A season after playing a grueling nonconference schedule that included three road games against top-15 opponents, the Blue Devils will again challenge themselves prior to ACC play.
Duke announced its nonconference schedule for the 2015-16 season Friday, featuring six games against NCAA tournament teams from a season ago.
Highlighting the Blue Devils' home slate are a Nov. 18 contest against Texas A&M and a Dec. 3 game against Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Duke will also play three true road games, heading to Columbia, S.C., to take on Final Four participant South Carolina Dec. 6 and traveling to Lexington, Ky., to take on Kentucky Dec. 20. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie's squad will play its season-opener at one of the most iconic gyms in the country—The Palestra in Philadelphia—against Penn.
Three of the marquee games on the schedule will be rematches. Duke defeated Kentucky last season in Durham and suffered a close loss against the then-No. 1 Gamecocks. The Blue Devils also saw a second-half lead slip away last November on the road against the Aggies.
The Blue Devils will spend their Thanksgiving break in Cancun, Mexico, for the Cancun Challenge, where they will play three games in three days against Idaho, Iowa State and Texas State from Nov. 26-28.
“It is a great schedule and we are excited about getting the 2015-16 season started,” McCallie said in a press release announcing the schedule. “What we try to do each year is be consistent having some great home games along with some terrific games away. I am proud of the schedule and excited for the team.”
Duke will begin its season with exhibition games against Pfeiffer and St. Leo Nov. 5 and Nov. 8, respectively.
The full nonconference schedule is below.
Nov. 5 vs. Pfeiffer*
Nov. 8 vs. St. Leo*
Nov. 13 at Penn
Nov. 15 vs. Winthrop
Nov. 18 vs. Texas A&M
Nov. 22 vs. Army
Nov. 26 vs. Idaho (in Cancun)
Nov. 27 vs. Iowa State (in Cancun)
Nov. 28 vs. Texas State (in Cancun)
Dec. 3 vs. Minnesota
Dec. 6 at South Carolina
Dec. 14 vs. Massachusetts
Dec. 17 vs. Liberty
Dec. 20 at Kentucky
Dec. 29 vs. Western Carolina
Dec. 31 vs. UNC Wilmington
*Exhibition games
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