Entering the 2022-23 Duke basketball season, the unpredictability in Durham is off the charts.
The season opener against Jacksonville marks the first in 43 years where someone other than Mike Krzyzewski will be commanding the Blue Devils. That new man in charge is 35-year-old Jon Scheyer, who has no experience as a head coach in the regular season outside of filling in for Coach K a few times in recent years.
Scheyer's first Duke basketball squad includes 11 new faces (seven rookies, four transfers) and only two returning scholarship players in junior Jeremy Roach and sophomore Jaylen Blakes. Roach is the only returning starter.
And although Duke enjoys the nation's two highest-rated newcomers, Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead, they have missed valuable time in the preseason while recovering from injuries. Last week, Scheyer implied that Whitehead is still a few weeks from playing, and Lively's status for the opener is a game-day decision.
Under the circumstances, Duke's November slate looks even more daunting, notably the Champions Classic matchup against defending national champion and AP Top 25 preseason No. 5 Kansas, plus the potential showdown with preseason No. 2 Gonzaga as part of the Phil Knight Legacy bracket in Oregon the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Then consider the preseason No. 7 Blue Devils' 20-game ACC schedule features two bouts with the preseason No. 1 in rival UNC, not to mention a meeting at preseason No. 18 Virginia and a handful of other conference games that could be against ranked opponents at the time.
Preseason uncertainty is unfriendly to season-long predictions such as these. But let's take a shot at it anyway, forecasting the final score of every game in the regular season and prophesizing the length of Duke basketball runs in the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
When: Monday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C.
Prediction: Duke 74, Jacksonville 61
When: Friday, Nov. 11, at 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 92, USC Upstate 58
When: Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 9:30 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Prediction: Duke 75, Kansas 72
When: Friday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 82, Delaware 63
When: Monday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 87, Bellarmine 67
When: Thursday, Nov. 24, at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Ore.
Prediction: Duke 84, Oregon State 61
When: Friday, Nov. 25 (time to be announced)
Where: Portland
Prediction: Duke 70, Florida 62
When: Sunday, Nov. 27 (time to be announced)
Where: Portland
Prediction: Gonzaga 81, Duke 72
When: Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7: 15 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 80, Ohio State 76
When: Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 73, Boston College 59
When: Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 9:30 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Prediction: Duke 79, Iowa 78
When: Saturday, Dec. 10, at 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 79, Maryland Eastern Shore 51
When: Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: LJVM Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Prediction: Wake Forest 69, Duke 67
When: Saturday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 81, Florida State 79
When: Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, N.C.
Prediction: Duke 84, NC State 68
When: Saturday, Jan. 7, at 1 p.m. ET
Where: Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Prediction: Duke 74, Boston College 65
When: Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 76, Pitt 67
When: Saturday, Jan. 14, at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C.
Prediction: Duke 72, Clemson 60
When: Saturday, Jan. 21, at noon ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Miami 83, Duke 76
When: Monday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 85, Duke 78
When: Saturday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m. ET
Where: McCamish Pavilion
Prediction: Duke 88, Georgia Tech 68
When: Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 74, Wake Forest 70
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, at 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 89, UNC 88
When: Monday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Watsco Center, Coral Gables, Fla.
Prediction: Miami 75, Duke 73
When: Saturday, Feb. 11, at 4 p.m. ET
Where: John Paul Jones Arena
Prediction: Duke 67, Virginia 61
When: Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Notre Dame 78, Duke 73
When: Saturday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. ET
Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Prediction: Duke 88, Syracuse 77
When: Monday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 84, Louisville 68
When: Saturday, Feb. 25, at 6 or 8 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 69, Virginia Tech 65
When: Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium
Prediction: Duke 77, NC State 70
When: Saturday, March 4, at 6 or 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Prediction: UNC 92, Duke 79
When: Tuesday, March 7, to Saturday, March 11
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.
Prediction: Duke wins one game before losing in the semifinals
When: Tuesday, March 14, to Monday, April 3 (Final Four in Houston)
Prediction: Duke wins three games before losing in the Elite Eight
Predicted 2022-23 Duke basketball record: 29-9 (14-6 ACC)
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