How Clemson basketball’s upset of Duke is signaling what it can do in NCAA tournament

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CLEMSON — Clemson basketball has become a big-game hunter program.

The No. 21 Tigers upset No. 2 Duke 77-71 at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday.. It was their fifth straight win against an AP top-five team and second this season after beating Kentucky in December.

Still, Saturday’s win was more special. It was against Duke (20-3, 12-1 ACC), a historic powerhouse that entered on a 16-game winning streak and was undefeated in ACC play. The Blue Devils have Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and are seen as an automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament, with the second-best odds to win the national championship, according to FanDuel.

“I would say this is the No. 1 (win at home in my career) just with everything that’s been going on,” Clemson guard Chase Hunter said. “Dickie V’s here, different things like that. I would say this is No. 1, just as far as atmosphere and the way we won and the way this team played today.”

Clemson’s trend of knocking off premier teams could bode well for an NCAA tournament run. Its ability to raise its performance against the top programs has allowed it to become dangerous under coach Brad Brownell.

The Tigers (19-5, 11-2) suffered an upset loss in three overtimes to Georgia Tech on Tuesday, where they were outrebounded 56-46 and gave up 16 more second-chance points. After a three-day break, they returned motivated against the No. 2 team in the country, outrebounding the Blue Devils 36-23 and outscoring them 40-22 in paint points.

A key reason was Clemson center Viktor Lakhin. He fouled out against Georgia Tech after playing only 16 minutes and scoring five points. He was dominant against Duke, however, scoring a team-high 22 points and shooting 75%. He was a matchup nightmare for Duke in the paint, drawing fouls and making tough layups.

“He’s just a valuable player. He’s got to temper his emotions. Sometimes he’s a very emotional guy, cares, wants to win, and do well,” Brownell said. “He was terrific. He was as…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/clemson-basketballs-upset-duke-signaling-094856974.html

Author : Greenville News

Publish date : 2025-02-09 09:48:00

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