The key three: Duke basketball vs. Syracuse

After playing two instant classics a year ago, the fourth-ranked Blue Devils (21-3, 8-3 in the ACC) and Syracuse (16-8, 7-4) look to continue their budding ACC rivalry Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. The matchup pits two of the greatest coaches in the history of the game against each other in Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim. The Blue Devils have yet to win a conference game in the Carrier Dome and will look to avenge last year’s 91-89 overtime defeat. Here are three keys to Saturday’s contest as Duke looks to continue its roll in conference play:

Stay aggressive against the zone

As usual, the Orange will look to use their 2-3 zone to force the Blue Devils to become a perimeter-oriented team. Syracuse is anchored down low by 6-foot-9 forward Rakeem Christmas whose length and athleticism could be a tough matchup for Jahlil Okafor. Duke will need to counter this by attacking the gaps in the Orange’s defense and connecting on open looks from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils' ability to move the ball along the perimeter and into the high post and short corner will also be crucial to keeping the Syracuse zone rotating—especially with zone-buster Rodney Hood no longer at Duke.

Despite being only 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2 respectively, guards Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook will likely need to show just as much aggression attacking gaps against the zone as they have in recent games for the Blue Devils to avoid the road upset. The play of forwards Justise Winslow and Amile Jefferson finishing against the zone is another factor to keep an eye on.

Push the pace

Executing against Syracuse's zone will be important for Duke, but a way the Blue Devils can try to get easier looks is by doing something they have done when at their best this season—attack in transition. With its bench coming off a six-point performance on just 3-of-11 shooting and Okafor likely to get swarmed every time he touches the ball, head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff can give their inexperienced squad confidence early by getting them to attack before the Orange defense is set. Against a team that also faces major concerns with depth and typically only uses seven players, the Blue Devils could also win the foul game by controlling the tempo.

Quiet the crowd

Despite the Orange’s self-imposed postseason ban, expect the home team to play with passion in front of a raucous crowd at the Carrier Dome Saturday night. The team has already announced a sellout crowd of 35,446 for the game—tying last year’s mark for the biggest on-campus crowd in college basketball history. It will be vital for Duke to stay composed and continue to play its type of game, especially if Syracuse is able to slow the game down and build an early lead. They have come up with the necessary plays on both ends of the court to notch three top-six road wins so far this season, but the Blue Devils will once again need to stick together in enemy territory to win their fifth straight game. Communication has been the common thread when Duke plays its best—especially defensively—and will by a factor to keep an eye on again Saturday night.