X Factor: Duke men's basketball vs. Appalachian State

Duke has won all three of its games since a last-second loss to Kansas to move to 5-1 on the season. After beating William & Mary Wednesday, the Blue Devils face another nonconference foe Saturday, Appalachian State, at noon in Durham. The Blue Zone takes a look at a player from each team who could be a difference-maker in Saturday’s game.

Duke: Center Chase Jeter

Sophomore center Chase Jeter went down last Saturday against Penn State with a sprained ankle early in the first half and missed the rest of the game. Jeter has since seen action against Rhode Island and William & Mary, albeit sparingly, playing just 21 minutes in the two games combined. It is unclear whether Jeter is still hampered by his injury, but the Blue Devils certainly need more from the 6-foot-10 center.

Duke has been relying on small lineups so far, given injuries to freshmen Harry Giles and Marques Bolden that have depleted its frontcourt depth. With only graduate student Amile Jefferson providing any interior presence and junior Grayson Allen playing hurt, the Blue Devils need all they can get from Jeter. But after beginning the season as a starter, Jeter has recently been barely contributing off the bench. Averaging only 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on the season, Jeter has plenty of room to improve and relieve some of Duke’s defensive struggles as long as the star freshmen remain out.

Appalachian State: Guard Ronshad Shabazz

Sophomore guard Ronshad Shabazz has been the Mountaineers’ best scorer so far this season, averaging 17.5 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting, including 40.9 percent from deep. Shabazz most recently provided a 28-point outburst in a win against Hartford and is coming to Durham riding that momentum.

Despite Allen not yet playing at 100 percent, Shabazz will likely find himself matched up with the Duke guard more often than not. If he can exploit Allen’s hampered mobility, Shabazz will be able to lead the fight against Duke with success attacking the basket. The 6-foot-5 guard seems to be a friend of the Blue Devils after dropping 21 points against North Carolina last season—including a poster dunk over Brice Johnson that landed him on the SportsCenter Top 10—but Duke will have to hope he does not give it the same treatment.