Maui Invitational: 7 Players to Watch in Duke vs. Kansas

With perennial heavy-weights Duke and Kansas ready to battle for the Maui Invitational Championship, college basketball is in for a treat.

Maybe once or twice a year do we see out-of-conference games of this magnitude, and rarely do we see them playing for something other than pride and resume padding. While the Maui Invitational Championship may mean nothing you, it probably means a decent amount to the Blue Devils who have never lost a game in Maui, and it probably carries some weight with the Jayhawks too, as they look the to be the first team to unseat Duke from the throne in Maui.

When top teams like this clash, a flurry of talented players are taking the court, trying to outshine those of the other team. This game will be no different, as Duke and Kansas battle it out with star and role players leading the way.

Here are seven players you'll want to keep an eye out for from each team.

The man oozes potential.

Plumlee is a 6'10" spring board with close to a 35-inch vertical leap that has NBA scouts drooling. However, they'll have to wipe their mouths soon because however athletic Plumlee is, he still has quite a bit of polishing to do on his offensive game before teams will take a chance on this potential lottery pick.

Against Kansas though, you can bet his activity in the paint will be extremely important for the Blue Devils as he'll have to block shots and wipe the glass for the Dukies to have a shot.

Releford is going to have his hands full against the Duke backcourt tonight as he'll try to contain the likes of Seth Curry and Austin Rivers.

He's a well-built guard who can stroke the three, but the main reason to watch him tonight is to see how he'll hold up on defense. He played well against UCLA, canning two deep balls and not getting torched defensively, but against Duke he'll see a whole different animal, as the relentless guard attack the Blue Devils bring out will have Releford and the rest of their backcourt on their heels.

The sophomore from Gonzaga High School in Washington DC is known as a defensive stopper. While Duke's backcourt may feature some of the most deadly scoring threats in the nation, Thornton won't wow you with his offensive play, but he'll strap you up in a Wojo-esque manner.

He still has plenty of work to do before he can truly be compared to his assistant coach, but he'll get a good chance to prove his defensive worth against Kansas, as you'll probably see him matched up against Elijah Johnson for a good portion of the time he's in the game. 

Johnson exploded for 23 points against UCLA while canning four 3-pointers. If Thornton wants to continue to see his playing time increase, he can start by putting the clamps down on Kansas' lethal backcourt weapon.

Withey is a 7'0" tall center capable of clogging the lane, and he'll look to do just that against Duke.

This isn't Duke's typical year of weak big men, as they in fact have a plethora of solid, well rounded fours and fives. However, they have no one on the level of Thomas Robinson. With Robinson opposite Withey down low, look for Withey to be active on the boards and disruptive to the likes of Miles and Mason Plumlee. 

He's not crazy athletic and doesn't have the brute strength of Robinson, but he's big enough to contribute and do some damage in the paint.

Miles Plumlee is someone who will certainly see some looks from Withey throughout the game.

Plumlee is very athletic, like his younger brother Mason, but doesn't have the same defensive and rebounding prowess. However, you can bet he'll be a huge factor for Duke in the paint as the Devils do everything they can to slow Thomas Robinson. 

Plumlee will probably get most of his points through offensive boards, but the more of those the merrier, at least for Duke.

Teahan is primarily a 3-point specialist. He's a good shooter who has yet to find his groove yet this season, shooting just 33 percent from downtown.

By no means is he going to go off against Duke, or anyone for that matter, especially considering he failed to score from the field against UCLA, tallying four points, all of which were from free throws.

Teahan can, however, stretch the floor for the Jayhawks. Duke isn't going to fear him, but if he hits a shot or two early on from deep, they'll at least have to respect him.

The highly touted freshman has been on and off to start the season, almost like a light switch, showing signs of brilliance along with inexperience in every game.

He can stroke it from deep or take you to the hoop, as he is one of many Duke guards that can make you pay. Rivers needs to tighten up his decision making and defense, which he clearly evidenced against Michigan State, over the course of the season.

His scoring prowess has not gone unnoticed though as he dropped 18 on Tennessee and 20 on No. 15 ranked Michigan. 

Rivers will surely be someone the Jayhawks will try to keep in check as the freshman looks to continue to learn and improve against another tough team.

Justin Wesley is far from your primary scorer.

He's averaging 3.8 points per game and has had a decreasing number of points in each game so far. Still, his overall activity on the floor could prove to be a problem for Duke if he stays out of foul trouble.

He won't be looking to score on his own and will likely need to be set up to produce anything significant offensively, but as long as he plays physical defense like always (just less fouling), then he can cause Duke plenty of trouble inside.

Seth Curry, another of the deadly Duke guards, is a sweet shooting Blue Devil who has spent most of his time playing at the point this season.

When Curry curls around screens or finds a gap in a zone, it's lights out from downtown. He's sound defensively and is decent taking the ball to the hoop as his ball handling is improved from last season.

Curry leads the Blue Devils in scoring at over 16 points per game and he'll look to continue his stellar play against a Kansas team that will look to take him out of the equation.

Tyshawn Taylor is a speedy guard who can shoot the three, dish the ball and get to the line. In fact, he got to the stripe 17 times against Kentucky and converted 15 of them in route to 22 points on the night.

He's one of the three main pieces that makes Kansas go. When Taylor is feeling it, the Jayhawks get awfully hard to stop.

He'll likely see Tyler Thornton and Seth Curry on him at times in attempts to throw him off of his game, but if he ever gets matched up against Austin Rivers or Andre Dawkins, look for him to take it to the hole and get to the line.

Ryan Kelly has become one of Duke's most potent scorers, as his ability to can the three and put the ball on the floor against other big men have made him one of the most versatile tall players in the ACC.

He's a power forward who stretches the floor and wreaks havoc defensively as he's active rebounding and blocking shots. He's not terribly athletic, but his fundamentally sound offensive game is a sight for sore eyes and he'll look to abuse some Kansas post players.

After three rather pedestrian games, Elijah Johnson exploded against UCLA, sinking four threes on 50 percent from behind the arc. 

He and Taylor make up one of the quickest back courts in the country, but their scoring prowess trails Duke by a considerable amount.

Johnson will look to get his shot going early, but like Taylor, will probably see quite a bit of Duke's best perimeter defenders in an attempt to slow him down early and prevent him from reproducing a game like that Jayhawks vs. Bruins game in the semi-finals. 

Andrew Dawkins may have become Duke's most lethal scoring threat over the last four games.

He has struggled severely at times, like against Davidson and Belmont, but other times he has looked like Duke's best player with no questions asked. His performance against Michigan State was one to marvel at as he went off for 26 points while making a blistering six 3-points on 60 percent from deep. 

He might have the purest stroke in the nation and he has bunnies to go with that too. He doesn't get to show off his hops as much as he would like, as he primarily runs through screen on the perimeter, but if he wants to he'll have to improve his ball handling and ability to put the ball on the floor.

Dawkins will look to get going early from beyond the arc and continue his hot shooting against Kansas.

Thomas Robinson is a beast.

That's just how it is. He can put the ball on the floor and work in the post, he's also as athletic as they come.

He's the most consistent player on Kansas and a constant threat to drop 20-plus every night. Duke will have their hands full guarding him as they might throw Mason Plumlee or another uber athletic in his way in hopes of stopping him.

His physicality and beast mode play is exactly what can hurt Duke, and combining him with Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson only makes it more difficult for the Blue Devils.

Having said that, the Duke offensive onslaught from Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, Seth Curry, Austin Rivers and Andre Dawkins will be too much for the Jayhawks, as Duke will come out on top and remain undefeated in Maui.