Duke's national championship victory over Butler will forever be known as an instant classic. But if a few balls had bounced the other way in the Bulldogs' semifinal contest, the Blue Devils might have faced Michigan State in that final game.
It now looks like Duke might get a shot at the Spartans next season, as The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Blue Devils could face Michigan State in the Big 10/ACC Challenge this year. Nothing has been confirmed, but it is further rumored that the game would take place in Cameron Indoor Stadium—which would make sense, as Duke's last two games in the Challenge were on the road at Wisconsin and Purdue.
If Duke does end up playing the Spartans, it could very well be a matchup of Top 5 teams—Michigan State loses only one major contributor, Raymar Morgan, from last season's Final Four team, and star point guard Kalin Lucas will return from an injured Achilles tendon as well.
What say you, Blue Devil fans? How big of a game would a Duke vs. Michigan State matchup in Cameron be?
UPDATE: It's official. Per a press release today, Duke will play Michigan State in Cameron on Wednesday, December 1, as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, which the ACC lost for the first time in its existence last year.
Three days later, Duke faces off against Butler in East Rutherford, N.J. in a much anticipated championship game rematch. (Even with Gordon Hayward fleeing to the NBA.) Talk about a rough week for the Blue Devils—time will tell for they can handle the brutal scheduling.
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