The key three: Duke basketball vs. Florida Atlantic

Convert from the charity stripe

Whether you like it or not, it’s just a fact of life this season that there will be more fouls due to the NCAA rule changes. With a Duke team that spreads the floor and has been playing a small lineup, it was thought that this increase in free throw attempts would benefit the Blue Devils. This has been the opposite case this season though, as Duke has shot just 63.3 percent from the line. Florida Athletic is simply not fast or athletic enough to compete with the Blue Devils, and as a result Duke will likely find itself headed to the line a lot. It is key that Duke capitalizes on these opportunities from the charity stripe if they want to make easy work of the Owls. The Blue Devils are not a bad free throw shooting team, and now is the game to start showing that.

Defend the paint

The Jayhawks revealed Duke’s biggest weakness in the Blue Devils' loss Tuesday: interior defense. Kansas—and specifically Perry Ellis—was dominant in controlling the paint offensively, leading to easy buckets and second-chance opportunities. Yet despite being outplayed in these areas, Duke still had a good chance to win. That’s an encouraging sign for the Blue Devils, as they have all season to improve in this area. Florida Atlantic poses similar sized, but less-skilled post players than Duke saw against Kansas. If Duke can mitigate the Owl’s points in the paint, the Blue Devils should cruise to a bounce-back win.