It may not have the hype of the Tobacco Road rivalry, but the Blue Devils know they can’t let their foot off the gas pedal against their next opponent.
After surviving a thrilling 92-90 overtime victory against North Carolina Wednesday night, No. 4 Duke returns to the hardwood at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday afternoon for a 4 p.m. matchup against Clemson. The Tigers didn’t make the trek to Durham a season ago, but still faced off twice against the Blue Devils—dispatching a then-No. 16 Duke squad 72-59 at home in January before falling in a down-to-the-wire 63-62 contest in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.
With just two days to recuperate following a win that was both physically and emotionally draining, the Blue Devils know they are going to need to come out with a high level of intensity to avoid the classic letdown game.
"It's not a time to talk about a victory, it's time to prepare for the next victory," assistant coach Nate James said. "Clemson is really tough and talented, so it's going to be a big-time game."
Of course, everything for Duke (20-3, 10-3 in the ACC) hinges on the health and availability of its superstar, freshman center Jahlil Okafor.
Okafor—the Blue Devils’ leading scorer and rebounder—went down hard grabbing his ankle after missing a jumper late in the first half of Wednesday’s game and was forced to sit on the bench for a few minutes, but returned to play the entire second half en route to a career-high 41 minutes. The injury has been classified as an ankle sprain and James said a final decision will not be made until gameday.
"It's still a little swollen, it still hurts. He wants to be there for his guys. So what happens [Saturday], we'll know more when he has a little more time to heal and get some more treatment on it," James said. "Hopefully he'll be back and being himself, and we need that. What's important is the other seven players be prepared to play and to fight for 40 minutes."
Even if Okafor is able to suit up, his effectiveness and ability to dominate in the post are separate matters entirely. The Preseason First-Team All-American posted a solid final stat line of 13 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday, but didn’t look like his usual self after the injury. Okafor especially struggled on the defensive end—where he allowed Tar Heel post man Kennedy Meeks to rack up 18 points on just 10 shots—as North Carolina continued to grab its own misses and score on easy second-chance putbacks.
Should Okafor be limited or unavailable altogether, his minutes will likely be shared between Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee, both of whom have been playing more complementary roles as of late.
The duo will have to put together a strong inside performance to contend with emerging sophomore Jaron Blossomgame—who, despite a relatively slight 6-foot-7, 215 pound, frame is the leading scorer and rebounder for Clemson (15-11, 7-7). Blossomgame has undergone a major leap in his second year, posting averages of 12.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game that are both significant increases from the 4.9 and 5.1 marks he recorded a season ago.
"Blossomgame, he's playing really well for them," James said. "The thing that he does is he hits the offensive glass. He's constantly pursuing the basketball. So we have to rebound—I know last game we gave up close to 16 offensive rebounds.
The Alpharetta, Ga., native is no stranger to success against the Blue Devils and should be familiar to the veteran pair of Jefferson and Plumlee. In last January’s matchup, Blossomgame put together by far the best game of his freshman campaign—recording his first career double-double with a 14-point, 14-rebound performance that helped send the favored Blue Devils home with a loss.
One way Duke will likely look to attack the Tigers—especially if it goes with a smaller lineup without Okafor—is by pushing the pace and getting out in transition. Clemson is dead last in the ACC in scoring with only 62.2 points per game—a figure the Blue Devils eclipse by nearly 20 points—but makes up for its lack of offensive firepower on the offensive end with a hard-nosed defense that yields just 60.1 points per contest. The Tigers’ slow, grind-it-out style contrasts greatly with Duke’s preferred high-tempo attack, and whichever side gets to dictate the pace of the game will have a significant advantage.
"Ultimately, we have to play hard, but we have to play smart. We can't have guys get into foul trouble," James said. "We have to make sure we take care of the ball and execute."
The backcourt duo of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook will want to continue their recent stretch of strong play and control the game against a Clemson squad that doesn’t have a lot of firepower on the perimeter. The Tigers don’t have a single shooter connecting at better than a 35 percent clip from 3-point range—a mark surpassed by four Blue Devils. As a team, Clemson has more turnovers than assists and its leading distributor—senior point guard Rod Hall—has an assist to turnover ratio of less than 2:1.
Jones and Cook have been staples for Duke all season, and if the tandem continues to put up clutch performances like Wednesday’s 44-point combined output, then the Blue Devils may be able to survive with Okafor out of commission or not at full strength.
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