Duke -1 at Clemson

Mavericks 94   Wizards 93


Record 2-1

Last season was a complete meltdown on the part of the Blue Devils last time they came to Littlejohn Coliseum. A poor defensive effort and bad shooting led to a 74-47 loss to the Tigers last season. This season a different Duke team is coming to town, seeking revenge.

The Blue Devils are led by Jon Scheyer, a considerable choice for player of the year, and his experience. He has shot just over 35% from the field this year on the road, and that number needs to be better tonight against the Tigers. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are going to need to step up big tonight in order to silence a very energetic crowd.

Duke is coming off a loss against North Carolina State and they need a win tonight. The offense has relied on Scheyer too much and it is time for Singler to step up and knock down some shots. The key for the Blue Devils tonight is locking down on defense and not giving up second chance points for Trevor Booker. Booker has averaged 19.8 points per game since only scoring 10 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 3 in a 74-53 loss to the Blue Devils.

Here is the skinny. Coack K's squad is 0-3 in true road games this season and they cannot afford to lose this game, or else they will have a real slim chance of winning the ACC. I do not see Duke letting Clemson beat them like they did a season ago. The Plumlee brothers need to slow down the Clemson frontcourt and try to get Booker in foul trouble. I like Duke in this one, lets just hope they win by more than one.