Duke Basketball: 3 keys to beating ACC 1st-place Clemson Tigers

It’s been a season of unknowns for Duke Basketball, simply not knowing what to expect from one game to the next. And with starting guard Jeremy Roach out for a while with a toe injury, the team has had to rely on different players each game to stay in contention.

In the last game against Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils trailed early and often, taking an 11-point deficit into halftime. But between much better defense and freshman forward Kyle Fliipowski’s career day, they were able to come back and get the 77-69 victory to move to 13-4 (4-2) overall.

It was a needed win for Duke to stay in the ACC title race, now two games back. But the team currently in first place in the standings and unbeaten in the league is not Virginia, North Carolina, or even Miami. It’s the Clemson Tigers, who have been one of the biggest surprises in college basketball.

Clemson (14-3, 6-0) is coming off an 83-70 win over Louisville. But it was a much closer game than the final score suggests, as it was a one-possession battle in the final minutes. But thanks to 28 points and 11 rebounds from Hunter Tyson allowed the Tigers stay unblemished in league play.

With the game at Clemson, expect this to be an incredibly difficult environment for Duke, who hasn’t looked great on the road this season. But they’re going to need to play some of their best ball of the year to pull out the victory. Here are three specific keys to victory for the Blue Devils.