Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will look to win his 1,000th game as the fifth-ranked Blue Devils travel to face St John’s Sunday at 2 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York. Duke will look to win its third game in a row after two consecutive losses and close out its nonconference slate unbeaten with a win. Three keys to the Blue Devils prevailing and moving to 17-2 on the season:
Play in the moment
Duke has maintained that its focus is on getting win No. 17 as a team Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, but the Blue Devils are still an inexperienced team and know the external hype that will also be present in the Mecca of basketball. After five solid days off to get healthy and prepare for a talented St. John's team, Duke's approach to the game on both ends will be a key to follow throughout the contest.
When they are at their best, the Blue Devils patiently play through freshman star Jahlil Okafor on offense, then set up their defense based on the opponent. But at times, Duke has gotten sped up on both ends and become impatient—most notably in its two double-digit losses earlier this month—so the Blue Devils' mentality for 40 minutes in a pressure environment will likely be a good barometer of how they fare.
Don’t let Harrison heat up
Averaging 19.5 points per game, D’Angelo Harrison is the Red Storm’s leading scorer and biggest threat. At 6-foot-4, and 202 pounds, the senior guard is a capable outside shooter and has made 37 3-pointers this year, but is a special talent because of his mid-range game. Harrison has a knack for creating off the bounce, so Duke’s perimeter defense—either in man-to-man or zone—will have to be aware of his location and not allot any extra air space.
The Blue Devils struggled mightily against guards of Harrison's caliber earlier this month, so Sunday's game should provide a benchmark of how the team's defense is progressing. The Missouri City, Texas, native averages 5.7 rebounds per game and also usually has plenty of support from his fellow starters when he draws extra attention. The Red Storm starters score 60.6 of the team's 71.1 points per game and if their leader gets going, expect a lot of energy from Harrison's teammates and the St. John's faithful.
Be strong with the ball
Because of their raw athleticism and talent, the Red Storm rank fifth in the nation with 6.9 blocks per game and 15th in steals per contest with 8.7. Led by forward Chris Obekpa, who ranks third nationally with 3.6 blocks per game, St. John's is capable of punishing opposing players who try to drive without being careful with the ball. The Blue Devils had 10 shots blocked in their loss to N.C. State and at times have battled turnover issues against aggressive defensive teams. Minimizing such costly errors in a road game has to be priority for Duke on the offensive end, especially given the benefits of playing through dominant freshman center Jahlil Okafor.
The Red Storm are likely going to do everything they can to get the crowd involved and get out in transition and lapses in ball security will only help them reach their goal.
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