There’s a trend happening in college basketball right now: power-conference teams scheduling a non-conference game late in the season at a neutral site.
Louisville, Virginia, and Duke have all done it over the past two weeks. The Cardinals played Baylor in Fort Worth, the Cavaliers went to Nashville to face Ohio State, and most notably, the Blue Devils traveled to Washington to play Michigan. In each case, it was a chance to add a name-brand opponent a month before the NCAA field is announced.
Duke did this last year as well, facing Illinois in New York. In fact, the Blue Devils used to do this regularly when Mike Krzyzewski was on the sidelines in Durham. Krzyzewski believed in getting his team away from its ACC schedule to face a different kind of challenge, and would often schedule the likes of St. John’s, Georgetown, and UCLA late in the season.
There are two key differences now. First, Duke has company. The Blue Devils were one of the only schools doing this in the 1990s; now the idea is spreading across the ACC. Second, those earlier games were often home-and-home series. Now the matchups are set on neutral floors, with Louisville and Virginia following suit.
With these games becoming more common, it’s fair to ask: are late-season neutral-site games good or bad for college basketball? Here’s a breakdown.
Good: Marquee Matchups
When Duke started leaning into this last season, the Blue Devils knew exactly what they were doing. The ACC hadn’t been particularly strong. Only three other ACC teams made the NCAA tournament in 2025, and all three were out after the first round. Duke, on the other hand, made the Final Four before losing to Houston.
Part of that run included stepping away from conference play to face Illinois. Duke looked energized by the opportunity to test itself against a Big Ten opponent, and the feeling was mutual. Fans and players love to see big names play each other, especially in February.
With no other major sports competing for attention, this gives college basketball a chance to seize the spotlight.
Duke vs. Michigan brought high ticket prices in Washington and significant national attention for both teams. That’s good for the sport.
Bad: These Games Belong on Campus
Duke and Michigan is a great matchup. But Washington isn’t home to either fan base.
While the game still drew interest, it doesn’t match the energy you’d get in Cameron Indoor Stadium or Crisler Center. Big-name college basketball games are almost always better on campus.
Students bring energy and passion. The crowd strongly favors the home team. Traditions are front and center. All of that gets diluted in a neutral-site environment.
We already get neutral-site games in November and December. January and February should belong to campus environments.
Good: Preparing for the NCAA Tournament
Duke treated the Michigan game like a dress rehearsal for March. The Blue Devils even requested Wilson basketballs, the same ones used in the NCAA tournament, to replicate the environment as closely as possible.
The reality is, the NCAA tournament is played at neutral sites. Jon Scheyer is trying to prepare his team for exactly that.
If facing a quality opponent in a neutral setting helps his team get ready for March, then he’s doing exactly what he should be doing.
Bad: Pulling Away From Conference Play
To make these games happen, schools have to work around their conference schedules. Duke, for example, used what was originally a bye weekend in ACC play to schedule Michigan.
That’s great for the matchup itself, but it highlights a bigger issue with superconferences.
The ACC now has 18 teams, yet cut two conference games this season. That meant each team skipped one league opponent entirely and only played two teams twice. NC State sits just 22 miles from North Carolina and 24 miles from Duke, yet didn’t visit either campus this season.
That’s a loss for fans. Marquee matchups are fun, but rivalries are the backbone of college basketball. Trading Duke–NC State for Duke–Michigan isn’t necessarily a win.
Parting Shot
Duke, Louisville, Virginia, and others deserve credit for scheduling tougher, more compelling non-conference games when the spotlight is on college basketball.
But those games could still be played in true college environments.
Atmosphere is one of the sport’s greatest strengths. Giving that up, even for logical reasons, feels like a trade worth reconsidering.
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