Duke Basketball: Keys to Victory in Clash with St. John's

The next three games for the Duke men's basketball team are road contests against an unranked nonconference opponent that is 1-4 in the Big East, No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 2 Virginia. There is no reason to worry about that nonconference warm-up game, right? 

Not so fast.

There are some extenuating circumstances surrounding Duke’s matchup with St. John’s on Sunday that make this game more than just a typical nonconference tilt. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski will be going for win No. 1,000 in this one, and it just so happens to take place in Madison Square Garden.

Here is a look at a few keys to victory for Duke in that clash against St. John’s.

Don’t Get Caught Up in the Moment

Ellen Ozier/Associated Press

Despite the Big East record, St. John’s is certainly a valid opponent and the annual clashes with Duke are always entertaining, but this one means a little more.

As mentioned, Coach K is going for win No. 1,000 in the "Mecca of Basketball" that is Madison Square Garden. It would be easy to get caught up in the moment, especially for the three Duke freshmen that play a major role in the rotation.

Of course, Krzyzewski had the right attitude about the entire thing after win No. 999, according to The Associated Press (via ESPN.com): "It means we're 16-2. That's exactly what that means. And hopefully we can be 17-2 the next game we play, and that's the way we approach everything. We'll continue to approach it that way."

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Ironically, Madison Square Garden is where Krzyzewski passed Bob Knight to become the winningest men’s coach in college basketball’s top tier in 2011.

St. John’s has struggled lately, but there is still plenty of talent on the roster. After all, the Red Storm were ranked at one point this year and could still play their way into the NCAA tournament. 

The Blue Devils have to focus on the task at hand, otherwise they could slip up before critical ACC games against Notre Dame and Virginia.

Getting Justise Winslow Out to a Fast Start

Garry Jones/Associated Press

There is a chance that Justise Winslow has hit something of a freshman wall. He shot three of 13 against North Carolina State in a loss, one of six the next time out against Miami in another loss, one of three against Louisville and two of seven against Pittsburgh.

What’s more, he was three of 14 from three-point range and an inexplicable five of 15 from the free-throw line during that span.

Winslow was never seen as an offensive superstar entering the season, but Duke needs better production than this in the shooting department. Sure, there will be a place for him in the rotation as long as he continues to play dominant defense, but that is a lot of missed shots. It is important that the Blue Devils hit perimeter looks, otherwise opponents will swarm Jahlil Okafor down low in every single game.

The best way to snap out of a slump is with a couple of easy looks early in a contest. Don’t be surprised if the Blue Devils run specific sets for Winslow to attack the basket and gain some early confidence in this one. 

Krzyzewski has won 999 games for a reason and understands the value of getting one of his regulars out of a midseason slump.

Keep D’Angelo Harrison Off the Free-Throw Line 

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Duke brings plenty of star power to the table, but the Red Storm's D’Angelo Harrison can hold his own with anyone in the country.

He is averaging 20 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and is the clear-cut superstar for St. John’s. Harrison recently climbed to third on the program’s all-time scoring list. Howie Kussoy of the New York Post noted that Harrison could be the best player in the entire Big East:

Harrison is a scoring machine and has hit double figures in every game this season but one. He also topped 20 points in 10 different contests and hit the 30-point mark twice. It will be interesting to see if Duke sticks with the zone we have seen the past couple of games because it would theoretically give Harrison more space to operate.

If the Blue Devils went man-to-man for stretches, Winslow could put some pressure on the St. John’s star and perhaps even force him to give the ball up. 

Pressuring Harrison may be the most effective method of defense in this one because he is dealing with a strained calf that limited his production in his last game, as Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News pointed out:

Harrison only shot two of 10 in that loss to DePaul, but he still got to the free-throw line for nine free throws and hit double figures scoring because of it.

Harrison is an 82.1 percent shooter from the stripe and has made a living at the line this season with 117 attempts. He is incredibly athletic in space, can slash to the rim and doesn’t shy away from contact, which is why he has so many free-throw attempts. He is also a dangerous three-point shooter and could gain some early confidence against Duke from seeing some free throws go in. 

Harrison may not be 100 percent for this game, so it is important to limit the number of easy opportunities he sees on the offensive end. That starts with keeping him off the charity stripe.

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