Three storylines to watch for when Duke basketball hosts Michigan State

Duke basketball vs. Michigan State: Can the Blue Devils make enough shots?

The Blue Devils should be a better 3-point shooting team than they’ve been over the past couple of seasons. But they didn’t exactly show that in their opener. Duke shot just 33.3 percent, 9-for-27, from beyond the arc.

Freshman guard DJ Steward did shoot well, though, as he knocked down a team-high four 3-pointers.

One Blue Devil to keep an eye on against Michigan State is junior wing Joey Baker, who struggled as a starter in the team’s opener. He played just 15 minutes, went 0-for-3 from three, and was benched to start the second half in favor of Steward. However, Baker played well against Michigan State last season, scoring 11 points and knocking down timely shots to keep Duke ahead.

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This year, the Spartans have some dangerous outside shooters. The team made a dozen 3-pointers in its opener against Eastern Michigan. Guys like Joshua Langford, Aaron Henry, Joey Hauser, and Foster Loyer are all capable and fairly consistent outside threats.

Duke will have to key in on Michigan State’s shooters. The Spartans do not have much of an inside presence. That said, the Blue Devils don’t really either.

On Saturday, Duke did a good job of contesting shots and making it difficult for Coppin State, a team that likes to shoot a lot of threes. On Tuesday night, the Blue Devils will have to be even sharper in their rotations and closeouts to limit Michigan State’s quality 3-point looks…