The Duke basketball team’s non-conference schedule presents a formidable lineup, which isn’t expected to become much more challenging. Despite earlier speculation tying the Blue Devils to an inaugural Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) tournament in Las Vegas this November, they won’t be participating this season.
According to CBS Sports, the tournament will feature Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, and Texas A&M, with the final team still under discussion. Each participating program’s NIL collective stands to earn $1 million, to be distributed among the players, who also have opportunities for additional NIL endorsements through event sponsors.
While the winning team may receive an additional million dollars, the tournament format remains undecided, possibly including two champions from split brackets. Duke could potentially join the event in 2025, with reports indicating an expansion from eight to sixteen teams next season.
The participating schools for this season are committed to three consecutive appearances. Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan, Syracuse, and Virginia are also rumored targets for the 2025 tournament. Although Duke will face Kansas in Las Vegas in November, they won’t be part of the NIL event.
Their non-conference schedule includes games against Arizona (Tucson), Kentucky (Atlanta), Illinois (New York), and an SEC team (Durham), with further details to be announced later this offseason. Jon Scheyer’s coaching debut will attract significant attention, especially with two potential top-three NBA draft picks, Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, on the roster.