LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine University's men's basketball team is prepping for its Division I debut later this week.

At 7 p.m. Friday, the Knights will open their 2020-21 season against No. 6 Duke (1-1) in Cameron Indoor Stadium in the Mako Medical Duke Classic.

The historic game will not only be the first for Bellarmine in any sport this season, but it will be the first as a DI member for any Knights team except lacrosse, which until this year had been the university's only DI team.

While this is the team's first DI game, it's not their first showdown with the Blue Devils. During the 2011-12 season, Bellarmine played against Duke in an exhibition game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Knights proved to be a formidable opponent with the first half and trailed by only 38-33 until Duke won 87-62.

Since the two teams played, Coach Scott Davenport followed Bellarmine's national title with three additional runs to the Final Four. Bellarmine exited DII with 12 consecutive 20-win seasons and 12 straight NCAA II Tournament invitations.

Under Naismith Hall of Fame Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who's in his 41st season at Duke, the Blue Devils have won five national titles, the most recent in 2015. The team has also garnered 15 ACC Tournament championships and 12 ACC regular-season titles with Krzyzewski. The coach also produced 67 NBA Draft selections, including 41 first-round picks and 28 lottery picks.

Duke opened its season Saturday with an 81-71 win over Coppin State before losing 75-69 against No. 8 Michigan State in the State Farm Champions Classic Tuesday.

Bellarmine is starting this season without four seniors from the 2019-20 squad, including 1,000-point club members and All-GLVC honorees Alex Cook and Ben Weyer along with two-time GLVC All-Defensive Team recipient Parker Chitty. The Knights will make their entrance to DI with their youngest team in some time. Only two seniors remain: Guard CJ Fleming and forward Ethan Claycomb. 

Junior guard Dylan Penn will make a return, alongside junior guard Pedro Bradshaw, redshirt junior guard Juston Betz, and sophomore guard Alec Pfriem. Others returning include redshirt sophomores Garrett Tipton, a guard, and Baylor Younker, a center; sophomores Bash Wieland, a guard, and Nick Thelen, a forward; and redshirt freshman guard Drew Comer.

Some of the new Knights include sophomore forward Sam DeVault, a transfer from Austin Peay and former high school teammate of Penn, along with true freshmen Zac Jennings, Hunter Brogan, and Eli Roberts. Jennings and Brogan are guards while Roberts is a forward.

Haeli Spears is a digital producer with Spectrum News 1 Kentucky. She is a University of Louisville graduate who started her career with Spectrum News in May, 2020.