Thus far in the 2016-17 season, there has been no shortage of adversity for the Duke Blue Devils basketball team.  Tonight the team takes to the court against Georgia Tech in Cameron with plenty of storylines.

The Blue Devils were down by as many as 20 points to an upstart Virginia Tech team in their last outing and never made the game close at any time.   How will Duke respond to that remains to be seen.

In that dreadful loss Duke was without the services of Grayson Allen who continues to serve an unknown length of suspension after a third tripping incident.  How will the team respond if he is out again or even if he returns are questions to ponder.

Then came the news that Duke, after an injury riddled season which has given us a brief view of what could be from freshman studs that Coach Mike Krzyzewski requires surgery.  He will miss up to four weeks with no set timeline for a return.

Even with two losses and dropping to 8th in the latest polls, Duke stays in the news. You cannot visit ESPN without seeing something in your face on Duke.  The problem is, they are not talking about wins but adversity.

There has been little stability to date for Duke this season and that kind of thing has taken a toll.  The Blue Devils have yet to throw out a fully healthy team on the court and it may be a while yet.  One cannot expect Harry Giles to suddenly be ready nor Marques Bolden to make monster strides in a few days time.

But all eyes will be on the freshman for it will take them playing well against Georgia Tech and beyond to right the ship.  It is clear that even Frank Jackson has been hobbled and then there is that freshman wall players must navigate.  Exams, first true road games and pressure is real for young players.

The most consistent thing to date for Duke has been the play of Amile Jefferson and Luke Kennard.  But Krzyzewski hinted before the news that his team was not playing together and off each other.

There have been sudden problems with ball distribution and the ball simply going in and out at  the rim.  Defensive breakdowns were evident in the loss to the Hokies and Duke finds itself 0-1 in a tough conference and one they wanted to win.

The bumps can make a team grow up and the Blue Devils have to hope that happens.  Two games in Cameron Indoor Stadium this week are just what the doctor ordered.  But the road games are coming and the ACC is brutal, talented and unforgiving.

That coming stretch will also have Jeff Capel at the helm.  Capel has been a head coach is Krzyzewski's right hand man.  He knows the system.  But another story line to follow will be how his assistants react.  It is time for Nate James, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith who enters the bench to handle their roles as well.

Unlike 1995, Krzyzewski is expected to help out and be hands on as the season moves along.  But the important thing is for him to get pain-free so that he can be his usual self.  The avid film watcher that he is will allow for possibly a new perspective on his team.

Duke has the talent to get things done in his absence, but to think they won't miss Krzyzewski on the sidelines would be silly.  He knows how to work the refs and that is something that did not happen when he went out in 1995.  In short, Capel will need to exude control.

During Krzyzewski's last absence for medical tests, a season ago Duke happened to take on Georgia Tech.  The team was not in a good place at the time but they came away with a win under Capel.

Things are different tonight.  Duke is expected to win as they send Krzyzewski off in what should be an emotional Cameron.  The students have yet to return in force, but even the local ticket holders will likely give their head coach a nice welcome and send off for his planned surgery.

But then, the questions and storylines begin.  Will Krzyzewski leave his team with some wise words or will he reinstate Allen...so many questions.

It will be a while yet before Duke is at one hundred percent in a season that many felt could be magical.  The end goal of winning it all can still be achieved but the road will be an unusually rocky one.

One thing for certain is that Duke is in no way short of questions surrounding the team.  The storylines are aplenty as we await tip-off tonight.