Duke men's basketball opens exhibition slate against Florida Southern

As is tradition, the Blue Devils will get a test in their first exhibition game in a matchup of defending national champions.

Duke will take on Florida Southern—the 2015 Division II national champions—at Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. After an offseason that included a trip to the White House and the hanging of the 2015 NCAA national championship banner, the Blue Devils will finally get back to playing basketball.

Friday's tune-up game will be the first for Duke's top-ranked recruiting class against outside competition. Freshman Brandon Ingram—who was named Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year Wednesday—will get the first chance to work toward proving himself worthy of that honor. At 6-foot-9, Ingram's versatility should enable head coach Mike Krzyzewski to use him all over the floor. The Kinston, N.C., native can shoot from the perimeter or slash through the lane, but could also be used around the rim to compensate for the loss of Jahlil Okafor, the source of most of Duke's low-post scoring a year ago.

Freshmen Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton also figure to see plenty of time in the Duke backcourt Friday as the Blue Devils look to move on from the departures of Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones. Kennard impressed at Duke's Countdown to Craziness showcase Oct. 17 with a pair of 3-pointers, and will likely share time with returners Grayson Allen and Matt Jones handling the ball, particularly when Thornton takes a breather on the bench.

Marshall Plumlee turned in one of the best performances by a Duke player in his final Countdown, bullying freshmen Chase Jeter and Antonio Vrankovic down low and skying for several dunks and aggressive takes to the basket. Brothers Miles and Mason made big leaps heading into their final seasons in Durham, and a similar jump by Plumlee could help take some of the scoring pressure off of Ingram and Allen.

Like the Blue Devils, the Moccasins will have to adjust to a new-look roster from the one that cut down the nets in the spring. Six seniors departed after winning the title—including Florida Southern's top two scorers—but five seniors are ready to step into leadership roles in their stead. The backcourt tandem of Dylan Travis and Dominique Williams combined for 20.8 points per game last season and will assume bigger offensive roles without top scorer Kevin Capers' 21.2 points per game.

But the Moccasins—like 2014 Division II champion Central Missouri when the Mules made the trip to Durham last year—are also dealing with a change on the sideline.

Head coach Linc Darner led Florida Southern to eight consecutive NCAA DII tournament appearances, but made the leap to Division I and the Horizon League in the offseason, landing at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Darner's style of play produced an offense that averaged 87.9 points per game a year ago and will provide a good test for a Duke team that will still be looking to develop its defensive identity and chemistry.