A preseason mishap found the Skyhawks and the Duke Blue Devils in the same predicament: no opening opponent. UTM was originally scheduled to play the Kansas State, but the date wasn’t good for either team.

Head coach Bret Campbell spent days deciding whether or not to make the 10-plus hour trip to face one of the most prolific basketball programs in NCAA history.

‘’As good as Duke is, they could set you back, confidence-wise,’’ Campbell said. ‘’We were worried about getting off to a good start, especially with our returning players.’’

The decision was finally made and plans started to get underway to get the team ready to face the Blue Devils.

‘’There’s been a lot of incentive to work just a little bit harder,’’ Campbell said. ‘’I think our offseason workouts have been enhanced by this.’’

Much of the campus was wondering why exactly the team, who went just 10-18 last season would even want to attempt to take on Duke, who made it all the way to the Final Four last year. Several factors were considered: national exposure, the experience of taking on a nationally ranked ball club, and when it finally came down to it, money was ranked right up there.

The Skyhawks will be picking up anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000 for the single game against Duke. Coach Campbell says that this is the standard amount usually received for a “money game”. Among the other “money games” scheduled for this year is Illinois State on Nov. 27th.

This experience will be on that the Skyhawk men will never forget. But possibly the most excited is sophomore guard Justin Flatt.

Flatt is a transfer from North Carolina State, where the rivalry is as strong as it is with any two teams in the country.

‘’I’m excited to get back,’’ Flatt said. ‘’I know what it’s like, but it’s hard to explain.’’

The Skyhawks lost several starters last season, but have quite a bit of talent returning for the big game.

The veterans include senior guard Earl Bullock, senior forward Chris Carter, senior guard Tyler George and junior guard/forward Jared Newson.

Newson, the 6’5” Belleville, Ill. native, looks to earn the preseason awards that he received. He was named to the All-OVC preseason first team.

Last year Newson was also named to the All-OVC third team. He finished the 2003-2004 season tied for second in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game. Newson also finished sixth in the conference in rebounding and steals, averaging 7.3 boards per game and 1.62 steals a game.

Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 6:00 central time and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Network. WUTM, 90.3 FM will also be broadcasting the game live on the radio or on the internet at www.utm.edu/%7Ewutm/main.html. The pregame show will start at 5:30 with hosts Ryan Azmina and Jeremy Coltharp.

Duke sent 150 tickets to UTM to be sold to students and members of the community for $45. The seats, which were only available for two weeks will be right behind the Skyhawks bench. Although the tickets have already been sent back to Duke, there are still seats available. For more information contact the university’s ticketing office at 1-877-375-DUKE. ‘’There’s not many big schools that will sit you right behind the team bench,’’ said Jenny Canary, who was in charge of ticket sales. ‘’If we play at UT, you get put everywhere.’’

Canary said she sent back 50 tickets, and that many of the 100 sold were bought by Skyhawk Club members. Just a few tickets were sold to students.

For more information on the game and the rest of the UTM basketball seasons check out www.utmsports.com.