The No. 7 Blue Devils take on the Washington Huskies in Madison Square Garden at 12 p.m. Here are the three keys to to pay attention to when the action kicks off this afternoon.
1) Will Duke be able to survive on the boards?
The Blue Devils are facing one of the biggest and most athletic teams in the nation in the Huskies. Washington is sixth in the country averaging 43.1 rebounds per contest, statistically dominating Duke which averages just 32.9 per game. The Huskies are led by 7-footer Aziz N'Diaye down low, who is not a major offensive threat, but grabs 9.3 rebounds in just 24.3 minutes per game. Combo guard Terrance Ross adds 7.0 rebounds of his own, meaning the Blue Devil forwards and guards will have to be alert for missed shots.
2) How will Duke match up against Ross?
Ross is one of the top players in the nation and at 6-foot-6 presents matchup problems for the Blue Devils. In Duke's lone loss of the year, against Ohio State, combo guard William Buford dominated the first half on his way to a 20-point performance in the game. Ross is a similarly bodied player and leads the Huskies with 16.6 points per game. It will be a test for the Blue Devils to try and match up against him - Rivers will likely get one of the first cracks, but it will truly be a test of Duke's help-defense skills.
3) How will Duke's pressure defense fare against Washington's athletic guards?
The Huskies are one of the most athletic teams in the nation, pushing the ball and averaging 80.4 points per contest, 24th most in the nation. Despite their size and athleticism, however, their backcourt can have trouble taking care of the ball. 6-foot-5 guard Tony Wroten is the team's third leading scorer with 13.0 per game, but also turns it over a whopping 4.3 times per contest. Seth Curry and Tyler Thornton, in particular, have been effective pressure defenders this season and will look to slow down the Huskies into more half-court sets, something they will need to do effectively to win this neutral-site game.
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