3 Things To Look For in Duke-St. John's

Here's three things to look for before Duke takes on St. John's today at 1 on CBS.

1. Last time out...

... A certain toe became injured. Yes, the last time the Blue Devils played in the New York area, in East Rutherford against Butler, Irving suffered his freak right toe injury that has now become the subject of great infamy. The (Raleigh) News & Observer's Ken Tysiac used this occasion to say that the new-look Blue Devils now feel this team is much better than the one that played in New Jersey.

Still, the team may be better than it was eight weeks ago, but one has to continue to wonder: Is Kyrie Irving coming back this year?

2. Nine seniors

Last year, in a tough, physical contest, Duke topped St. John's 80-71 at home. The Blue Devils will be facing more or less that same team this year. The Red Storm boasts nine seniors, including leading rebounder D.J. Kennedy, who has seen his scoring numbers drop severely this year but still remains a threat to go off. Dwight Hardy, another senior, leads St. John's with 14.5 points per game. He's not a shooter, so look for the Plumlees and Ryan Kelly to watch for him driving. Finally, the third senior to look out for, Justin Brownlee, can cause trouble down low in the paint. He's a surprisingly poor rebounder, though, so we might get to see another Mason Plumlee 15-rebound performance today.

3. Home Sweet Home

For Duke, Madison Square Garden has always been a special place. The Blue Devils are 25-14 there all-time, and have won five straight and 12 of their last 13. The legendary Penn Street arena was even dubbed by Nolan Smith last year as "Cameron North". Expect a large contingent of Duke fans and alumni to make up what promises to be a mostly pro-Duke crowd.