LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine men's basketball team has earned a reputation since rising to Division I for not backing away from any challenge (see NCAA.com).  On Monday night, the Knights will add to that reputation by taking on the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils at 8:30 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
For Bellarmine (2-1), it will be a return trip to one of the most vaunted venues in all of college basketball as the Knights played their very first game as a Division I school at Duke.  However, the circumstances on Monday will be quite different.  Because that game took place Dec. 4, 2020 , COVID restrictions were in place and no fans were allowed, meaning Bellarmine didn't have to experience the "Cameron Crazies" as Duke's enthusiastic fan base is known.
 
Monday's game also will be different in that the Duke sidelines are no longer patrolled by Mike Krzyzewski, who retired at the end of last season after 42 years at the helm.  The NCAA's all-time winningest coach (1,202 wins) handed the reins to Jon Scheyer, who served on Krzyzewski's staff since the 2013-14 season and starred for the Blue Devils as a player.
 
So far, Scheyer is keeping the Blue Devils on track with a top 10 ranking and a 3-1 record with the only loss coming at a neutral site game at the hands of No. 6 Kansas.
 
Beyond the coaching change, Duke welcomes 11 new players for 2022-23. Four of those fresh faces are graduate transfers with a variety of experiences, while the remaining seven represent the nation's top-ranked freshman class.  Several of those freshmen are already living up to expectations, including Kyle Filipowski, who is leading the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding.  The center—one of four 7-footers on the Duke roster—is averaging a double-double, scoring 15 points a game while hauling in 11 rebounds per contest.
 
Jeremy Roach, the lone returning starter for the Blue Devils, is off to another strong start this year. The junior captain is leading the team in assists (3.25/game) and is putting up 12.8 points per game, which is second on the team. Mark Mitchell, another freshman, is the third-leading scorer for Coach Scheyer, at 12.5 points a game.
 
Bellarmine (2-2) also has a freshman scoring leader.  Peter Suder, a 6-5 guard, is scoring at a 13.8 points per game clip while seniors Bash Wieland and Garrett Tipton are also averaging in double figures at 10.5 and 10.0 respectively.
 
For the Knights, Duke will be the third team from the ACC they have faced this season.  Bellarmine opened with a 67-66 win at Louisville and dropped a 76-66 decision to Clemson on Friday night.
 
Monday's game will be televised on the ACC Network with Mike Monaco and Malcolm Huckaby on the call.  The broadcast will be available to stream on ESPN+.  The game will be aired on local radio with Doug Ormay and Mark Bugg handling announcing duties for ESPN 680-AM/105.7-FM.
 
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