Duke's non-conference opponents for 2001-2002 have been officially
announced, and the
list is quite a doozy. Duke opens with Texas Tech in
Cameron for the State Farm Classic, travels to Florida to play Louisiana
Tech, and matches up against Tennessee in the Peach Bowl classic. All
three games will be nationally televised, on ESPN, ESPN2 and Fox Sports
Net, respectively.
Duke will also (most likely) play one of the surprise teams of the 2001
tournament, Missouri, in the Duke Classic. South Carolina and Teresa
Geter will also be there, along with Davidson. The Classic has had
trouble drawing top teams since it isn't televised, but this isn't a bad
lineup.
The Devils will also go on the road to face 2001 tourney team Toledo,
solid Big East team Georgetown, and Charlotte, now coached by ex-Devil
Katie Meier (and assisted by Nicole Erickson). Duke gets Big South power
Liberty, UNC-Greensboro and Elon at home.
This is an excellent schedule, to say the least. While the three
top-ten caliber teams is impressive, even the bottom of the schedule
looks good. Duke will be challenged early and often by teams with a
level of athleticism equal to or greater than the Devils', and that will
be very instructive indeed. Getting three nationally televised games in
addition to the boosted ACC schedule is also a coup and will certainly
boost recruiting.