XFactor: Duke basketball vs Utah

The Blue Devils return to the court Saturday afternoon against Utah in Madison Square Garden after beating Georgia Southern 99-65 Tuesday night. The showdown with the Utes will be Duke’s first real test without senior forward Amile Jefferson, who suffered a fractured foot in practice and will be out indefinitely. The Chronicle takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference maker in the Blue Devils’ upcoming matchup:

Duke: forward Brandon Ingram

After a slow start to his freshman campaign, Ingram has emerged as Duke’s primary scorer and playmaker alongside guard Grayson Allen. He has used his 7-foot-3 wingspan and athleticism to create mismatches against smaller and slower defenders. Not only has Ingram found a rhythm on the offensive end—scoring 24.3 points per game in his last three games—but he has also become one of the Blue Devils’ leading rebounders. Starting at the four spot against Georgia Southern in place of the injured Jefferson, the Kinston, N.C. native secured a career-high 14 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. Despite questions during the offseason of whether he could play power forward weighing just 190 pounds, Ingram took advantage of his length against the Eagles’ shorter interior players.

But against Utah, Ingram will face stronger and taller post players, including the Utes’ 7-foot forward Jakob Poeltl. Although he will create mismatches on the offensive end as he moves out to the wing, Ingram must continue to crash the boards and use his long arms to interrupt Utah’s interior offense.

Utah: forward Jakob Poeltl

Poeltl has been the Utes’ most important contributor on both ends of the floor through their first 10 games. But in his last two contests, the sophomore—who has averaged 19.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season—has struggled, scoring only 11 and 10 points, respectively. In order for Utah to pull off the upset, Poeltl will have to score near his season average and protect the rim on defense.

Offensively, the Austrian native thrives in the pick and roll and is efficient with his jump hook while his back is to the basket. He is one of four players in the country who uses at least 27.0 percent of his team’s possessions and has an offensive rating higher than 128.0. Opposing teams have been reluctant to double-team the forward because he frequently passes out to the Utes’ skilled three-point shooters on the wings. On the defensive end, Poeltl averages 2.2 blocks per game and relies on his quick feet and length to defend opposing post players.