Duke takes on the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies this Thursday evening.  Here are the significant numbers provided by Duke Sports Information.

Opening Tip

• Duke (9-0) travels to East Rutherford, N.J., to face Connecticut (4-3) at the Izod Center Thursday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. with ESPN televising the contest.

• Duke enters the game ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Blue Devils are 115-18 when ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. Connecticut is unranked in both polls.

• Duke has won 27 straight games in the month of December dating back to a Dec. 2, 2009 loss at Wisconsin.

• The Blue Devils have shot 50 percent or better from the field seven times this season and are second in the NCAA in field goal percentage (.537).

• Duke is looking to open the season with 10 straight wins for the 19th time in school history and the 14th time under Coach K.

• Duke is 20-1 all-time at the Izod Center (formerly the Meadowlands), including a 10-0 mark in NCAA Tournament play.

The Last Time Out

• Jahlil Okafor turned in a dominating performance, leading Duke to a 75-62 win over Elon Monday. He posted 25 points and 20 rebounds to become the sixth player at Duke to register a 20-20 game.

• Okafor set a Duke freshman record with 20 rebounds and matched the single-game freshman offensive rebound (10) mark in the win.

• Amile Jefferson (13), Justise Winslow (12) and Rasheed Sulaimon (11) also scored in double figures for the Blue Devils.

• Duke shot 65.0 percent (26-of-40) from inside the three-point arc against the Phoenix. Okafor (10-of-14) and Jefferson (6-of-7) combined to shoot 76.2 percent (16-of-21) from the field.

By the numbers

• Duke has won 13 consecutive games at the Izod Center (formerly the Meadowlands), including a 79-78 win over Connecticut March 24, 1990. Christian Laettner hit a 17-footer at the buzzer to advance the Blue Devils to the Final Four.

• The Blue Devils are one of nine remaining undefeated teams in the NCAA. Duke and Kentucky are the only teams in that group to win each game by 10 or more points.

• Duke has won each of the first nine games by 10 or more points, marking the first time since the 2002-03 season it has accomplished that feat. The Blue Devils have never opened a season with 10 straight double figure victories.

• The Blue Devils have trailed for just 4:54 through the first nine games of the season. Duke’s largest deficit this season has been four points.

• Freshmen Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow have started all nine games for the Blue Devils. Mike Krzyzewski has started three or more freshmen in a game 44 times at Duke, including 27 times during the 1982-83 season.

• Duke’s top-rated freshman class - Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow - combines to average 45.2 points per game while shooting an efficient 54.2 percent (143-of-264) from the field. The group has accounted for 20 of Duke’s 37 double figure scoring games.

• Quinn Cook has made at least one three-point field goal in each of the past 19 games. He is shooting 42.2 percent (46-of-109) from behind the arc in that stretch. Cook leads the ACC in three-point field goals (2.67 3pg.) this season.

• Duke’s starting frontcourt of Jahlil Okafor and Amile Jefferson combines to average 27.3 points and 16.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 67.3 percent (107-of-159) from the field.

• Jahlil Okafor, a three-time ACC Freshman of the Week selection, leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.655), while also ranking among the league leaders in scoring (2nd - 18.0 ppg.), rebounds (T-5th - 9.0 rpg.), offensive rebounds (1st - 4.2 orpg.) and blocks (T-8th - 1.7 bpg.).

• Quinn Cook is averaging a team-high 18.0 points to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in neutral site contests. He is 18-of-36 (.500) from the field, including 10-of-21 (.476) from three-point range in the three games.

• In Monday’s win over Elon, Jahlil Okafor became the first Division I freshman to record 25 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks in a game since Michael Beasley in 2007. Okafor also became just the second freshman (joining Joe Smith, Maryland) in ACC history to register a 20-20 game.

• Amile Jefferson is 20-of-23 (.870) from the field over the past four games and is averaging 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in that span.

• Duke ranks second in the NCAA with a +26.9 scoring margin. The Blue Devils have won all nine games by double figures, including three games by 30 or more points.

• The Blue Devils have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in the second half seven times and are shooting 55.1 percent (136-of-247) from the field in the second half of play on the year.

• Rasheed Sulaimon has scored in double figures in three straight games and is averaging 12.7 points per game in that stretch. He is 13-of-27 (.481) from the field with a 7.0:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the last three games.

• Duke is looking for its first 10-game win streak since the start of the 2012-13 season. The Blue Devils opened that campaign with 15 consecutive wins.