Duke gets to shake Christmas rust off before ACC gauntlet starts

The Duke Basketball team can shake the rust off on Saturday morning against the Brown Bears before the slate of ACC games begins next week.

The Duke Blue Devils will play just its third game in the month of December on Saturday morning when the Brown Bears enter Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke has defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies on the road and the Wofford Terriers at home in its only two games in the month, but after its break for final exams and Christmas, Duke will have a chance to shake off any rust before the full slate of ACC games begin on December 31.

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In its last game against Wofford, the Blue Devils were without the services of sophomore point guard Tre Jones who was held out due to precautionary measures with a foot injury.

Following the win, Mike Krzyzewski said that Jones would have played if it was an ACC game but due to the pending break, the team would be cautious with its star and sit him out.

It has not been announced if Jones will play on Saturday against Brown, but regardless of whether or not the Minnesota native suits up, the Blue Devils should be able to come away with a convincing victory.

The Brown Bears are just 5-5 on the season and have not played since December 10, a loss on the road to the St. John’s Red Storm.

Brown has a ‘Big 3’ made up of Brandon Anderson, Tamenang Choh, and Zach Hunsaker, with all three players averaging double-figures, but Anderson leads the way with 21.0 points per game.

For Duke to win this game, and win easily, it should be a consistent dose of what got them the No. 4 ranking. Feed Vernon Carey Jr., use an attacking style of defense against Brown, and use elite ball movement in the halfcourt offense.

It’s an early start in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday morning with an 11:30pm EST tip on ESPN2.

PREDICTION: Duke 93, Brown 56

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