No matter where you look these days, whether it be Jay Bilas at ESPN or  beat writers, not many are giving Duke a chance to continue their season. There is pretty good reason be it the well documented loss of a key cog in Amile Jefferson to limited depth and players still developing.

During yesterdays question and answer sessions, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski and players Grayson Allen and Matt Jones fielded both bait and doubt.  Many tried their best to show that Duke might be overlooking their opponent, the Oregon Ducks.  Others threw negative stats up and each time they were met with deflection to something more positive from the Duke coach.

It seemed that some were making Duke out to be unfamiliar with Oregon or that questions pointed to the Blue Devils being on life support.  One never knows until the game is played who might be right in their speculation, but this Blue Devil team has been more than tested.  This group, thin as it is, has been through a gauntlet in ACC play where six teams are playing in the next two days.  While the Duke team could indeed be that house on a cliff as Krzyzewski hinted to, it doesn't mean that the foundation is ready to fall just yet.

Much has been made of Oregon and their 30-6 record for good reason.  They are eight players deep, solid in all phases of the game but they are not unbeatable.  Yes, they have six players from California and they are not battling a three-hour time adjustment that Duke has to do.  But this Duke team as flawed as some make it out to be can survive and advance.

For Duke it starts with  Marshall Plumlee, who Krzyzewski calls his most important player.  The senior must of course stay out of foul trouble but his leadership has been phenomenal.  While all of the Plumlees have been good at Duke, none of them have taken on a role as large as Marshall.  This will be the third and last Plumlee's biggest challenge to date, but if heart means anything, he is capable of completing the mission.

Duke also has the best one-two offensive punch in college basketball in Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram.  In many folks opinion, Ingram is the best freshman out there.  He will not be returning to Duke next season, so this is his swan song.  This is the time he will leave his lasting memory.  Ingram can do special things and it will take his best effort to date for the Blue Devils to move on.

Grayson Allen has been put into an unfair category with Duke legend Christian Laettner.  Having been around both players in their playing days, I find the comparison way off the mark.  Allen, while confident is not cocky off the court.  The only thing these two have in common is that they are great players who play with tenacity when the ball is tipped, but it ends there.

Allen has had a sensational season for Duke where he has made himself with the help of the staff into one of the best college basketball players in America.  Having Allen on your side is a good thing and Oregon, despite their defensive prowess will have to deal with that.

The key for Duke in this game will be play of the rest of the Blue Devils cast.  Duke needs smart minutes from Derryck Thornton who is capable of having a solid game.  They will need for Matt Jones to be on top of his game on defense.  The Blue Devils could use good minutes from Chase Jeter who will see time and he is capable as well of making a difference.

But perhaps the one player who must find his moments is Luke Kennard.  His shots might not be there like normal in the way the Ducks play defense and his adjustment to that and scoring the ball will be something to watch.

Duke can and will win this game if they get a solid performance across the board from its rotation.  But it will take all cylinders running in unison which is why so many doubt them going into tonight's game.

The Blue Devils have won some big games this season, but none of them would be as huge as tonight's game.  Oregon is the beast of the PAC 12, but Duke is a team that has faced adversity and doubt all season long.

I'm thinking Duke will show up an they have something left in the tank.