Tigers turn up the heat on the Blue Devils in critical win

Clemson (19-5, 11-2) moved within a game of first-place Duke.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Saturday, February 08 2025

CLEMSON – Duke men's basketball arrived in Clemson Saturday on a heater, having won a nation’s best 16 consecutive games since last losing 71 days ago. But unnaturally warm weather and Clemson’s hot shooting from the field turned up the heat on the Blue Devils as the Tigers ran out of a steamy Littlejohn Coliseum with a 77-71 victory.

Viktor Lakhin scored 22 points and Chase Hunter made the go-ahead basket in the final minute as Clemson knocked off No. 2 Duke 77-71 on Saturday night, putting an end to the Blue Devils' 16-game winning streak. Hunter sank four free throws in the last 15 seconds to finish with 14 points and teammates Jaeden Zackery and Ian Schieffelin each had 12 points.

Clemson (19-5, 11-2), which lost at home to Georgia Tech in triple overtime last Tuesday, moved within a game of first-place Duke.

Clemson students began to line up in the early hours Saturday morning for the chance to witness history, a wait that was aided by the warm weather that has descended on the region. The warmth extended into a sold-out and packed Littlejohn Coliseum, where the Tigers shot 58.8%, the best against Duke this season. No team had shot 50% against the Blue Devils prior to Clemson. Kansas had posted the previous best shooting performance against Duke, hitting 49.1% of its shots while beating the Blue Devils, 75-72, on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas.

Trailing 74-71 late, the Blue Devils had a chance to tie or take the lead, but star Cooper Flagg slipped on a drive for a turnover before the final foul shots.

Flagg missed nine of his first 11 shots but made three straight 3-pointers to score 14 points in the final six minutes and five seconds. Flagg and the Tigers traded big play after big play, the lead changing hands five times in 90 seconds at one point.

The Blue Devils called their final timeout to set up a play for Flagg, who had the ball in his hands down two with just 14 seconds left on the clock. Flagg worked his way toward the basket and planted his foot just outside the paint on the right side of the court. But he slipped and slammed to the court on his back, his feet sliding out from under him, for a travel violation.

Duke didn't score again after the turnover, and the Tigers tacked on the game's final seven points for the win.

Those same Clemson students who waited patiently outside of Littlejohn for tickets quickly crowded the sides of the court, waiting for the final seconds to tick off the clock before storming the court to celebrate the win.

With the win over Duke, Clemson tied for the third-highest-ranked team it has beaten in its history. The Tigers last defeated a team ranked in the top two in the nation when they defeated No. 1 North Carolina in 2001. The win marks the fifth consecutive Clemson victory over an AP Top 5 team (per ESPN).

The Tigers won’t get to celebrate long—Clemson plays host to North Carolina on Monday night at 7 p.m. The Tar Heels defeated Pitt 67-66 Saturday afternoon, snapping a run of four losses in five games. The win improves UNC to 14-10 overall and 7-5 in ACC play.

For now, however, the taste of Tuesday’s loss is a little less bitter and Clemson’s players and coaches prove that this team, if it plays well, can make another run in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils corralled just 23 rebounds (to 36 for the Tigers), and the Tigers collected 40 points in the paint. And two of those points were perhaps the biggest of the night.

In the loss to Georgia Tech, Hunter settled for long 3-pointers with the game on the line in regulation and overtime instead of driving to the basket. Trailing 71-70 with just under 40 seconds remaining Saturday, Hunter drove to the basket and laid it off the glass for the lead.

#Clemson upsets No. 2 Duke in what will go down as the most significant win in Littlejohn in recent memory.

Here’s the scene on the home floor: @ClemsonTigerNet pic.twitter.com/9OFrJQtCc2
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) February 9, 2025