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

1. Kyle Filipowski needs to outplay Hunter Tyson at the 4-spot

The hero of the Pittsburgh win was definitely the five-star freshman big, who was the lone offensive scorer in the first half to keep Duke in the game. He also killed it on the boards and made clutch shots all night to end up with a season-high 28 points and 15 rebounds to lead everyone.

With the guard play spotty at times without Roach on the court, they’ll need Filipowski to be the go-to option. At times that’ll mean turnovers because he gets the ball stripped but Duke will have to live with that at the moment. He also outplayed Pitt’s best forward, Blake Hinson, limiting him to 10 points and three rebounds in the game.

The freshman will now go up against an even better frontcourt player at his position in Hunter Tyson, the breakout star of the ACC. After the big performance against Louisville, the 5th-year senior leads Clemson with 15.4 ppg and 10.0 rpg. He’s shooting 47% from the field, 43% from three-point range, and 87% from the charity stripe. His ability to stretch the floor will keep Filipowski away from the paint and help offset Duke’s overall size advantage inside.

It also means that the 6’8 Hunter will have to guard Filipowski. Both teams have other options but the Tigers’ supporting case has been more consistent, including forward PJ Hall who is a double-digit scorer that also spaces the floor. If Hunter wins this individual matchup, the Blue Devil’s odds of winning will diminish so they’ll need another big game from the freshman on the road.