Duke Basketball: Previewing 2021-22 ACC schedule after non-conference play
February and March Opponents and Predictions
February 5 @ North Carolina
Coach K’s final career trip to Chapel Hill will come on February 5th when Duke heads to the Smith Center to play a UNC team led by Hubert Davis that has been VERY underwhelming this season. The Tar Heels are 8-3 on the season with losses to Purdue, Tennessee, and Kentucky, with those three losses being by a combined 55 points.
UNC’s best win so far this season was against Michigan, who was ranked at the time, as North Carolina beat the Wolverines by 21. Michigan isn’t ranked anymore as they are 7-4 on the season, but this is certainly a good win for the Tar Heels nonetheless.
Prediction:
Everyone knows Duke-UNC games can go 1,000 different ways, it doesn’t matter if one team is the top-ranked team in the nation, and the other hasn’t won a game all season, it will STILL be a good game. HOWEVER, Duke is a much better team than UNC is this season, and I honestly don’t see Duke dropping this one to the Tar Heels.
For the first time in a few years, Duke has veteran leadership in Wendell Moore, somebody who has been in this game before and is arguably the best player for the Blue Devils. That being said, Duke will certainly be prepared for the atmosphere in Chapel Hill and will know what to expect, and I fully expect the Blue Devils to come away with the rivalry win.
February 7 vs. Virginia
Virginia came into the 2021-22 season ranked 25th in the nation, but following an opening night loss to Navy, and then losses to Houston, Iowa, and James Madison, the Cavaliers sit with a 7-4 record, and have fallen out of the rankings for good reason. Virginia has been a real letdown this year, and if they continue to play the way they have through two months, they stand no chance to make the NCAA Tournament come March.
Prediction:
This is another one Duke shouldn’t have any problems with, the Blue Devils match up really well with Virginia, and should really be able to handle the Cavaliers with ease.
February 12 @ Boston College
No need to sugarcoat this one, Boston College has just been bad this season. The Eagles are now 6-6 on the year (forfeited a game against Wake Forest due to COVID-19), and one of those losses came against Albany, the team who is ranked 306th in KenPom… So yeah, the Eagles are having a pretty rough 2021-22 season thus far.
Prediction:
There should be absolutely no reason Duke doesn’t go into Boston and beat Boston College by 20+ points, this should be a pretty easy game for the Blue Devils.
February 15 vs. Wake Forest
This will be Duke’s second game against the Demon Deacons, not much else to say about Wake Forest that hasn’t already been said. They have a good record right now but have yet to prove themselves against legitimate competition up to this point. They could very possibly be a good team, but we don’t quite know yet.
Prediction:
Just like the game in January, I fully expect Duke to leave their February game against Wake Forest with a win. As I mentioned, Wake Forest COULD actually be a good team, but they have yet to prove that against good competition so far, and because of that, I have a hard time picking them to beat a team like Duke.
February 19 vs. Florida State
Florida State certainly has the potential to be a good team coming into their matchup in mid-late February with Duke, but I’m not quite sure they’ll be good enough to knock off the Blue Devils in the second matchup between the two.
Prediction:
Wouldn’t say Duke wins this one too easily, it might be a bit of a struggle, but I certainly see Duke coming out of this game with a win.
February 23 @ Virginia
As I said earlier, Virginia has been a letdown this season and hasn’t shown that they can even keep the game with Duke close, let alone beat the Blue Devils. However, this one will be in Charlottesville, so if they are going to beat Duke, it would likely be this game, rather than the game in Durham.
Prediction:
Virginia is a very good defensive team, and if they play to their full potential, they could give Duke problems, but I definitely see the Blue Devils coming out of this one with the win.
February 26 @ Syrcause
Duke has struggled in a huge way at the Carrier Dome as of late, it always seems like Syracuse plays their best game of the season when they host Duke. That being said, this game could certainly be a problem for the Blue Devils if they get complacent and don’t take the Orange seriously headed into this game.
Prediction:
While this game COULD be a problem for Duke, I don’t think it will be. Duke is a MUCH more talented team than Syracuse, and if Duke plays half as well as they’re capable of, there should be no reason they don’t come out of this one with a win.
March 1 @ Pittsburgh
This game will more than likely be the easiest game of Duke’s conference schedule, as Pitt has really just had an awful season so far. The Panthers are 5-7 on the season, and they have lost to some bad teams along the way including The Citadel, Vanderbilt, UMBC, and Monmouth.
Prediction:
There is absolutely no reason this game should be even sort of close. Duke should beat Pittsburgh by 25+, and if they don’t it would be somewhat of a bad game for the Blue Devils.
March 5 vs. North Carolina
Coach K’s last regular-season game of his legendary career will of course be against the North Carolina Tar Heels. This will be an incredibly emotional day for Duke fans, players, and coaches, and it’s one that Duke will simply refuse to lose. You can’t send Coach K out with a loss in his final regular-season game, and potentially his last game against UNC, the players know that, and they’ll give their all against the Tar Heels on March 5th.
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Duke should win this one by a decent margin, their final regular-season game of the year, Coach K’s final regular-season game, and last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and it’s the biggest rivalry in college basketball. That being said, there won’t be a lack of motivation for the Blue Devils going into this one, and I would fully expect them to step up to the moment and beat UNC.