BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland's men's basketball will make its second trip to the Raleigh-Durham area this season to face a former NCAA Champion team, but this time the Greyhounds' trip to the Research Triangle will come unexpectedly.
 
Loyola will make the trip to Durham, North Carolina, to face Duke University, the No. 2-ranked team in this week's Associated Press and coaches' polls, on Saturday, December 18. The game at Cameron Indoor Stadium will start at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and air nationally on the ACC Network.
 
As a result of the added game to the Greyhounds' schedule, Loyola will not host Goucher College on Tuesday, December 21.
 
"We are excited about the opportunity to play at Duke this weekend," said Loyola Head Coach Tavaras Hardy. "Duke has been a standard of excellence in college basketball, and this year it takes on an added significance of playing in Cameron (Indoor Stadium) during Coach Krzyzewski's last season. We are grateful to Coach (Tom) Rose at Goucher for his flexibility, as well, and we look forward to being back in Reitz Arena early in 2022."
 
The opportunity to play at Duke arose on Wednesday when the Blue Devils announced that their previously scheduled opponent, Cleveland State University, could not play due to a COVID-related pause.
 
Saturday's game will be Loyola's second against a former NCAA Champion this season; it opened the year with an 83-67 loss at the University of North Carolina.
 
Loyola's game at Duke is its penultimate non-conference game of the year. The Greyhounds return to their home state for a Tuesday, December 28, contest at the University of Maryland before opening Patriot League play on Saturday, January 1, at the U.S. Military Academy.