For the first time in 35 years, Duke basketball is playing a marquee nonconference matchup in late February ahead of March Madness.
The third-ranked Blue Devils (23-3, 15-1 ACC) play Illinois (17-10, 9-8 Big Ten) on Saturday (8 p.m., FOX) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Duke hasn’t played a February nonconference game since the 2018-19 season against St. John’s at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils haven’t played a true neutral-site game this late in the regular season since a top-10 matchup against Arizona in New Jersey on Feb. 26, 1989.
So, why did Duke and head coach Jon Scheyer schedule the Illinois game in late February for the Cooper Flagg-led Blue Devils?
“Any chance to get back to Madison Square Garden, for us, we try to do that once a year if we can. There were conflicts and it was difficult to go there in December this year with our schedule and their schedule,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said on Feb. 10 during the ACC’s weekly coaches teleconference.
“The idea came up of doing it in February. The more I talked about it, the more I liked the concept of getting a neutral game late in the year against a different opponent to get outside of the bubble that we’re in in ACC play.”
With conference expansion and more league games, nonconference matchups in the latter stages of the season have become harder to schedule. The ACC created a 20-game league slate in 2019 and the conference just increased its number of teams to 18.
“I didn’t know how I’d feel as it got closer, but the closer we’ve got to that (Illinois) game, the happier I am we have it, because I think it’ll really simulate what you’re going to see in the postseason, in the ACC Tournament and hopefully the NCAA Tournament” Scheyer said.
“So, Illinois, I’m sure, felt the same way with Brad (Underwood) and his staff. I think it’ll be an amazing environment. I think the environment’s gonna be incredible and it’ll be a tough test against a really good opponent.”
Duke basketball history, record at Madison Square Garden
Duke played its first game at Madison Square Garden in 1938, losing 44-28 to St. John’s. Saturday’s matchup with Illinois will be the Blue Devils’ 60th game at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” The Blue Devils have a 46-25 record at both versions of MSG.
The current version of the Garden, which opened in 1968, has seen Duke win 69.5% of its games, including seven straight and eight of the last nine. The Devils have played at the “Mecca of Basketball” in 24 of the last 27 seasons, including 11 of the last 12.
Duke has a 41-18 record at current MSG, including a 21-5 mark with Jon Scheyer as a player, assistant coach and head coach. There’s a reason why Blue Devil fans call it “Cameron North.”
What Duke basketball vs Illinois means for NCAA Tournament, March Madness
A pair of Elite Eight participants in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Duke and Illinois are safely in the 2025 field with just under a month until the March Madness bracket is revealed. Both teams have an opportunity to add a marquee win this weekend that could help them maintain or improve their seeding.
Duke has a 5-3 record against the Fighting Illini, including a 5-1 mark at a neutral site. But Illinois is 2-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, earning an 83-68 win the last time the teams played in 2020.
In the NCAA selection committee’s bracket preview on Feb. 15, the Blue Devils were projected to be the No. 3 overall seed as the No. 1 team in the East Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Duke has two Quadrant-1 opportunities across its final five games, starting with Illinois on Saturday and ending with a trip to rival UNC on March 8. The Fighting Illini have Q1 chances in three of their final four games. A win Saturday will look good on Selection Sunday.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why is Duke basketball playing Illinois at Madison Square Garden?
