Why are Duke, Illinois playing in February? Madison Square Garden hosts primetime game

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Cooper Flagg and Duke basketball find themselves in an unusual position this late into the men’s college basketball season on Saturday: a non-conference matchup.

In what is a break from their ACC schedule, the third-ranked Blue Devils (23-3 overall, 15-1 in ACC play) will take on Illinois (17-10, 9-8 in Big Ten play) at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

But the clash between the ACC and Big Ten programs isn’t taking place at Cameron Indoor Stadium or State Farm Center. So where is it taking place?

The Blue Devils and Illini will meet up in The Big Apple at Madison Square Garden — a place that has become an unofficial second home, of sorts, for Duke. Saturday’s game will mark the 24th season the Blue Devils have played at least one game at The Garden in the last 27 seasons.

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Duke has won 41 games over the years at Madison Square Garden, which is the sixth-most wins of any venue in the country for the program. As previously noted by The Fayetteville Observer, it’s the first February non-conference game for Duke since the 2018-19 season against St. John’s and the first true neutral-site game this late in the regular season since Feb. 26, 1989 against Arizona.

Here’s what you need to know about why Duke and Illinois are meeting up this late into the regular season, and why they are playing at Madison Square Garden:

Duke vs Illinois basketball location

Duke is taking on Illinois inside Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. Opened in 1968, the current version of The Garden has become one of the most iconic arenas in sports.

Madison Square Garden, which will host The Harlem Globetrotters before Duke-Illinois on Saturday, has a seating capacity of 19,500, per its website.

It is Duke’s first trip back to The Garden since Dec. 20, 2023, when it went on a late 14-1 run in the second half to defeat No. 10 Baylor 78-70 in a non-conference, neutral-site matchup.

Why is…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/why-duke-illinois-playing-february-110549561.html

Author : The Fayetteville Observer

Publish date : 2025-02-22 11:05:00

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