Duke @ San Diego St. preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 22, 2015 ) San Diego St. 49, Duke 68

After looking virtually unstoppable through its first three games, No. 3 Duke could face its first test of the young season at this week’s Maui Invitational, which includes ranked teams such as Auburn and Gonzaga. The Blue Devils begin play Monday against San Diego State, which has reached the NCAA Tournament in seven of the past nine seasons.

Freshmen Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett combined for 61 points in Duke’s season-opening 118-84 win over Kentucky and were equally impressive in back-to-back wins over Army and Eastern Michigan. The 6-7 Williamson has made the game look easy early on, scoring at least 20 points in all three games while making 32 of his 39 shots and dazzling crowds with highlight-reel dunks. Barrett is also scoring 25.3 points per game for the Blue Devils, who are outscoring opponents by an average of 31.3 points and have trailed for a total of 30 seconds in their first three games. “They’re talented at every position. They’re well-coached,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher told reporters. “But I want to get them into a close game. I’d like to find a way to get the game close down the stretch.”

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT DUKE (3-0): Freshman forward Cam Reddish, averaging 16.7 points while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range, should be at full strength this week after battling a sore groin and being limited to three points over 12 minutes in Wednesday’s 84-46 win over Eastern Michigan. The Blue Devils have scored 60 points in the paint in two of their first three games and figure to be a challenge for the undersized Aztecs. Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s deep lineup includes freshman point guard Tre Jones, who has opened his Duke career with 22 assists against three turnovers.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (2-0): Picked to finish second in the Mountain West preseason poll, the Aztecs are led by senior point guard Devin Watson, a transfer from San Francisco who averaged 17 points in wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Texas Southern. The Aztecs will need 6-6, 240-pound sophomore forward Matt Mitchell (15.5 points and 5.0 rebounds) to stay out of foul trouble against Duke's formidable frontline. San Diego State is 11-1 in its last 12 games dating back to last season and have several proven scorers – including 6-10 forward Jalen McDaniels, who averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 boards as a freshman last year.

TIP-INS

1. Tournament play will continue Tuesday for both teams against either Auburn or Xavier.

2. The Aztecs are 4-9 all-time against current members of the ACC – including 0-2 against Duke.

3. Duke is 23-3 all-time when playing in the state of Hawaii – including 15-0 in Maui Invitational games at the Lahaina Civic Center.

PREDICTION: Duke 92, San Diego State 67