According to a Tuesday report from national basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the Blue Devils are finalizing an agreement with Illinois to play at Madison Square Garden during the 2024-25 season.
Rothstein’s report said that neither a timetable for the agreement nor a specific day for the game has been specified.
Last season, the Fighting Illini finished with a 29-9 record before being assigned as the No. 3 seed in the East region. Illinois made it all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to Connecticut, the eventual national champion.
Head coach Brad Underwood’s team finished as a top-10 team in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin.
The two schools haven’t faced off since December 2020, when Illinois took down the Blue Devils 83-68 thanks to 18 points from Ayo Dosunmu. Duke’s Matthew Hurt finished with a game-high 19 points.
NEWS: Duke and Illinois are working to finalize an agreement to meet next season at MSG, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/WxaP9vxx5F
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 7, 2024
The report comes weeks after a similar report that the Blue Devils would battle Kansas next season on a neutral court in Las Vegas.