The slew of quality games set to take place at MSG continues tonight as two flagship programs get set to do battle.

While Duke’s Coach K is an institution in and of himself, new UCLA head man Steve Alford is new to the terrain of Southern California. He is still in the process of putting his own imprint on this program, and the Bruins have continued to stumble at times as a result.

Still, UCLA has opened with a 9-1 start, suffering their first loss to Missouri last week. Their two most impressive wins came against Drexel and UC Santa Barbara. This game with Duke will offer them the opportunity to get a signature early season victory and perhaps launch themselves into the top 25.

But it will undoubtedly be a difficult game. Duke has several glaring weaknesses, but it’s uncertain as to whether or not this Bruins team is built to take advantage in those areas.

Duke has been good in defending the three point shot, but they are simply horrendous thus far in defending inside the paint. Some of that comes down to them not having a proven shot blocking presence in the middle of their defense, yet it also goes back to their guards tending to hug the three point line.

Quick and attacking guards can take advantage of them, but that’s not really what UCLA brings to the table. They have bigger and more powerful guards who lack elite quickness. Jordan Adams is going to be a bit of a matchup problem in this game for Tyler Thornton, but Matt Jones provides a 6’4 frame off the bench to flank Adams should his mid range prowess prove too difficult for Thornton to handle.

While Norman Powell is one of the better defenders in the Pac-12, he is only one player. I’d expect him to be on Quinn Cook, but as long as Cook doesn’t force shots, he should be able to get into the paint and initiate ball movement that can keep the Bruins off balance. UCLA is a work in progress on the defensive end, and it will be put to the test here, especially with what Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker could prove capable of in this matchup.

Parker is probably the best pure scorer in the college ranks right now, and he will probably draw Kyle Anderson on the defensive end. UCLA might attempt to go zone should their depth be challenged here, but that’s simply not a great look against  Duke team that can shoot at virtually every position.

Most importantly could be the way these front courts matchup. David Wear is a nice and versatile offensive threat to challenge Duke on one end, but the Bruins overall lack the consistency inside to take advantage of Duke’s front court questions. Tony Parker is still a  ajar work in progress, and his game actually compares similarly to that of Amile Jefferson at this point in time, although Jefferson does do a lot with the energy he brings to the table.

Kansas and Arizona both took advantage of Duke’s average center options, an I highly doubt that UCLA will be able to do the same. Making matters worse, the Bruins like to get up and down, but they don’t really have the point guard play that Duke possesses. Duke is comfortable playing at a faster tempo, and so they should have an advantage in that regard as well.

Neutral site games can be a bit tricky to project, but this is a big one for Duke. It provides an opportunity to show improvement following two losses to quality foes earlier on, and the match-ups are there for them to succeed.

I had this number at Duke -3.5 and it currently sits at four in Vegas. UCLA is good enough offensively to hang around here, and I don’t think the current number has a ton of value. However, the Bruins lack of rotation depth (219 nationally in bench minutes right now) will haunt them here. They struggled in the second half against teams like Drexel and Missouri, and neither of them are as deep as Duke.

Look to play the Dukies at halftime should they be trailing or if the second half odds provide ample value based on adjusted line.