To be one of the biggest programs in women’s college basketball and still find yourself without an opponent days before a scheduled game is hardly something Kara Lawson and Duke anticipated. But with Sunday fast approaching, they needed a solution, and the Blue Devils were apparently desperate enough to go to extraordinary lengths to keep the game on the schedule.

The Blue Devils were reportedly willing to travel to another team’s home court or even pay an opponent to make the trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Yes, a program with Duke’s resources is now subsidizing an opponent to keep a game on the calendar.

And this wasn’t just talk.

On Thursday night, Patriot League and Metro Conference head coaches received emails describing the Blue Devils’ “urgent need” for a replacement opponent, three people familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. Duke was willing to travel or pay a team to play as per the emails.

How Duke’s Sunday plans fell apart

Duke was supposed to face North Texas on Sunday, November 8, at the Foundry Classic in San Antonio, Texas. The matchup would have marked the first-ever meeting between the two women’s basketball programs. But just days before tipoff, the game was canceled.

“Duke was supposed to play North Texas in women’s basketball on Sunday in San Antonio in “The Foundry Classic.” That game is now canceled, according to multiple sources,” shared USA Today’s Mitchell Northam on X. “Duke is scrambling for a replacement opponent. North Texas will not reschedule a new opponent.”

Then both the programs reportedly confirmed the cancellation, citing circumstances beyond the control of the participating institutions. No detailed explanation was given for why the sudden change happened.

And there was more to lose than just a game. The Foundry Classic, announced on September 22, was supposed to be a multi-day event, with several activities planned around the matchup.

The event was scheduled to feature a student-centered experience called The Foundry Future Summit, which would allow students to interact with college athletes off the court. There was also supposed to be a segment featuring Lawson and North Texas head coach Jason Burton in a moderated conversation called The Foundry Table.

Sadly, those plans have now fallen apart, and the Blue Devils have had to find another way to salvage their Sunday schedule. Fortunately for Lawson and her team, they appear to have successfully arranged a replacement matchup.

Duke will now travel to Boca Raton, Florida, to face Florida Atlantic (FAU) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

As for North Texas, a spokesperson for the program revealed that the Mean Green would not be searching for a last-minute replacement opponent. Instead, the team will use the unexpected break to regroup and prepare for its next outing.

Following its Thursday night loss to San Diego State, North Texas will return to the court at home against Houston Christian on Wednesday, November 11.

Kara Lawson has much bigger ambitions for Duke

So far, Duke women’s basketball has played just one game this season, opening its 2026/27 campaign with a convincing 76-60 victory over Green Bay on November 3. Following the cancellation of its scheduled matchup against North Texas, the Blue Devils’ second regular-season game will now come against Florida Atlantic on Sunday.

Lawson’s team will be looking to maintain its winning start and build some early momentum as it pursues its ambitions for the season.

The Blue Devils enter this campaign with plenty of expectations following back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament titles. They have also reached the Elite Eight in each of the last two NCAA Tournament appearances, and the goal this season will be to take another step forward and put themselves in genuine contention for a national championship.

“You want to be in that situation,” Lawson said. “You want to be sitting before a season or before a tournament as one of the favorites to win it. …It’s where we want to be. We want to have high expectations. …The Final Four is not the line of demarcation for me. It’s a national championship… Our goal is to put ourselves in position to be playing our best in March, and put ourselves in position to have a deep run. …We want to win.”

With those ambitions in mind, the unexpected cancellation of the North Texas matchup is certainly not how Duke would have wanted to approach its second game of the season.

However, with Florida Atlantic now providing a replacement opponent, Lawson and her players can turn their attention back to the court. The immediate task will be to secure another victory on Sunday as they begin their pursuit of a much bigger prize.