Saturday's game against Duke was, on paper, a great idea for Illinois. It was a rare opportunity to play in Madison Square Garden against the biggest brand in college basketball. Who could pass that up?

Seven different Blue Devils finished in double-digits as Duke impressed the Madison Square Garden crowd in a win over Illinois

Saturday's Illinois-Duke matchup in New York City was meant to be a priming of the pump, a get-ready non-conference interlude that would allow both teams to get a feel for an NCAA Tournament environment and competition.

Here's what to know about Duke basketball's neutral-site, non-conference game against Illinois, Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

On Saturday night, college basketball will be treated to something that was commonplace for decades but has become the exception to the rule over the past 15-or-so years: a marquee February nonconference game between two high-major programs.

In the heart of Manhattan on a Big Apple Saturday night, the third-ranked Blue Devils took ownership of Madison Square Garden, giving Illinois a 110-67 beating. In the first half alone, Duke scored 54 points — the best mark of its season so far.

Duke faced off against Illinois at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Blue Devils won by a score of 110-67 to improve to 24-3 in

Illinois lost to Duke by a historic margin in a college basketball game. Here is a recap and highlights from Madison Square Garden in New York.

The 3rd-ranked Duke Blue Devils and the Illinois Fighting Illini take breaks from conference play to head to the Big Apple on Saturday night for the 2025 SentinelOne Classic.