Durham, NC (Sports Network) - The ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will play host to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off tonight in Durham.

Coastal Carolina opened its season last Friday with a 70-59 victory over the College of Charleston, snapping a 10-game, 17-year losing skid against the Cougars. Members of the Big South Conference, the Chanticleers finished 11-20 a year ago, including 2-13 on the road. Fortunately for coach Cliff Ellis, four returning starters are back, and judging from the effort in the opener, there is some reason for optimism.

Like Coastal Carolina, Duke began the 2009-10 campaign on Friday, and the result of its matchup with UNC Greensboro was a 96-62 blowout victory. The Blue Devils haven't reached the Final Four since 2004, so coach Mike Krzyzewski is undoubtedly eager to get his proud program back on top. Obviously, there is tremendous competition in the ACC, but Duke has the necessary talent to win the league.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Duke and Coastal Carolina on the hardwood.

In the season-opening victory over College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina connected on only 34.4 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half and shot 5-of-10 from the foul line. Fortunately, the club was able to outscore the Cougars by 12 points in the second half, thanks to 17 field goals over the final 20 minutes. The Chants finished with a dominant 49-30 rebounding advantage, including a 22-7 edge on the offensive glass. Joseph Harris was sensational in the triumph, as the forward scored 21 points, grabbed 17 rebounded and recorded four steals. Chad Gray tallied 17 points and eight rebounds, while Dexter Moore posted 10 points. Harris is the top returning scorer for the squad after putting up 15.2 ppg a year ago while shooting 57.6 percent from the floor. Harris was also one of only a handful of players in the NCAA to average a double-double last season as he cleared 11.4 rpg, a number that placed him eighth in the nation overall.

The Blue Devils aren't short on talent with incumbents Kyle Singler, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek and add a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in Miles Plumlee (6-10, 230) and Ryan Kelly (6-10, 220). Singler, who averaged 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game a year ago, is the centerpiece of course and was recently named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. In the season-opening victory over UNC Greensboro, Singler posted 20 points in 38 minutes of action. Jon Scheyer added 18 points, while Thomas posted 12 points. Plumlee made his presence felt immediately, as he tallied 10 points and nine rebounds. The Blue Devils connected on 59.7 percent of their field goal attempts and knocked down 15 of the 20 free throws they attempted. A 44-26 rebounding advantage also helped the cause.