Coming off a strong performance in a win against Indiana, No. 7 Duke will take on Buffalo Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils (7-1) will look to win their fifth straight game after an early loss to Kentucky. Meanwhile, the Bulls (4-3) will look to make a major statement for the MAC conference. Here are three keys to Saturday's game:
Control the glass
Duke comes into the game averaging 39 rebounds per game, and secured 19 offensive boards in Wednesday’s matchup against Indiana. The Blue Devils converted their dominance on the glass into additional chances to score on offense and finished with 26 second-chance points. Senior Amile Jefferson and graduate student Marshall Plumlee—who average 10.6 and 7.1 rebounds per game, respectively— must capitalize on their height advantage in this game against a much shorter Bulls team.
Buffalo comes into the game shooting only 41 percent as a team on the year and will certainly have its struggles against Duke's improving defense. If the Blue Devils can use their control of the glass to fuel opportunities in transition, the team has a solid chance of putting the game away early on Saturday.
Stay out of foul trouble
Duke committed 17 team fouls against the Hoosiers on Wednesday with Plumlee and freshman Brandon Ingram both finishing with four fouls. Against a Buffalo team less capable of beating the Blue Devils off the bounce, the team should focus on keeping its best players on the court. The Bulls are shooting 71 percent at the line so far this season and getting in the bonus early on Saturday could help them stick around longer than expected.
By having its players on the court for extended periods of time, the team will gain valuable on-court time and be able to develop consistency on both ends of the floor as the team's 10-day semester-end break approaches. If Duke's eight rotation players can learn each other's defensive tendencies and continue to play well together as a unit, the Blue Devils will continue to win games.
Maintain composure
The upset plague been in full swing this season with several highly-ranked teams falling to unranked non-conference opponents. Duke must come out of the gates focused on running its offense and playing solid defense for the game’s entirety to put the Bulls away early and end any hope of an upset for the road team.
Similar to most of the Blue Devils' opponents thus far this season, Buffalo’s players will play hard and try to steal a win in one of the most hostile environments in college basketball. With an extended period off following Saturday's game, the Blue Devils must play smart and hard and avoid taking their foot off the gas pedal until the final buzzer sounds.
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