Last week, a loss to then-No. 8 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., contributed to a turbulent six-day stretch for Duke. In order to avenge their defeat Saturday at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the No. 4 Blue Devils know they will have to slow down the nation's most efficient offense. Here are three other keys to Duke knocking off the No. 8 Fighting Irish and making another big move in the ACC standings:
Take advantage of strength down low
Facing a Fighting Irish squad that typically only plays one true big man—6-foot-10 Zach Auguste—Duke should be able to use dominant freshman center Jahlil Okafor early and often. Forwards Amile Jefferson and Justise Winslow will also likely have plenty of room in the paint if Notre Dame double teams Okafor, which means free throw opportunities and paint touches should be aplenty all game long. The Blue Devils weren't able to capitalize enough last Wednesday, but that doesn't mean their plan of attack should be much different.
Duke has the chance to get Auguste and senior Pat Connaughton—who at 6-foot-5 can stretch the floor yet still averages 8.2 rebounds per game while playing the four—in foul trouble and wear the duo down throughout the course of the game if it plays inside-out and stays patient. The Blue Devils' commitment to getting Okafor touches after he re-posts to make moves deeper in the paint will also be a big key. The Chicago native has averaged four turnovers in his past four games and struggled at times when Notre Dame's guards swarmed him in the teams' first battle.
Contain Jerian Grant
Grant showed that sometimes superior offense can trump solid defense last week, as the senior from Bowie, Md., scored 23 points and dished out 12 assists. Grant picked apart Duke’s defense with his ability to take defenders one-on-one to the rim, pull up from long range, or find open shooters. The 6-foot-5, 204-pound guard also made several incredibly difficult shots to send the home faithful into a frenzy.
As the Blue Devils saw, there's no easy way to stop Grant, who also excels on the defensive end by averaging 1.8 steals per game, but the priority is making him work for all of his looks. At the end of the game, Duke had just enough breakdowns to allow Grant to have an easier time getting to his spots to either score or set up teammates—as he did for the game-clinching 3-pointer by sharpshooter Steve Vasturia.
The Blue Devils have shown a number of different defenses this season and will likely throw multiple defenders and looks at Grant again Saturday, but regardless can't afford letting the National Player of the Year candidate find a rhythm and too many open looks.
Feed off the crowd to avoid fatigue
In the past four games, head coach Mike Krzyzewski has inserted Matt Jones into a rotation with Quinn Cook, Tyus Jones, Winslow, and Okafor when Duke has played small ball, but the move puts an enormous amount of pressure on the Blue Devils' stars. Cook and Jones have been especially affected and have both logged at least 35 minutes in each of the past five games.
In the Blue Devils’ first matchup against the Fighting Irish, the effects of fatigue became evident as Duke struggled offensively and had several mental breakdowns on both ends of the court. in their first game against a ranked opponent at home, the Blue Devils will likely again face stretches with less energy, but need to take advantage of the raucous environment at Cameron Indoor Stadium with the Cameron Crazies to combat Notre Dame's tempo.
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