Brown @ Duke preview

Duke and Brown are among the nation's elite academic institutions, but the gap between their respective basketball programs is miles apart and well beyond the distance from the Carolinas to Rhode Island. The fourth-ranked Blue Devils will play only their second game in more than three weeks when they host Brown in a rare Saturday morning tip-off.

Duke has played just once since Dec. 6 - an 86-57 rout of Wofford on Dec. 19 that extended its winning streak to four games since a shocking home loss to Stephen F. Austin. "This has been an unusual couple of weeks for us," Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said after his team's latest victory. "We didn’t practice for six days for exams. ... I'm really proud of my guys for what they have done." Duke's lone loss this season halted a national-best 150-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents dating to February of 2000. That defeat may provide the most inspiration for the Bears, who have split their first 10 games and have been idle since an 11-point loss at St. John's on Dec. 10.

TV: 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT BROWN (5-5): Senior guard Brandon Anderson leads the Bears and ranks second in the Ivy League in scoring at 21 points per game after putting up a game-high 25 points in the 82-71 defeat at St. John's. Junior Tamenang Choh paced the Ivy League in rebounding last season and is pulling down 8.3 boards while averaging 14.2 points after registering his fourth double-double of the season in his last game. Senior forward Joshua Howard, a native of North Carolina (Charlotte), doubled his 7.5-point scoring average with 15 points versus the Red Storm.

ABOUT DUKE (10-1): Point guard Tre Jones, who averages 7.1 assists and is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 points, is expected to return to the lineup after sitting out against Wofford due to a mild sprain in his left foot. Center Vernon Carey, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound freshman, registered his eighth double-double against the Terriers with 20 points and 10 boards to raise his team-leading averages in scoring (18.6) and rebounding (9.3). Joey Baker added another element to Duke's attack by knocking down five 3-pointers against Wofford.

TIP-INS

1. Jones averaged 16.8 points and 8.5 assists in his last four games.

2. Brown ranks sixth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (14.8) while Duke is tied for 11th (14.0).

3. Duke's bench has averaged 32.3 points over the past four contests.

PREDICTION: Duke 88, Brown 57