Preview: Duke Gets Ready for Battle with UConn

Nov 21, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) controls the ball against the Temple Owls during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Duke Blue Devils will face off against the defending national champion UConn Huskies tonight at the Izod Center in New Jersey.

Duke is looking to bounce back from a shaky performance against Elon on Monday. The Blue Devils still won the game 75-62, to improve to 9-0 on the season, but they showed signs of rust throughout the game. Duke struggled knocking down the three-point shot but were bailed out in large part to the dominating performance by Jahlil Okafor.

Okafor is coming off a game in which he scored 25 points and recorded 20 rebounds. He dominated the game from start to finish and will look to continue to build on his hot start. The rest of the Blue Devils will look to rebound from the sloppy performance.

Key Match-up:

There are two key match-ups to watch for in a battle between two-storied universities. Duke freshman guard Tyus Jones will square off with UConn senior guard Ryan Boatright. Boatright is an experienced guard who played a key role in helping UConn win a National Championship. He can control the game, play good defense and can create for himself as well as others. It will be a tough match-up for both guards.

Jones is a true point guard in every way. He looks to create shots for his teammates rather than get his shots first. Jones reads the defense and has an extremely high basketball IQ. With the combination of skill and intelligence Jones knows when the team needs him to be aggressive and score or to settle the game down and set his teammates up.

Dec 15, 2014; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) shoots a free throw in their game against the Elon Phoenix at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

The second match-up that you should pay close attention to is the battle of the bigs. Jahlil Okafor versus Amida Brimah. Both players are coming off monster games and are looking to show who is the better big.

Okafor is clearly the more polished player who can face-up, play with his back to basket, finish at the rim, and is extremely unselfish. He will pass out of the double team and then regain position to get the ball back and go to work. The best part about his game is his patience and array of post moves. He rarely does the same move twice and is constantly keeping defenders off-balance. There is no one way to stop him because he does not force shots or rush his decisions.

On the other end of the floor is Brimah. Brimah is coming off a 40 point performance. Even more impressive than the 40 points it the fact that he went 13-13 from the field and 14-16 from the free-throw line. He is a dynamic scorer with extreme athleticism. It is a rare combination that a player can shoot free-throws extremely well and is 7 feet tall.

The two players will be a fun match-up to watch. They will exchange baskets and the key to who wins the individual match-up is going to be which players gets in foul trouble first. If either player must sit for an extended period of time due to fouls it may spell trouble for the rest of the game.

Three Keys To Victory:

1. Limit the turnovers. As obvious as it may be, Duke has done an outstanding job so far this season of taking care of the basketball. The exception being the victory over Elon. The Blue Devils cannot turn the ball over 18 times versus UConn or they may not come away with a victory.

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2. Make the 3. For years Duke has been a team that has lived and died by the three. This year it is a change for them because they have a dominant low post player who can score at will on the block. The Blue Devils still shoot a lot of three-pointers and when they are most dominant and most successful is when they are making between 40 percent and 50 percent from deep. The difference with this team is they can score in a variety of ways and don’t live or die on the three.

3. Foul Trouble. The key with foul trouble for Duke is keeping Okafor on the floor and out of foul trouble. The Blue Devils are fairly deep at all positions but center. Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook can be rotated in and out of the game with Rasheed Sulaimon and Grayson Allen. Justise Winslow can be subbed for Matt Jones and Sulaimon as well. There is a dramatic drop off in performance between Okafor and Marshall Plumlee though. Plumlee is an effective player in limited minutes when he can go in grab rebounds, play with intensity, and physically compete with an opposing center. For Duke to be successful they need Okafor to not only stay on the floor, but be aggressive when he is on the floor.

Prediction: Duke wins a relatively close game 72-60. The Blue Devils will extend their lead late with free-throws and prove to be too much for UConn.

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