Duke Basketball: Blue Devils' Stars Under Most Pressure During Tournament Run

Duke begins its NCAA tournament journey tonight against Lehigh. The Blue Devils are hoping the run will finish with their fifth national championship. In order for that to happen, however, there are several players who will need to take their games to the next level.

Here are three Duke stars under a boatload of pressure in the Big Dance. If one of them fails to step up, the team's chances of running the table decrease significantly.

Austin Rivers

Yes, Rivers is Duke's leading scorer and the Blue Devils will need him to put up points to make a deep run, but that's not why he's on this list. The freshman sensation must play with more intensity on the defensive end to maximize his team's chances.

There's no reason Rivers can't become a better defender. He had the size and athleticism to guard just about any guard in the nation. His effort in that aspect of the game has been lacking, though, which is surprising for a coach's son.

Duke is going to face plenty of teams with guards who can take over the game. If Rivers isn't able to slow them down, the Blue Devils will be heading home early.

Mason Plumlee

With Ryan Kelly's playing status uncertain, the onus will be on Plumlee to pick up the slack in the post. The Blue Devils lack depth on the interior, so it's not like they can just plug somebody in for Kelly and expect similar production.

Plumlee needs to become a force in the middle to keep defenses honest. Should he struggle, opponents will start shading toward Duke's guards and that would lead to some major problems on the offensive end—especially down the stretch when teams are looking for quick points.

It's an issue that might not show up against an inferior Lehigh squad, but if Kelly is out any longer, that's when the problems would arise.

Andre Dawkins

Dawkins played great for most of the season. He did whatever head coach Mike Krzyzewski asked, whether it was starting or coming off the bench. The junior has fallen into a deep slump over the past couple weeks, however.

He's scored just three points in the last five games while shooting a dreadful seven percent from the field over that span. The Blue Devils, who have a suspect defense, won't be able to keep up with teams if Dawkins isn't chipping in his fair share.

Duke has had nearly a week off since its last game, so Dawkins should have had plenty of time to clear his head and work out the kinks in his shooting stroke. At least, that's what the Blue Devils fans are hoping for.