No. 4 Duke (15-2, 3-0 in the ACC) will look to defend its undefeated conference record against in-state rival Wake Forest (10-7, 1-2) in Cameron Indoor Stadium Thursday at 7 p.m. Here's three things to look for:
Projected Starters
Duke: Quinn Cook, Seth Curry, Austin Rivers, Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumlee
Wake Forest: C.J. Harris, Tony Chennault, Ty Walker, Travis McKie, Nikita Mescheriakov
1. Can Austin Rivers find his groove?
While the freshman still leads Duke in scoring with 13.8 points per game, Rivers has been ice cold of late. The guard scored a season-low four points against Clemson on 2-of-7 shooting and has been held to less then eight points in three of his last five games. Rivers has shown the ability to both score himself and create for his teammates when he penetrates, but has been to content to settle for contested jump shots and three pointers lately. A matchup against a weak Wake Forest club could be just the thing to cure his slump.
2. What will Andre Dawkins do for an encore?
Dawkins was the star of the Blue Devils' tight road victory over the Tigers, scoring 24 points and contributing some clutch defense during Clemson's furious late comeback. The junior, though, has been a streaky player throughout his career and has had trouble putting together stretches of dominant basketball even after a stellar performance. However, his improvements on the defensive end of the ball have allowed him to stay on the floor even when his shot is not falling as of late, which in turn has allowed him to find more of a rhythm offensively.
3. Will the Demon Deacons get blown out of the building?
This has been a forgettable year thus far for the once-proud program at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have already lost four times at home, including defeats to mid-majors Wofford and Richmond and a 36-point shellacking at the hands of N.C. State in their last contest. If Wake Forest is to have any chance at Cameron it will need outstanding performances from C.J. Harris and Travis McKie, the only Demon Deacons to average more than 10.6 points per game. Ranked 277th in the nation in rebounds per game, Wake Forest may also have trouble containing the Plumlee brothers on the glass without improved play from seven footers Ty Walker and Carson Desrosiers.
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