Duke Basketball: Devils Looking for Revenge in Matchup Against Clemson

Just one year ago, the Duke Blue Devils were handed their worst loss since the beginning of the 1996-1997 basketball season. It didn't come at the hands of their arch-rivals from Chapel Hill who won the National Championship, nor did it come during the ACC or NCAA Tournaments.

No, this loss occurred in Littlejohn Coliseum versus the Clemson Tigers.

The third-ranked Blue Devils were confident heading into their big game against the 10th-ranked Clemson Tigers. Clemson, on the other hand, wasn't looking forward to the highly-promoted matchup, as they had lost 20 consecutive regular season games against Duke.

The fans were ready for this game in Clemson, SC, however. They had long awaited the Blue Devils' return to play basketball at Clemson, ready to cheer their team on after a heartbreaking loss at Cameron Indoor two years before.

In that game, Clemson's Vernon Hamilton scored on a layup, cutting Duke's lead to 66-63 with 5.0 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Josh McRoberts' errant inbounds pass went directly to Hamilton, who drained a three-pointer as time ran down.

The clock, however, did not start when Hamilton touched the ball. In fact, it didn't even start until the ball was going through the cylinder to tie the game.

The referees confirmed that there were approximately 4.2 seconds remaining in the game and that Duke would inbound the ball once again for a last-second shot attempt.

McRoberts again inbounded the ball, this time to a wide open Jon Scheyer at half court. Scheyer then noticed that David McClure was open under the basket. Instead of heaving up a long three-point attempt, he passed the ball to McClure in the post.

With one second left in the game, McClure went up for a lay-up, and as the buzzer sounded, the ball made its way through the hoop. The last-second shot robbed Clemson of a win, or at least a chance of winning, and put McClure's play in the highlight reel.

The Clemson Tigers were again denied a win against Duke, but this time they had reason to believe that it was the Cameron Indoor clock operator's fault, not their own. After several replays of the shot, Clemson fans were prepared to get revenge on Duke the next time they traveled to South Carolina.

That's exactly what happened, except in a blowout, not a last second heartbreaker for the Blue Devil faithful.

Early on in their Feb. 4, 2009, matchup it looked like it was going to be a classic Duke vs. Clemson game, as the score was tied 13-13, and physical play ruled the court.

However, Clemson used a 20-8 run over the last eight minutes of the first half to take a 33-21 lead. The Tigers kept up the end-to-end defense that had disrupted the Blue Devils throughout the second half on their way to a 74-47 win.

Duke shot just 30.8 percent from the floor in the loss, and the 47 points scored was their lowest point total in a game since 1995.

"It was 40 minutes of them dominating," Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They just kicked our butts."

Tigers fans mobbed the court when it was finished, joyously celebrating what they hadn't watched there since 1997—a Clemson win over Duke.

Going into this season's first matchup against the rivals, the Blue Devils look to be the easy favorite as No. 7 Duke takes on No. 21 Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke (11-1) has been the top team in the ACC during the first month of the season, where Clemson (12-2) hasn't been too far behind.

Jon Scheyer, who is averaging a team-high 18.6 points and 6.4 assists per game, has led the Blue Devils early on as a very solid point guard, and will look to continue his early season success against the Tigers.

On the other side, Trevor Booker has been leading the Clemson Tigers from a different point of view: down low in the post. Booker, averaging a team-high 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, has been dominant in the interior, and will look to challenge the young Duke big men in the paint.

Either way, both seniors will lead their respective schools during the course of ACC play, and both should excel in their leadership positions. They have both adapted well to their new roles early on, and should continue to grow as the season continues.

Look for a great game tonight as Duke takes on Clemson, seeking revenge against the Tigers after last season's humiliating blowout loss. Duke has a balanced attack of Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith on the perimeter, and will counter with a young core of interior players.

Those three players, Scheyer, Singler, and Smith, should be enough to lead Duke to a big win tonight as both teams play in their ACC opener. Duke is the favorite to win the ACC at this moment, and they will receive their first major challenge at achieving that dream versus Clemson later on this afternoon.

The News & Observer , located in Raleigh, NC, recently interviewed Jon Scheyer of Duke and asked him about the Blue Devil's chances of winning the ACC: 

"I feel very confident that we're going to win," Scheyer said. "Obviously I know how hard it is at the same time. We've been really close the last couple of years. I think this group of juniors and seniors, we really want to win it, bad"

Duke must get the job done, and that starts tonight in a grudge match versus Clemson.