XFactor: Duke basketball vs Siena

After a long offseason, the Blue Devils are finally ready to return to the hardwood for games that count and begin their title defense. The team that takes the floor Friday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium against Siena will look vastly different than the one that cut down the nets after defeating Wisconsin in April. Before each game, the Chronicle takes a look at one player from each team who could be the difference in Duke's upcoming contest: 

Duke: guard Grayson Allen

Despite his monster performance in last year's championship game, Allen's likely start Friday night will be the first of his career and Allen is being looked at as a crucial offensive cog for Duke this season. The Jacksonville, Fla., native averaged just 4.4 points per game as a freshman and was often a non-factor off the bench as he failed to adjust to the college game as quickly as some of his classmates. But there were certainly flashes of excellent play and scoring binges—such as his 27-point outburst against Wake Forest in the regular season finale—that bode well for this season, especially as Allen sees more minutes on the floor.

This time around, Allen is expected to play a mix of point guard and shooting guard, a versatile role that works well with his athleticism and aggressiveness. The 6-foot-5 guard will have the ball in his hands quite a bit, and will need to be savvy in creating shots for himself as well as his teammates. Allen's best skill is his ability to get to the rim off the dribble, but he must learn to pick his spots to do so this year, and incorporate the new trio of freshmen perimeter players—Brandon Ingram, Derryck Thornton and Luke Kennard—to really get the offense flowing.

Expect head coach Mike Krzyzewski to be cautious with captains Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson—both of whom have been hindered by injuries in the preseason—especially with another game against Bryant Saturday and a showdown with No. 2 Kentucky looming Tuesday. This leaves Allen as one of the more veteran guys on the floor, and he'll need to step up against the Saints and show the freshmen the way in order to get the Blue Devils' season off on the right foot.

Siena: forward/center Javion Ogunyemi

The Saints lost their two top perimeter threats from a year ago in guards Rob Poole and Evan Hymes—who combined for 23.0 points per game—but Ogunyemi returns as a presence down low. At 6-foot-8 and 239 pounds, he is a little undersized for a center, but that is where Siena has had him playing during the preseason after he played more at the four spot last year. Ogunyemi lead the team in blocks last season—swatting more than twice as many shots as any teammate—and is clearly the team's defensive enforcer who will be tasked with trying to keep Duke out of the lane.

Offensively, Ogunyemi is no slouch either—he was fourth on the team in scoring at 9.3 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting to go along with 4.8 boards per contest. The Troy, N.Y., native saw a tremendous jump in his numbers from his freshman year to his sophomore campaign, and another leap forward would make him a real force to reckon with in the post. Against a Blue Devil team that has superior talent in the backcourt, Ogunyemi must dominate the boards and neutralize any second-chance opportunities to give the Saints a chance at pulling off the upset.