Thus far this season, Duke has been that ride in the car which hits every pothole imaginable and then some.  There has been no smooth sailing to date for the Blue Devils who have collectively been devastated with injuries and health issues.

The latest for the what can happen next bunch, is a bone bruise to the foot of Amile Jefferson.  The graduate senior, along with Luke Kennard have been the most consistent players this season.  Duke loses the ACC's top rebounder in Jefferson for what will likely be multiple games.

Of course, Duke will not have Mike Krzyzewski on the sidelines as well.  And to make matters worse, they have a short travel week with little adjustment time before taking on red-hot Florida State.

If you haven't been watching the Seminoles this season just know that they are good.  They go twelve players deep and are athletic, quick and just happen to be an impressive 15-1.

The bottom line is that Duke will face a tall order with Jeff Capel on the sidelines for his second game during his mentors absence.  The Seminoles have only a 3 point loss to Temple, have defeated Virginia on the road and pretty much thumped everyone else on their schedule.

Dwayne Bacon, Johnathan Isaac and Xavier Rathan-Mayes lead the Seminoles, but you simply cannot concentrate on just them.  They are as deep as they've been in some time and a sure fire top ten tournament bound team.

What Duke will have to do to contend and win is score the ball.  The Blue Devils must get efficient efforts on the offensive end from all of their players.  If this doesn't happen and Duke goes down double digits early, this game could look like the loss at Virginia Tech.

Duke will also have to stay out of foul trouble and learn to deal better with a hostile crowd.  When you were ranked by everyone as the number one team in the nation coming into the season, the target on your back is large and the game circled on all calendars.

One thing which has clearly helped Duke of late is the play of Grayson Allen.  Duke has distributed the ball much better in their last two wins where he is averaging 9 assists per contest.

Duke will also seek for Harry Giles, Chase Jeter and Marques Bolden to step up their game without Jefferson in the line up.  And they will need for Frank Jackson to continue his solid play of late.

Capel will likely play more players tonight in that he knows the Seminoles will attempt to wear Duke down with runs.  We could see some important minutes from little used players.

Against Wake Forest, Florida State gained a solid lead and charge of energy with their second five in the game.  After that, they won a lopsided affair.  The bottom line is Duke is the clear underdog with all of their issues, but have enough talent to pull this one out if they play near perfect basketball.

It will not get any easier for Duke after this game for they must next travel to Louisville in is what is likely their most difficult scheduling of the year.

Sidebar - The game will be televised on the ACC Network, so check your local listings.  A win for Duke against the Seminoles would be their first true road win of the season.  Freshman Jayson Tatum leads Duke in blocked shots and steals.