Duke basketball will travel to Dallas, TX to take on the SMU Mustangs (11-2, 2-0) for its biggest conference test yet.
The Blue Devils haven't had to deal with much through ACC play thus far, off to a 3-0 start with wins at Louisville (76-65), at Georgia Tech (82-56) and versus Virginia Tech (88-65).
Duke won't face too many big time opponents in a weak ACC, but the Mustangs might be the second-best team in the conference.
SMU has won 7 in a row and its only losses are at Butler and versus Mississippi State.
In year one under first year head coach Any Enfield, previously the head coach at USC, there's still lots of questions as to if this SMU team is legit as it hasn't beaten anyone of note. But, it matches up well with Duke and could pose problems for the Blue Devils on the road.
By the numbers, SMU has been an elite offensive team so far this season, specifically from the three point line. The Mustangs are shooting 39.1% as a team from beyond the arc, which is 14th in the nation.
The team is led in that regard by Chuck Harris and Kario Oquendo, who are shooting 49.1% and 47.7% from the perimeter respectively.
SMU also gets to the line at an elite rate, which is an area that could cause trouble for Duke. One of the few weaknesses for this Blue Devils team so far this season has been the inability to get to the free throw line.
What could be the deciding factor in this game, however, is the paint battle.
Both squads are great three point shooting teams. By the numbers, SMU is 14th nationally in team three point percentage and Duke is 86th at 35.6%, but the drastic difference in competition faced certainly plays a role in that.
What both of these teams have is elite front courts on the defensive side of the ball. SMU is only allowing opponents to shoot 43.1% from inside the arc (16th nationally) and Duke is allowing opponents to shoot 40.8% in that same area (2nd nationally).
The Mustangs bigs, Samet Yigitoglu and Yohan Traore, match up well with Duke's size and length at 7' 2" and 6' 11" respectively, each with solid athleticism.
Whoever wins the offensive glass and can get second chance points in the paint will have a great chance at winning this game.
Duke will also need to slow SMU down defensively. SMU loves to get up the floor and run while Duke poses one of the slowest tempos in the country.
As potentially the best defensive unit in the nation, the Blue Devils will be put to the test in a true sold out road environment against probably the second-best offensive team in the ACC.
Duke looks to improve to 4-0 in conference play this afternoon. The game will air on The CW Network at 2:15pm ET.