CLEMSON, S.C. -- Last year, the Clemson Tigers welcomed a No. 1 team from the state of North Carolina into Littlejohn Coliseum and sent it home a loser. The team on the short end of the scoreboard that night was a Tar Heel team that ended up losing two of its next four games and concluded its season with a loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The victorious Blue Devil squad that squeaked out a win Saturday hopes the win will propel them to another ACC championship.
Duke looked careless and played out-of-sync basketball at the start of both halves. On the other end of the court, Clemson, coming off six days rest, came out fired up and went toe-to-toe with Duke for the first 10 minutes before faltering. Jason Williams went on a patented, personal run with a barrage of three-pointers to put Duke up 11 at halftime.
In the second half, the tension began to thicken and the crowd became more alive. Several turnovers for the Blue Devils allowed Clemson to creep back into the game, and the Tigers took full advantage of the opportunity given to them. In an atmosphere very reminiscent of last year's stunner over the then-top ranked Tar Heels, Clemson started getting life from its three-point shooting. The Tigers tied the score at 60 with 14 minutes left by using the hot hand of streaky shooter Tony Stockman.
When Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski switched Dahntay Jones on Stockman, he was able to contain the Medina, Ohio, native in the final minutes of the game. His key defensive play has become a trademark, as he showed against Juan Dixon and Maryland just a few weeks ago. The knockout punch came from Chris Duhon, who picked up a loose ball and sank a pull-up three for a five-point lead, and let the air out of the building.
"Dahntay did a great job on Stockman," Williams said. "We did a good job helping him down the stretch making free throws to extend the lead."
The drama was just beginning in the late stages of the game as Jones emphatically threw down an alley-oop dunk and celebrated too much for Shyatt's liking as the Tigers went toward their bench for a timeout. The Clemson coach ran down the sidelines as he yelled toward Krzyzewski and Jones before being restrained by his assistant coaches. The Duke coach displayed his classy nature and walked down to Shyatt to make amends for the previous play.
Shyatt's antics during the game can be attributed to his hot-tempered demeanor, and observers were able to witness some of these episodes earlier this season. Duke fans got a glimpse of Shyatt throwing water on the court in protest of a no-call; the Clemson coach has never been afraid of getting a technical to prove his point. This time, Shyatt, although wrong for running after Jones, was only half of the problem. Jones had just iced the game for the Blue Devils, and his over-exuberance, which brings a necessary element to the Blue Devils, can sometimes get him in trouble. Oddly enough, Krzyzewski condoned his behavior, allowing the junior to stay on the court for the next possession.
Incidents similar to Saturday's have become more common in recent ACC battles. Earlier last week, TV cameras caught Maryland coach Gary Williams using profanity as he told a Virginia player to get away from the Maryland bench during a timeout. This increased intensity is welcomed by fans and players alike, but the conflicts of recent times are dangerously close to escalating into something more serious, which is not in any interest of the ACC. In any case, Saturday night's game will be remembered more for the friction between players than Duhon's key shot or William's numerous three pointers.
After the game, Jones could not recollect his words when shouting to the Clemson bench, but he did have another comment that could show what his team is thinking right now.
"Maybe we needed one like this," Jones said.
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