off four wins in four days to win the Sun Belt title.
The 2021-22 Duke men’s basketball season marks the final campaign for Hall of Fame Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Set to retire following this season, Coach K has won an NCAA record 1,170 games in his 46-year career, including 1,097 wins and five national titles in his 41 seasons at Duke.
2021-22 Duke Non-Conference Schedule/Series Notes
- Fri., Oct. 15 – Countdown to Craziness
- Sat., Oct. 30 – Winston-Salem State (Exhibition)
- Tues., Nov. 9 vs. Kentucky (State Farm Champions Classic) — The series favors Duke 6-2 in the Coach K era, including a 118-64 victory in the 2018 State Farm Champions Classic in Indianapolis
- Fri., Nov. 12 vs. Army West Point (Duke Veteran’s Day Weekend Showcase) – Coach K is a 1969 graduate of the United States Military Academy … Duke leads the series 11-3 and has won seven consecutive
- Sat., Nov. 13 vs. Campbell (Duke Veteran’s Day Weekend Showcase) — Duke leads 2-0 with meetings coming in 1992 and 1997
- Tues., Nov. 16 vs. Gardner-Webb – Duke leads 2-0 with the most recent meeting coming in 2013 … the teams were set to play last season at Cameron Indoor, but the game was canceled
- Fri., Nov. 19 vs. Lafayette – Duke leads 1-0 with the only meeting coming in 1977
- Mon., Nov. 22 vs. The Citadel — Duke leads 9-0 with the most recent meeting coming in 1993
- Fri., Nov. 26 vs. Gonzaga (Continental Tire Challenge) — Duke leads 3-1 … all four meeting have come on neutral floors, including the Blue Devils’ 66-52 victory in the 2015 Elite Eight in Houston
- Tue., Nov. 30 at Ohio State (Big Ten/ACC Challenge) — Duke leads 4-3, including a 2-1 mark in Big Ten/ACC Challenge games … the teams last met in 2012 – a 73-68 Duke win at Cameron Indoor
- Tue., Dec. 14 vs. South Carolina State — Duke leads 7-0 with the most recent meeting coming in 1998
- Thur., Dec. 16 vs. Appalachian State — Duke leads 8-1 and has won seven straight … the teams’ 2016 meeting (93-58 Duke win) was the first in the series since the 1980s
- Sat., Dec. 18 vs. Cleveland State — Duke and Cleveland State have never met
