The Duke men’s basketball team has looked like a juggernaut since the conference schedule began in the middle of December, but when the Blue Devils travel to Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening, they’ll prepare for an opponent outside of the ACC for the first time in two months.
The Illinois Fighting Illini, a member of last year’s Elite Eight, looked like the most impactful opponent left on Duke’s calendar a month ago. Since their 12-3 start, however, head coach Brad Underwood’s team has lost seven out of 12 games to drop from top-four seed contention. Illinois has battled illness, missing multiple players in Tuesday’s loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, and freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. won’t play due to a broken wrist he suffered last weekend.
The Blue Devils have their own injury to deal with after veteran forward Maliq Brown dislocated his shoulder during Monday’s win over the Virginia Cavaliers, but Duke should still be seen as heavy favorites against a reeling Illinois squad.
Here’s everything Duke basketball fans need to know about the Fighting Illini ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
How has the 2024-25 season gone for Illinois thus far?
Record: 17-10 (9-8)
Points per Game: 83.9
Points Allowed per Game: 72.4
KenPom National Efficiency Rank: 21st (out of 364 teams)
