Game Preview: Duke vs Auburn - Maui Invitational

Next up for Duke is their second matchup of the season with a top ten team.

The Blue Devils will face off again Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers Tuesday night. Auburn is fresh off of a slugfest overtime victory against the Xavier Musketeers in which they outscored the Musketeers 11 to 2 in the extra frame. Both Bryce Brown and Jared Harper contributed 20 plus point effort with Brown dropping 26 and Harper 25.

The Tigers start 1 senior, 1 sophomore and 3 juniors led by Jared Harper and Bryce Brown who average 17.5 and 16.8 points per game respectively and with Harper averaging 7.5 assists per contest. Sophomore Chuma Okeke pulls down 8.3 boards a game while averaging 13.8 points. Junior center Austin Wiley adds 11 points off the bench for Bruce Pearl's Tigers.

Duke is coming off of a blowout of the Aztecs from San Diego State that saw the Blue Devils have to deal with multiple starters in foul trouble. R.J Barrett led Duke in the game with a 20 point outing with Cam Reddish adding 16 and Tre Jones 14. This should be another test for a young Blue Devi squad now playing their first back to back games. This game could very well come down to which team's bench can contribute effectively and for Duke, whether their starters deal well with fatigue and the bad habits that can sometimes occur from playing tired. The length and speed of the Tigers will also be a test of Duke's defense. Duke will have to once again contend with quick guards that are going to look to penetrate and put Duke's defense into situations could cause foul trouble.

Offensively, Duke's ability to pass the basketball and space the floor will be their best weapon against Auburn. Making the Auburn defense have to make multiple decisions in a series by making the extra pass could prove to be the pivotal factor for Duke offensively. Auburn will surely try to utilize their length against Zion Williamson and if he can pass out effectively and not put himself into situations where he's committing to being airborne and changing his mind last minute (the situation that has caused him the most trouble)he should be fine. Passing out of situations where he is bothered by length will be an adjustment but one that can serve Duke well if done correctly.