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Duke Blue Devils: Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Drops

By John Woodcock

March 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils assistant coach Jeff Capel, head coach Mike Krzyzewski and coach Jon Scheyer react during the 82-68 loss against Oregon Ducks during the second half of the semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
March 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils assistant coach Jeff Capel, head coach Mike Krzyzewski and coach Jon Scheyer react during the 82-68 loss against Oregon Ducks during the second half of the semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Duke Blue Devils 2016 Basketball Non-Conference Schedule has a couple cherries, but a lot of empty calories.

It seems like everytime we deal with the Duke Blue Devils lately it has do with one of their alumni signing a contract with a basketball team. With all fairness to the growing number of Duke players in the NBA, those probably aren’t the Duke players that people want to hear about.

They want to hear about the current loaded Duke team centered around Grayson Allen and including a watershed group of talented freshmen. What is going to happen to Harry Giles and company? You know, after football season has started.

Today Duke gave us a little picture of what the season will look like when they released the non-conference schedule.

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It starts with a bang against Grand Canyon at home to set up another game that will also presumably be played at Cameron Indoor. Duke is in a couple of these early season tournaments this year. Duke has never beaten Grand Canyon in basketball, so the challenge is real.

Duke then gets Kansas in Madison Square Garden. That is followed by playing Penn State in Connecticut. Then Duke will play ever Cincinnati or Rhode Island to finish off that tournament in Connecticut.

Duke comes home to play local teams William and Mary and then Appalachian State. After those two games is the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with Michigan State coming to Durham. Maine visits just after.

Duke leaves home to play Florida in Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V classic. Then Duke finally plays a true road game when they visit UNLV for the opening of their new arena and twenty-five years after Duke last faced the Runnin Rebels.

Duke then finishes with Tennessee State at home and then Elon in the Greensboro Colosseum.

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This schedule seems to be very lax in testing what should be a great Duke team. Michigan State and Kansas are on the docket, which is good but they represent the only meat on the non-conference slate. Despite the nice things that Coach K said about Florida, I will not believe that they are for real until I see.

To be blunt, this a pragmatic schedule. It is designed for Duke to have as many wins as possible entering the conference season. Not every team could get away with that, but Duke’s reputation will live and die with the ACC which is strong right now. Quality wins will appear from UNC, Syracuse, or others.

Next: Marshall Plumlee to the Knicks

Maybe we should give Coach K some credit from not going the full Boeheim and actually agreeing to play UNLV on the road at their place. Because that is the only road game that he has before conference play.

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