Duke Basketball: Top Storylines to Follow in Remainder of Regular Season

A hard-fought 72-65 home win over the Louisville Cardinals on Monday marked the first time during the 2015-16 season that the Duke Blue Devils knocked off a ranked opponent. It's been that kind of year for the Blue Devils, who are defending national champions but are nothing like the team that won it all 10 months ago in Indianapolis.

This season has been one of the most tumultuous in coach Mike Krzyzewski's tenure, but it's by no means a bad one. Duke has a month until the regular season ends and in that time has several big games to play. Then comes the ACC tournament and a chance to defend that title in the NCAA tourney.

Can the Blue Devils reclaim the glory of last season, or will they become the ninth straight defending champion to fail to go past the Sweet 16 the following year? That's one of several notable storylines to keep an eye on with Duke as we head toward the postseason.

Amile Jefferson's Status

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When it was first announced in mid-December that forward Amile Jefferson had injured a foot in practice, the initial timeline for his return was six to eight weeks. Not long after, it was adjusted to the more vague "indefinitely," a term that remains part of any response the program gives to what Jefferson's status is.

According to Stephen Wiseman of the Durham News-Sun, Jefferson has started to do on-court work, but he hasn't done so without feeling pain. There is no timetable for his return.

The 6'9" senior has now missed 15 games, during which Duke has gone 10-5. Before getting hurt, he was shooting 68.3 percent while averaging a double-double, and his absence has exposed the Blue Devils and their lack of frontcourt depth.

Mike Krzyzewski's Health

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The all-time leader with 1,036 Division I victories, one of the recent wins came without Mike Krzyzewski in attendance. A day before the Blue Devils won at Georgia Tech, the 68-year-old fell ill and ended up spending game night at Duke University Hospital.

Krzyzewski said doctors were concerned about his heart, per Stephen Schramm of the Fayetteville Observer, though he hasn't said specifically what the issue was.

It was the first time he'd missed a game since 1995, when he underwent back surgery and was gone for most of the season.

Navigating the Gauntlet

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Monday's win over Louisville marked the start of a four-game stretch against teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, continuing with Saturday's visit from Virginia. After that, Duke travels to North Carolina and then goes to Louisville, all in a 14-day span.

The Blue Devils have two wins over RPI top-50 teams, the other coming in November against VCU, along with five losses. The next three are in the top 50, and six of Duke's seven remaining opponents are among the 10 schools in the ACC with winning league records.

Finishing strong against that group should enable Duke to improve its NCAA tournament seed, which averages sixth among published projections, according to BracketMatrix.com. That would tie for its worst seed in the past 20 seasons.

Bench Usage

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Without Amile Jefferson, Duke is essentially down to six players who see meaningful minutes. Brandon Ingram and Marshall Plumlee have started every game in the frontcourt, as have Grayson Allen and Matt Jones on the perimeter, while freshmen guards Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton have taken turns as the fifth starter.

The other ends up being the only notable reserve, with a trio of forwards (sophomore Sean Obi and freshmen Chase Jeter and Antonio Vrankovic) making occasional appearances. Jeter has played 147 minutes in 20 games, while the other two have combined for 35 minutes and seven total points in 14 games.

Jeter has actually seen his minutes rise a bit of late, playing 17 over the last three games. On Monday, he stayed on the court after a TV timeout rather than get replaced by Plumlee. If that's a sign that Mike Krzyzewski is going to start giving the bench a few more opportunities to prepare those players for the postseason, that will be something to monitor.

League Finish

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Through Tuesday's ACC games, Duke sits in sixth place in the ACC with a 7-4 record. It is only two games out of first but also one game from being in 10th place.

A lot of movement should happen in the league standings over the final four weeks, with Duke's goal being to finish in the top four or five (depending on where Louisville, which is ineligible for the ACC tournament, ends up) by the end of the season.

The 14-team bracket for next month's ACC tournament in Washington, D.C., is set up so that teams that finished in the top four get a double bye, while those fifth through 10th sit out the first day but would then have to play four consecutive days if they were to reach the title game on March 12.

Considering Duke's depth and its propensity to wear down because of overuse, the fewer games it would have to play to win the conference tournament, the better.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.