The key three: Duke basketball vs. Maryland

No. 8 Duke (19-5, 8-3 in the ACC) will take on Maryland (14-11, 6-6) in the teams’ final regular season meeting as conference foes Saturday at 6 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils have gotten a week-long break from action because of Wednesday’s disappointing cancellation of Duke’s game at North Carolina. The Blue Devils will now play four games in seven days, starting with a contest against a Maryland squad that has yet to live up to its potential this season. Here are the three keys to a Duke victory:

Lock in on Dez Wells

Maryland’s best player is hybrid guard-forward Dez Wells—a Xavier transfer averaging 15.0 points per game. Wells is too strong for most guards and too quick for most forwards, making him a matchup nightmare. The Blue Devils know firsthand the damage Wells can inflict, as he scored 30 points in the Terrapins’ upset against Duke in the ACC Tournament a season ago. Wells got going in that game by getting out in transition and beating his man off the dribble to either score or facilitate for his teammates. The Blue Devils better make sure to do a better job against Maryland’s leading man this time around if they want to remain unbeaten at home on the season. Redshirt sophomore Rodney Hood will likely spend the most time guarding Wells and will look to emulate the defensive performance he had against Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson earlier in the season. Maryland will struggle to put up enough points to beat Duke if Hood is able to contain Wells like he contained Patterson.

Find the shooters

Maryland has two players—Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz and Jake Layman—averaging more than 10 points per game who have made better than 45 3-pointers on the season. Both players play well with Wells and do a great job moving without the basketball to set up open looks from beyond the arc. The Terrapins have a third weapon from outside—point guard Seth Allen—who recently returned from a fractured foot and is shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range, meaning that the Blue Devils will have to stay at home on Maryland’s shooters. Duke should be able to use its numerous advantageous matchups to once again put up impressive offensive numbers, but the Blue Devils need to put defense first Saturday to finish the regular season chapter of the rivalry with a win.

Get off to a fast start

Maryland has struggled in the first half many times this season, meaning a quick start by Duke that gets the crowd into the game could be huge for the Blue Devils after an extended break. A fast start could also speed up the tempo of the game, something that would definitely favor Duke because of the Blue Devils’ quickness advantage. Duke would also get the chance to use its bench more so its star players could get more rest than normal in preparation for a grueling week and its streaky players could feel more comfortable. A quick start would be just what the doctor ordered for the Blue Devils after a disappointing Wednesday.