After an instant classic against rival North Carolina Wednesday, No. 4 Duke (23-3, 10-3 in the ACC) returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday to face off against Clemson (15-11, 7-7). The Blue Devils are riding high thanks to an emotional victory against the Tar Heels that involved fighting back from seven points down with two minutes remaining and a furious overtime battle. But Duke will need to keep its emotions in check as it looks to avenge its two poor performances—a loss and a 1-point win—against the Tigers last season. Clemson enters the contest losers of three out of four and in need of a win if it wishes to finish the season above .500 in conference play like it did last year. Before every game this season, the Blue Zone will select a player on both teams that could make the difference for their respective squads:
Duke: guard Quinn Cook
With a young team, emotions after a game like Wednesday’s can disrupt flow and cause that team to drop a game that otherwise should be in the bag. That’s where this team’s lone senior comes into play. Cook needs to be the leader that he has been all season for this freshmen-laden team—the rock on which the rest of the team can lean for support and guidance. The Blue Devils had two disappointing performances against Clemson last season, as Cook is fully aware, and he needs to be on all of the young guys to keep their heads on straight. The Tigers may not be the Tar Heels, but they do have a tendency to sneak up teams when they least suspect it.
Outside of leadership, Duke will need its senior to do some scoring Saturday. Clemson is a defense first team as is evident by its 34th best points against average compared to its 296th points for average (the Tiger’s points for per game, 62.2, is just 2.1 points higher than its points allowed per game). Probable No. 1 draft pick Jahlil Okafor is currently questionable for Saturday’s game after spraining his ankle against North Carolina and if the Blue Devils do not have their big man in the paint, the onus will fall to Cook to pick up the slack against a forward-heavy team that defends the ball well.
If Cook can continue his hot shooting from Wednesday—the Washington native drained 6-of-9 triples—then Duke shouldn’t have too much of a problem against Clemson.
Clemson: guard Rod Hall
The Tigers don’t have much offense and when they do, it generally comes from forward Jaron Blossomgame, who averages a team-leading 12.9 points per game. If Clemson wants to have a shot to take down an offensive powerhouse like the Blue Devils, then it will need to find offense from another source regardless of whether or not Okafor plays. The team’s second-leading scorer, Donte Grantham, is also a forward, but the Tigers will need a guard to step up if they want to repeat last season’s upset. Senior Rod Hall is usually the facilitator for Clemson as he averages a solid 3.5 assists per game as compared to his decent 8.7 points per game total. He will need to put the ball in the basket a few more times to help pull off the upset, and he will likely have the opportunity to do so.
The Blue Devils will have their hands full in the interior trying to shut down Blossomgame and Grantham, leaving Hall to take care of the perimeter defense, which has been susceptible at times for Duke. If Okafor does play, his ankle may limit him, making his mobility questionable on the defensive end. If Krzyzewski chooses to stick with man-to-man at that point, Duke could be susceptible to the pick and roll, something it has struggled guarding at various points this season. That would leave Hall the opportunity the choice to take the ball to the rim if a lane opens up, or do what he does best and dish it to his open big man.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.