SIUE basketball will take one of its biggest nonconference trips in recent memory when the Cougars play the No. 2 ranked Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 13, 2026.
For Brian Barone, the game is more than a date on the schedule. He wrote a letter ahead of the matchup and described it as an opportunity of a lifetime, a rare chance for SIUE to step onto one of college basketball's most famous courts against one of the sport's elite programs.
Why the game means so much
Barone said the moment carries personal meaning as well. His father played for Duke in the Final Four in 1966, and the family connection runs even deeper because he later coached there at one point. In his view, that history makes the trip to Durham something special, even as he made clear SIUE is not going there simply for the experience.
"I promise I am not taking my team to North Carolina for only an experience," Barone said. "Anytime we walk on the basketball court, we are competing to win."
He also framed the opportunity through the lens of the program and community around it, saying, "We get to represent an amazing university with an even more amazing community of support."
The matchup came together after a longer process. Barone said he called Duke about three years ago to see if the Blue Devils wanted to play. Then last January, Duke reached out with a date of November 13 and said it was theirs if they wanted it.
That turned into a marquee road game for SIUE and a rare chance to measure itself against a top-2 opponent in one of the toughest environments in college basketball. Barone summed up the mindset with a simple message: cherish the "NOW" more than ever.
