The key three: Duke basketball vs. Presbyterian

The Blue Devils open the regular season Friday at 6 p.m. against Presbyterian at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Three keys that will enable No. 4 Duke to get its season started on a high note:

Don’t get burned out

Although the Blue Devils are rested and ready to go for the season opener, it might be in their best interest to conserve a little energy against a weaker Presbyterian team. Duke follows up Friday night’s contest with another tilt against Fairfield that tips off Saturday at 8:00 p.m. One of the Blue Devils’ expected strengths is a very deep bench, with five second-stringers expected to see significant minutes. Balancing playing time between starters and reserves in the midst of a grueling five-games-in-eight-days gauntlet to open the regular season—which includes a matchup with No. 18 Michigan State—would be a wise move to keep the team fresh for later in the season.

Freshmen can’t play like freshmen

It’s no secret that Duke boasts an impressive array of freshmen on its roster, three of whom—Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow—are expected to be in the starting lineup come tipoff. That would mark the first time since 2007 that the Blue Devils feature a starting lineup with three freshmen and the Duke offense will most likely run through Okafor throughout the season.

Shooting guard Grayson Allen rounds out the top-ranked freshman class in the nation and although each member of the quartet has made his presence felt in the team’s two exhibition games, it’s another thing entirely to perform when the real lights go on and the games actually count. If the Blue Devils' freshman quartet lets its nerves affect their first official performance, the Blue Hose could hang around for longer than expected.

Play defense

In their last exhibition against Central Missouri, the Blue Devils struggled to knock down their shots out of the game and fell into a 13-7 hole. It was their defense that kept them in the game until the shots starting falling and created some easy transition buckets to swing the momentum in their favor. Presbyterian returns three experienced double-digit scorers from a year ago, which means Duke will have to be on top of its game defensively with crisp rotations and the full-court ball pressure it hopes to employ frequently this year. The Blue Devils want to move on from last year’s lackadaisical defensive performance, and setting the tone and making plays on the defensive end is an easy way to ride out any offensive cold streaks or nerves they might face Friday.