Dec 18, 2014 07:30 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The Duke Blue Devils (2) and Connecticut Huskies are set to renew their rivalry at the Izod Center Thursday night, though the game may not have that old spark.

The defending national champs have lost three of three of their last four, including a dismal 45-44 upset at the hands of Yale. They were able to rebound with a 106-point outburst in a win over Coppin State, but Duke is whole different animal.

CLICK HERE to listen to the game live via TuneIn. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET in East Rutherford, N.J.

Freshman standout Jahlil Okafor has been a force for Duke, but he may be getting his most formidable matchup of the season in UConn's sophomore center Amida Brimah. The Ghana-born seven-footer dropped 40 points on Coppin State to go along with 14 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Brimah also made 14 of his 16 free throws while going 13-13 from the floor.

Okafor outsizes Brimah, but it will still be the matchup to watch between these two storied programs. UConn may be weakened by the loss of numerous key seniors, but coach Mike Krzyzewski will not underestimate his opponent.

Another key matchup will be in the backcourt, with Duke's guard tandem of Quinn Cook and Tytus Jones against UConn's senior and leading scorer Ryan Boatright. While Cook and Jones combined for 11 points against Elon, they scored 35 in Duke's win over Wisconsin.

"It's like sweeping dirt under the rug," Krzyzewski said of his standout freshman center, according to ESPN. "The dirt's still there. Now he's a big rug. But you're still sweeping dirt under there."

This is the 10th time these two teams have met and only the fifth time in the regular season. UConn beat Duke in the 1999 National Title game and the 2004 semifinal, but Duke took a 5-4 series lead in the 2009 NIT tipoff.

It is UConn coach Kevin Ollie's first time playing Krzyzewski's Blue Devils.

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