Duke Basketball: Plumlee Brothers Must Dominate in ACC Tournament

Austin Rivers and Seth Curry have handled their business on the perimeter for Duke all season, and that shouldn't change in the ACC tournament.

But if Duke hopes to be ACC tourney champs this year, they'll need the Plumlee brothers to dominate.

Each has given Duke solid contributions all year. Mason has been good for 11.0 points and and 9.2 rebounds per game, while Miles has chipped in 6.8 points and 7.2 rebounds.

The two will need to give the Blue Devils even more production come the ACC tournament, namely Mason, who plays about eight more minutes a game than his brother. Robbi Pickeral of ESPN feels Mason will be the key for Duke in the tournament:

"

When the middle Plumlee brother provides points and rebounds in the lane, he also provides a balance that makes Duke even tougher to beat. He'll be especially key, what with fellow forward Ryan Kelly (11.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG) out for the tournament because of a sprained right foot.

"

Both brothers will need to step up in a big way to replace Kelly's presence, especially if they find themselves in a rubber match against UNC and their dominant bigs, Tyler Zeller and John Henson.

And if Duke happens to go cold from outside—unlikely, I know, but possible—the Plumlees are going to have to pick up the slack.

So keep an eye on the Blue Devils' brothers in the ACC tournament. If they come up big for Duke then the Blue Devils may not only win the tourney, but possibly earn themselves a one-seed in the process.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are bounty-free.