Duke-Clemson: Blue Devils' Biggest Strength Revealed

Much was made of Duke's game at Clemson Saturday night, so much so that ESPN chose Littlejohn Coliseum as its College Gameday host site.

All the hoopla made perfect sense.

Duke had yet to win a road game this season, and Littlejohn was the site of the Duke's worst loss in 19 years when last year's Tiger squad decimated the Devils 74-47.

Poetically, Duke held Clemson to just 47 points this time around on their way to a convincing double-digit victory.

This was certainly a game the Blue Devils needed to win, at least in order to answer questions about their true potential this season against talented teams away from the friendly cheers of the Cameron Crazies.

In addition to highlighting Duke's ability to execute on the road, the Blue Devils' win over Clemson showcased their biggest strength—experience.

There has been a lot of talk about Duke's team defense, Jon Scheyer's ability to take care of the ball, and the Blue Devils' depth in the post this season.

While those are certainly great strengths for Duke, make no mistake about it: The Blue Devils' ability to field extremely experienced lineups is their biggest advantage.

At the start of the second half against Clemson, Duke's upperclassmen took over on both ends of the court, sparking a 12-2 run the Tigers couldn't overcome.

Ultimately, the Blue Devil juniors and seniors scored 58 of the Blue Devils' 60 points against the Tigers.

This season's Blue Devil team has the ability to go with five experienced and effective upperclassmen in Scheyer, Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, Lance Thomas, and Brian Zoubek.

Scheyer, Smith, and Singler are as deadly a trio as there is in college basketball.  All three are in the top 10 of ACC scorers.

Thomas has been solid offensively in several big games for Duke this season, but his real value is his ability to effectively defend both larger post players and, if necessary, quicker guards.

Zoubek isn't a starter for the Blue Devils this season, but he plays big minutes at key times and has proven himself as one of the most effective rebounders in the nation.

The Plumlee brothers may give the Blue Devils more talent in the post, but Thomas and Zoubek have started more than 100 combined games for Duke, and that experience pays dividends for Duke in crucial game situations. 

This season's Duke team may not be able to field lineups with as much NBA talent as teams like Kentucky or Kansas, but when it comes to experience, few teams in the nation can match the Blue Devils.

Come March, that experience could be the Blue Devil's ticket to their best postseason run in years.