With College Football dwindling down, College Basketball is now center stage. The season so far has been full of exciting twists and turns and we are just now getting to the end of non conference season. Luckily for us there are still a few marquee nonconference matchups and on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden there will be another. It'll be a top 25 matchup as the Baylor Bears take on the Duke Blue Devils at the world's most famous arena. Both teams will want to finish the nonconference season strongly and will be highly motivated in this clash. I will preview and predict who will win this excellent matchup.

Baylor vs Duke Preview and Analysis
Baylor Bears
Current Season (9W-1L)
Baylor has had an excellent start to the season winning their first 9 games before a rough showing against Michigan State. The Bears were very uncharacteristic in a 24 point loss. They will want to erase the memory of that loss and put in a good showing here against Duke. Based on their play the rest of the season, we should be in for a treat.

Key Players
Ja'Kobe Walter G
Ja'Kobe is a highly touted freshman guard that is a projected lottery pick in this upcoming NBA draft. He has transitioned to the college game quickly and is the team's leading scorer at 14.3 points per game. He has shot pretty well from the 3pt line and extremely well from the free throw line. This is a big chance for him to shine at Madison Square Garden against a highly touted Duke team. I expect him to have a big game.

RayJ Dennis G
Dennis a graduate senior guard that is in his first season with the team. He had an excellent first 4 years between Boise State and Toledo and transitioned well to Baylor. He is second on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game while shooting extremely well from the field. RayJ transferred to Baylor to play in games like this and I'd bet on him showing out in this one.

Duke
Current Season (7W-3L)
Expectations at Duke are always very high and this season was no different as they were in the top 5 of every poll. So far they have struggled by losing 3 times and nearly going out of the top 25. They have a ton of talent on the team and will be looking to turn their season around. Duke has a great opportunity here against a good Baylor team.

Key Players
Kyle Flipowski C
Flipowski is a sophomore center that is off to an excellent start to the season. After a great freshman campaign, expectations were extremely high for Flipowksi and so far he has delivered. He is average a team high 18.4 points per game while grabbing 9.2 rebounds per game. Kyle is a threat on both the inside and outside and has a wide variety of skills. Look for him to give Baylor fits all game.

Jeremy Roach G
Roach is a senior guard that has developed nicely over his career. He is second on the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game and 3.3 assists per game. Jeremy has been extremely efficient this season shooting over 50% from the field and 3 point range. After a slow start to the season, Jeremy has been on a roll the last month. I expect that to continue in this one.

This is another fun college basketball matchup that you will not want to miss. It'll be a close game but I expect Duke's talent advantage to take over. Duke 76 Baylor 71