Key Three: Duke basketball vs Utah

After routing Georgia Southern 99-65 at home Tuesday, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils travel to Madison Square Garden in New York Saturday to meet Utah. Duke defeated the Utes 63-57 in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA tournament en route to the program’s fifth national championship. Utah will have its chance to exact revenge in the non-conference matchup, while the Blue Devils will look for their 10th win of the season. Here are the three keys to Tuesday’s game:

Anticipate a strong start from the Utes: There’s a lot at stake in Saturday’s game for the Utes. After being ranked as high as 16th early in the season, Utah fell out of the AP top 25 poll following losses to Miami and Wichita State. Playing in front of a nationally televised audience at a historic venue, the Utes have a chance to earn a statement win against a top-10 team and last year’s national champions, before the revenge factor even enters into the equation.

It’s imperative that the Blue Devils anticipate Utah's energy coming out of the gates and rise their level of play to meet it early in the game. If last year’s matchup between the teams is any guide for how Saturday’s contest will play out, the game will be competitive all the way through, and Duke may not be able recover from a large early deficit.

Find a player to lead the team: Last year it was Justise Winslow who carried Duke past the Utes and their stingy defense, pilling on 21 points and 10 rebounds. With Amile Jefferson out due to injury, Matt Jones and Grayson Allen will be the only Duke players on the court Saturday who saw action against Utah last year. But in that game, the duo of Jones and Allen combined for just six points as the Utes locked down on the Blue Devils’ perimeter shooters.

Duke will need to find a leader to fend off a Utah team with the ability to challenge the Blue Devils at every position. But with Jefferson out the question remains, who will that be? Will it be freshman Brandon Ingram, who notched a career-high 26 points in Duke’s win earlier this week? It will come down to whom on the Blue Devils’ roster steps up Saturday when his team needs it the most.

Play Duke defense: That mean’s protecting the paint, providing on-ball pressure and staying active on the defensive end for the full 40 minutes. Utah boasts several strong and talented forwards who lead the team on offense. Sophomore Jakob Poeltl leads the way with averages of 19.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest. Senior Jordan Loveridge and redshirt sophomore Kyle Kuzma round out the Utes’ trio up front, combining for another 24.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game between them.

With so many scoring options in the frontcourt, protecting the paint and keeping the Utes away from the rim will be points of emphasis for Duke. If the Blue Devils can force Utah to fall back on its guard play, Duke will have a significant advantage come Saturday. The Utes have also shown that they are vulnerable when they turn the ball over, making turnovers an important aspect of the upcoming game.