Stephen F. Austin @ Duke preview

Duke is in its familiar position atop the polls and gets two more tune-ups before a showdown with No. 3 Michigan State next week. The top-ranked Blue Devils will try to avoid looking ahead when they host Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday.

Duke, which hosts Winthrop on Friday before traveling to Michigan State, earned a win in the 2K Empire Classic by knocking off Georgetown 81-73 on Friday and was pleased with its effort on the defensive end. "We felt starting practice that we could be good defensively with (sophomore guard) Tre (Jones) there and depth," Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters after the victory. "We've really devoted most of our practice time to defense. As a result, I think we've gotten tougher. We've also spent a lot of time in rebounding. The differential in rebounding tonight was significant to the win. We're finding ourselves offensively." Duke is holding opponents to 40.6 percent shooting while forcing an average of 20.5 turnovers. The Lumberjacks began the season 4-0 but suffered their first loss last week when they dropped a 69-57 decision at Rutgers - the first in a stretch of three straight on the road.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, RSN

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (4-1): The Lumberjacks averaged 88.5 points over the first four games but shot 39.2 percent from the floor and went 2-of-13 from beyond the arc at Rutgers. Senior guard Kevon Harris kept his string of double-digit scoring games to begin the season alive with 18 points in the loss and leads the team at an average of 19.4 points. Forward Gavin Kensmil recorded his second double-double of the campaign with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss and is shooting 63.2 percent from the floor on the season.

ABOUT DUKE (6-0): The Blue Devils once again feature a strong freshman class and Vernon Carey Jr., Cassius Stanley and Wendell Moore Jr. combined for 58 points and 24 rebounds in the win over Georgetown. "We felt that we didn't play that well in the first half," Stanley told reporters. "Coach got on us and said it's not about X's and O's and it's not even about playing hard, it's about fight. We took the fight mentality. They came out throwing blows and we came out throwing blows. It was very physical and tough out there, but we played together and got the win." Carey leads the team with averages of 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds and is shooting 60.9 percent from the floor.

TIP-INS

1. Stanley scored 20 of his season-high 21 points in the second half on Friday.

2. Lumberjacks G John Comeaux is averaging 2.6 steals.

3. The Blue Devils started 6-0 or better 14 times since 2000-01.

PREDICTION: Duke 87, Stephen F. Austin 61