Duke returns to Madison Square Garden in February to face Illinois

Duke ensured the program’s 60th all time game at the infamous Madison Square Garden would be a big one. The Blue Devils are taking on Big Ten foe Illinois at MSG on Saturday, February 22, 2025 in an epic non conference battle.

This matchup will be broadcast on FOX and features a pair of teams that went to the Elite Eight last season. Duke has now played at least one game at MSG in 11 of the past 12 seasons and 21 of the past 23. The Blue Devils are a whopping 41-18 all time at Madison Square Garden, and coach Jon Scheyer is 21-5 in his time as a player, assistant coach, and head coach.

Illinois won the Big Ten for the third time in the past four years last year, while reaching the Elite Eight and finishing sixth in the AP Poll.

For Duke this represents another excellent non conference matchup. The Blue Devils are already playing Auburn , Kentucky , Kansas, and Arizona as they load up the schedule to prepare a young roster – led by incoming freshman phenom Cooper Flagg – to win the ACC and make another deep run in March.