After one of its best defensive performances to date this year, No. 12 Duke will travel to take on No. 11 Clemson Sunday at 1 p.m. The Blue Zone gives three keys for the Blue Devils to come out on top:
Continue to play through Grayson Allen
After a myriad of struggles throughout conference play, senior Grayson Allen finally seems to have found his stroke.
With freshman Marvin Bagley III out nursing a mild knee sprain, Allen has stepped up over the last two games, grinding out his best two performances of conference play. Despite shooting woes in Sunday’s 23-point outburst against Georgia Tech, Allen showed a level of physicality that has been nonexistent for much of the season, getting to the line 10 times and converting on each opportunity.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native finally turned in a vintage Grayson Allen shooting performance Wednesday, when he tied his season-high with seven made 3-pointers in a 25-point performance. Duke will need to continue to ride the veteran's hot hand and feed him when possible against Clemson, which has been particularly prone to giving up 3-pointers.
Lock down the perimeter
Clemson predominantly attacks its opponents from the perimeter, and have done so with success.
The Blue Devils will especially need to watch out for Gabe DeVoe, who leads the team in 3-pointers and 3-point shooting at 43.4 percent. Especially with guard Shelton Mitchell likely out with a head injury, if Duke can shut down the Tiger’s primary perimeter threat, they will likely not be able to recover.
Clemson does not have a player taller than 6-foot-9 and could struggle getting to the basket with 6-foot-11 Marques Bolden and 6-foot-10 Wendell Carter Jr. patrolling the interior.
Dominate on the glass
Playing against a relatively undersized Clemson team, Duke will especially need to take care of business on the boards. Although the Blue Devils will be without their leading rebounder in Bagley, they still have Carter, who has averaged nearly 10 rebounds per game in the post.
Duke will also need its perimeter players to step up and be aggressive on the boards. The Tigers' abundance of 3-point attempts will likely also lead to a plethora of long rebounds, which the Blue Devils struggled mightily to corral with in a road loss to North Carolina.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.