Duke vs Army: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

The Blue Devils look to open their Veteran’s Day Weekend Showcase with a win against Army—Mike Krzyzewski’s alma mater.

TV schedule: Friday, November 12, 7:00 p.m. ET, ACC Network

Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium – Durham, NC

Duke’s non-conference schedule shifts back to Durham after a big opening night win over No. 10 Kentucky in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Duke’s Veteran’s Day Weekend Showcase will feature four teams playing four total games, starting with Duke vs Army and Campbell vs Hartford on Friday. Duke will then take on Campbell while Army plays Hartford on Saturday.

Tuesday’s win over Kentucky saw freshman superstar Paolo Banchero (22 pts, 7 rebs, .636 eFG) shoot poorly from three, but still deliver a quality performance in his collegiate debut. We only saw the tip of the iceberg on Tuesday night. Paolo’s potential is as high as any player in college basketball this season.

Trevor Keels stole the show. We knew coming out of high school that his offensive potential is outstanding—that he can get his shot whenever he wants and convert from all three levels. Seeing just how heavily Coach K leaned on that ability in Keels’ collegiate debut gives a glimpse into what kind of season it’s going to be for the freshman. He will be the go-to guard offensively for Duke all season.

Coming into this season, the rumors out of Durham were that Wendell Moore, Jr. had transformed his body, developed his jump-shot, and bolstered his confidence—ready to be the veteran leader for another young Duke team. Although the stats (12 pts, 4 rebs, 3 ast) don’t jump off of the page, his development was evident against Kentucky. Moore will be a significantly more impactful and consistent offensive player for Duke this season.

Army opened up their season with an 83-52 win over New Paltz (Division III) on Tuesday night. Head Coach Jimmy Allen and the Black Knights went 12-10 in 2020-21, just the program’s fourth winning season since Mike Krzyzewski led them to three straight from 1976-79.

This year’s team returns three starters, led by last year’s Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in G Josh Caldwell. Caldwell put up 14 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists in just 25 minutes vs New Paltz. Sophomore PG Jalen Rucker is also a player to watch, although he scored just 7 points on 3-11 shooting in the season opener.

The most promising performance came from the third returning starter in sophomore F Charlie Peterson, who dropped 17 points and 8 boards on 6-6 shooting on Tuesday night. Peterson started 21 of the team’s 22 games last season but averaged just 3.6 PPG. His development as a scorer would significantly impact Army’s ceiling in 2021-22.

Duke will be a 20+ point favorite for good reason. Between the 6-10 Banchero, 7-0 Mark Williams, and 6-9 Theo John, their length and athleticism in the frontcourt will overwhelm a relatively small Army team.