The start of Iowa’s 2022-23 men’s basketball season is still every bit of five months away. Still, the Hawkeyes just received fantastic news with the return of forward Kris Murray to Iowa City.
Paired with several other decisions by Iowa players to either return or exit via the transfer portal, fans now have a pretty clear idea of what the Hawkeyes’ starting five and key reserves will look like entering next season.
Now, Iowa fans know they can book flights and start planning a trip to New York City for a battle against a blue blood.
CBS Sports and College Hoops Today’s Jon Rothstein reported that Iowa is set to meet the Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic from historic Madison Square Garden. Rothstein also reported that the other game in the event is expected to feature the Texas Longhorns against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Duke is one of the pillar programs in all of college basketball and will enter next season fresh off the Blue Devils’ 17th all-time appearance in the Final Four. Of course, legendary head coach Mike Krzyewski’s 13th and final Final Four appearance ended with the Blue Devils’ archrivals in the North Carolina Tar Heels sending Duke packing, 81-77.
The Kansas Jayhawks would go on to win the national championship over North Carolina, erasing a 16-point deficit in a historic second-half flurry for the largest title game comeback in NCAA Tournament history, topping the Tar Heels, 72-69.
In its history, Iowa has met up with Duke on eight different occasions. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 7-1. The Hawkeyes and Blue Devils last played on Nov. 27, 2001, in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. It was not to be from the jump for an Iowa team led by guard Luke Recker and forward Reggie Evans.
Duke point guard Jason Williams scored 25 points, center Carlos Boozer added 22 and forward Mike Dunleavy chipped in with 18. The then-No. 1 and defending national champion Blue Devils routed Iowa, 80-62, inside the United Center.
Story continues
Duke is set to replace some serious star power from last season’s Final Four team, but the Blue Devils have reloaded their roster with some serious talent. Here’s a look at the all-time series matchups between Iowa and Duke and a look at the Blue Devils’ projected starting five.
All-time series: Duke leads, 7-1
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No. 1 Duke, 80, No. 7 Iowa, 62 – Nov. 27, 2001
Duke, 88, No. 10 Iowa, 81 – Nov. 25, 1995
Iowa, 81, No. 7 Duke, 71 – Dec. 27, 1994
No. 3 Duke, 79, Iowa, 76 – Dec. 22, 1993
No. 3 Duke, 65, No. 13 Iowa, 56 – Jan. 16, 1993
No. 1 Duke, 75, Iowa, 62 – March 21, 1992
No. 6 Duke, 85, Iowa 70 – March 16, 1991
Duke, 85, Iowa, 82 – Dec. 31, 1968
Junior Jeremy Roach, starting guard
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Junior point guard Jeremy Roach is back with the Blue Devils after averaging 8.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds last season. The 6-foot-2, 172 pound point guard shot 41.0% from the field and 32.2% from 3-point range. He arrived in Durham, N.C., as a five-star point guard signee in the 2020 class. According to 247Sports, Roach was the nation’s No. 4 point guard and the No. 24 player nationally.
Freshman Tyrese Proctor, starting guard
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The 6-foot-4, 170 pound member of the NBA Global Academy in Australia joins the Blue Devils a year early after reclassifying into the 2022 class. According to 247Sports‘ 2023 recruiting rankings, Proctor was the nation’s No. 11 player, the No. 2 point guard and the top player from Australia.
Freshman Dariq Whitehead, starting small forward
Landon Bost/Naples Daily News/USA TODAY Network
With Proctor’s reclassification, Dariq Whitehead is one of five five-star freshmen joining Duke. According to 247Sports, the 6-foot-6, 190 pound small forward is the country’s No. 3 player overall in the 2022 class, the top small forward and the No. 1 player from New Jersey. Whitehead comes to the Blue Devils from the Montverde Academy in Newark, N.J.
Freshman Kyle Filipowski, power forward
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Another five-star signee for Duke in the 2022 class, Kyle Filipowski arrives as the nation’s No. 4 player overall, the No. 2 center and the top player from Massachusetts according to 247Sports. The 6-foot-11, 230 pound big is from Wilbraham & Monson Academy.
Freshman Dereck Lively, starting center
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Dereck Lively is also a five-star signee and the highest-rated of the bunch according to 247Sports. The 7-foot-1, 220 pound center is rated as the No. 2 player nationally, the No. 1 center and the top player from Pennsylvania. He comes to Duke from Westtown High School in Bellefonte, Pa.
Freshman Mark Mitchell, reserve small forward
AP Photo/Gregory Payan
The final five-star signee for the Duke Blue Devils and new head coach Jon Scheyer is Sunrise Christian’s Mark Mitchell out of Wichita, Kan. The 6-foot-8, 205 pound signee was rated as the No. 12 player nationally, the No. 2 power forward and the top player from Kansas by 247Sports.
Freshman Jaden Schutt, reserve shooting guard
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Duke added a four-star signee in Jaden Schutt as well. The 6-foot-5, 180 pound shooting guard out of Yorkville Christian High School in Yorkville, Ill., was ranked as the No. 69 player nationally, the No. 8 shooting guard and the No. 2 player from Illinois.
The takeaway
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
It should come as no surprise when the opponent is Duke, but the Blue Devils are reloading with some of the best talent a single recruiting class has ever seen. Duke’s 2022 haul also includes Oak Hill Academy three-star signee center Christian Reeves and transfers Kale Catchings and Ryan Young.
For Iowa, it’s really house money. They won’t be expected to beat the Blue Devils, but they’ll get a trip to Madison Square Garden and an opportunity to notch a massive NCAA Tournament résumé builder early in the season. When the date is official, Hawkeyes Wire will pass that note along.
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