Head coach John Dore and the Concordia Stingers men's basketball team will be a hot ticket when they make a historic visit to Durham, N.C., tonight to play the Duke Blue Devils at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils start the 2005-'06 season ranked No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today NCAA men's basketball preseason poll. The top billing is based on the strength of the team's starting lineup which boasts three returning starters, including all-Americans J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams.
Last season, Duke posted a 27-6 record and won the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). However, the top-seeded Blue Devils were up set 78-68 by Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
Concordia boasted a 27-11 record in 2004-'05, including a 15-1 win-loss mark in the Quebec conference. The Stingers enjoyed some success against accomplished NCAA teams en route to a silver medal performance at the national championship. Concordia played Virginia very tough (88-76 loss) and defeated University of New Hampshire 102-96.
Duke travelled to Canada last November. The Blue Devils defeated the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 107-56 in Antigonish, N.S. St. FX was one of the top five teams in Canada last season.
This year, however, Duke is not travelling in the exhibition season, choosing instead to host just one Canadian opponent - the Concordia Stingers.
The game is sold out, but tickets are available on a number of internet sites. Yahoo Tickets is offering seats ranging from $80 to $250 U.S. each. Meanwhile a seller on e-Bay is asking $280 U.S. a ticket.
The Stingers will spend the next 10 days playing NCAA opponents, including Connecticut on Nov. 9. They will open at home to the UQAM Citadins on Friday, Nov. 18. Tickets for the opener range from $3 to $7.
