Duke vs Clemson: #12 Duke Blue Devils (14-4, 5-2 ACC) vs. Clemson (13-5, 3-4 ACC)

Overall Duke leads, 114-33
In Durham, NC Duke leads, 65-4
at Cameron Indoor Stadium Duke leads, 62-4
In Clemson, SC Duke leads, 39-25
at Littlejohn Coliseum Duke leads, 26-20
Neutral Sites Duke leads, 10-4
Last Meeting @Clemson 72, Duke 64 (Jan. 14, 2023)

TV/Video Stream ESPN
Play-by-Play Dave O’Brien
Analyst Cory Alexander
Sideline Myron Metcalf
Producer Kim Belton

Radio Blue Devil Sports Net.
Play-by-Play David Shumate
Analyst John Roth
Engineer John Rose
In Durham 96.5 FM & 620 AM
SiriusXM 84

The Tigers roll into Saturday at 13-5 with a 3-4 conference record. They are 2-4 in their last 6 games – their last outing was a road win over Florida State 78-67. Clemson ranks 23rd nationally and third in the ACC in free throw percentage, converting 77.1% from the charity stripe. The Tigers rank 28th in the nation and third in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.52).

PJ Hall is second in the ACC and sits 25th in the nation with 2.06 blocked shots per game, and is the second-leading scorer in the conference with 19.7 points per contest, which ranks 31st nationally. Hall leads the Tigers in scoring and also averages 7.1 rebounds – good for second on the team. Joe Girard is fourth all-time in ACC history for 3-pointers made (349). Girard leads a duo of double-figure guards who score in double-figures. Girard averages 14.9, he also leads the team in assists at 3.5. Chase Hunter rounds out the double-figure scorers at 11.8 per game. Ian Schieffelin Is the ACC’s Most Improved Player – One of 10 players in America averaging at least 9.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game (One of just five power conference players and the lone player in the ACC). Schieffelin leads the Tigers in rebounding in 9.6 boards per game.

Player to Watch:

Ian Schieffelin is the X-Factor for Clemson. Leading the Tigers in rebounding Schieffelin is a guy that recycles possessions for the Tigers – he’s also a sneaky good defender who can do damage in the paint and on the glass. Schieffelin averages 3.4 offensive rebounds a game which is tops in the ACC. Duke will have their hands full against Schieffelin on the glass.

14-4 overall and 5-2 in the ACC and after having their winning streak snapped at 8 games by Pitt in Cameron, the Blue Devils are looking to start a new streak after having defeated Louisville on the road. Duke is top 40 in the country (38th) in assists per game and top 35 in points per game (32). Duke is also 32nd in the country in field goal percentage.

Kyle Filipowski ranks fourth in scoring (18.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.0rpg), fifth in blocked shots (1.8 bpg) and seventh in field goal percentage (.506). Filipowski leads the Blue Devils in scoring, rebounding and blocks per game. Jeremy Roach tops the ACC and ranks 16th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (3.38), while Tyrese Proctor is positioned third in the conference and 20th nationally (3.28). Both guards are averaging double figure points with Roach scoring 14.2 per game and Proctor 10.7. Proctor scored a career-high 24 points, while also dishing four assists in Duke’s 83-69 road win at Louisville on Tuesday. He has now scored in double-figures in each of Duke’s last three games and is averaging 17.3 points over that stretch. Mark Mitchell is averaging 12.7 points per game he returned to Duke’s starting lineup versus Louisville with a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double, the second 20-10 double-double in his past three games. Duke is 25-2 when Mitchell scores in the double digits.

G Jeremy Roach 6’2, 180lbs SR
G Caleb Foster 6’5, 197lbs FR
G Jared McCain 6’3, 197lbs FR
F Mark Mitchell  6’9, 232lbs SO
C Kyle Filipowski 7’0, 248lbs SO

G Joseph Girard III 6’2, 189lbs GR
G Chase Hunter 6’4, 200lbs SR
F Ian Schieffelin 6’8, 238lbs JR
F Chauncey Wiggins 6’10, 210lbs SO
C PJ Hall 6’10, 238lbs SR

Clemson presents a bevy of issues for the Blue Devils – mostly for Duke’s defense. Rebounding, especially defensive rebounding, will be at a premium against Clemson. Allowing the Tigers to recycle possessions could be a death knell for the Blue Devils. Ian Schieffelin leads the ACC in offensive rebounding and is a factor on the glass as well as mixing it up in the paint. In addition, contending with PJ Hall, one of the best players in the ACC this season is always a matchup issue – if the Blue Devils can make Hall defend in spots he’s unaccustomed they could saddle the star senior with foul trouble but conversely the Blue Devils also have to figure out how to defend Hall without fouling. The Blue Devils have not done that consistently this season. Grad transfer Joe Girard is shooting nearly 42% from beyond the arc so getting ball pressure will be an important piece of the puzzle for the Blue Devils. Clemson will look to get Girard looks on the perimeter through a bevy of screen actions that Duke will have to fight over. Chase Hunter may not be shooting the ball well from 3 but he’s a guard that can get going down hill and put up numbers for the Tigers – as Duke saw with Blake Hinson – allowing an average shooter to get hot early is a recipe for disaster. Punching first is important for this team who could take a lesson from the Duke Women’s team who pummeled a ranked Florida State from beginning to end by punching first and punching often and not letting up.