The Duke basketball program has gotten out to a 9-0 start for the first time under head coach Jon Scheyer, already with three ranked wins over No. 21 Kansas, No. 25 Arkansas, and No. 15 Florida. But the road doesn't get any easier, as the Blue Devils will have their first true road test of the young campaign against No. 7 Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans might not be the most purely talented team in the land, but they play connected and are one of the best all-around defensive teams in the nation. Duke freshman star Cameron Boozer had his work cut out for him against the Gators, who boast potentially the best frontcourt in the nation, but he'll have another tough test against Sparty's big duo of Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler.
Duke certainly has holes that need to be addressed, but that's a big reason why Jon Scheyer schedules grueling non-conference slates for his teams year in and year out. In the first true road environment of the year for a team comprised mostly of young players, this is likely the Blue Devils' toughest game so far.
The 3 biggest keys for success for Duke basketball to earn a road victory over Michigan State on Saturday
1. Get on the defensive glass
Despite Duke being one of the biggest teams in the nation, defensive rebounding has been an issue as of late. The Blue Devils allowed 10 offensive rebounds to Arkansas and a whopping 20 to Florida on Tuesday night, which turned into 15 second chance points. Duke currently ranks 103rd nationally at KenPom in offensive rebounds given up, allowing opponents to rebound 28.3% of their misses. Michigan State ranks seventh nationally at KenPom in offensive rebounding percentage at 42.4%. Duke can't give up a plethora of second chance points against one of the best defensive teams in the land.
2. Duke needs a reliable second option in the scoring column
In both of the Blue Devils' last two ranked matchups against the Razorbacks and Gators, the only consistency on offense has been Cam Boozer. The star rookie has gone for 35 and 29 points in Duke's last two games, respectively, but it's taken an elite performance in both matchups for the Blue Devils to escape with a win. Now, Boozer might be the best player in the entire country, and fans can expect 20 points and 10 rebounds on any given night, but there has to be more consistency offensively outside of him. In Duke's last two ranked matchups against Arkansas and Florida, Isaiah Evans averaged 11 points per game on 33.3% shooting from the field and just 23.5% shooting from three on 17 attempts. Evans doesn't necessarily have to be Duke's second option, but there's no reason he can't average upwards of 15 points per game on 45% shooting.
3. Win the turover battle
One area where MSU has struggled is with taking care of the basketball, as the Spartans have surrendered 10 or more turnovers in all three of their ranked games this season. Duke, on the other hand, has taken solid care of the ball most of the time, but also hasn't forced a ton of opponent turnovers that turn into points. Jeremy Fears Jr. is potentially the best passer in the country, and Duke has to make his life difficult on the perimeter with the overwhelming length the Blue Devils have at the wing spots. Turning defense into offense will be crucial with how elite MSU is defensively, especially if Boozer has a tough time finding a rhythm himself.