Wednesday's Game: Duke at Clemson

Feb 3, 2009, 9:18 AM

Who: Duke (19-2, 5-1 ACC No. 4 AP) at Clemson (18-2, 4-2 ACC, No. 10 AP)

When: 9 p.m. Wednesday at Littlejohn

Is it on TV? Yep, on ESPN. Darn, no Dickie V. though!

Sorry Bay-beee!
The Spread: Not out yet, but Pomeroy likes Duke by 4 to 6.

Common Opponents: 5, both teams are 4-1 with losses to Wake Forest.

Last time we met: You should only need one photo to remind you....

Clemson Flight 35, requesting landing instructions...

Oh yeah! The ACC semifinals! Has Duke changed since then? Yes they have. The Devils spent the off-season working on defense. They now boast one of the best defenses in the country, only allowing one ACC opponent to reach 70 points. They are much tougher against the 3-pointer this year, and actually have an occasional post presence. This is a very solid team.

Well duh! It's Duke, right? Remember, back in the day, Duke wasn't always a world-beater. The credit, of course, goes to that basketball wizard and cheese connossieur, Coach K.

Duke fans hang out with Coach K

This year's Devil team has a lot of familiar faces. The most familiar is junior guard Jon Scheyer (13 ppg, 3 reb. 3 ast., 3 flops).

There's simply no way to describe the joy Scheyer has given Photoshoppers the world over. In the meantime, he's developed a decent 3-point shot and a very good free throw. He's got a good turnover-assist ratio, possibly because people guarding him can't help cracking up when he stats making faces.

No! No! Not Tingler!
Leading scorer for Duke this year is Kyle Singler (16 ppg, 8 reb, 2 ast) a 6-8 sophomore forward who quietly (if there's such a thing at Duke) has become a solid all around player. He and Gerald Henderson (15 ppg, 5 reb, 2 ast) are the keys to containing Duke. Henderson is a surprisingly strong 3-point shooter and has sparked several second-half runs by Duke.

Nolan Smith (10 ppg, 3 reb, 2 ast) has been getting more minutes and fewer points as the season moved along. He's evolving into more of a point ... which is what he's supposed to be.

The ghost of Glenn Sudhopp

You may have noticed a name missing Greg "The Flop" Paulus. Owing to injury, the senior point guard's minutes and points are way down this year (5 ppg, 2 reb). David McClure and Brian Zoubeck try to give the Devils some power inside, but once again that's Duke's weakness.

So, how does Clemson counter? Duke is solid at containing outside shooting, so I expect Clemson to move inside. After a solid game against VTech, Trevor Booker (15 ppg, 9 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk) can expect to see a lot of attention from Duke, which may open opportunities for Ray Sykes (8 ppg, 5 reb) and Jerai Grant (5 ppg, 4 reb).

Watch Rivers go inside vs. Duke

While Duke's defenders find their hands full with ACC player of the week KC Rivers (15 ppg, 6 reb, 40 pct from 3-point) and Terrence Oglesby (12 ppg, 40 pct from 3-point) there will be inside opportunities for the Tigers. Clemson needs to be patient against Duke's matchup defense, working the ball inside for the shots that will inevitably appear.

That means Demontez Stitt (8 ppg, 2 reb, 4 ast) and Andre Young (4 ppg, 3 ast) need to make good decisions and not get rattled by the taller Duke guards.

On defense, it will be interesting to see how long, or how often Clemson goes with the press. Duke has an excellent ability to move the ball around for the open look, and a continuous press here would be as futile as it was against VTech. The half-court trap counters Dukes passing around the perimeter much better, and I expect we'll see more of it.

Inside, Clemson matches up well with Duke. On the wings, Singler presents a matchup problem, and Henderson cannot be left alone, much like Oglesby.

Both teams like an up-tempo game, though both have been solid at slowing things down in conference play. Duke, as expected, has an edge at the free throw line, and the teams are about even in rebounds and free throws.

So, how does this one come out? In the games that Duke has lost, or at least been challenged in, opponents have been able to hold the Devils off the boards. This is shwat Clemson MUST do to have a chance. We can hassle them on the wings, make Henderson and Scheyer miss a little more than usual, but the Devils will still get their points from the outside. It is imperative that Booker, Sykes and Grant control the glass and we minimize turnovers....and hit FTs when they come.

Clemson's inside game, if we decide to play inside rather than hacve the big guys dance around outside the blocks, presents problems for Duke. I hope we use that to our advantage ... otherwise this will be a nail-biter.

A solid Clemson effort will win. Anything less gives this one to the Devils.

Message was edited by: RevDodd®

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Wednesday's Game: Duke at Clemson

Re: Wednesday's Game: Duke at Clemson

Thanks Rev. Always a refreshing post!***

Re: Wednesday's Game: Duke at Clemson

Thanks Rev!***

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