X factor: Duke basketball vs. N.C. State

The Blue Devils survived an upset bid by Clemson Friday night to advance to Saturday's ACC tournament semifinal, where they'll face another underdog in seventh-seeded N.C. State. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. from the Greensboro Coliseum. Here are this afternoon's X-factors for each team:

Duke: guard Tyler Thornton

Thornton's contributions might not show up in the stat sheet, but the gritty senior makes all the hustle plays and sound decisions that allow Jabari Parker and Co. to put up gaudy numbers. Thornton made only one shot Friday night, but it was a big one—a 3-pointer from the corner to extend a brittle Duke lead. His intangibles and uncanny ability to make the right play at the right time will be a tremendous boon for the Blue Devils as they try to reach the conference championship game.

Fan's pick: Amile Jefferson is the fan's selection with 42.9% of the vote. Tyler Thornton and Andre Dawkins tie for second at 28.6%.

N.C. State: guard Ralston Turner

All the attention on the Wolfpack centers around T.J. Warren, and deservedly so—the ACC Player of the Year is scoring at will right now. But N.C. State would not have stunned Syracuse if not for big shots made by Turner. The transfer from LSU has connected on 8-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc in his two games in Greensboro, and his streaky shooting will give the Duke defense another thing to be wary of Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils can't sag too far off Turner to help on Warren, but also can't stay home on the sharpshooter and allow Warren to drive and find easy baskets.