2020-21 Basketball Schedule

[JasonEvans]

I think we all would have been satisfied if Duke had dropped a couple of the cupcakes and merely added a decent mid-major or a mid-tier P5 team. Alabama, Davidson, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Georgetown, VCU, Furman... just a few of the teams that were higher ranked in Kenpom than UNC last season who would be better opponents than some of the lower-tier teams we are playing... sigh.

[duke2x]

I think we all would have been satisfied if Duke had dropped a couple of the cupcakes and merely added a decent mid-major or a mid-tier P5 team. Alabama, Davidson, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Georgetown, VCU, Furman... just a few of the teams that were higher ranked in Kenpom than UNC last season who would be better opponents than some of the lower-tier teams we are playing... sigh.

It wasn't going to happen if you look at our past schedules. You can probably add tropical MTEs to the "no" list when we can get a 2 Cameron-2 NYC MTE every year.
In a traditional year, the proposed non-conference schedule would cost us 1-2 seed lines despite the ACC schedule. We really don't know how the postseason or even ACC schedule is going to work this year.

[pfrduke]

It wasn't going to happen if you look at our past schedules. You can probably add tropical MTEs to the "no" list when we can get a 2 Cameron-2 NYC MTE every year.
In a traditional year, the proposed non-conference schedule would cost us 1-2 seed lines despite the ACC schedule. We really don't know how the postseason or even ACC schedule is going to work this year.

Not sure I completely agree with the comparison to past schedules. This looks to be the weakest non-conference schedule I can ever recall for a Duke team - at the very least, it’s the weakest in 20+ years. It’s not just the lack of top-line opponents, but the cupcakes are particularly cupcakey. This year’s full Pomeroy rankings aren’t out yet, but when they are I bet all of Bellarmine, Coppin State, Charleston Southern, and Gardner-Webb are all sub-200, and maybe all sub-250. We typically only have 1-2 of that level opponent on our schedule, and those are balanced out by the larger number of higher tier opponents. So we took basically 4 of our top 6 non-conference games off the schedule AND made the remaining 5 against relatively easier opponents.

[DU82]

I think we all would have been satisfied if Duke had dropped a couple of the cupcakes and merely added a decent mid-major or a mid-tier P5 team. Alabama, Davidson, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Georgetown, VCU, Furman... just a few of the teams that were higher ranked in Kenpom than UNC last season who would be better opponents than some of the lower-tier teams we are playing... sigh.

You have to be willing to have a home-and-home with P6 teams. Other than St. Johns and Georgetown, who play in NBA level arenas, who have we done this with lately? I don't recall who the last team we played H+H that DIDN'T play in an NBA arena. Michigan or UCLA? (Non B1G challenge, of course.)

[MartyClark]

For me, the non conference schedule is pretty disappointing.

On the positive side, we may get the college basketball season in.

On the negative side, I probably can't go to any games.

ON the positive side, I can watch Duke on t.v., albeit in a sterile, no spectator environment

On the negative side, I still can't get the ACC network on Comcast and, because of Covid19 can't or won't go to a bar to watch the game.

Life is complicated

[duke2x]

You have to be willing to have a home-and-home with P6 teams. Other than St. Johns and Georgetown, who play in NBA level arenas, who have we done this with lately? I don't recall who the last team we played H+H that DIDN'T play in an NBA arena. Michigan or UCLA? (Non B1G challenge, of course.)

Michigan 2008-2009 is the correct answer for "voluntary true road" games. You could also add Temple/Villanova in the 76ers arena as an away game when the opposing coaches consented.

[sagegrouse]

Re: Duke 2020-21 schedule.

Last year we had 20 conference games and 11 other games (before ACCs and NCAAs -- which weren't played). We played Kansas, Cal, Georgetown and Michigan State.
Four out of 11 were power conference teams. Seven were much lesser teams (of course, we lost to SF Austin).

This year we will have 20 ACC games and only seven other games. Two of the seven will be Michigan State and the ACC-Big Ten challenge. Five will be other, much weaker teams. While the percent of power conference OOC games is lower as a percentage of OOC games -- it is only marginally so 2/7 = 0.289; 4/11 = 0.363.

[pfrduke]

Re: Duke 2020-21 schedule.

Last year we had 20 conference games and 11 other games (before ACCs and NCAAs -- which weren't played). We played Kansas, Cal, Georgetown and Michigan State.
Four out of 11 were power conference teams. Seven were much lesser teams (of course, we lost to SF Austin).

This year we will have 20 ACC games and only seven other games. Two of the seven will be Michigan State and the ACC-Big Ten challenge. Five will be other, much weaker teams. While the percent of power conference OOC games is lower as a percentage of OOC games -- it is only marginally so 2/7 = 0.289; 4/11 = 0.363.

Yes, but not all non-power conference games are created equal. Last year we played 5 mid-major opponents - Georgia State, Wofford, Winthrop, Stephen F. Austin, and Colorado State - that all ended up ranked in the top half of NCAA teams (actually, all of them except Wofford ended up being ranked ahead of Cal, and Wofford was just one spot back). The only real bottom feeders were Central Arkansas and Brown. This year we have 4/7 that are likely to be bottom feeders - that’s the percentage that I think is making people perceive this (correctly in my mind) to be an exceptionally weak schedule.

[Pghdukie]

CBS Sports and ESPN are reporting that the bubble events in Orlando are being canceled.

[arnie]

CBS Sports and ESPN are reporting that the bubble events in Orlando are being canceled.

Hope we still play the Spartans somewhere and don’t replace with Campbell or Prairie View A&M.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Jon Rothstein's anonymous sources suggest that Indianapolis is a potential location for the Champions Classic.

I feel confident that Duke will play MSU in early December.

[rsvman]

For me, the non conference schedule is pretty disappointing.

On the positive side, we may get the college basketball season in.

On the negative side, I probably can't go to any games.

ON the positive side, I can watch Duke on t.v., albeit in a sterile, no spectator environment

On the negative side, I still can't get the ACC network on Comcast and, because of Covid19 can't or won't go to a bar to watch the game.

Life is complicated

Three words for you: cut.the.cord.

Hulu carries the ACC network. I didn't miss a single game last year. Cheaper, too.

[UrinalCake]

CBS Sports and ESPN are reporting that the bubble events in Orlando are being canceled.

That's a real bummer for the sport as a whole, and casts further doubt as to whether this season will happen. Really gives me even more of an appreciation for what the NBA was able to pull off, playing a full postseason with zero positive cases.

[English]

There's been some real steam this week--from Norlander, Parrish, and others including Mark Titus--about P5 coaches pushing to limit the regular season to conference-only because of the gaps/disparity in COVID protocols across conferences (e.g., testing, contact tracing, withholding players, etc.). I'm skeptical that it'll come to pass, but it's discouraging that this issue is kicking up again because it was a hot-button topic months ago which doesn't appear to have received much productive resolution.

Something to keep an eye on...

[CameronBornAndBred]

There's been some real steam this week--from Norlander, Parrish, and others including Mark Titus--about P5 coaches pushing to limit the regular season to conference-only because of the gaps/disparity in COVID protocols across conferences (e.g., testing, contact tracing, withholding players, etc.). I'm skeptical that it'll come to pass, but it's discouraging that this issue is kicking up again because it was a hot-button topic months ago which doesn't appear to have received much productive resolution.

Something to keep an eye on...

Cases are on the rise, and and will continue to increase as the season approaches. Without an NBA style bubble, it's a near impossible task. There is no way you can put "student" athletes in a bubble. Not for a whole season. Hell, logistically alone it would be impossible.
Football has far less games, and even several of those had to be cancelled or postponed.
If Duke does not play 40 minutes of basketball this season, I will not be surprised.

[duke2x]

Cases are on the rise, and and will continue to increase as the season approaches. Without an NBA style bubble, it's a near impossible task. There is no way you can put "student" athletes in a bubble. Not for a whole season. Hell, logistically alone it would be impossible. Football has far less games, and even several of those had to be cancelled or postponed.
If Duke does not play 40 minutes of basketball this season, I will not be surprised.

If TV football pays in dollars, basketball TV pays in dimes with the possible exception of Duke. We might see a full season, an abbreviated regular season, a delayed abbreviated season, or no season at all. I have to wonder how many non-seasons K, Boeheim, Roy, and others wait things out.

[budwom]

Cases are on the rise, and and will continue to increase as the season approaches. Without an NBA style bubble, it's a near impossible task. There is no way you can put "student" athletes in a bubble. Not for a whole season. Hell, logistically alone it would be impossible.
Football has far less games, and even several of those had to be cancelled or postponed.
If Duke does not play 40 minutes of basketball this season, I will not be surprised.

Yeah, I agree, the assumption that we're going to fly all over the East coast all winter seems like wishful thinking. The Covid is holding most of the cards at this point.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Jon Rothstein is leaking out the matcups via his twitter account. My guess is that Duke is hosting Illinois, but he hasn't announced it yet.

Maryland @ Clemson
Pitt @ Northwestern
Georgia Tech @ Nebraska (sneaky good matchup)
Louisville @ Wisconsin
Penn State @ Virginia Tech
Iowa @ UNC
Michigan State @ Virginia (Tom Izzo mentioned this during a press conference earlier today)
Boston College @ Minnesota

[sagegrouse]

Jon Rothstein is leaking out the matcups via his twitter account. My guess is that Duke is hosting Illinois, but he hasn't announced it yet.

Maryland @ Clemson
Pitt @ Northwestern
Georgia Tech @ Nebraska (sneaky good matchup)
Louisville @ Wisconsin
Penn State @ Virginia Tech
Iowa @ UNC
Michigan State @ Virginia (Tom Izzo mentioned this during a press conference earlier today)
Boston College @ Minnesota

Pitt @ Northwestern -- teammates and assistant coaches Capel vs. Collins.

[DavidBenAkiva]

This is a really interesting matchup. Illinois played a little slow last year and really struggled to shoot it. The one guy that was able to knock down a 3-pointer left Champaign/Urbana for Syracuse. Still, the Illini have a pair of potential stars in 6'5" G Ayo Dosonmu, who shocked by spurning the NBA for a return to college, and 7'0" Kofi Cockburn. The latter is a strong and more traditional center, doing a lot of damage inside. The former is more a slasher that hasn't been able to consistently knock down the jumper yet.

Duke has a ton of wings to throw at Illinois, which is a position where the visitors will rely on a pair of transfers from Holy Cross and another from a D-III school in Connecticut. Are either going to be up to the task of defending Wendell Moore, Jalen Johnson, or Matthew Hurt?

This could be a great matchup of contrasting styles and rosters. I'm excited to see it on the schedule.