The key three: Duke basketball vs. UNC-Asheville

Following a blowout victory against Florida Atlantic Friday night, the Blue Devils take on UNC-Asheville Monday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the first game of the Preseason NIT tournament. No. 6 Duke should have few problems containing the Bulldogs, whose only other ranked opponent this season, No. 1 Kentucky, won by more 30 points. Here are Duke's three keys to the game:

Duke must rebound the ball on both ends of the floor.
Much has been made of Duke's struggles rebounding the basketball at both ends of the floor. The Blue Devils will need to start addressing this issue—especially against lesser opponents. That consistent effort will be necessary for this young team to learn quickly and the Bulldogs might be Duke's first chance to show that the maturation process is progressing. If the Blue Devils rebound as a team, boxing out individual players now, then one can expect them to do so later in the season when the games matter more and the opponents are more formidable.

The Blue Devils must cause turnovers and put pressure on the ball.
Defense will continue to be a crucial aspect of Duke's game, as the Blue Devils must overcome traditional post threats by pressuring the opposing team from the time a point guard crosses halfcourt. Quinn Cook has played exceptionally well against opposing point guards, putting pressure on the ball and disrupting the flow of offenses. Defense will lead to transition opportunities for Duke and open up the game for players like Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood to convert easy layups or give a shooter like Matt Jones or Andre Dawkins a chance to hit an open transition 3-pointer. If Duke is playing shutdown defense and causing multiple turnovers, then it will be hard for any opponent to keep a game close.

Does Andre Dawkins continue his hot streak?
The crowd is important in Cameron, but few early-season moments compare to the return of Andre Dawkins to his former glory Friday night, when Dawkins notched 17 points. Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker are given contributors, but the third scorer is flexible game to game. Sometimes it is Rasheed Sulaimon or Amile Jefferson and other games it can be Dawkins. He is the most experienced member of the squad having hung a banner in 2010, and has proven to be a clutch shooter. Duke needs another player to score beyond Hood and Parker each game, and a now healthy Dawkins could begin to assume that place in the lineup.