Game Preview: Duke travels to Clemson

Duke stays on the road, traveling to Littlejohn to face the Clemson Tigers in a battle of the 2 top teams in the ACC.

Clemson Tigers

Clemson enters the weekend with an 18-5 record and a 10-2 record in the ACC, good for second place currently. They are coming off of a triple overtime loss at home to Georgia Tech on Tuesday. Clemson is the first team out of the Associated Press top-25, receiving 182 votes in the Feb. 3 poll, while being ranked No. The Tigers rank 16th in the nation and second in the ACC with a three-point field goal percentage of 38.4% They also top the conference and rank 35th in the nation in turnover margin (+3.1).

Chase Hunter leads the Tigers in scoring at 17.7 points per game, Hunter is also the lead among starters in 3-point field goal percentage at 44.8%. The Tigers also boast 3 other double figure scorers in Ian Schieffelin, Jaeden Zackery and Viktor Lakhin. Schieffelin, scores it at a 12.8 point per game clip while leading the Tigers in rebounding at 9.5 per game. Transfer guard Jaeden Zackery averages 10.5 points per game and leads the team in assists per game at 3.2. Center, Viktor Lakhin rounds out the double figure scorers for Clemson at 10.5 points per game. Lakhin is a threat both inside and out and shoots the ball from 36% from beyond the arc.

Duke Blue Devils

Duke currently sits at 20-2 on the season and 12-0 in the ACC. The Blue Devils have won 16 straight games, the longest active winning streak in the nation. It’s the longest win streak is the longest by the Blue Devils since the 2005-06 season. Duke’s 12-0 start in ACC play is the best by Duke since the 2005-06 season, when the Blue Devils began the ACC slate with 14 consecutive wins. The Blue Devils lead the country in scoring margin (+20.7) and rank fifth in scoring defense (59.8), seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.377), eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.69), 11th in rebound margin (+8.5), 23rd in assists per game (17.0), 27th in three-pointers per game (10.0) and 41st in field goal percentage (.480) – all top marks in the ACC. Duke is the only team in the country ranked among the top-four in both offensive (4th) and defensive efficiency (2nd), according to KenPom. Duke is the only Division I team to score 80 points or more per game (80.5) and hold its opponents to fewer than 60 points per game (59.8).

Cooper Flagg, who turned 18 years old on Dec. 21, tops Duke in points (430), rebounds (172), assists (91), steals (32) and blocked shots (28). Flagg ranks among the ACC’s top-10 in four of the five major statistical categories – scoring (3rd), rebounding (8th), assists (7th) and blocks (8th), and is 13th in steals. Duke boasts 2 other double figure scorers in freshman Kon Knueppel and junior guard Tyrese Proctor. Knueppel scores it at a 13.5 point per game clip, while dishing 2.6 assists and gathering 3.7 boards. Tyrese Proctor adds 11 points per game while dishing 2.2 assists and grabbing 3.5 rebounds per game. Proctor is shooting 39% from beyond the arc so far this season. Maliq Brown, who topped the ACC with 71 steals last season as a member of the Syracuse Orange, leads the Blue Devils with 103 deflections (eight vs. UNC; 9 vs. Syracuse), an average of 6.1 per game, and is second on the squad with 28 steals. In the last nine games, Sion James has distributed 38 assists with just nine turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.2.

Final Thoughts

Brad Brownell has done a fantastic job this season. His roster is a mix of home grown talent and transfers led by Chase Hunter. Hunter is one of the most steady guards in the ACC. He’s is, without a doubt, the leader of this Clemson squad. As he goes, so does this team. Hunter is a 3-level scorer and really can get going, especially in the mid-range. He’s capable of getting his own shot but also creating for others, he’s the steadying presence that makes Clemson one of the best teams in the ACC. Adding a veteran piece via the transfer portal in guard, Jaeden Zackery gives Brownell another experienced guard who has seen it all.

Where Clemson can be trouble for the Blue Devils is in their ability to create turnovers. They are top 4 in the ACC in steals and funnel those into easier looks in transition. The Blue Devils will be tasked with making sure they are crisp in the passing game and preventing live ball turnovers. Another area where the Tigers excel is from the perimeter, they are 5th in the conference in 3 point shooting at 38%, boasting 3 players shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc. The X-factor for Clemson, for me, is Chauncy Wiggins, his size and ability to finish but also shoot the ball impressively from beyond the arc gives the Tigers a real weapon offensively.