Key three: Can Duke coalesce by the time it takes on No. 2 Michigan State?

The top-ranked Blue Devils will kick off their 2017-18 season with contests against Elon and Utah Valley, on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Here are three keys for Duke to start their season on the right note.

Avoid distractions

Senior guard Grayson Allen’s career has been defined in equal parts by his stellar play­—including key contributions to the Blue Devils’ 2015 national championship—and his numerous on-court tripping incidents. The most notable of these trips came in Duke’s Dec. 21, 2016 matchup against Elon, when the then-captain stuck out his right leg in the direction of Phoenix guard Steven Santa Ana. This play culminated in Allen being stripped of his captaincy and suspended indefinitely—although it ended up being for just one game. With Elon and Santa Ana returning to Cameron Indoor Stadium this Friday, it is crucial that Allen and the Blue Devils focus merely on playing sound basketball, and not past transgressions.

Experiment with Rotations

Duke’s talent level is widely seen to be the best in the nation. But the Blue Devils are returning only one player who averaged more than 10 minutes per game last season—Grayson Allen. Duke will have to rely on blue chip recruits including Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., and Trevon Duval to take on big roles immediately. Additionally, returning players who received light minutes last season, such as Marques Bolden and Javin DeLaurier, will see the floor more consistently. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski will need to test different rotations. This task is made much less daunting considering the size and versatility of many of Duke’s players, such as Trent and Carter, who can easily play multiple positions.

Develop chemistry

As a whole, the Blue Devils lack experience, with just one senior and two juniors on their roster. Duke needs to learn to play together quickly, as they take on No. 2  Michigan State on Tuesday. Before one of the biggest regular season games of the year across college basketball, the Blue Devils have little time to learn to play together, and will need a crash course this weekend in their back-to-back contests against Elon and Utah Valley. Duke's youth needs to coalesce—and quickly—before taking on preseason All-American Miles Bridges and the Spartans.