X factor: Duke basketball vs. N.C. State

In their second consecutive road conference game, No. 2 Duke will travel to PNC Arena—where the Blue Devils lost to Mercer in the NCAA tournament last year and fell to N.C. State two years ago for their first loss of the season—in Raleigh to take on a hungry Wolfpack team. Tipoff is at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Before each game this season, the Blue Zone will select a player on both teams that could make the difference for their respective squads:

Matt Jones

The sophomore only scored five points against Wake Forest Wednesday, but they came at a critical point in the game. Perhaps the most vital of these was an in-rhythm shot from beyond the arc that put the Blue Devils up 64-59 with 2:26 left to play. The shot came just two possessions after Jones scored his first bucket after a pass from point guard Tyus Jones. The DeSoto, Texas, native has been averaging 5.4 points per game, but has struggled with his shot at times, so if he can carry momentum forward, Duke's bench will get even more scoring punch to complement junior guard Rasheed Sulaimon's explosiveness.

But regardless of whether or not Jones' offensive success continues, he should have an impact Sunday because of his defense. The 6-foot-5 guard should be able to use his 210-pound frame to help the Blue Devils contain a trio of dangerous guards—Anthony "Cat" Barber, Ralston Turner and Trevor Lacey—that leads N.C. State, averages 41.6 points per game and is capable of heating up in a hurry. If Jones can help prevent any one of the three from having a big game, Duke's chances will drastically increase as the Wolfpack often struggle to score inside.

Kyle Washington

The Wolfpack is led by its backcourt, which is why if they can get production from frontcourt players like forward Kyle Washington, they have a chance to pull off the upset. The Champlin, Minn., native only averages 6.9 points per contest for N.C. State, but has reached double digits in three of its last four games, including a 13-point, 10-rebound performance in a loss to No. 3 Virginia Wednesday.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward will need to have another strong game on the glass for N.C. State to keep pace with the Blue Devils, who managed to outrebound a strong rebounding team in Wake Forest Wednesday thanks to the tenacity of Jahlil Okafor and Amile Jefferson. Demon Deacon forward Devin Thomas—who scored 24 points—showed that doubling Duke's dominant center with length and size and attacking his feet on the other end of the floor can be effective, so look for Washington and the Wolfpack to try to employ similar tactics.