Duke Basketball: Keys to Victory in ACC Showdown vs. Notre Dame

The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils will look to avenge one of their three ACC losses Saturday, when they play host to the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Four Blue Devils scored in double digits during the 77-73 defeat in South Bend, but that was not enough to beat Notre Dame and its playmaker Jerian Grant.

Shutting down Grant will be one of the key goals of the Duke defense Saturday in Durham, but the team also has to execute a few things on offense to earn its 20th win of the season.

Here is a look at the keys to a Duke victory in its second game of the season against Notre Dame.

Put a Ton of Pressure on Zach Auguste

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In the first meeting between the two ACC regular-season title contenders, Duke gained an upper hand in the frontcourt battle thanks to Zach Auguste's foul trouble.

With 8:46 remaining in the first half, Auguste picked up his second personal foul and was forced to spend the rest of the half on the bench.

Thanks to his long stay on the pine, Auguste was never able to challenge Jahlil Okafor with all his might in the paint.

Due to Auguste's absence, Okafor dominated down low by scoring 22 points and pulling down 17 rebounds.

If Okafor can wreak havoc on Auguste in the paint during the first 10 minutes of the game, the Fighting Irish will be forced to play without their top big man.

The Irish were able to survive without a major contribution from Auguste once against Duke, but doing so in the raucous Cameron Indoor Stadium will be difficult.

Contain Jerian Grant

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Silencing star Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant is no easy task, even for a Duke team with a plethora of studs in its stable.

Grant torched the Blue Devils in South Bend on January 28 for 23 points and 12 assists, including his game-clinching dish to Steve Vasturia.

Not only can Grant pick apart an opposing defense with his terrific shooting, but he can also draw more than one defender when driving in the paint. The latter allowed Vasturia to get open on the right wing to put the dagger in Duke at Purcell Pavilion.

With that in mind, the Duke guards should be better equipped to face the Notre Dame playmaker. Since holding Grant under 10 points is nearly impossible, the Blue Devils should focus on turning him into a one-dimensional player.

If the Blue Devils can limit Grant to a few assists, the Notre Dame star might not make a difference in the waning moments of the second half like he did in the first meeting.

Don't Force Three-Point Shots

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Before the Blue Devils were able to start their comeback in Charlottesville against Virginia, they were aimlessly launching three-pointers in an attempt to ignite some momentum.

Duke was 6-of-17 from beyond the arc against the Cavaliers, and it was 7-of-16 in the loss to Notre Dame.

While a three-pointer does give a team a massive boost in certain situations, the Blue Devils seemed like they were forcing their shots too often in their last two big games.

If the three-pointers do not fall early on in Durham on Saturday, the Blue Devils should not hesitate to feed the big men inside or take a few mid-range jumpers.

If shots from close range start falling early, the confidence will already be flowing before the big-time attempts from downtown come around late in the contest.

Justise Winslow's Continued Success

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Just two weeks ago, most college basketball critics were concerned about the play of Duke freshman Justise Winslow.

After three straight games in double digits, everyone has gone back to praising the 6'6" first-year forward.

Since his failure to score a single point against St. John's, Winslow has averaged 14.3 points per game against Notre Dame, Virginia and Georgia Tech.

Winslow's showings against the Fighting Irish and Cavaliers were especially uplifting because he was such a vital weapon in the Duke arsenal early in the season.

If Winslow once again becomes a key contributor Saturday afternoon, the Duke offense will be hard to stop from every angle.

Find a Way to Exploit Amile Jefferson's Matchup with Pat Connaughton

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One of the biggest matchup problems Notre Dame has on paper is Pat Connaughton starting at the power forward position.

What Connaughton lacks in size, he makes up for in pure grit. In the win over Duke, the senior pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds against Okafor and Amile Jefferson in the paint.

One way Duke can silence the presence of Connaughton on the boards is through the play of Amile Jefferson, who has struggled a bit over the last four games.

Before he ran into the dry spell in conference play, Jefferson was a valuable second option to Okafor in the frontcourt.

In games where opponents would double Okafor, Jefferson feasted on second-chance opportunities. He can do the same Saturday if he gets the best of Connaughton, who will not be shifting over to help on Okafor.

Whoever earns the most second-chance opportunities in this close game should come out on top, which is why Jefferson's contributions will be extremely important.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.