Duke basketball schedule for 2022-23 season is now complete with release of ACC games

Jon Scheyer’s first Duke basketball season as the Blue Devils head coach includes three ACC games in December and, if all goes as expected, a March close to home.

The Blue Devils full schedule was released Tuesday, showing they open ACC play Dec. 3 at home with Boston College while also playing league games at Wake Forest (Dec. 20) and at home with Florida State (Dec. 31) before the calendar turns to 2023.

A former Duke player and assistant coach, the 35-year-old Scheyer takes over as head coach following Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement last April.

The Blue Devils close the regular season on March 4 at rival North Carolina. The following week, the ACC tournament will be held in Greensboro.

The NCAA tournament returns to Greensboro Coliseum in March as well, meaning if the Blue Devils have the kind of season they normally do, they’ll earn a high enough seed to play their first- and-second round games close to home in Greensboro.

Here’s a look at Duke’s entire schedule:

Duke’s can’t-miss basketball game

As tempting at the non-conference matchup with Kansas is, the first time Scheyer coaches against rival UNC is the winner here.

The Tar Heels, famously, beat Duke, 94-81, to close the regular season last March 5, handing Krzyzewski a loss in his final home game. A month later, UNC topped Duke, 81-77, at the Final Four in New Orleans ending the Hall of Fame coach’s career.

Always one of the sport’s toughest tickets and one that draws the best regular-season audience of any college basketball game, the UNC at Duke game on Feb. 4 this season will be memorable.

Trap game alert

Wake Forest could give the Blue Devils plenty to think about over a holiday break.

Duke plays the Demon Deacons on Dec. 20 in Winston-Salem before the players scatter for Christmas break.

Even though Wake Forest had a solid season at 25-10 last season, the Blue Devils swept the Demon Deacons in their two matchups. The first time the teams meet this season will be at a time when Wake’s students will be away from campus between semesters. That could dampen the enthusiasm among the crowd.

Krzyzewski often talked about battling human nature and players finding a way to play well at the end of an “energy cycle.” The final game before a break, in a building that could be lacking in a student section, will test the Blue Devils in this manner.

Toughest stretch for Duke

The middle of February, with teams fighting for NCAA tournament bids and conference regular-season titles, will bring a challenge for Duke.

On Feb. 4, the Tar Heels come to Cameron Indoor for that grudge match. Duke must then catch a plane the next day to Miami, where on Feb. 6 the Blue Devils and Hurricanes battle.

Playing on the road in the back half of two games in three days is always difficult. Doing so after playing a fierce rival only adds to it. And Miami was an Elite Eight team a year ago.

The following Saturday, Duke plays at Virginia. That’s a tough eight-day stretch.

Easiest stretch for Duke

In early January, Duke plays Boston College, Pittsburgh and Clemson over an eight-day stretch. Those will be three teams picked to finish among the bottom half of the league this season.

The trip to Boston College is Jan. 7 followed by a home game with Pitt on Jan. 11 and a game at Clemson on Jan. 14.

It’s tempting to add to this stretch by including the Jan. 4 game at N.C. State which precedes the trip to Boston College. But Duke’s struggles beating the Wolfpack in Raleigh make that unwise, even though N.C. State won’t be predicted to be an NCAA tournament team this season.

Duke basketball’s non-conference test

How about the reigning NCAA champions? Duke plays Kansas on Nov. 15 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN as part of the Champions Classic in Indianapolis. The Blue Devils also play in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in Portland, Oregon, during Thanksgiving weekend. That eight-team field includes Gonzaga, Florida, Xavier, Purdue, West Virginia, Oregon State and Portland.

+ — Champions Classic, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.

# — Phil Knight Legacy tournament, Portland, Oregon

+ — Jimmy V Classic, Madison Square Garden, New York

* — ACC game