Duke Basketball: Highs and Lows of Blue Devils' 2015-16 Season So Far

It's been quite an up-and-down season for the Duke Blue Devils. Many times, the defending national champions have looked nothing like championship contenders, while at other times, they've resembled a team capable of making another deep postseason run. Ultimately, though, it will come down to how the Blue Devils are playing this month to determine their fate.

Duke's journey has resembled a roller coaster to this point, with numerous highs and lows. Some moments have stood out more than others. Here are some events and trends that have defined 2015-16 for this team.

High: Grayson Allen's Big Scoring Surge

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

A little-used freshman who didn't emerge as an offensive threat until the Final Four last season, Grayson Allen erupted for a career high in points in four of Duke's first five games this year. The one time he didn't—against Kentucky in the Champions Classic—his 2-of-11 shooting stood out in the double-digit loss.

The sophomore guard has maintained his place as Duke's leading scorer all season, now at 21.2 points per game after scoring 30 in Tuesday's home win over Wake Forest. That was his 15th game with at least 20 points, with the Blue Devils going 13-2 in those games compared to 9-6 when he is held in the teens or lower.

Low: Amile Jefferson's Foot Injury

Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Amile Jefferson averaged a double-double and shot 68.3 percent from the field through Duke's first nine games, pairing well with fellow senior Marshall Plumlee in the frontcourt to balance out a young lineup of guards. He was the player the Blue Devils could least afford to lose.

In mid-December, he injured a foot in practice, keeping him out ever since. In his absence, Duke moved freshman Brandon Ingram to the 4, but it hasn't been the same despite Ingram's overall production.

Without Jefferson, Duke became even more of a jump-shooting team than expected. He's begun to practice in limited fashion, but there remains no timetable for his return, with it looking more and more likely that he'll be shut down for the remainder of the season.

High: Luke Kennard's Aggressive Play

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

With Jefferson's injury dropping Duke down to six full-time players, freshmen Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton ended up splitting the fifth starting spot that was created. Kennard entered the year as the guard who was most likely to be brought along slowly, but that was no longer an option, as he was pressed into extended minutes.

Kennard responded by averaging 17.8 points during an eight-game stretch from mid-December to mid-January. And instead of doing this mainly from three-point range like most of Duke's guards, the production was spearheaded by driving to the basket and getting to the foul line.

An 88.9 percent foul shooter, Kennard was 12-of-13 from the line while scoring 24 points in an overtime loss to Utah, and four weeks later, he had a career-best 30 points that included a 9-of-9 free-throw performance in a loss to Notre Dame.

Low: The Midseason Swoon

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

Duke's thin lineup has led to fatigue issues for the past three months, but the wear and tear of all those minutes came to a head in mid-January. That's when it had its first three-game losing streak and first consecutive home losses since 2007.

Losses at Clemson and against Notre Dame and Syracuse came in a six-day span, and after knocking off North Carolina State, the Blue Devils fell at Miami (Florida) to fall to 15-6 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. The skid had many wondering if Duke was in jeopardy of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.

The Blue Devils also fell out of the Associated Press Top 25, ending a run of 167 consecutive weeks in the poll.

High: Comeback Win at North Carolina

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

It turns out Duke was only mostly dead after that midseason skid, as it was followed by five consecutive wins to get back into the national rankings as well as the ACC regular-season race. That run included three straight victories over ranked teams.

The Blue Devils downed Louisville and Virginia at home, winning the latter on a controversial shot by Grayson Allen at the buzzer. Replays showed Allen's foot had come down before releasing the shot, which would have been traveling had it been called.

Then came the biggest win of the year, a comeback victory at North Carolina on Feb. 17 for Duke's fourth consecutive win over its rivals. Despite Matt Jones injuring his ankle early and playing just nine minutes, the Blue Devils played the aggressor and notched a 74-73 win.

Low: A Blowout Loss at Pittsburgh

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Duke's fatigue caught up with it again, as four games in 10 days brought out sluggish offensive play and a lack of focus on the defensive end. It also resulted in two more losses: at Louisville on Feb. 20 and then Sunday at Pittsburgh.

The second setback was by far the more humbling result, as Duke lost by 14 points, but the margin was much larger during the second half. The Blue Devils shot 37.5 percent, moving to 0-3 this season when failing to shoot 40 percent from the field.

That was followed by another poor offensive performance on Tuesday against Wake Forest, when they shot 36.5 percent but still managed to win by forcing 18 turnovers.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.