X Factor: Can Grayson Allen return to early season form?

After losing a tight contest to No. 2 Virginia Saturday, No. 4 Duke will have to rebound quickly with a matchup against another solid conference foe—Notre Dame. The Blue Devils will take on the Fighting Irish in the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor stadium Monday night. The Blue Zone takes a look at one player from each team that could be the difference-maker.

Duke: Guard Grayson Allen

After a glimpse of a bounce back against Pittsburgh, Grayson Allen has slipped back into his extended shooting slump with a sub-average performance against Wake Forest and a game to forget against the Cavaliers. 

The senior guard has shot 34.8 percent overall and 39.1 percent from downtown in his last 10 games, which have included all three losses for Duke this season. Without his shooting ability, an already thin shooting backcourt has become less potent, as Gary Trent Jr has been the only other Blue Devil to display some consistency in knocking down the long ball.

If Allen cannot find his smooth shooting stroke, even more pressure will be placed on the freshman-laden frontcourt, which is already shouldering a heavy load. With two road matchups looming after Notre Dame, including a primetime Feb. 8 matchup against rival North Carolina, Allen needs to start firing on all cylinders soon. 

Notre Dame: Forward Martinas Geben

As is the case with most opponents, the key to stopping the potent Duke offense is limiting Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr in the paint and on the offensive glass. Despite being undersized at 6-foot-6, Bonzie Colson managed to pull down 10.1 boards per game last season and was averaging 10.4 this season before injuring his foot and being sidelined. 

Now, the Fighting Irish will look to the Lithuanian senior to continue on his strong rebounding efforts thus far. Geben has pulled down 8.1 rebounds per game and has stepped up in Colson’s absence. If he can keep the Blue Devils off the offensive glass and shut down one of Duke’s two heralded forwards, it will go a long way to help injury-plagued Notre Dame end a five-game skid.