Duke Basketball: Trap Games Blue Devils Must Watch out for in 2015-16

Duke's next game on the schedule is one that's been circled for months, a matchup with Indiana in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge that figures to be among its toughest tests of the 2015-16 season. It's hard to imagine the Blue Devils won't be prepared for the Hoosiers or that they risk overlooking their opponent.

The same can't be said for other teams on Duke's remaining schedule. As Yale showed last week, not taking a perceived lesser foe seriously can lead to some tense moments, and as the season moves on those can result in unexpected losses.

We've identified five games on Duke's upcoming slate that could pose more trouble than it might seem, either because of when (and where) they're being played or because of the opponent's potential to put up a fight.

Dec. 30 vs. Long Beach State

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Duke's remaining nonconference lineup features two very notable opponents in Indiana and Utah, the latter coming Dec. 19 in Utah. After that there are only a few uninspiring home tuneups before getting into ACC play.

Or is there?

Long Beach State, which has made a name for itself under coach Dan Monson for the willingness to challenge itself in non-league play, is 3-4 after losing 76-72 against San Diego State on Tuesday. It has win over BYU and Seton Hall and losses to Virginia and Oklahoma State (twice). It has upcoming trips scheduled to Colorado State, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona before visiting Duke.

The 49ers might be road-weary, but they'll also be battle-tested. And their lineup is led by senior Nick Faust, a former Maryland guard who was part of two wins over Duke in 2013.

The Blue Devils will just want to get this one over with before heading into ACC play, while for Long Beach State the victory would make its season.

Jan. 6 at Wake Forest

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Wake Forest went 13-19 last season and finished 12th in the ACC, but last January it pushed Duke to the limit in a 73-65 home loss. That was Danny Manning's first team and the current version has looked good early on, with wins over Indiana and UCLA in the Maui Invitational and then a one-point victory Monday at Rutgers in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Last year the Demon Deacons lost 14 of 16 non-home games but have four such victories this fall. And they tend to play much better in Winston-Salem, which Duke saw a year ago.

Devin Thomas is averaging a double-double (18.4 points, 11.3 rebounds) and the 6'9", 255-pound senior forward will test Duke's thin frontcourt.

It won't be Duke's first ACC road game, that comes four days earlier at Boston College, but in the middle of a relatively soft start to the league schedule this is the one place where trouble could most likely pop up.

Feb. 2 at Georgia Tech

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Georgia Tech finished second-to-last in the ACC a year ago, the fifth straight season it's failed to make the NCAA tournament. The Yellow Jackets used to be one the better teams in the conference but have fallen on hard times, and coach Brian Gregory entered this fall on the hot seat.

The start to 2015-16 has been good and bad, with solid wins against Tennessee and Arkansas but also a home loss to East Tennessee State. Tech also lost by 17 to unbeaten Villanova in the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York but had a 39-28 rebounding edge in that game.

That strong rebounding advantage has been present most of the year, with the Yellow Jackets holding a plus-13.3 margin.

Last year Duke struggled at home against Tech, winning by six, in a place on the schedule that screamed "TRAP!" The Blue Devils had just won at previously unbeaten Virginia and would next host Notre Dame, and they didn't bring their all.

This matchup in Atlanta will come at the end of the lone three-game road trip of 2015-16, and also after an eight-day layoff following games at North Carolina State and Miami (Florida). Complacency can set in during such a break, something Tech will try to capitalize on.

Feb. 25 vs. Florida State

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For as unbeatable as Duke is at home against nonconference opponents—the streak sits at 120 games after Sunday's win against Utah State—it occasionally falls flat in Cameron Indoor Stadium in ACC play. Either that or an opponent blows up, like Miami (Florida) did last January by shooting 67 percent in the second half of a 90-74 win.

If someone is going to unexpectedly go off on the Blue Devils in Durham, Florida State is as good a candidate as ever.

The Seminoles—who visit Iowa on Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge—are 4-1 so far with their lone loss coming to Hofstra in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. They haven't played a tough schedule yet, but that's allowed young stars Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon to gain confidence.

As a result, each is averaging more than 20 points per game, allowing Xavier Rathan-Mayes to focus on being a facilitator to the tune of 6.8 assists per game.

Without Bacon and Beasley, FSU only lost by three at home to a very stacked Duke team. Could it put it all together and beat the Blue Devils for the first time since January 2012 (also in Durham)?

Feb. 28 at Pittsburgh

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Pittsburgh suffered its first loss of 2015-16 on Tuesday, falling at home to unbeaten Purdue. Before that the Panthers had cruised to four easy wins at home after returning from a season-opening trip to Japan, where their game against Gonzaga was halted halfway through because of a slippery, unsafe court.

This Pitt team is very different from the one that lost 15 games a year ago thanks to several new players. Graduate transfers Rafael Maia, Alonzo Nelson-Ododa and Sterling Smith are all still getting acclimated to Jamie Dixon's system, but by late in the ACC schedule they should be up to speed.

The Panthers are traditionally a much better team on their home court, Tuesday's loss notwithstanding. It's Duke's final road game of 2015-16, with Wake Forest and North Carolina visiting Durham after that, so there's the opportunity for it to be overlooked during the stretch run.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.