Beyond the arc: Duke basketball vs. Clemson

No. 16 Duke (12-4, 1-2 in the ACC) got mauled in the second half and remained winless on the road this season, falling 72-59 to Clemson (11-4, 2-1) on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Blue Devils were outscored 41-22 in the second half and shot just 33.9 percent from the field for the contest. Freshman phenom Jabari Parker scored 10 early points and Duke had opportunities to build a sizable lead in the first half, but the Tigers hung around and punished the Blue Devils in the paint in the second half when Duke hit its dry spell, just as Notre Dame did when the Irish upset the Blue Devils—Duke went the final 6:28 of the game without a made field goal. Clemson’s fans stormed the court after the win, one that will likely knock Duke out of the AP top 25 for the first time since 2007.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Establish scoring depth: The Blue Devils had very little scoring depth on Saturday, one of the main reasons they got dominated in the second half when their stars were struggling to make shots. Junior point guard Quinn Cook, redshirt sophomore forward Rodney Hood and Parker were receiving almost all of the attention from the Clemson defense, but the Duke supporting cast was unable to step up when the team needed it to. The rest of the Blue Devils accounted for just 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting—a lack of scoring depth remains a major concern for Duke going forward.

• Get big: The Blue Devils also failed to get big against a bigger, more physical Clemson squad. Led by junior forward K.J. McDaniels, the Tigers established control of the paint early in the game, getting to the free throw line with ease and getting high-percentage shots inside. McDaniels, freshman forward Jaron Blossomgame and sophomore center Landry Nnoko all had double-doubles and dominated Duke inside—the Tigers outrebounded Duke 48-30 and blocked seven shots, all by McDaniels and Nnoko.

• Match Clemson’s defensive intensity: Although the Blue Devils forced 10 Clemson turnovers while committing five themselves, just as was the case against Notre Dame, Duke’s defensive intensity in the paint was not of the caliber necessary to win an ACC road game. The Blue Devil guards did not do a good enough job getting back on defense and shutting down penetration, meaning that Duke’s big men were consistently forced to help off Clemson’s big men, allowing McDaniels, Blossomgame and Nnoko to have a field day inside and on the offensive glass. Both Blossomgame and Nnoko had the games of their respective careers on Saturday—Duke’s defensive intensity was putrid, especially in the second half.

• 7:28, second half: Blossomgame breaks a 54-54 tie and gives his team the lead for good with his second 3-pointer in the last two minutes and only his fifth of the season, taking advantage the air space allowed by Duke’s guards. The trey was a back-breaker, sparking Clemson’s huge run to end the game as the Blue Devils sputtered near the finish line again on the road.

Three key stats:

• Clemson shoots 30 free throws, Duke shoots 15: The Tigers were the aggressor on both ends of the court on Saturday and were rewarded by the referees, shooting twice as many free throws as the Blue Devils. Although Clemson missed 12 of its free throws, their attacking mentality kept Duke out of transition and helped the Tigers control the game in the second half. Clemson’s ability to defend the Blue Devils off the dribble without fouling also compounded Duke’s offensive struggles late in the game.

• Hood has just one rebound, no assists: It is difficult to be critical of Hood—especially considering he led the Blue Devils in scoring as he has in every conference game with 20 points—but the redshirt sophomore was consistently demonized in the paint by Clemson’s frontcourt and frequently looked disinterested on the defensive end. Duke will not be able to capitalize on its versatility if the Mississippi State transfer continues to give such a lackadaisical effort on the boards. Additionally, Hood and the other Duke stars did not do a good enough job of setting up their teammates when swarmed by multiple defenders—Hood has shown he’s an outstanding individual player, but for the Blue Devils to be great he has to make his teammates better.

• Duke’s guards go 5-of-26 from the field: Cook had one of the worst shooting games of his career on Saturday, going just 3-of-14 from the field, but the other Blue Devil guards did not help matters and were equally inadequate with their perimeter shooting. Hood, Parker and sophomore forward Amile Jefferson were a respectable 15-of-33 shooting but did not get enough touches in the second half, limiting Duke’s ability to get to the free throw line and quiet the Clemson crowd. Poor guard play on the road continues to haunt the Blue Devils this season.

And the Duke game ball goes to… Jabari Parker

Although Hood led the Blue Devils in scoring with 20 points, Parker added 15 points and led the Blue Devils with seven rebounds. The freshman phenom also had Duke’s only two blocks of the contest and seemed to be making a concerted effort on the defensive end of the court unlike many of his teammates—Parker’s struggles as an interior defender had more to do with Clemson’s superior size and athleticism inside than a lack of effort. Although Parker struggled from the field—shooting just 5-of-13—none of Duke’s players shot the ball well on Saturday and Parker came out of the gate with the most intensity. Unfortunately, the rest of the Blue Devils were unable to follow his lead and pull away when they had the chance early in the game.

And the Clemson game ball goes to… K.J. McDaniels

The junior forward was outstanding on Saturday as he has been all season, scoring 24 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking three shots. McDaniels kept Clemson in the game in the first half, frequently scoring or getting to the free throw line to keep his team within striking distance, and his activity opened things up for Blossomgame and Nnoko to take over in the second half. McDaniels athleticism and versatility made him a matchup nightmare for Duke, a strong statement considering the presence of Parker and Hood on the Blue Devil roster.