Arizona Basketball sets a home-and-home series with Duke

Arizona Basketball and Duke are revitalizing their basketball rivalry as the two schools have set up a home-and-home series for 2023 and 2024. 

It has only been a couple of months since Coach K has been retired, and already Arizona Basketball and Duke are reviving their basketball rivalry.

Making news on Monday afternoon, Arizona announced via social media that they have agreed upon a home-and-home series with the Blue Devils.

For now, the series will start during the 2023-24 season when the Wildcats will play in Durham at the Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 10, 2023, for the first time since 1990.

Duke will of course return the favor by traveling to McKale Center in Tucson on November 21, 2024, to conclude the series. Duke has played in Tucson before, but the Blue Devils have not come to the Old Southwest since 1991. The Blue Devils lost that game.

Overall, Arizona and Duke share a unique rivalry having met nine times previously, the last coming in 2013 during the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Arizona won that meeting 72-66, overcoming a 43-37 deficit in the second half.

Before that, Arizona faced Duke in the 2011 NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16 round. Derrick Williams and the Sean Miller-led Wildcats dunked all over the Blue Devils, en route to the dominant, 93-77 win.

However, their most-memorable matchup arguably came during the 2001 NCAA Championship game where the Blue Devils stole the championship and got away with some questionable calls en route to the NCAA Title.

Either way, the two schools share a unique history, and it will be great to see Arizona Basketball and Duke renew their rivalry.

Coming into 2022-23, it will be Duke’s first season without legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski since the 1979-80 season. As we are all aware, Coach K retired this past April, having spent 43 seasons in Durham, amassing 1,202 victories, and becoming the winningest coach of all time.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Wildcats have boosted its scheduling, and Duke is just the latest marquee matchup looming for the Cats. Arizona is currently set to face Indiana and Tennessee for the 2022-23 season.