Duke Basketball: Takeaways from tough home loss to upstart Clemson Tigers
1. The Duke frontcourt (sans Wendell Moore) was exposed on defense
This loss was, of course, a tough blow for Duke basketball but it was a blessing in disguise in the fact that it highlighted Duke’s biggest weakness. With their current roster makeup—especially without 6-foot-6, 216 lb. freshman Wendell Moore—Duke is ill-equipped to handle combo forwards.
Clemson leading scorers (and rebounders) Aamir Sims (6-foot-8) and Tevin Mack (6-foot-6) dominated Duke to the tune of a combined 47 points on 68.9% shooting.
Aamir Simms, Tevin Mack and John Newman
— The Brotherhood (@BrotherhoodCBB) January 15, 2020
Combined season averages for the Clemson trio:
34 PPG. 44.9 FG%. 34.1 3P%.
Tonight:
61 points. 69.4 FG%. 54.5 3P%.
https://twitter.com/theACCDN/status/1217285717203865601
Sims was able to score over the top of Javin DeLaurier. Sims exploited Vernon Carey Jr. in pick-and-pops and flustered Matthew Hurt in pick-and-roll actions. Hurt was basically played off the floor in this one. He particularly struggled to guard in space and was the victim of a beautiful stepback jumper from Mack. Hurt ended the night with a negligible impact on the game, only seeing 15 minutes of action.
Carey was his usual dominant self on offense, putting up 20 points on eight-for-14 shooting from the field with four offensive rebounds, and two assists. But on defense, Carey’s lack of mobility really hurt him, more so in tight spaces. Carey, a great shot-blocker, had multiple plays in this game where he would step up to aggressively contest a drive, only to give up an open layup one pass away.
Though the entire Duke team struggled on defense against a hot-shooting Clemson squad, Hurt (15 min., one foul) and Carey’s struggles (four personal fouls in 31 minutes) stood out the most. This is fine for the long-term prospects of Duke basketball, as we are talking about a pair of freshmen who will get better on defense as they gain experience communicating on the court. But in terms of Duke winning the ACC regular-season crown?
Coach K will need his pair of freshmen to show a much-improved effort on defense against Lousiville on Saturday. If he doesn’t have faith in the duo to do so, then we may see a change in the starting lineup.