Duke Basketball: 3 keys to victory against Auburn in SEC/ACC Challenge

The ACC/SEC Challenge is upon us! The Duke Blue Devils will host the Auburn Tigers on Wednesday night in a late 9:15 PM EST tip-off on ESPN in Cameron Indoor. It marks the fourth meeting all-time in their history with Duke holding a record of 3-0 in the series. The last time these two teams met on November 20, 2018, Duke took home a 78-72 lead.

A lot has changed for the Auburn Tigers since then, however, as they're riding a 7-0 record and a championship at the Maui Invitational with victories over Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis. The Tigers are riding some good momentum heading into their matchup with the Duke Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils will look to hand Auburn their first loss on Wednesday night in a big primetime matchup. Take a look at the 3 keys to victory!

Be efficient from deep

The Duke Blue Devils will have their work cut out for them gainst one of the top perimeter defenses in the Auburn Tigers. The Tigers are allowing just 25.1% of points to come from the perimeter, one of the lowest marks in the nation, while the Blue Devils average 35.3 attempts from deep.

The Blue Devils will need to make sure they can be efficient from deep or it could be another long night on the perimeter for them. They're shooting 36.1 percent from behind the arc as a team so far through seven games, but we've seen how things can change if the 3-ball isn't falling.

The Blue Devils shot 4-for-24 (16.7%) in their first loss of the season to the Kentucky Wildcats back on Nov. 12 in the State Farm Champions Classic. They've figuratively righted the ship since then, even shooting 11-for-26 (42.3 percent) from the floor in their loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the Vegas Showdown.

They'll have their work cut out for them in just keeping the Tigers off the glass, but if their perimeter attack isn't sharp, expect the Blue Devils to struggle mightily.