Duke Returns to MSG to Face Illinois in SentinelOne Classic on Feb. 22 - Duke University (2024)

Duke Athletics

Men's Basketball 8/14/2024 12:00:00 PM

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke men's basketball will return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, to face Illinois in the SentinelOne Classic, marking the Blue Devils' 60th contest at "The World's Most Famous Arena."

The matchup, which will be broadcastby FOX, features ACC and Big Ten programs that advanced to the Elite Eight and finished in the top-10 of the final Associated Press poll last season.

With the Illinois game, Duke has played at least once at Madison Square Garden in 11 of the last 12 seasons, in 21 of the last 23, and 24 of the last 27. Current MSG has seen the sixth-most Duke wins (41) of any venue in the country, behind only Cameron Indoor Stadium, Greensboro Coliseum, Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, and former Duke home venues Card Gym and Duke Gym.

The Illinois contest will be Jon Scheyer's 27th at MSG as a Duke player, assistant coach and head coach (21-5).

In the Blue Devils' last trip to MSG, No. 21 Duke used a late 14-1 run to secure a 78-70 win over No. 10 Baylor at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20, 2023. With that win, the Blue Devils moved to 41-18 (.695) in the venue, having won seven straight and eight of their last nine at MSG.

At all NBA arenas, Duke has won 26 of its last 30 and owns a 99-34 record (.744) all-time in NBA venues.

Illinois is coming off of one of its best seasons in school history. The Fighting Illini claimed its third Big Ten title in four years, reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005, and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the final AP poll. Illinois' 29-9 record in 2023-24 represents the third-most wins in program history and was the fifth straight 20-win season under head coach Brad Underwood.

In addition to reigning Big Ten champion Illinois, the Blue Devils' non-conference schedule includes two games against both SEC and Big 12 foes, with previously-announced games against Auburn (Durham, N.C., Dec. 4), Kentucky (Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 12), Kansas (Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 26) and Arizona (Tucson, Ariz., TBA) matchups. All five of those opponents are coming off NCAA tournament campaigns last season in which each respective team earned a top-four seed or better in the 68-team field.

In Scheyer's second year as head coach, the Blue Devils finished 27-9 in the 2023-24 season and ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll. The campaign was highlighted by a run to the program's 24th all-time Elite Eight appearance. Duke returns two starters from last season's squad, junior Tyrese Proctor and sophom*ore Caleb Foster, while also signing the nation's top-ranked recruiting class and also making four additions through the transfer portal.

Duke's six-player freshman class includes five top-20 players in 247Sports' rankings, and consists of five-star prospects Cooper Flagg (6-9, G/F, Newport, Maine/Montverde Academy), Isaiah Evans (6-6, G/F, Huntersville, N.C./North Mecklenburg HS), Kon Knueppel (6-7, G/F, Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran HS), Patrick Ngongba II (6-11, C, Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic) and Khaman Maluach (7-2, C, South Sudan, Africa/NBA Academy Africa), and four-star recruit Darren Harris (6-6, G/F, Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic).

In the transfer portal, Duke added four-star transfers Sion James (6-6, G, Sugar Hill, Ga./Lanier HS/Tulane), Maliq Brown (6-9, F, Culpeper, Va./Blue Ridge HS/Syracuse) and Mason Gillis (6-6, F, New Castle, Ind./New Castle HS/Purdue) along with Cameron Sheffield (6-6, G/F, Alpharetta, Ga./ Chattahoochee HS/Rice).

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMBB".

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

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