Duke Basketball: 3 keys for the Blue Devils against Texas Tech

Duke Basketball faces the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a primetime Thursday night matchup. Here’s a look at three keys to victory.

The No. 2 ranked Duke Blue Devils enter Thursday night’s game looking to play spoiler for once in a team’s season. The Texas Tech Red Raiders remain undefeated on the season at 10-0 and with the No. 12 ranking of their own to boast.

Duke’s trio of R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish will face off against Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver, a holdover from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Behind a tough defensive display, the Red Raiders enter the game largely untested, despite not allowing more than 67 points in a game this season. Duke will be their biggest test of the season given their freshmen production.

Barrett is averaging 24.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game as the leader of the Blue Devils. Williamson is putting up 20.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 steals per game as their all-around athlete on the floor. Reddish is producing 14.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest and shooting 36.6 percent from behind the arc.

While Culver brings an element of his own to the court, he could be in over his head in this one. The Blue Devils high-flying attack will need to play a strategic game here as the Red Raiders will look to slow things down and win on the defensive end. Here’s a look at three keys to victory for Duke against the Red Raiders.