2019-2020 Schedule Speculation / Updates

Hey everyone,

Despite the current sadness that has set in this week, I already look forward to next year. Here's what I've found that is confirmed for next season, please feel free to add others:

Non-Conference
early November - 2 preliminary games for the Empire Classic at Cameron Indoor Stadium
November 5 - Champions Classic vs Kansas at Madison Square Garden (Kansas is the only team we have not defeated in the Champions Classic - 0-2 losing in 2013 and 2016)
November 21 - Empire Classic Semifinals vs Georgetown/Cal/Texas at Madison Square Garden
November 22 - Empire Classic Finals vs Georgetown/Cal/Texas at Madison Square Garden
late November - ACC Big Challenge @ ????? (I'd guess Michigan St as they are due a home game but Purdue is also a possibility unless we get 2 home games in a row which has happened before)

ACC Play (20 games):
Home and Away: UNC (@ Dean Dome probably February 19, @ Cameron definitely March 7), Wake Forest, BC, Miami, NC State, Virginia Tech
Home Only: Florida St, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh
Away Only: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia

One note is that the East Regional is at MSG next year so K has scheduled 3 games there to get some familiarity for the team in the Mecca.

Non-conference schedule was released on July 26th and full conference schedule was released on September 13th last year.

If you see any updates, post them here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HCheek37

Hey everyone,

Despite the current sadness that has set in this week, I already look forward to next year. Here's what I've found that is confirmed for next season, please feel free to add others:

Non-Conference
early November - 2 preliminary games for the Empire Classic at Cameron Indoor Stadium
November 5 - Champions Classic vs Kansas at Madison Square Garden (Kansas is the only team we have not defeated in the Champions Classic - 0-2 losing in 2013 and 2016)
November 21 - Empire Classic Semifinals vs Georgetown/Cal/Texas at Madison Square Garden
November 22 - Empire Classic Finals vs Georgetown/Cal/Texas at Madison Square Garden
late November - ACC Big Challenge @ ????? (I'd guess Michigan St as they are due a home game but Purdue is also a possibility unless we get 2 home games in a row which has happened before)

ACC Play (20 games):
Home and Away: UNC (@ Dean Dome probably February 19, @ Cameron definitely March 7), Wake Forest, BC, Miami, NC State, Virginia Tech
Home Only: Florida St, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh
Away Only: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia

One note is that the East Regional is at MSG next year so K has scheduled 3 games there to get some familiarity for the team in the Mecca.

Non-conference schedule was released on July 26th and full conference schedule was released on September 13th last year.

If you see any updates, post them here.

---

That's a far easier conference schedule than this year. We should be aiming for a 1 seed again.

That might be it for the big non-conference games: KS, Empire, Empire, and (@)B10. We either play a 6-5 or 7-4 Cameron/non-Cameron split based on the last 10+ years of experience and the new ACC schedule. The one that is missing is a MSG game with Duke ticket control, but I'm not sure that happens with 3 games up there already.

I always add the blackout dates in December: Final Exams run from December 11-16. Coach K likes to give a long Christmas break, which could last anywhere from December 17-January 1.

Also remember there is 1 December ACC game under the new schedule. The "open" spots in our early schedule are around 12/7 (likely) or 12/21. If we must play 2 games due to the odd number of ACC teams, which is likely, that 2nd game will need to be played no later than Jan 2. Tradition also puts the UNC home game on 3/7/20. That's 340 days away.

Yes, I don't see this happening, but we could get a Greensboro/NYC/ATL path for the NCAA next year.

Been waiting for awhile now for Duke to be able to play the Pack twice per year in regular season play! I think every year Duke should play Wake twice, Pack twice, and ofc the cheats.... even though I hate the cheats.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 22JumpShots

Been waiting for awhile now for Duke to be able to play the Pack twice per year in regular season play! I think every year Duke should play Wake twice, Pack twice, and ofc the cheats... even though I hate the cheats.

---

I guarantee Duke and State ask for this in basketball in every scheduling request. ESPN tells the ACC to schedule Syracuse twice as much as possible, which wins out. (That has to be their #2 overall ratings game after Duke-UNC.) Clemson is the true beneficiary as we haven't played a home-home with them since 2010 and won't until the last cycle.

I picked a hell of a year to move to NYC! Duke plays 3 games in 2019 and might play a couple more in March. Yes, please.

Hoping we get a game in Texas as well. I believe Coach K usually schedules a game in a player's home state their senior year if they have not had a chance to play in that state during their career, and Bolden has not had the chance to play in Texas yet. Bolden is from the Dallas area, so maybe a neutral site game at the American Airlines Center against a team like Rice or UTEP? This assumes that Bolden comes back of course, but I think that is pretty likely.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DallasDevil

Hoping we get a game in Texas as well. I believe Coach K usually schedules a game in a player's home state their senior year if they have not had a chance to play in that state during their career, and Bolden has not had the chance to play in Texas yet. Bolden is from the Dallas area, so maybe a neutral site game at the American Airlines Center against a team like Rice or UTEP? This assumes that Bolden comes back of course, but I think that is pretty likely.

---

Interesting. I would be interested in watching Duke play Texas A&M (Buzz), Baylor, or SMU.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DUKIE V(A)

Interesting. I would be interested in watching Duke play Texas A&M (Buzz), Baylor, or SMU.

---

I forgot about Justin Robinson, who will also be a senior. That may make San Antonio the possible site for a Texas game, and may mean a game gets scheduled in Texas even if Bolden did not come back. I agree that the three teams you mentioned would be interesting games. I assume we will not schedule Texas since we may play them in NYC. Texas Tech and Houston would also be good match-ups. I suppose schools from states near Texas could also be considered as well, such as New Mexico, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, OSU, Tulsa, or LSU.

We’re playing at Michigan State on 12/3 in ACC-B1G challenge.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hallcity

We’re playing at Michigan State on 12/3 in ACC-B1G challenge.

---

Not surprising... this will be the matchup that's hyped up all month on ESPN! I still say that if Michigan hadn't lost everything it had and entered the year as a Top 5 team we might've gotten them in the B1G-ACC considering we already play MSU once every three years in the Champions Classic (or, at the least, we might have pushed for that behind the scenes). If Juwan Howard has success in Ann Arbor (my fingers are crossed, I'm sure most on the board are putting a hex on him, haha) many may be clamoring for a renewal of the moderate "rivalry" that existed back in the Fab 5 era.

Personally, I think playing MSU early in the year bodes well for us. Tom Izzo led teams very often struggle early in the year before rounding into form late (it's why so often in the last 5-10 years MSU has been an under-seeded "trendy" pick to go to the Final Four). Meanwhile, even with our freshman led teams Coach K almost always seems to have our Blue Devils playing well early. Some other things to consider in this matchup:

• Yes, Cassius Winston is going to be the NPOY frontrunner. But I still like Tre over him one-on-one, especially now that Tre has some extra motivation to redeem himself from our loss last season. For all his success Winston is not overly athletic and is undersized... if Tre is well prepared for his crafty moves (and push offs!) he can limit Winston.
• Early on in the year it wouldn't surprise me if MSU is still searching for it's secondary scorer behind Winston. The obvious candidate is Josh Langford, but you can never underestimate how much a year not playing baskeball will affect someone. Xavier Tillman is a solid player, but not a scorer who creates for himself. Nick Ward could create for himself in the paint, but is gone. And the two primary shooters, Goins and McQuaid, are gone. That may require a freshman to take a larger role than desired at this early point in the season.
• Losing Ward isn't as huge of a blow to MSU as it would've been without Tillman's development, but it is a significant blow to their depth. There isn't a clear secondary big on MSU's roster as it now stands, unless a rising sophomore or incoming freshman develops quickly. Meanwhile, our frontcourt trio of Carey, Hurt and Javin will be our strength (and, FWIW, all are taller than Tillman). We have the potential to try to attack that matchup and get Tillman in foul trouble, which would drastically handicap Sparty.

Already salivating over this game.

Google has found some dates to our schedule.

H: CO St. (11/8), C. AR (11/12), SF Austin (11/26), Brown (12/28)
A/N: v. KS (11/5), v. Empire (11/21, 11/22), @MSU (12/3)
TBD: 3 games, at least 2 of which are likely to be in Cameron against smaller schools.

Blackout dates: 12/11-12/16 (Finals). December break (I'm thinking this is 12/18-12/26 this year).
Obvious holes in the early schedule: 11/16, 11/30, 12/7, 12/17, 12/31. One of those is an ACC game before the season starts in earnest on 1/3.

Brown said they "almost" upset us in 1995. The score was 80-38. :D https://www.golocalprov.com/sports/b...20-says-report
That CSU game could be an expensive home opener with ND's football team in town the next day.

^I was upset that we only won by 42😛

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by duke2x

v. Empire (11/21, 11/22)

---

In case anyone is confused (and did not read earlier in this thread), Empire is not the name of a team.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uHRz-41ReHs/hqdefault.jpg

It refers to the Empire Classic, which will feature us, Georgetown, Cal, and Texas. A few yeas ago this would have been a field of heavyweights, but all three of those teams have been down a bit in recent years, especially GTown (#100 in KenPom in 2019) and Cal (#241...ouch!).

-Jason "I suspect we will be on the opposite side of the draw from Texas, who at least have a couple top 50 recruits and some decent returning players" Evans

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JasonEvans

In case anyone is confused (and did not read earlier in this thread), Empire is not the name of a team.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uHRz-41ReHs/hqdefault.jpg

It refers to the Empire Classic, which will feature us, Georgetown, Cal, and Texas. A few yeas ago this would have been a field of heavyweights, but all three of those teams have been down a bit in recent years, especially GTown (#100 in KenPom in 2019) and Cal (#241...ouch!).

-Jason "I suspect we will be on the opposite side of the draw from Texas, who at least have a couple top 50 recruits and some decent returning players" Evans

---

What about the pathetic nature of "big name" college hoops in California? KenPom has USC (the real one, not the pimento cheese one) at #82, UCLA #102, Stanford #112, and Cal at #241...might've won a few bucks betting that Vermont (#76) would be ahead of all of them with probably 25% of their hoop budgets.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JasonEvans

In case anyone is confused (and did not read earlier in this thread), Empire is not the name of a team.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uHRz-41ReHs/hqdefault.jpg

It refers to the Empire Classic, which will feature us, Georgetown, Cal, and Texas. A few yeas ago this would have been a field of heavyweights, but all three of those teams have been down a bit in recent years, especially GTown (#100 in KenPom in 2019) and Cal (#241...ouch!).

-Jason "I suspect we will be on the opposite side of the draw from Texas, who at least have a couple top 50 recruits and some decent returning players" Evans

---

I got an e-mail yesterday for 25% off four $75 tickets for this event - I forgot that I had already ordered tickets. The fact that they are discounting tickets 4+ months ahead of time is not good. For those who are interested, use promo code "FIREWORKS" on Ticketmaster through Sunday to get the discount.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JasonEvans

SNIP...

It refers to the Empire Classic, which will feature us, Georgetown, Cal, and Texas. A few yeas ago this would have been a field of heavyweights, but all three of those teams have been down a bit in recent years, especially GTown (#100 in KenPom in 2019) and Cal (#241...ouch!).

-Jason "I suspect we will be on the opposite side of the draw from Texas, who at least have a couple top 50 recruits and some decent returning players" Evans

---

You may well be right that Duke and Texas will be on opposite ends of the draw, but I’m pretty sure that GTown will be more formidable than the Longhorns next season. They’ve been in and out of the (essentially meaningless) way-too-early preseason top-25 lists, whereas Texas has been nowhere to be seen as far as I know.

Your point stands, though, that the prestige of this group, Duke excluded, has really REALLY taken a hit over the past several years. I’m hoping to attend, if for no other reason than to see our BDs and take in some live hoops, but it’ll be nothing like the Duke-Texas JJ game at MSG back when I was an ugrad.

ETA: The smart money would be on a draw of Duke-Cal, GTown-Texas...that would basically be 1vs4 and 2vs3.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by English

Your point stands, though, that the prestige of this group, Duke excluded, has really REALLY taken a hit over the past several years. I’m hoping to attend, if for no other reason than to see our BDs and take in some live hoops, but it’ll be nothing like the Duke-Texas JJ game at MSG back when I was an ugrad.

---

It was at the Meadowlands.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by msdukie

It was at the Meadowlands.

---

Face palm...I was at that game, too. My memory isn't what it once was.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by msdukie

It was at the Meadowlands.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by English

Face palm...I was at that game, too. My memory isn't what it once was.

---

I was there too, with about a dozen fraternity brothers. During the second half, with Duke up a lot, we chanted “Just like Clemson! Clap, clap, clap clap clap!” loud enough that Rick Barnes turned his head in our direction and glowered at us and waved! It may have been a one-finger salute. We loved it! LGD GTHc!

We’ll be there again in November. :cool: