Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. Clemson

It seemed as though history would repeat itself Friday night. Nursing a double-digit second half lead against Clemson, Duke let that advantage slip away as the Tigers stormed back to take a 62-61 lead with less than 10 seconds to play. But Rodney Hood saved the day for the Blue Devils yet again, drawing a foul with 3.8 ticks left and hitting both free throws to give Duke back a one-point lead, which was good enough for the victory. Third-seeded Duke will play seventh-seeded N.C. State in the second ACC tournament semifinal game at the Greensboro Coliseum Saturday at 3 p.m.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Lock down on McDaniels: Clemson's leading scorer was held to just two points in the opening 20 minutes, thanks to a stellar team defensive effort by the Blue Devils and exceptional individual work from Rodney Hood. The junior did find the hot hand after intermission, however, keying Clemson's second-half comeback with 10 points. McDaniels finished the game with 12 points and three rebounds, a far cry from the 24 point, 10 rebound performance he had when the Tigers upended the Blue Devils Jan. 11.
• Attack the basket: The Blue Devils came out at the beginning of both halves really looking to drive the ball hard and draw contact. Jabari Parker's first four points came via the free throw line after aggressive drives through the lane. But the gameplan was not consistent throughout the 40 minutes of action, as the Blue Devils began to settle for more outside looks instead of continuing to punish the Tigers down low. Another cold shooting night—3-for-13 from downtown—means Duke should continue to find Parker and Amile Jefferson on the block and create space for Hood, Rasheed Sulaimon and Quinn Cook to drive aggressively.
• Finish strong: Once again, the Tigers clawed back into the game down the stretch, but ultimately could not prevail despite having a chance to win on the game's final possession. Duke seemed in total control of the game with 14:24 remaining, but faltered once again, giving up good looks on the defensive end and going cold on offense. The Blue Devils' inability to deliver a knockout blow when given the opportunity is disconcerting moving forward in postseason play.

Three key plays:

• 2:05 remaining, first half: Quinn Cook finds Jabari Parker for an alley-oop to tie the game at 23-23. The basket kick-started an 8-2 Duke run that consisted of two alley-oops, a break-away lay-up and a break-away dunk—high-percentage shots that put the momentum squarely in Duke's corner.
• 3:10 remaining, second half: Rasheed Sulaimon answers a Rod Hall 3-pointer with a tough basket near the end of the shot clock. The bucket gave Duke a 58-53 cushion and briefly halted Clemson's momentum.
• 3.8 seconds remaining, second half: After Hall briefly gives Clemson a 62-61 lead, head coach Mike Krzyzewski opts not to call timeout with 7.9 seconds to play. Rodney Hood drives the length of the court and draws contact, earning a trip to the free-throw line. The redshirt sophomore sinks both free throws to secure the win for Duke.

Three key stats:

• Duke hits 16-of-18 free throws: The Blue Devils made their first 10 attempts from the charity stripe, and each free throw became increasingly important as the game wore on. As Duke found success from the line, the Tigers struggled, shooting just 14-of-21, free points that Clemson desperately could've used.
• Amile Jefferson snags 13 rebounds: The 6-foot-8 sophomore has been a beast on the boards in the latter half of the season, as the Philadelphia native snagged more than a third of Duke's 34 total rebounds. Jefferson had six offensive rebounds; Marshall Plumlee was second on the team with four total boards.
• Andre Dawkins plays seven minutes: Dawkins got his second straight start ahead of Rasheed Sulaimon, but was a non-factor Friday night, missing his only field goal attempt in seven minutes of first-half action. The graduate student did not see the court in the second half.

And the Duke game ball goes to.... Rodney Hood:

Hood had an interesting night, sprinting to the bench at one point in the second half to vomit into a Gatorade cooler before returning to pace Duke down the stretch and hit the game-deciding free throws. The Meridian, Miss., native finished with 17 points and once again found himself at the center of a debatable foul call at the end of a game. For just the second time all season, Hood did not hit a 3-point shot; the first came in Duke's third game of the season, a 97-64 blowout of Florida Atlantic Nov. 15.

And the Clemson game ball goes to.... Rod Hall:

Hall scored a team-high 13 points for the Tigers and was a catalyst in Clemson's comeback bid. He hit a 3-pointer to bring his team within three points with less than four minutes remaining, and got a shooter's bounce on a tough floater with nine seconds left to give the Tigers a one-point lead. Hall was joined in double-figures by three teammates, but it was his clutch shooting down the stretch that nearly catapulted the Tigers into the ACC tournament semifinals.