The No. 4 Blue Devils play their second game in as many nights Saturday at 8 p.m. against Fairfield at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Three things Duke needs to do to have another strong performance on the heels of its 69-point season-opening win:
Rely on depth to maintain high energy
Duke’s rigorous five-game stretch in the next eight days continues Saturday night against Fairfield, just 26 hours after tipoff against Presbyterian in Friday’s season opener. The nervousness regarding how head coach Mike Krzyzewski will find balance within his stacked rotation will likely not be an issue after next week as the four-time national champion has plenty of chances to experiment with new lineups.
Krzyzewski and his staff will need to draw heavily on the talents of players who are normally expected to spend the majority of the season on the bench if he wants to preserve his starters for Tuesday’s game against No. 18 Michigan State and next weekend’s conclusion to the Coaches vs. Cancer classic. No player played more than 25 minutes in Friday's season opener, so fatigue should not be an excuse for the Blue Devils Saturday, especially if they keep substituting frequently.
Control the Gilbert brothers
Junior Marcus Gilbert returns as last year’s second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per contest to lead the Stags as they continue their 2014-15 campaign against Duke. Gilbert had 21 points and eight rebounds in Fairfield's season opener against Central Connecticut Friday night. The 6-foot-6 wing, who accompanied his 5.1 rebounds a game with a 40.5 field goal percentage, is not alone.
He is joined by his older brother, redshirt senior Malcolm Gilbert, who is likely one of Fairfield’s only chances at stopping Blue Devil freshman and AP Preseason Player of the Year Jahlil Okafor. Despite the fact that the older Gilbert only accumulated the fifth-most rebounds on his team last year, the 6-foot-11, 235-pound product out of Smyrna, Del., is one of the only Stags that boasts a body capable of holding back Okafor. Even if he does not start, he will need to compete in the paint for Fairfield to stay in the game.
Practice the press to create for the freshmen
Duke’s full court press was instrumental in revving up the pace in exhibition games against Livingstone and Central Missouri and against Presbyterian Friday night. It helped to generate steals, and get freshmen—especially swingman Justise Winslow—going early. Against the Blue Hose, Winslow found plenty of opportunities to contribute across the board, with an assist, rebound and block joining his four rebounds and 15 points on 50 percent shooting. Winslow and other Blue Devils thrived after the press system generated countless opportunities to produce Duke’s third largest single-game win in history.
The formula for success will be no different Saturday night, as Duke will try to pick up full court to generate forced shots and turnovers to fuel the Blue Devil fastbreak attack.
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