The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men’s Basketball to open 2025-26 season against Duke in Dick Vitale Invitational
06.09.2025 | Men's Basketball
The Longhorns and Blue Devils will matchup at Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Tuesday, Nov. 4 on ESPN.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of Texas Men's Basketball team will face Duke University in the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte's Spectrum Center on Tuesday, Nov. 4, ESPN Events in collaboration with the Charlotte Sports Foundation announced Monday. The Dick Vitale Invitational is a new men's college basketball event that will annually honor Dick Vitale, the Hall of Fame broadcaster and one of the sport's most iconic voices and ambassadors, who celebrates his 86th birthday today.
The contest will mark the 2025-26 season opener for both teams. The game is scheduled to be televised nationally by ESPN, and the tip-off time will be announced at a later date.
Fans are encouraged to visit www.DickVitaleInvitational.com to sign up for exclusive ticket presale opportunities and be the first to know when game details are announced.
"ESPN has been such a vital part of my life since December 5, 1979, and I was so thrilled to learn that ESPN Events will have an annual Dick Vitale Invitational," said Vitale. "Jimmy Pitaro and all my colleagues and friends at ESPN have been so good to me, and I am so thankful for all of the prayers and love I have received from them during my cancer battles. ESPN has been family to me and has given me a life that has been even better than my dreams. From the Vitale family, ESPN is 'Awesome, baby' with a capital A!"
Texas and Duke will be meeting for sixth time in men's basketball, and the Longhorns will be looking for their first victory in series history. In the initial meeting between the two teams (Nov. 22, 2000), the Blue Devils earned a 95-69 victory in the semifinals of the TiVo Preseason NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Duke followed with an 89-61 win in the Dreyfus Classic on Dec. 20, 2003 at Madison Square Garden and added a 97-66 victory in E. Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 10, 2005. The Blue Devils posted a 74-69 win in a NCAA Tournament Round of 32 contest in Greensboro, N.C., on March 21, 2009. In the most recent matchup between the two schools, Duke claimed an 85-78 overtime victory in the semifinals of the PK80 Championship in Portland, Ore., on Nov. 24, 2017.