Will Duke basketball return from break rested or rusty?

What will the Duke basketball team look like after nearly two full weeks away from the action?

For fans, it’s felt like an eternity without Duke basketball. It’s that time of the year when the players get a break from the pressure of games and hit the books to prepare for their exams.

With their last two games being on the road in hostile environments — at Michigan State and then at Virginia Tech — and the Blue Devils coming out on top in both in the same week, it’s safe to say the team earned a good break.

Although the anticipation is killing us, most fans are asking themselves how sharp the team will be after such a long rest. We’ve seen past instances where a Duke team has come back from the usual December break hotter than when it started the season. We’ve also seen teams take a while to heat back up.

Obviously, this year is a little bit different as far as Duke basketball is concerned. Usually, around this time of the year, the team has a loss or two on its record at the hands of major-conference opponents.

However, this year, Duke had to overcome arguably the biggest upset in college basketball this season. Keep in mind, the home loss in overtime to Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26 is the team’s only loss, and it seemed that the Blue Devils used it as fuel to their fire.

They have also had some quality wins this season (in Madison Square Garden over Kansas and Georgetown in addition to the two recent road wins) and now sit at No. 7 in the rankings as they are looking to rise with Louisville, Michigan, and Maryland all losing to unranked teams this week.

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So with freshman Cassius Stanley having played against Virginia Tech, and now getting to rest even longer for recovery from a hamstring injury that sidelined him one game, I feel there is no reason to believe the Blue Devils will not be up to the challenge of returning after 12 days off.

Duke faces Wofford in Cameron Indoor Stadium next Thursday at 7 p.m. (ESPN2) and then will take eight days off before hosting Brown at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 28 (ESPN2).

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Unlike last season, the Blue Devils have a veteran point guard in sophomore co-captain Tre Jones, who has faced this basketball drought before and knows the appropriate way to get back into the groove.

After beating Virginia Tech, Duke is now 1-0 in the ACC (9-1 overall) and will face Boston College for the next conference game at home at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve (ACCN). So get ready to pop the champagne, Duke basketball fans. The ball may be dropping but this team is not.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions regarding the 2019-20 Duke basketball season.