The Blue Devils will play their last home game before Winter Break Saturday at 5:30 against Maine. Duke is riding a five-game winning streak with an impressive backcourt, and it will look to keep the momentum going against the Black Bears before hitting the road for two games next week. Here are three keys to success for the Blue Devils Saturday.
Convert from beyond the arc
After converting on more than 35 percent of its 3-point attempts through seven contests, Duke shot just 26.9 percent from downtown against Michigan State Tuesday. Luke Kennard and Matt Jones—the Blue Devils’ second and third best 3-point shooters—made just one of their combined 13 attempts from long distance. With Duke playing very guard-heavy due to injuries to three freshmen big men, it will be important to get Kennard and Jones back on track for the tougher road that lies ahead of the Maine game.
Win the turnover battle
The Blue Devils have done a great job of limiting their turnovers this season. Duke has turned the ball over an average of 11.5 times per contest and has forced 15.3 giveaways per game as well. The Blue Devils finished with a plus-nine turnover margin against Michigan State, and Duke’s ability to both limit its own turnovers and force other teams to cough the ball up will be crucial as the season rolls along. Jones shut down freshman phenom Miles Bridges and the Spartans Tuesday, racking up four steals in the 78-69 victory. If Jones can play even half as well as he did his last time out on the defensive end, the Blue Devils will be in a good position to cruise to another win.
Stay Healthy
The injury bug has plagued Duke through its first eight games. Freshmen Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Marques Bolden all have yet to play a single second of college basketball, which limited head coach Mike Krzyzewski to just six players Tuesday night. Given the lack of depth, Duke can ill afford to have any more players go down. Chase Jeter had a scare when he rolled his ankle against Penn State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off two weeks ago, and Grayson Allen is not practicing after injuring his toe against Appalachian State. Although the junior guard played Tuesday, Krzyzewski does not have much depth on his bench if another Blue Devil were to go down unless one of the injured freshmen makes a surprise return Saturday.
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Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.