This weekend marks the biggest road test of the season for Clemson so far this season.
The Tigers (13-5, 3-4 ACC) will travel to Durham, North Carolina, to face the No. 12 Duke Blue Devils (14-4, 5-2 ACC) at the infamous Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the tall task at hand for Clemson head coach Brad Brownell and his squad, the Tigers do have a few advantages ahead of the clash between two of the top ACC teams.
First, the Tigers got the last laugh in the head-to-head matchups between the two. In perhaps one of the best home crowds in recent history at Littlejohn Coliseum in January 2023, Clemson pulled away late in the second half to secure a 72-64 victory over the Blue Devils for their first win since the 2019-2020 season. With plenty of vital pieces returning for both sides, Brownell will see some familiar faces that played a season ago on the other side.
Secondly, a full week of rest is essential, especially for the rapid pace of games that college basketball is played. Clemson’s last outing was on Jan. 20, where they defeated the Florida State Seminoles in a game where the Tigers were able to pull away late. Because of no weekday game this week, the team will have a full week of rest unlike Duke, who had to travel to Louisville, Kentucky to face the Cardinals, where they won by 14 points.
With four players with ten points or more last weekend for Clemson, the bench will play a huge factor for a team that has relied on their starters for a majority of their points. Especially with players like Jack Clark returning for the Tigers, key bench pieces R.J. Godfrey and Josh Beadle, who scored a career-high 12 points against the Seminoles.
Despite plenty of factors, the notorious blue blood still has incredible power, and has the capability to dominate Saturday’s game. Leading head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad is center Kyle Filipowski. The sophomore leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks, averaging 18.2, 9.0 and 1.8, respectively. With an incredible three-point percentage of 39.7%, the Duke standout is lethal from anywhere on the court, making it a huge task for Clemson center PJ Hall this weekend.
It is not just Filipowski that the Tigers need to worry about, as this Blue Devil squad is loaded with other young talent, especially in the backcourt. Freshmen Jared McCain and Caleb Foster are seen constantly throughout the rotation, playing in starting roles as of late. McCain averages 10.3 points and 3.9 rebounds a game while Foster averages 8.1 points and 2.3 assists so far this season.
Another familiar face that Clemson has faced before is sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor, who leads the team in assists with 3.9 a night. A great slashing point guard with playmaking ability, Clemson guards Joe Girard III and Chase Hunter will have their hands full on Saturday.
However, Duke captain Jeremy Roach is questionable to play this weekend, which is a huge advantage for Clemson. The junior guard is an incredible playmaker and defender, averaging 14.4 points and 1.5 steals this season. Roach injured his right ankle in Duke’s win over Louisville and was seen on crutches after the game. He did not play in Duke’s loss to the Tigers last season either, and his presence in the backcourt for Duke will most surely be missed if he is unable to play.
A win could grant Clemson with continuous success in the ACC, as well as reach .500 after a slow start to begin play in the conference.
Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
