Duke is headed to Phoenix for one of the headline games in the first Scripps Sports Women’s Basketball Showcase, a new premier event set for Dec. 16 at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Blue Devils will open the doubleheader against reigning NCAA champion UCLA at 7 p.m. ET.
In the nightcap, Southern California will face Miami at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The entire event will air nationally on ION, which reaches more than 128 million households through over-the-air, pay TV, connected TV platforms and streaming services.
Tickets for both games go on sale Thursday, Aug. 20, at 10:00 AM AZ, which is 1:00 PM ET, through ticketmaster.com. One ticket covers admission to both matchups.
For Duke, the meeting with UCLA adds another layer to a series that has been tight from the start. The teams have played six times since their first matchup in 1997, and UCLA owns a 3-2 advantage after winning both meetings last season.
Duke coach Kara Lawson called the trip an early-season test with real value.
"We are thrilled to travel to Phoenix to face UCLA in the Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase event," said Duke head coach Kara Lawson. "It is an exciting opportunity to be able to take on an elite opponent in the Bruins so early in the season. This matchup provides us with a game in December that will have a
March feel and will certainly prepare us for ACC play, while allowing us to showcase our team on a national stage."
The Blue Devils enter with plenty of familiar firepower. Duke finished fifth in the final AP poll last season and brings back three of its five starters from the ACC championship team.
The roster also includes transfer Aaliyah Crump from Texas and four freshmen. Crump, the No. 5 recruit in the 2025 class, joins Emilee Skinner, who was ranked No. 4 in the same class.
The showcase is another piece of Scripps Sports’ expanding women’s sports lineup, which already includes the WNBA, NWSL, PWHL, the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup and Premier Women’s Rodeo.
Media credential information will be released later.
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