Duke Nixes Remaining Non-Conference Schedule

Duke will play its conference opener at Notre Dame on Dec. 16, then won't play again until Dec. 29 against Pittsburgh.

The Duke Blue Devils will not be playing any of their remaining non-conference games, the school announced Thursday. The news was first reported by Jeff Goodman of Stadium.

In a statement, coach Mike Krzyzewski called this the right decision for the team.

UPDATE: We will forgo our remaining non-conference regular-season games for the 2020-21 season. Next up is Notre Dame next Wednesday in South Bend. pic.twitter.com/z3uSVAXjqe

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 10, 2020

“This is the best decision we could make as a program, in making sure that we are doing the right thing for our players,” Krzyzewski said. “This will also allow our team to have time over the holidays to safely enjoy with their families. These kids need to be with their families, at least for a little bit.”

The news comes one day after Krzyzewski questioned college basketball playing during the pandemic, asking whether it was time to "reassess" the decision to push forward with the season.

“You have 2,000 deaths a day,” Krzyzewski said. “You have 200,000 cases. People are saying the next six weeks are going be the worst. To me, it’s already pretty bad. On the other side of it, there are these vaccines that are coming out. By the end of the month 20 million vaccine shots will be given. By the end of January or in February, another 100 million. Should we not reassess that? See just what would be best?”

Duke's next scheduled game was supposed to be on Saturday against Charleston Southern. That game was already postponed because a non-player within the CSU program tested positive for COVID-19. The Blue Devils will play their conference opener at Notre Dame on Dec. 16, then won't play again until Dec. 29 against Pittsburgh.

Since Aug. 2, the basketball team has been quarantining at the Washington Duke hotel, leaving only for class, practice or conditioning, all of which occur at the team's training facility. That has led to considerable "mental fatigue," according to Brendan Marks of The Athletic, which the program hopes will be alleviated by scrapping the rest of the non-conference schedule. Players will be allowed to go home following the Notre Dame game, then return to Durham on Dec. 23 to undergo testing and resume training.