Duke freshmen Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Sulaimon share a hug during the opener. (US Presswire)

In the second half of Duke’s season opener against Georgia State, the Blue Devils prepared to defend an inbounds pass under the opposing basket. 

Duke forward Amile Jefferson, a 6-8 freshman who was playing his first college game, set up directly in front of the inbounds passer, with his long arms spread wide. 

Duke senior captain Ryan Kelly came up behind Jefferson, put his hands on his young teammate’s hips, and shifted him about six inches to the left, so he was standing between the inbounds passer and the basket. Then Kelly went back to guarding his own man.

Freshmen!

Jefferson brings size and an ability to defend inside and outside that last year’s Duke team was sorely missing. He also provides an immediate spark when he enters the game. Some teams have a coach on the floor -- Jefferson gives Duke a Cameron Crazy on the floor, waving his arms and tongue, slapping teammates after plays, and taking victory laps, sometimes while play is still going on.

“When he comes in, the life meter goes up,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He’s more enthusiastic than the crowd.”

Rasheed Sulaimon, a fellow member of the incoming 2012-13 freshman class, is already starting, giving the Blue Devils a shooting and driving threat from the outside. While not as certifiable as Jefferson, Sulaimon slapped the floor in his first defensive series as a Blue Devil.

But with the skill and enthusiasm comes recklessness and inconsistency. Like puppies, they have boundless energy, but they’ll occasionally chew up your cell phone charger. Freshmen do everything at full speed, but sometimes they're going full speed in the wrong direction.

“You never really know with freshmen,” said Mason Plumlee, another senior captain for Duke.

In addition to the pair of talented frosh, Duke has three senior leaders in Kelly, Plumlee and Seth Curry. At least early in the season, they’ll determine how successful the Blue Devils will be.

That was clear in the ACC’s opening weekend as several freshmen saw their first action in a game that counted. Many showed potential, but it was the older players who did the things that ACC teams need to win openers.

In the game against Georgia State, Duke’s two freshmen were on the court together for 4:35. Duke was outscored 15-6 during that span. With one or both on the bench, the Blue Devils had a 28-point advantage.

On the other hand, the more seniors Duke had on the floor, the better they did. With one on the floor, Duke was outscored by eight points. With two playing, the Blue Devils lost by three. And for the 24:41 that Curry, Kelly and Plumlee were all in the game, Duke outscored Georgia State 54-24.

NC State also has a talented freshman class in Rodney Purvis, Tyler Lewis and T.J. Warren. When all three were on the floor in the opener, the Wolfpack had a four-point edge over Miami of Ohio. When two of the three were in the game, the advantage swelled to seven points. And with one freshman on the floor, the Wolfpack outscored Miami 54-25.

State has a three-man senior class -- Richard Howell, Scott Wood and Jay Lewis. When two or three of them played, the Wolfpack outscored Miami 57-20. When two or three of them were on the bench, State had a slim 40-39 edge.

In Maryland’s opener against Kentucky, the only time the Terrapins had the scoring advantage was when two seniors were on the floor, and at least one freshman was on the bench.

North Carolina’s four-man freshman class showed promise in the Tar Heels’ first two games, but the most effective freshman, PG Marcus Paige, had a plus-minus impact on the score that was sixth-best on the team, behind five upperclassmen.

Young players are fun to watch, but the numbers show that the best thing about freshmen is that they eventually become sophomores.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.