The key three: Duke basketball vs. Clemson

After a miraculous comeback in the closing minutes of Wednesday's showdown against rival North Carolina, No. 4 Duke gets back in action Saturday with a home game against Clemson at 4 p.m. Here are three keys for the Blue Devils if they want to rack up their seventh straight win:

Get on the glass

The Tigers might be a middle-of-the-road team in the ACC, but that description also described last year's Clemson team, which raced past an ice-cold Duke squad down the stretch at Littlejohn Coliseum for a 72-59 win Jan. 11, 2014. Head coach Brad Brownell no longer has swingman K.J. McDaniels at his disposal, but forward Jaron Blossomgame and center Landry Nnoko also posted double-doubles in that contest, fueling a demolition of the undersized Blue Devils on the glass. Clemson outrebounded Duke 48-30 in the regular season meeting, a problem the Blue Devils resolved when the teams met in the ACC tournament quarterfinals—a game Duke won 63-62 after Rod Hall's lay-up attempt at the horn came up empty.

Offensive rebounds have hurt the Blue Devils at times this season and if they are sloppy once again with their box-outs, they could be in for a surprising test Saturday afternoon.

Figure out how to play without Okafor

This season, Duke is outrebounding its opponents by 6.7 rebounds per game, and 6-foot-11 center Jahlil Okafor is a big reason why. In addition to his well-documented post prowess on the offensive end, the freshman hits the glass for 9.4 boards per game. But Wednesday night, the Chicago native went down in heap after a spin move and needed help leaving the floor to have his left ankle examined, and it was announced an hour before tip-off that the freshman would not play against the Tigers. In his absence, Duke finds itself with just seven scholarship players and without its best offensive weapon and rim protector. Saturday now becomes an interesting case study in how well his teammates can function without Okafor. Driving the lane for kick-outs will be crucial, as guards will not sag off shooters as much with the big man not commanding a double-team in the post.

Keep Rod Hall out of the paint

Blossomgame is Clemson's leading scorer at 12.9 points per game—the only Tiger to average in double-figures—but Hall and his impressive dreadlocks are the engine that make his team go. The senior has racked up 91 assists on the year, more than twice as many as the next-closest teammate, and is also providing 8.7 points per game from the point guard slot. In the two meetings with the Tigers last season, Hall was able to get into the lane and dish to teammates. Duke's defense has been better of late, but the 62 points allowed in the paint to North Carolina have to be a concern. Keeping Clemson's floor general from finding open space to attack the basket is a good way to prevent that from happening again.