Auburn Basketball: 3 keys to beating Duke in the SEC/ACC Challenge

Auburn has been one of the most dominant teams in college basketball this year. The Tigers have won seven straight to start the season and hope to continue winning as Auburn travels to Duke for its first true road game of the season. 

What has been special about this Auburn team to start the season is how well the Tigers are playing on both ends of the court. Few teams have that balance, but it will take nearly a perfect game from Auburn to beat the Blue Devils in a hostile road environment. Here are three keys to Auburn taking down Duke on the road.

1. Slow down Duke’s freshman duo

Cooper Flagg (15.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and Kon Knueppel (13.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) account for most of Duke's offense production, averaging more than a third of the team's points, and limiting their impact on the game is the best way for Auburn to get the win. Duke is loaded with talent, but the team is much more comfortable running its offense through its two young stars.

Flagg is making 44 percent from the floor but has struggled from three. Auburn's interior defense has been solid this year, so forcing Flagg to score away from the basket should take him out of his comfort zone. Flagg is also vulnerable as a ball handler and has sometimes struggled with turnovers this season. Knueppel, on the other hand, is more of a threat from deep, shooting 36 percent on the season. But he struggled in Duke’s two losses this season, making 1/16 from three. 

2. Win the post-battle

This will be an incredibly tough matchup for both teams, as both teams are pretty evenly matched. Duke has the edge on defense, but Auburn has it on offense. Duke is making 56.4 percent from two while holdings opponents to 40.3 percent. And Auburn is making 65.7 percent from two and limiting opponents to 42.8 percent. 

Auburn likes to get plenty of post touches for Broome, but the rest of the team will need to be ready to challenge the defense at the rim. Kansas shot 50 percent from two in its win over Duke without relying too much on the three. This is a good blueprint for the Tigers to follow. Auburn is a solid shooting team from deep but excels close to the basket. Auburn has already played a similar defense team in Houston and found success, which should give the Tigers some confidence going into the Duke game. 

3. Get Johni Broome going early

You would be hard-pressed to find someone having a better season than Johni Broome. He is averaging 20.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, and Auburn will need every one of them against Duke. The Tigers have other weapons on offense, but none as efficient and effective as Broome. 

Duke has one of the best defenses in the country and is only allowing opposing teams to make 35 percent from the field. If Broome, who is shooting 59.4 percent from the floor, can get going early on for Auburn then that should open up the rest of the offense for the Tigers. 

Broome also needs to come out hot on the defensive end. He is averaging 3.1 blocks this season and will be needed as a rim protector. Duke is one of the most efficient teams at the rim, and Broome is a good enough defender to take that away for most of the game. 

Johni Broome will not be able to do it all himself, but if he can hit his season averages, then there is no reason why Auburn should not walk out of Cameron Indoor Stadium with the win.