After a tight 91-81 win against Indiana Wednesday, Duke (9-0) returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time in almost two weeks to take on South Dakota (7-2). The Blue Zone gives three keys to the game for the Blue Devils:
Get out to an early lead
No. 1 Duke hasn't won a game comfortably since thrashing Furman 92-63 Nov. 20. Granted, the competition has been strong, with the exception of Portland State, but the Blue Devils have looked like the nation's best team at times. Against a scrappy South Dakota team, Duke will look to jump out early and establish a comfortable lead. Certainly the Blue Devils' grit to remain undefeated has been incredible, but head coach Mike Krzyzewski would prefer that his team make the games a bit less stressful. The Coyotes are no pushover—they fell to TCU by just five points on the road—the Horned Frogs are ranked No. 24 in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's efficiency rankings.
Establish outside shooting
Despite ranking No. 33 in the nation in 2-point percentage, Duke has struggled from beyond the arc this season. The Blue Devils have shot a dismal 32.6 percent from 3-point range, including just 27.6 percent in their last three games. That was especially pronounced Wednesday against the Hoosiers, when Duke shot just 3-of-17 from long range. Grayson Allen has begun to find his shot, hitting six of his last 14, but Gary Trent Jr. struggled after a 3-for-5 outing against Florida, missing all of his six attempts against Indiana. The Blue Devils will face a South Dakota team that has limited opponents to shoot just 29.9 percent from outside. Duke will have to improve from long distance heading into ACC play.
Slow Matt Mooney
When the Coyotes nearly downed TCU, junior guard Matt Mooney exploded for 31 points. In order to build the early lead that the Blue Devils aim to, they'll need to lock down South Dakota's biggest scoring weapon. The Air Force transfer has been a bit inconsistent, with two recent outings in which he finished a combined 8-of-31 from the field against Southern Miss and Northern Colorado, but Duke can't take him lightly. When he's on, he's a weapon from beyond the arc—he dropped 30 points Thursday against the University of Missouri-Kansas City and has made six of his last 11 3-point attempts.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.