Coming off a home victory against Virginia Tech, No. 4 Duke takes on in-state foe Wake Forest Wednesday night. The Demon Deacons enter the matchup losers of eight of their last nine, and hope to salvage the second half of their season with a major upset. After playing five games in 11 nights, the Blue Devils received much needed rest after their Feb. 25 matchup against the Hokies. Duke must put its upcoming rematch against North Carolina aside and focus on the battle Wednesday night. Here are tonight's keys to the game if the Blue Devils are to continue their winning ways:
Wreak Havoc on the Defensive End
In the first meeting of the two ball clubs, Duke’s defense was aggressive, angry, and omnipresent. The Demon Deacons turned the ball over 19 times on the night, and only managed seven assists en route to a mere 63 points. Despite not having the Cameron Crazies alongside them, the Blue Devils cannot let the defensive intensity slip Wednesday night. If Rasheed Sulaimon and Tyler Thornton can make the Wake Forest guards uncomfortable in the half-court, then look for this matchup to be much of the same.
Start Strong
Calling the second half of Wake Forest’s season a struggle thus far would be an understatement. After starting the year 11-3, including a win at home against North Carolina, the Demon Deacons showed promise and began to scare the rest of the ACC. However, now losers of eight of their last nine, Wake Forest looks accustomed to their losing ways. If Duke can come out of the gates hot, similar to its 9-2 run to start against Virginia Tech last week, the Demon Deacons may be quickly taken out of their element. Keeping Wake Forest around late is just the formula necessary to cap what would be an incredible upset.
Capitalize From the Perimeter
All great shooting teams go through stretches of inefficiency, but nobody could have predicted the past three-game stretch for Duke. The Blue Devils shot 30.3 percent, 33.3 percent, and 22.7 percent from three against Virginia Tech, Syracuse and North Carolina respectively. Duke’s inability to convert from the perimeter kept the Hokies around for much of the game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. If the Blue Devils are to have another convincing win—let alone any win—against the Demon Deacons, their shooters will have to come to play Wednesday night.
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