Duke Basketball: Blue Devils' Keys to Victory in Showdown vs. UNC

Riding a five-game winning streak that has included some of its best performances of the season, Duke now heads into a matchup where records and momentum don't often matter.

The Duke-North Carolina rivalry is the best in college basketball, and every game in the series has the chance to be a classic. As it is in most years, Wednesday's visit from UNC (18-7, 8-4) is a key contest as the teams jockey for position in the ACC.

Duke (22-3, 9-3) is two games behind first-place Virginia, but it holds the tiebreaker by virtue of its win over the Cavaliers. To keep pace for the conference lead, the Blue Devils can't afford to lose any more ground, which makes the already big clash with the Tar Heels even more significant.

Click through to see the keys for Duke getting past Carolina and sustaining that push toward the top of the ACC.

All Okafor, All the Time

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With Jahlil Okafor having a 66.5 percent shooting rate, it makes sense for Duke to give him the ball as much as possible. The 6'11" freshman center knows his role on offense, and he doesn't try to mess around.

Yet Okafor is only averaging 11.2 shots per game, as a result of opponents doing whatever they can to deny the ball inside or instantly doubling the big man to force turnovers. This latter approach is reaping benefits of late, as Okafor had four turnovers on Saturday at Syracuse and has turned it over at least three times in six of the last seven games.

North Carolina has struggled to defend well on the interior and just gave up 64.9 percent shooting in a loss at Pittsburgh, in which Pitt's forwards made 17 of 23 two-point shots.

Whatever it takes, Duke needs to make sure Okafor gets his maximum touches. That means more possessions that lead to shots or setting him up to pass out of the double-team to an open teammate.

Get Jefferson Involved

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Amile Jefferson is the forgotten piece of Duke's lineup, the only starter who plays fewer than 25 minutes and averages single digits in scoring. The 6'9" junior forward doesn't need to contribute much, not with the weapons around him on the court, but Saturday's two-point, three-rebound performance was hard to watch.

His only basket came 75 seconds into the game, and he logged just 14 minutes with guard Matt Jones replacing him in the starting five for the second half.

Jefferson averages 7.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 62.8 percent, yet he's been far below those averages over the last six games. With UNC being a more frontcourt-oriented team, Jefferson's role as one of just three forwards and centers that Duke uses is pivotal to Wednesday's game plan.

Keep Paige Cool

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He's nowhere near North Carolina's best shooter from a statistical standpoint, but if there's one player who Duke needs to ensure does not get hot, it is Marcus Paige.

The 6'1" junior guard is having a disappointing year, shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range. He's made only eight of 27 threes over the past four games, and without his outside contributions, UNC has dropped three of four.

Paige is the kind of player who can get hot in a hurry, though, and this often happens in the second half. Duke is well aware of this after watching Paige score all 13 of his points in the final 20 minutes of Carolina's home win over the Blue Devils last February.

Don't Let Up on D

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Look back at every Duke loss this season, and there's a prevailing theme—defense or, rather, the lack thereof.

North Carolina State, Miami (Florida) and Notre Dame all shot at least 51.8 percent. The only other opponent to hit 50 percent was Michigan State, back in mid-November.

Since the Blue Devils lost at Notre Dame on Jan. 28, they have ramped up the defensive intensity, and not surprisingly this has translated into victories. During their five-game win streak, the Devils haven't let a foe shoot better than 46.4 percent, and against the tougher opponents that rate has been far lower.

Notre Dame was held to less than 40 percent in the rematch at Duke, while wildly efficient Virginia suffered its first loss by hitting only 41.3 percent against the Blue Devils.

North Carolina shoots 47.0 percent and looks to push the tempo almost as much as Duke does. This could make for a track meet, but Duke should also try to make stops.

Finish Strong

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North Carolina has been a second-half team. Good or bad, the Tar Heels' results this season have been heavily influenced by their performance down the stretch.

Last time out, the Tar Heels were already down 14 at the half at Pittsburgh and then proceeded to see the deficit quickly jump to more than 20 and stay there for much of the rest of the game. It almost looked like the Heels had quit, at least defensively, similar to in the second half of recent losses to Louisville and Virginia.

UNC has shown a tendency to sulk and slump its shoulders when things aren't going well. Duke must feed off this and try to put the game away before Marcus Paige attempts to bring the Heels back in the final minutes.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski doesn't expect such a lackluster effort at any point from UNC, not based on how teams tend to play when facing the Blue Devils.

"All I know is we get everyone's best shot, and we're trying to give everyone our best shot," Krzyzewski said after Saturday's win at Syracuse, per GoDuke.com.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.