All eyes on how Allen behaves

Duke guard who tripped Louisville player scrutinized.

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke and Grayson Allen are about to embark on another tough road trip.

For the second time this week, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils and Allen head to another opponent’s home arena when they visit No. 14 Louisville (14-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) today to face a hostile crowd with a long memory of how the guard tripped one of Cardinals last season.

If Tuesday night’s visit to No. 9 Florida State was any indication, Allen and the Blue Devils (14-3, 2-2) surely will be reminded of the trip of the Cardinals’ Ray Spalding last February. Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes — the second victim of trips by Allen last season — said after the Seminoles’ win over Duke that he’d “been waiting a long time to see him again” and it’s a safe bet that the fans in Louisville feel the same way.

Here’s where things stand heading into the matchup with Louisville:

IS THIS A PATTERN? Allen has tripped an opponent three times, so it is fair to say it’s a pattern. Allen received a flagrant foul last Feb. 8 when he tripped Spalding, then drew a reprimand from the ACC — but no suspension — after he tripped Rathan-Mayes in the final seconds of a game 17 days later. All was calm around Allen until Dec. 21, when he flung his leg out to trip Steven Santa Ana of Elon, then punched an empty chair during an outburst on the bench. A day after that episode, Allen was suspended indefinitely — which turned out to be for only one game, a blowout loss at Virginia Tech — and was stripped of his team captaincy.

HOW MUCH BACKLASH IS ALLEN FACING?

Every move Allen makes is under heavy scrutiny with Twitter, cellphone video cameras and DVRs allowing social-media sleuths to post slow-motion clips of any action by the guard that can be perceived as inflammatory.

WILL HE BE OFFICIATED DIFFERENTLY?

That’s a tough question to answer, because his role and playing style have changed over the last month. After he tripped the Elon player, he was benched for the rest of the first half, and when he returned after halftime, he seemed more passive than usual — almost tentative. And in the three games he’s played since his suspension ended, he’s become more of a facilitator and less of a threat to score, piling up 23 assists in that span while shooting much less frequently.

WHY WAS HIS SUSPENSION SO SHORT?

Coach Mike Krzyzewski said the suspension would last until he “felt good about the entire situation where he is at.” Then in a move made with no fanfare, Allen slipped back into the starting lineup Jan. 4 for the Georgia Tech game. After that game, Krzyzewski defended the decision as “appropriate.” That was also the final game for Krzyzewski before he underwent back surgery that will keep him out for a few weeks.