Duke Basketball: 3 keys for the Blue Devils versus the Clemson Tigers

1. Start the game with intensity and get up early

The Blue Devils are extremely gifted and talented, but they can sometimes start games slow and lack intensity. This was true versus opponents like Army, Hartford, and Yale. Luckily for the Blue Devils, their athleticism and talent was enough to blow away their opponents in the second half.

Now that the Blue Devils have entered their ACC conference schedule – they can longer afford slow starts or lack intensity. The quality of opponent day in and day out is a big difference compared to stretches of their non-conference schedule.

The two players who seem to always come out of the gate strong are Zion Williamson and Tre Jones. Williamson plays with high intensity when he is on the floor – which is contagious for his teammates. He is not afraid to push his teammates or try to get them fired up. Jones is also a player that Duke can rely on right from tip-off consistently. He always comes out with the mindset of locking up the opposing ball handler and making his life miserable. Jones has also shown that he is willing to play with his emotions as he chest bumped Mike Krzyzewski in the Texas Tech game after forcing a turnover.

It will be important for the Blue Devils not to have to crawl their way out of an early deficit. It’s important for them to keep it within two points or jump out to an early lead in the first five minutes. This might be difficult for the Blue Devils though after an extended break due to the holidays.