Originally Posted by
Olympic Fan
Okay, it's early, but let's start putting together what info we can glean about next year's schedule.
First, the good news -- after playing the toughest ACC unbalanced schedule that it's possible to play, we get a much more reasonable lineup in the league next year.
You remember this year, the ACC put nine teams in the NCAA and Duke played all eight of the possible NCAA teams on the road ... plus Syracuse, which was probably the greatest home/road split in the league.
Next year's ACC schedule involves home-and-home with UNC and Wake Forest (our permanent partners, we get them every year) and a home-and- home with Virginia Tech and Pitt. We play road only games with Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Boston College and N.C. State ... we get home only games with Notre Dame, Virginia, Louisville, Florida State and Syracuse.
That's a MUCH easier schedule -- the two games with Pitt are nice (they lose all five starters) and while I'm not saying any of these will be easy, but playing at BC, Clemson, Georgia Tech is much easier than playing at Louisville, Virginia and Notre Dame. Plus we get Syracuse at home (I know we lost to them in Cameron in 2016, but they are still much more vulnerable on the road).
Okay, we also know that we get Michigan State in the Champions Classic -- we had Kansas this season and Kentucky the year before. A good game on a neutral court against an improving team (they were awfully young this season).
Getting Michigan State early means it's VERY unlikely we get the Spartans in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. No clue who we do get, although it's almost certain we get a road game (after two straight home games). Best guess is that Duke will face one of the teams coming off a road game in the challenge -- that means Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue, Ohio State, Rutgers or Nebraska (also Michigan State, but we won't get them). Knowing that ESPN sets the matchups and wants a premier opponent for Duke, it won't be Rutgers or Nebraska.
I was hoping this was the year we return to Maui, but that's in November 2018 (we're there with Gonzaga, Arizona, Illinois, Xavier, Iowa State and Auburn).
instead, we're playing in an event called the Phil Knight Invitational -- an incredible 16-team field that includes Duke, UNC, Oregon, Florida, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Butler, Arkansas, UConn, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Stanford, It was supposed to include Kentucky and Xavier, but they had to pull out.
The thing is, that instead of a 16 team tournament, this is going to be two eight team tournaments. The split has not been announced (at least I can't find it), but it's very likely that we won't be in the eight-team tourney with UNC or Michigan State ... but Oregon and Gonzaga are very possible. The tourney is in Portland over the Thanksgiving holiday.
We are pretty certain to have a significant game in Madison Square Garden just before Christmas.
Anyway, that's as far as I can take it. I welcome additions as they become known.