Coach K called a timeout down by more than 20 points in the final minute at Littlejohn Coliseum last season—obviously it’s just speculation, but I imagine that timeout was just for this Sunday when the Tigers come to Cameron Indoor. He wanted them to soak up that moment of defeat when a team that usually does not beat you like that—did.

In the 2009-10 season to this point, the Blue Devils are a whole new team from that game. Sophomore guard Nolan Smith has taken a prominent role that he did not have back then as a primary scorer for the Blue Devils in the season so far. Senior guard Jon Scheyer took up the role as point guard after that fateful game and has grown into the role this season as he is running neck and neck with Smith as leading scorers for Duke. In a year where the size of Duke was supposed to dominate the team, these two guards have guided the Blue Devils to their 11-1 record with impressive wins all over the board.

But the Tigers are not about to give up that 27 point margin easy—even in Cameron. The Tigers have impressive wins of their own and were rolling opponents until a misstep Tuesday versus South Carolina State where they escaped with a 70-67 win over a 6-3 Bulldogs team. The Tigers’ attack runs through senior Trevor Booker down-low and a number of talented guards in senior Demontez Stitt and sophomores Tanner Smith and Andre Young. Clemson’s size can match up with anyone though Booker is the only primary scorer up to this point with Trevor’s brother Devin Booker, Milton Jennings, Jerai Grant, David Potter, and Bryan Narcisse all in the mix for Tigers’ aggressive press defense.

The notorious Clemson press shut down the Devils in last year’s game as Duke had no answer for it with struggling ball-handlers. The development of both Smith and Scheyer will help this year, but the depth behind them is troubling. Clemson’s main goal will be to wear these guys out as they are both averaging over 32 minutes and only one other guard is averaging major minutes with Andre Dawkins at over 19 a game.

Winning at Cameron Indoor is the behemoth that is before the Tigers that were able to beat the Blue Devils so easily last year. It will be a raucous atmosphere that will be ready for them along with the team full of college and incoming high school All-Americans and a hall of fame coach to boot.

Both teams have a mix of youth with veterans, both have quality guard play, and both have quality big men. Duke now has the size to effect the Tigers’ Booker which means that the other forwards for Clemson have to step up along with guards hitting open perimeter shots that will open up with double-teaming Booker(because despite the size—no one on Duke can handle Booker by himself, nobody). Duke prevails in a hotly contested game on Sunday night as it will go back and forth often with the Blue Devils hitting the key free throws down the stretch to pull out a close ACC home opener.

Be sure to tune in at 7:45 on Sunday on your regional TV outlet carrying the game for this classic of an ACC game!

This entry was posted on Friday, January 1st, 2010 at 7:59 pm and is filed under Basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.