Duke has found a new way to go global: By sending its basketball broadcast to China.

The university will broadcast its Jan. 15 men's basketball game against Virginia in Mandarin Chinese.

(Image courtesy theduckstop.net)

The free broadcast will be available both live and on-demand at GoDuke.com Inside Access, and marks the first time in ACC history that a game has been broadcast in Chinese, according to a Duke news release.

Duke undergraduate student announcers Yunze Chen, John Sheng and Jesse Sun will call the action live from inside Cameron Indoor Stadium at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time/. That's 3 a.m. China Standard Time, for those hearty souls hoping to tune in.

Duke is home to more than 1,000 current students, faculty and staff from China, and more than 600 Duke alumni live in China.

Duke’s presence in China includes executive MBA residencies, DukeEngage sites, study abroad opportunities, global health and medical research projects, and numerous faculty research and engagement programs. In 2010, Duke announced plans for a campus to be built in partnership with the city of Kunshan, China. The campus is currently under construction and expected to be completed in the summer of 2012.

“Given the university’s footprint in China, Duke Basketball’s international brand, and the popularity of coach Mike Krzyzewski overseas following the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, this is a logical and intriguing step to take,” said Jon Jackson, Duke’s associate director of athletics for university and public affairs. “We are excited to merge campus and athletics resources to deliver Duke Basketball to a much larger audience.”