Your Pocket Guide to Duke-Clemson

The No. 7 Blue Devils will look to avoid losing their third straight ACC road game when they take on No. 17 Clemson tonight at 9 pm. Duke won the first meeting between the two teams 74-53 back on January 3, but tonight's game should be much closer as the Blue Devils have yet to prove they can win conference games away from Cameron Indoor Stadium. Here's what you should know before tip-off:

1. Both teams have scores to settle. The Tigers will want to redeem themselves after the 21-point rout they suffered at Cameron. In that game, Clemson only put up 12 points when the buzzer sounded for halftime, the lowest first-half scoring output in seven years under head coach Oliver Purnell. Moreover, standout big man Trevor Booker will no doubt be out for blood, since the Blue Devils limited the preseason All-ACC pick to 10 points on meager 4-of-11 shooting. On the other hand, Duke is hungry for revenge as well. The Tigers embarrassed the Blue Devils last year in Littlejohn Coliseum, winning the game 74-47. The loss was Duke's worst in the ACC since 1984, and many will remember how Coach K called a timeout with 27.6 seconds remaining so his team could soak in the shame of the performance.

2. Littlejohn Coliseum is a tough place to play. Clemson ripped then-No. 21 North Carolina 83-64 on January 13, leading by as much as 23 and forcing 26 turnovers. The Tigers are 9-1 at home this season, with the only defeat a 74-76 loss to Illinois after they blew a 23-point second-half lead. The Coliseum also resembles Cameron in that the student section behind both baskets stands within five feet of any players inbounding along the baseline. The Tigers also boast a student section called Oliver Purnell's Posse, or the OPP. And even die-hard Crazies have to admit, they have pretty cool shirts. On top of that, the students should be even more pumped up than usual because ESPN's College GameDay crew broadcast live from the Coliseum this morning.

3. Clemson loves to press. The Tigers' calling card is their pressure defense, and they will most likely apply a fullcourt press early and often, using both man-t0-man and zone looks. Clemson ranks seventh in the NCAA in steals per game (10.94) and four different players have at least 20 swipes. But Jon Scheyer leads the nation with a 4.04 assist to turnover ratio, and Duke is 31st in the country in turnovers per game (11.8), so it will be interesting to see if the Tigers can fluster the Blue Devils with their relentless defense.

Records:

Duke—(15-3, 3-2 in the ACC); Clemson—(15-4, 3-2 in the ACC)

Duke's Projected Starters:

G Nolan Smith (18.3 PPG, .509 3FG%)

Clemson's Projected Starters:

G Demontez Stitt (11.2 PPG, 3.7 APG)

G Tanner Smith (10.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG)

F David Potter (6.7 PPG, 1.5 SPG)

F Jerai Grant (6.2 PPG, .646 FG%)

F Trevor Booker (15.6 PPG, 1.4 BPG)

Latest Line:

Duke -1.0