SATURDAY, NOV 28, 2020 | CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM | DURHAM, NC | 2 PM ET
WHERE TO WATCH
Network: ACC NETWORK EXTRA
Play-by-Play: Ryan Craig
Analyst: Will Avery
Stream: ESPN.com
WHERE TO LISTEN
Network: BLUE DEVIL SPORTS NETWORK
Play-by-Play: Chris Edwards
Analyst: John Roth
Stream: GoDuke.com; TuneIn App
Sirius/XM: 106/194
No. 9 Duke opens its 116th season of basketball on Saturday by welcoming Coppin State to Cameron Indoor Stadium at 2 p.m. ET. When Saturday’s game tips, it will mark 266 days since the Blue Devils last played — the longest drought of games for Duke since the 267 days between the 1981-82 and 1982-83 campaigns. Duke ended last season with a win over North Carolina in the regular season finale (March 7) before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the ACC Tournament, the NCAA Tournament and delayed the start of the 2020-21 season.
Juan Dixon is the 4th year coach for Coppin State, Dixon as most may remember is a former MD Terrapin guard who won an NCAA Championship and a former ACC Player of the year under coach Gary Williams. The Eagles went 11–20 last season. Dixon has increased his win totals in each of his 3 years at Coppin State.
Duke Notes:
The 2020-21 campaign marks the 41st season at Duke (46th overall) for Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K’s 1,157 overall wins and 1,084 wins at Duke are each NCAA records. Duke, Kansas and Gonzaga are the only programs to have won 25 or more games in each of the last 13 seasons. Ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP poll, Duke is in the AP’s preseason top 10 for the 13th straight year. The Blue Devils have been ranked in the top 10 at least some point during a season in 25 consecutive years -– the longest active streak in the nation (Kansas, 15). Duke has also been ranked in 84 consecutive polls dating back to 2016, the nation’s second-longest active streak.
Sophomore Matthew Hurt, Duke’s leading returning scorer, enters the year ranked as the 22nd-best player in the nation by CBS Sports. Hurt averaged 9.7 points and shot .393 from three-point range — the 10th best freshman performance in school history. Freshman Jalen Johnson (first team) and sophomore Wendell Moore Jr. (second) were each tapped to the Preseason All-ACC team. Duke’s 2020-21 roster features seven newcomers — six freshmen that comprised the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class and graduate transfer Patrick Tapé from Columbia University — the program’s first grad transfer all time. Duke has won 20 consecutive season openers, and is 38-2 in season openers under Coach K.
Duke Projected Starters:
Guard: Jeremy Roach
Guard: Jordan Goldwire
Guard: Wendell Moore
Forward: Jalen Johnson
Forward: Matthew Hurt
Coppin State Projected Starters:
Hard to get a sense of who the Eagles will start this season aside from Koby Thomas and DeJuan Clayton. Coppin State returns just three active players from last season’s squad in seniors DeJuan Clayton and Koby Thomas, as well as sophomore Reggie James. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Gross and Kenan Sarvan did not play last season. With just three returning players, Coppin loses 59% of its points from last season and 69% of its rebounds.
