How Stanford Can Keep it Close Against Duke

Coming off of a disappointing loss to Georgia Tech, the Stanford Cardinal will be a team on a mission this weekend when they hit the road to face No. 3 Duke. With only a handful of games remaining before postseason play, each and every game is now magnified, with the Cardinal needing to win as much as they can in order to have any hope of making next month's NCAA tournament.

But the matchup with Duke could very well set up the trajectory for the rest of Stanford's season, as the Blue Devils have been one of the top teams in college basketball for years now, and this season, they have shown no signs of slowing down. Led by star freshman Cooper Flagg, the Blue Devils are considered a favorite to win the national title.

The major storyline for this game is the Maxime Raynaud vs. Flagg matchup. Currently, Raynaud leads the ACC in scoring at 19.9 points per game while Flagg is very close behind, averaging 19.8.

Both of these stars can also be considered front runners for the ACC Player of the Year Award. In a game like this, it could be expected that both players will want to bring their best, hoping to really separate themselves from one other.

So far this season, Duke is sitting at 21-3 overall and 13-1 in conference play, with its only ACC loss coming against Clemson on Feb. 8. Its other two losses were to ranked Kentucky and ranked Kansas in November.

Aside from those three games, the Blue Devils have had no trouble finding a rhythm, despite being ranked No. 49 in the nation in scoring offense. However, Duke has been one of the best defensive teams in all of college basketball, ranked at No. 5 in total scoring.

Going in as the underdog, Stanford will face an uphill battle if they want to come out on top, but the two biggest ways that the Cardinal can put themselves in a position to win is by containing Flagg and exploiting the defense.

After Flagg, only two other players are averaging double figures (Kon Knueppel- 13.2 and Tyrese Proctor- 11.8). While both of those guys have shown that they can be dominant, neither has really had to be the go-to guy with Flagg's presence being what it is.

Forcing Duke to use its second and third scoring options more could make for a much more interesting game. Another way that Stanford can look to pull off the upset is by taking advantage of its deeper team to chip away at Duke's defense.

Aside from Raynaud, Jaylen Blakes, Oziyah Sellers and Ryan Agarwal have proven that they can be very effective at getting points and if all of them get going, Duke may struggle to contain everyone. It should also be noted that Blakes transferred from Duke to Stanford before the season began, and he will surely be amped up to show what he's been up to.

Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that the upcoming matchup with Duke is a major one, and if Stanford happens to pull off the win, that could go a very long way in helping their tournament aspirations.