Duke 2020 Basketball Schedule: Predictions for Blue Devils' Season Matchups

The ACC released its schedule for the unique and unpredictable 2020-21 men's college basketball season Tuesday, including that of the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils, who finished tied for second in the conference last season. 

Duke, like every ACC team, will have a tough conference slate during the upcoming campaign. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils' nonconference schedule is primarily made up of lower-level opponents, although there are a couple of marquee matchups on tap as well.

Here are predictions for each of Duke's regular-season games during the 2020-21 campaign:

• Nov. 25: vs. Gardner-Webb (W - 1-0)
• Nov. 28: vs. Coppin State (W - 2-0)
• Dec. 1: vs. Michigan State (W - 3-0)
• Dec. 4: vs. Bellarmine (W - 4-0)
• Dec. 6: vs. Elon (W - 5-0)
• Dec. 8: vs. Illinois (L - 5-1)
• Dec. 12: vs. Charleston Southern (W - 6-1)
• Dec. 16: at Notre Dame (W - 7-1)
• Dec. 29/30: vs. Pittsburgh (W - 8-1)
• Jan. 2: at Florida State (W - 9-1)
• Jan. 5/6: vs. Boston College (W - 10-1)
• Jan. 9: vs. Wake Forest (W - 11-1)
• Jan. 12/13: at Virginia Tech (W - 12-1)
• Jan. 19/20: at Pittsburgh (W - 13-1)
• Jan. 23: at Louisville (L - 13-2)
• Jan. 26/27: vs. Georgia Tech (W - 14-2)
• Jan. 30: vs. Clemson (W - 15-2)
• Feb. 1: at Miami (W - 16-2)
• Feb. 6: vs. North Carolina (W - 17-2)
• Feb. 9/10: vs. Notre Dame (W - 18-2)
• Feb. 13: at NC State (W - 19-2)
• Feb. 16/17: at Wake Forest (W - 20-2)
• Feb. 20: vs. Virginia (L - 20-3)
• Feb. 22: vs. Syracuse (W - 21-3)
• Feb. 27: vs. Louisville (W - 22-3)
• March 2/3: at Georgia Tech (W - 23-3)
• March 6: at North Carolina (L - 23-4)
• March 9-13: ACC Tourney

One of the reasons it is difficult to say how head coach Mike Krzyzewski's team will fare in 2020-21 is the fact that many of the Blue Devils' key players will be freshmen.

Per 247Sports, Duke has the No. 3 recruiting class for the upcoming season on the strength of commitments from four 5-star players and two 4-star recruits.

Forward Jalen Johnson is the No. 13 recruit in the nation, followed by guard Jeremy Roach (23), guard DJ Steward (26), center Mark Williams (28), forward Jaemyn Brakefield (41) and forward Henry Coleman (52).

If at least a few of those players make a major impact right out of the gate, Duke will be in business and among the top teams in the country as usual.

Coach K will also need greater contributions from a quartet of returning players since his top three scorers from last season (Vernon Carey Jr., Tre Jones and Cassius Stanley) are all NBA-bound.

Duke's top returning players are forward Matthew Hurt, forward Wendell Moore Jr., forward Joey Baker and guard Jordan Goldwire.

None of the aforementioned players lit it up last season, with none of them averaging more than 9.7 points per game.

One thing Krzyzewski should have to his credit in 2020-21 is depth, which is always huge in the ACC, but especially during a season surrounded by so much uncertainty due to COVID-19.

Duke figures to have some growing pains with such a young team, but all signs point to them being in the mix for another ACC title.