The St. Louis University basketball team has struggled putting together its nonconference schedule, finding a lot of teams not interested in playing them. But they came up with a gem Thursday, agreeing to a game against defending national champion Duke.

The teams will meet in Durham, N.C., on Saturday, Dec. 11, and the game is expected to be televised nationally by CBS. The deal is for only one game; Duke will not make a return visit to St. Louis. Though SLU coach Rick Majerus has been seeking home-and-home series with most major opponents, the chance for one shot at Duke was enough to make him grab the game.

"We want to play the best," Majerus said. "It's good for our fans, it's good for our recruits."

Duke, which finished last season 35-5 and beat Butler in the NCAA final, is anticipated by many to be the top-ranked team in the nation when next season's polls come out. Majerus said the game will be good preparation for the upcoming Atlantic 10 season. "There is no tougher road test in the game today than to play the Blue Devils under Coach (Mike) Krzyzewski at Cameron Indoor Stadium," he said in a statement.

It's the first time SLU has played a defending national champion since the 1980-81 season, when it faced Metro Conference rival Louisville twice, losing 61-57 in Louisville and 97-85 in St. Louis. It's the first time SLU has played Duke since Jan. 14, 1988, a 69-53 road loss.

SLU's full nonconference schedule has been gradually coming together, but still has a few games to go. The Billikens will play a game at Portland around Thanksgiving and will make a trip to Missouri State. Georgia and Bowling Green will come to Chaifetz Arena, and SLU will play in a tournament in Cancun, Mexico, right before Christmas.