3 Massive Questions for the Duke Basketball Team Against Vermont

3. Can Duke Avoid Foul Trouble?

For me, the biggest question mark around a potential deep run for Duke centers around their depth. Six Blue Devils average over 25 minutes per game while Ryan Young averages just under 12. After that, the bench is slim pickings.

Duke ran into trouble in last year's tournament when key players like Filipowski got into early foul trouble and the roster didn't have the depth to compete. Tyrese Proctor had four fouls against NC State and Filipowski fouled out, forcing the team to rely on guys who don't typically play much down the stretch.

For a team with championship aspirations, that cannot happen. Opponents know that Duke doesn't have much depth, so they'll continually attack inside and try to draw fouls early on.

I've questioned Scheyer's usage of Sean Stewart, averaging just over eight minutes per game despite showcasing excellent defensive versatility. He could be the key for this squad if guys like FIlipowski or Mark Mitchell get into foul trouble, so I'd love to see him get some run against an inferior opponent before the Blue Devils get deeper into the tournament.

Seeing how Scheyer deploys his rotation will be one of the more intriguing parts of this game, because it's unlikely that Duke makes it through the tournament without experiencing foul trouble at some point.

More Duke Blue Devils News:

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.