Coming off of two straight conference victories against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, the No. 5 Blue Devils will travel to South Beach in hopes of beating the No. 25 Hurricanes in their house for the first time since 2011. Here are three keys to the game:
Attack Chris Lykes
Playing for a weaker offensive ACC team which has only averaged 73 points, freshman Chris Lykes has been a standout point guard this season, giving his team a reliable scoring option. While his offensive game is polished and elite, the same cannot be said for his defensive efficiency. Only standing at 5-foot-7, Lykes is a defensive liability for an otherwise strong defensive team that ranks No. 7 in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency rankings.
Against a tough defense, Duke can get look to get its offense going by attacking Lykes with Trevon Duval, who stands eight inches taller and more than 20 pounds heavier than Lykes. This will kill two birds with one stone by exploiting Miami’s defensive weakness while simultaneously getting Duval involved, which has been a key for the Blue Devils' offense all season long.
Keep the bench involved
For the past two games, Duke’s bench has stepped up with sophomores Marques Bolden and Javin DeLaurier out due to injuries. Throughout this stretch, freshman Alex O'Connell has stood out, stretching the floor and averaging nearly 11 points per game. Against Pittsburgh, sophomore Justin Robinson also scored 10 points in two rebounds and three blocks.
These contributions from the reserves have been crucial to Duke’s success so far, especially since senior captain Grayson Allen has struggled with his shot, only averaging seven points per game in the past three contests. With such a thin bench, the Blue Devils will need strong contributions from O'Connell, Robinson and even Antonio Vrankovic to come away victorious.
No easy baskets
Though Duke boasts two of the best bigs in college basketball in freshmen Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr., Miami’s forwards sophomore Dewan Huell and Junior Ebuka Izundu, standing at 6-foot-11 and 6-foot-10, respectively, will challenge the Blue Devils down low. While Duke should try its best to play mostly a clean non-contact defensive game, the Hurricanes have shot an abysmal 63 percent from the free-throw line, and Inzundu has shot a horrendous 38.9 percent from the charity striple.
Open dunks and layups for the Hurricanes can swing momentum their way quickly, especially since the game will be played in Miami, so the Blue Devils should limit those potential runs by making the Hurricanes earn their points from the charity stripe. As long as the Blue Devils are careful about avoiding foul trouble for late in the game, this strategy could prove effective if used correctly. Carter has struggled in particular with fouls, so perhaps
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