X factor: Duke basketball vs. Miami

The Blue Devils take on the Hurricanes of Miami at 7:30 p.m. at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Before every basketball game, we’ll break down a player on each team who could be the difference-maker in the upcoming contest.

Duke: guard Matt Jones

Jones has started the past two games, but his statistics have remained stagnant at 2.6 points per game and 0.8 rebounds per game. We have seen flashes of Jones’ potential at points this season—notably a 13-point outing against Alabama in the NIT Season Tipoff on Nov. 27. The Blue Devils face a stiff Miami defense that has not given up no more than 63 points in an ACC game and held No. 2 Syracuse to just 49 points. This means that Duke will need to be creative in finding ways to score, as odds are that most of Hurricanes’ defensive resources will be dedicated to stopping Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker. Jones will have opportunities in this contest to find some open looks and the Blue Devils will need him to make those shots, as opportunities against this defense will limited tonight. If Jones can get hot early and push Duke out to an early lead, Miami will be on its heels playing catch-up all night. Perhaps most importantly however will be Jones' defense. The best perimeter defender in the starting unit, Jones may well be tasked with covering Rion Brown—the Hurricanes' leading scorer.

Miami: guard Manu Lecomte

Lecomte, a freshman from Belgium, had big shoes to fill when Shane Larkin’s departure to the NBA left the point guard position vacant. However, Lecomte has stepped up his game in ACC play. Lecomte is only averaging 7.5 points per game on the season, but in wins over North Carolina and Georgia Tech and he dropped 11 and 16 points, respectively. He has also done a bit of distributing the ball to other scorers, averaging 2.7 assists per game. That number has improved in conference play to 4.0 assists per game. Consistency will be a goal in tonight’s matchup for Lecomte. In a 63-53 Jan. 15 loss to Florida State, he scored only two points on 1-of-7 shooting. Miami needs its young point guard to grow up fast and have a big game if it wants to beat the Blue Devils at home for the second straight year.