DURHAM, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its men’s basketball preseason awards on Wednesday, with Duke freshman Jalen Johnson and sophomore Wendell Moore Jr., earning Preseason All-ACC honors.

Johnson was named to the first team, with Moore earning a spot on the second team. Duke was picked to finish second in the league's predicted order of finish. All voting was conducted by media that cover the ACC.

A 6-9 forward from Milwaukee, Wis., Johnson is a five-star small forward and entered Duke as the 12th-ranked overall player in ESPN 100's rankings for the class of 2020. He was rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Wisconsin and the No. 4 player at his position in the ESPN 100.

Moore is back after a strong freshman campaign that saw the Academic All-ACC pick from Charlotte play in 25 games with 11 starts, averaging 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Moore, whose late-game heroics were on display against North Carolina, upped his scoring and rebounding averages in ACC play to 8.0 points and 4.6 rebounds. In the 98-96 overtime win at UNC, Moore's tip in at the buzzer was the game winner after Duke stormed back from 13 down in the final four minutes of regulation. Moore finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

Both Moore and Johnson were tapped to the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.

Duke opens the 2020-21 season versus Gardner Webb at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 25.

2020 Operation Basketball -- Preseason Predicted Order of Finish

School, Points

1. Virginia (97), 2214

2. Duke (34), 2146

3. Florida State (15), 1973

4. North Carolina (7), 1933

5. Louisville (2), 1693

6. Syracuse, 1234

7. Miami, 1223

8. NC State, 1149

9. Georgia Tech, 1147

10. Clemson, 1057

11. Virginia Tech, 794

12. Notre Dame, 769

13. Pitt, 635

14. Boston College, 404

15. Wake Forest, 229

First-place votes in parentheses; 155 total voters

Preseason All-ACC Team First Team

Name, School, Points

Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 137

Sam Hauser, Virginia, 89

Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 59

Jalen Johnson, Duke, 52

Aamir Simms, Clemson, 50

Chris Lykes, Miami, 50

Preseason All-ACC Team Second Team

David Johnson, Louisville, 46

Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech, 43

M.J. Walker, Florida State, 38

Kihei Clark, Virginia, 37

Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 32

Preseason ACC Player of the Year

Name, School, Points

Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 102

Sam Hauser, Virginia, 24

M.J. Walker, Florida State, 10

Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 7

Aamir Simms, Clemson, 5

Matthew Hurt, Duke, 3

Chris Lykes, Miami, 3

Kihei Clark, Virginia, 1

Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year

Name, School, Points

Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 64

Jalen Johnson, Duke, 60

Caleb Love, North Carolina, 9

Day'Ron Sharpe, North Carolina, 6

DJ Steward, Duke, 4

Reece Beekman, Virginia, 3

Jeremy Roach, Duke, 3

RJ Davis, North Carolina, 3

Mark Williams, Duke, 2

Cam Hayes, NC State, 1

DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 9-ranked Duke men's basketball team will open the 2020-21 season at home Wednesday, November 25 as the Atlantic Coast Conference announced its basketball schedule on Tuesday.

After last year's postseason was canceled, and this year's schedule delayed, by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blue Devils welcome Gardner Webb to Cameron Indoor Stadium the day before Thanksgiving to commence head coach Mike Krzyzewski's 41st season at Duke.

Duke will begin the men's basketball schedule with no fans permitted at Cameron Indoor Stadium, continuing the University's safety measures regarding the pandemic.

The Blue Devils are also scheduled to welcome Coppin State (Saturday, November 28) and Charleston Southern (Saturday, December 12) in non-conference action at Cameron Indoor.

Previously unveiled were a pair of home games as part of the Mako Medical Duke Classic Honoring Dr. Onye E. Akwari, which are Friday, December 4 versus Bellarmine and Sunday, December 6 versus Elon. Also previously announced was Duke's matchup for the 22nd annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge – hosting No. 8 Illinois on Tuesday, December 8.

Beginning the ACC loop in mid-December, the Blue Devils travel to Notre Dame on Wednesday, December 16 and will not play again until hosting Pittsburgh on either December 29 or 30 in Durham.

The remainder of Duke's 20-game ACC slate features home games versus Boston College (Jan. 5 or 6), Wake Forest (Jan. 9), Georgia Tech (Jan. 26 or 27), Clemson (Jan. 30), No. 16 North Carolina (Feb. 6), Notre Dame (Feb. 9 or 10), No. 4 Virginia (Feb. 20), Syracuse (Feb. 22) and Louisville (Feb. 27).

The balance of the road schedule has Duke set for battles at No. 21 Florida State (Jan. 2), Virginia Tech (Jan. 12 or 13), Pittsburgh (Jan. 19 or 20), Louisville (Jan. 23), Miami (Feb. 1), NC State (Feb. 13), Wake Forest (Feb. 16 or 17), Georgia Tech (March 2 or 3) and No. 16 North Carolina (March 6).

The ACC Tournament is scheduled for March 9-13 at Capital One Arena Washington, D.C.

The State Farm Champions Classic, which annually brings Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State together for a marquee early-season doubleheader, is set for Tuesday, December 1 at yet to be announced locations. Duke will battle No. 13 Michigan State, while No. 10 Kentucky and No. 6 Kansas clash the same date.

Game times and TV designations have not yet been announced, and the schedule is subject to change.

DUKE
Wednesday 12/16/20 at Notre Dame
Tues/Wed 12/29-30/2020 Pitt
Saturday 1/2/21 at Florida State
Tues/Wed 1/5-6/2021 Boston College
Saturday 1/9/21 Wake Forest
Tues/Wed 1/12-13/2021 at Virginia Tech
Tues/Wed 1/19-20/2021 at Pitt
Saturday 1/23/21 at Louisville
Tues/Wed 1/26-27/2021 Georgia Tech
Saturday 1/30/21 Clemson
Monday 2/1/21 at Miami
Saturday 2/6/21 North Carolina
Tues/Wed 2/9-10/2021 Notre Dame
Saturday 2/13/21 at NC State
Tues/Wed 2/16-17/2021 at Wake Forest
Saturday 2/20/21 Virginia
Monday 2/22/21 Syracuse
Saturday 2/27/21 Louisville
Tues/Wed 3/2-3/2021 at Georgia Tech
Saturday 3/6/21 at North Carolina

The Duke Blue Devils begin the 2020-21 college basketball season ranked 9th in the debut of the Associated Press poll.

Duke returns two starters from an abbreviated season and welcomes another talented freshmen class.

The Blue Devils have been ranked 832 weeks all time and this marks the 45th year they enter the pre-season ranked by members of the media.

Duke enters the season seeking their sixth national championship under Mike Krzyzewski who is the winningest head coach in NCAA history with 1123 victories.

Top Ten

1 - Gonzaga

2 - Baylor

3 - Villanova

4 - Virginia

5 - Iowa

6 - Kansas

7 - Wisconsin

8 - Illinois

9 - Duke

10- Kentucky

https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke men's basketball team made its first appearance in a new-look Cameron Indoor Stadium with a closed intrasquad scrimmage Friday night.

With benches socially-distanced and a number of other COVID-19 protocols, the Blue Devils were split into two teams of seven and competed for three 12-minute periods, each beginning with no score on the board.

In the opening frame, the White team shot out to a 17-4 advantage, led by eight straight points from freshman Jeremy Roach. The guard from Leesburg, Va., knocked down a pair of three-pointers 30 seconds apart before converting a layup in transition off a Jordan Goldwire dish.

The Blue squad would climb back in the final four minutes by way of a 9-0 run that was sparked by freshman DJ Steward, who tallied four points and two assists during the stretch to make the first period final score 24-15.

“It was an amazing feeling to get out there and play with the boys,” said Steward. “It feels great to be in Cameron. My teammates were setting me up and we had a ball out there.”

After a number of players switched sides for the second period, both teams came out trading buckets before a late surge from the White team that was fueled by graduate transfer Patrick Tapé. The forward had 12 points in eight minutes, including two dunks and a contested layup while being fouled. Steward's vision was on display throughout, with his three assists highlighted by a no-look pass that led to a Tapé flush as the White team came away with a 33-31 victory.

In the second period, the White team had eight assists while committing just one turnover. Steward and freshman Jalen Johnson each dished out three dimes with zero turnovers.

The final 12-minute period was dictated by runs. After a three by Michael Savarino pulled the Blue team within 17-14, another strong push from the White team opened up a 26-18 score with 2:48 remaining. The Blue squad would then surge back into it with a 7-0 run of its own capped off by a Henry Coleman III offensive rebound and put back. The effort proved to be too little, too late, as free throws by Steward and Johnson over the last 20 seconds secured the 30-26 win for the White squad.

Roach's 22 points over the three periods combined were the most of any player, and his five assists tied with Steward and Goldwire for the scrimmage lead. Roach shot 6-of-9 from the field and hit all eight of his free throw attempts. Coleman and Tapé led the way on the glass with 10 rebounds each while also contributing offensively, as Coleman scored 17 points and Tapé added 14. Sophomore Wendell Moore Jr., finished with 16 total points and went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe, while Johnson shot 7-of-11 from the floor for 17 points. Junior Joey Baker totaled five points in each of the three periods and finished the night 6-of-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from long range.

“It’s always good to be back in the home,” said Moore. “We miss the fans, but always great to play in this gym. It was a great scrimmage and can’t wait for another next Friday.”

The two squads combined to shoot 36-of-50 (.720) from the free throw line for the scrimmage. After getting more accustomed to the surroundings, the teams shot a combined 31-of-75 (.413) from the field over the final two periods.

The Blue Devils will meet at Cameron for another closed scrimmage next Friday night.

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski addressed the media today. Here is what he had to say -

Video download - Carolina Blitz