Illinois head coach Brad Underwood spoke with basketball reporter Andy Katz at the NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday, and he provided an update on the Illini’s ongoing work to schedule a 2024-25 game with Duke.
According to Underwood, the game hasn’t been finalized yet, but the two teams are aiming for an unconventional time frame. The Blue Devils might face Illinois deep into their conference schedule.
“We’re working on a game, it’s not finalized, with Duke in the Garden at a unique time,” Underwood said. “We’re going to do it in February.”
Last season, Duke’s last non-conference game was played on December 30. The Blue Devils last played a Power 6 school from outside the ACC on December 20 when they played Baylor, their most recent game at Madison Square Garden.
Duke has played 13 games over the last 10 years at Madison Square Garden, winning 10 of them. They took down a ranked Bears team 78-70 last year after a game-high 21 points from Jared McCain.
🏀 @CoachUnderwood hit the portal hard this offseason, and he's got a pair of prospects in the @NBADraft Combine.@TheAndyKatz caught up with him in Chicago. @IlliniMBB x #B1GMBball pic.twitter.com/pVYDBhbOQv
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) May 14, 2024
The Blue Devils also have an unscheduled Las Vegas battle with Kansas in the works.