Duke Basketball Reportedly Heading to Big Apple in Late February

The 2024-25 Duke basketball team will square off against Illinois in Madison Square Garden late in the season.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Three weeks ago, Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood spilled the beans about a showdown — not yet finalized at the time — against Jon Scheyer's third Duke basketball squad in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Underwood noted that they were eyeing a February clash.

Now, according to a post from The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman on Monday evening, the game is expected to take place on Feb. 22. That marks Duke's latest scheduled non-conference outing in any regular season since the Blue Devils defeated visiting Temple in Durham, 78-61, on Feb. 23. 2011.

No Blue Devils have faced a non-conference foe in February since Zion Williamson & Co.'s 91-61 win over St. John's in MSG on Feb. 2, 2019.

Both the Blue Devils and Fighting Illini finished with nine losses this past season and reached the Elite Eight. The last time Duke played Illinois was in the 2020 ACC-Big Ten Challenge: an 83-68 Illini road victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke is expected to play Illinois at Madison Square Garden on February 22, source told @TheFieldOf68.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 3, 2024

The following is every piece of reported intel on what will be an 11-game Duke basketball non-conference slate:

• Nov. 4 vs. Maine, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C.

• Nov. 12 vs. Kentucky, Champions Classic, State Farm Arena, Atlanta

• Nov. 21 at Arizona, McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, Ariz.

• Nov. 26 vs. Kansas, Vegas Showdown, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

• Nov. 29 vs. Seattle, Vegas Showdown, Cameron Indoor Stadium

• Dec. 17 vs. George Mason, Cameron Indoor Stadium

• Feb. 22 vs. Illinois, Madison Square Garden, New York City

• Unknown date, opponent, and venue for the annual ACC-SEC Challenge

ALSO READ: Incoming Duke Star Cooper Flagg Makes Kids Earn Follow Back