Duke’s 2021-22 basketball schedule is out. Here are the games you won’t want to miss

The where and when for Mike Krzyzewski’s historic final season as Duke’s coach is set.

The ACC announced the regular season schedules for all 15 teams on Thursday night, with Duke opening and closing its league schedule at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Krzyzewski, the sport’s all-time leader in coaching wins (1,170), announced in June this would be his final season as Duke’s coach. Associate head coach Jon Scheyer will become Duke’s head coach starting next season.

Included in Duke’s 20 ACC games this season are Krzyzewski’s final trips, as coach, to longtime league rivals North Carolina, Virginia, Florida State, Clemson and Wake Forest as well as road trips to relative league newcomers Syracuse, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Boston College.

Duke’s non-conference schedule, previously released, includes a season-opening game with Kentucky on Nov. 9 as part of the Champions Classic doubleheader in New York. The Blue Devils also play last year’s NCAA tournament runner-up, Gonzaga, in Las Vegas on Nov. 26 and have a game at Ohio State on Nov. 30 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Duke opens ACC play Dec. 22 at home with Virginia Tech.

Krzyzewski’s final two regular-season games against the rival Tar Heels will be Feb. 5 at the Smith Center and March 5 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

His final ACC tournament coaching the Blue Devils will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, from March 8-12.

Here’s a look at Duke’s entire schedule, with highlights:

Duke’s can’t-miss basketball game

The most anticipated game of the season will be Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium when the Blue Devils close the regular season against UNC on March 5. Already perennially one of the toughest tickets to obtain, this year’s game will be off the charts in that realm. At an August auction to support the V Foundation’s efforts to fight cancer, a package including three nights at the Washington Duke Inn with four seats behind the Duke bench for the game netted $1 million.

Toughest stretch for Duke

The ACC schedule makers did the Blue Devils few favors with a late January-early February stretch that includes a trip to Chapel Hill. Prior to facing the rival Tar Heels for the first time, Duke plays at Louisville on Jan. 29. The Blue Devils do get a full week to prepare to play UNC at the Smith Center on Feb. 5. But, two days after facing the Tar Heels, Duke has a home game against Virginia on Feb. 7.

Easiest stretch for Duke

Early January looks like a time for the Blue Devils to log a fast start in ACC play. Yes, Duke has back-to-back league road games on Dec. 29 at Clemson and Jan. 1 at Notre Dame. But the next four games include three home games with all four games against teams not projected to be among the league’s top four teams. Duke plays Georgia Tech on Jan. 4 and has another home game with Miami on Jan. 8. Yes the Yellow Jackets are the reigning ACC champions. But, no, they don’t have near the experienced talent they did last season. Duke heads on the road to play Wake Forest on Jan. 12 before returning home to face N.C. State on Jan. 15. That’s a close as it comes to a soft stretch in ACC play.

Duke basketball’s non-conference test

The Blue Devils open the season against Kentucky at New York’s Madison Square Garden, giving them a stern test from the top. But the toughest non-conference test comes a few weeks later. Duke plays Gonzaga on Nov. 26 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Just four days later, on Nov. 30, Duke plays its first true road game at Ohio State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. That two-game stretch will offer some answers about how good this Duke team will be.

+ -- Champions Classic, Madison Square Garden, New York

# -- Continental Tire Challenge, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

* -- ACC game

This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 7:09 PM.

Steve Wiseman

The News & Observer

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Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.