Illini to travel to Duke in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge

Illinois fans have been wondering when the Illini basketball schedule may take shape, with the season season set to tipoff November 25. Finally, some big news broke on that front on Thursday afternoon.

CBS Sports basketball insider John Rothstein is reporting that Illinois will travel to Durham, NC to take on Duke in the 2020 ACC / Big Ten Challenge. Now, that's something to get excited about.

The two teams last hooked up in November of 2007, as the then No. 13 Blue Devils defeated Illinois 79-66 in the Maui Invitational. Overall, Illinois is 2-5 head-to-head against Duke. The Illini last visited Cameron Indoor Stadium in 1995, Lou Henson's last season at the school.

Both teams will be highly ranked headed into the 2020-21 season. Andy Katz from BTN and Fox Sports has Illinois spotted at No. 4 in his Power 36 rankings, while Duke checks in at No. 11. Lindy's ranks Duke No. 9 and Illinois No. 12 in its annual college basketball preview.

The game will feature high-level players from the Chicago high school basketball ranks. Illinois All-Big Ten guard Ayo Dosunmu and freshman Adam Miller both starred at Morgan Park, while incoming Duke freshman D.J. Steward was a McDonald's All-American coming out of Whitney Young.

Other marquee matchups include North Carolina at Iowa and Michigan State at Virginia. The Big Ten took home an 8-6 victory in the Challenge in 2019. Illinois fell in a hearbreaker to Miami 81-79, while Duke topped Michigan State.

Illinois will be tested by a young but talented Duke squad that lost top scorers Vernon Carey Jr. and Tre Jones but adds the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation. Mike Krzyzewski signed six players in the class, including top 50 prospects Steward, Jalen Johnson, Jeremy Roach, Mark Williams, and Jaemyn Brakefield.

The Illini had their first practice just over two weeks ago, and expectations are high. Dosunmu and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kofi Cockburn, a 7-foot center, both withdrew their names from the NBA Draft and are back this winter. The core of a squad that finished 21-10 and 13-7 in the Big Ten is back after a run that would have netted them a berth in the NCAA Tournament if not for the coronavirus pandemic.

The NCAA Division I Council ruled that men's teams can play 24 or 25 regular-season games and will be limited to no more than two or three games in one multi-team event. The Illini will host an event at the State Farm Center on on November 25-27 that will include Wright State, North Carolina A&T, and Ohio.

Illinois at Duke

Ohio State at Notre Dame

Indiana at Florida State

Syracuse at Rutgers

Boston College at Minnesota

Maryland at Clemson

Pitt at Northwestern

Georgia Tech at Nebraska

Louisville at Wisconsin

Penn State at Virginia Tech

Purdue at Miami

North Carolina at Iowa

Michigan State @ Virginia