Clemson vs. Duke Men’s Basketball Game Notes

March 15, 2008

Clemson ACC Tournament History Notes *Clemson defeated Boston College in the first round of the ACC tournament by an 82-48 score. The 34-point victory was the largest margin of victory in Clemson history in the ACC Tournament. Clemson’s previous best was a 21-point victory over NC State (67-46) in Raleigh in the first round of the 1962 Tournament. That was the only previous year that Clemson advanced to the finals of this event.

*Clemson held Boston College to 48 points, its best scoring defense in an ACC Tournament game since 1970 when Clemson lost to South Carolina 34-33 in a game many years prior to the shot clock. It was also Clemson’s best scoring defense in an ACC game since the Tigers beat Florida State 51-48 in 2003-04, Oliver Purnell’s first season.

*The only time Clemson has advanced to the championship game of the ACC Tournament was in 1962 when it upset an eighth-ranked Duke team in Raleigh, 77-72. Clemson had lost both regular season games to Duke that year. Saturday Clemson will face a seventh-ranked (both polls) Duke team. Duke won the only regular season meeting this year, 93-80.

*Jim Brennan scored 34 points in that win over Duke in 1962, tied for the most points by a Clemson player in an ACC Tournament game. Brennan is a long time resident of Charlotte.

*This is Clemson’s 11th trip to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and the Tigers are 1-9 in their previous 10 appearances. Clemson has lost nine in a row in the semifinals. This is the first time Clemson has reached the semifinals since 1998 when Rick Barnes was the head coach. Clemson dropped a 66-64 decision to a number-one ranked Duke team in the semifinals that year on a driving shot by William Avery with under a second left.

*That loss to Duke in 1998 is the closest Clemson has gotten to the finals in terms of final score since 1962. However, Clemson lost to North Carolina in the 1975 ACC Tournament by five points, 76-71, but the loss was in overtime. Tree Rollins had a hook shot from the baseline on the last play of regulation that would have won the game, but the shot rimmed out.

*Duke has a 5-3 lead in the ACC Tournament against Clemson. The teams last met in 2000 in Charlotte and the Blue Devils won 94-63 in a first round game. Clemson has not beaten Duke in the tournament since 1977 Tournament in Greensboro by a 78-76 score. Mike Gminski, Raycom TV color commentator for this event, played in that game for Duke. Clemson has lost four straight ACC Tournament games to Duke.

*Clemson had a 17-point halftime lead against Boston College (42-25), the largest halftime margin in Clemson history in an ACC Tournament game. In fact, Clemson has had just two other double digit leads at halftime in the tournament. Clemson led Wake Forest by 12 points (34-22) in 1987 at intermission, but lost the game. In 1990, Clemson led Wake Forest by 11 points (44-33) before winning 79-70. Elden Campbell, Clemson’s legend representative this weekend, played in both of those games. So, he has been on the scene for all three of Clemson’s double digit halftime leads in the ACC Tournament.

*Clemson has won just one postseason tournament in its history, the 1939 Southern Conference Tournament in Raleigh. Clemson defeated North Carolina, Wake Forest, Davidson and Maryland in four consecutive days. Clemson did not lead at halftime in any of those four games. It remains the only time Clemson has won four games in four days in school history.

Clemson vs. Duke Team Notes *Duke has beaten Clemson 22 consecutive games, the longest active winning streak for one school over another in ACC men’s basketball. Clemson has not beaten Duke since an 86-82 overtime victory at Clemson on January 7, 1997. Clemson has not beaten Duke outside of Littlejohn Coliseum since January 4, 1995 when the Tigers won at Cameron Indoor Stadium, 75-70. That was Rick Barnes first ACC game as Clemson head coach.

*In the 22-game streak, Duke has registered 15 double digit victories. Oliver Purnell’s has come within eight points or less against the Blue Devils three times as Clemson head coach, including last year when the Tigers dropped a 68-66 decision at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Clemson also lost by just five points at Clemson last year.

*Clemson has lost the 22 consecutive games to Duke by 337 points, or an average of 15.3 points per game.

*While Clemson has lost 22 in a row against Duke, the Blue Devils have been ranked in the top 10 in 21 of the 22 and in the top five 17 times.

*Duke is the only ACC team Oliver Purnell’s has not beaten since he became Clemson Head Coach prior to the 2003-04 season.

*Overall, Duke has a 100-27 advantage in the series. Twenty of the 27 wins have come at Clemson. The Tigers are 7-64 against Duke in games away from Clemson.

*Duke’s 22-game winning streak over Clemson includes the 93-80 Blue Devils victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 19,2008. That was the only meeting between the two teams this year. That is the largest margin of defeat for Clemson this year.

*In the first meeting between the two teams, the Blue Devils won the points off turnover statistic 37-12. That is the largest negative margin for Clemson in that statistic this year by a wide margin.

*Clemson had a +16 rebound margin in the first game, its biggest rebound margin in a loss this year. Clemson also shot 53 percent from the field, but lost the game, its best field goal percentage in a loss all season. But Duke had a 21-11 advantage in turnover margin and Clemson made just 10-23 free throws.

*Duke shot 53.4 percent against Clemson in the first meeting, the best field goal percentage against the Tiger defense all year.

*Clemson and Duke both have five players apiece averaging in double figures.

*Over the last eight games of this season, Clemson actually has a better record than Duke. Clemson is 6-2 for its last eight games, while Duke is 5-3.

Clemson Team Notes *This Clemson senior class now has 83 wins in its career. A victory against Duke would tie the school record of 84 set by the seniors of 1990. The leader of that class was Elden Campbell, who will be on hand to see if that record can be tied when he is Clemson’s Legend representative at the ACC Tournament on Saturday.

*The top two winningest players in Clemson history will be in the building on Saturday. Campbell is first with 84 and current Clemson guard Cliff Hammonds is second with 83. A Clemson win would allow Hammonds to tie Campbell’s record.

*The 23 wins this season stand in a tie for fourth for most victories in Clemson history. The record is 25 set by the 1986-87 and 2006-07 teams.

*With the win over Boston College, Clemson now has 11 wins over ACC teams this year to tie a school record. The 1989-90 team, led by Elden Campbell, had 10 regular season wins and an ACC Tournament win to also have 11 wins in a season.

*Clemson has won 48 games over the last two years, a school record for wins in consecutive seasons.

*While everyone was a caught up in whether or not Clemson would reach its record for victory margin in an ACC Tournament game, it actually tied the school record for victory margin in any game against an ACC opponent. Clemson’s 34-point victory ties the mark set against Duke on Feb. 15, 1975. Clemson downed the Blue Devils at Clemson that night, 100-66.

*Clemson has had just four wins by 30 points or more against an ACC team in its history and two of the four have come this year. And both have been away from home. Earlier this year Clemson won at Virginia by 31 points in a 82-51 victory.

*That was Clemson’s seventh victory by double digits against an ACC team this year, record for that category.

*Clemson had nine dunks in its opening round win over Boston College.

*Clemson has won four of its last five games with the only loss by five points at Georgia Tech.

*Clemson is allowing opponents to shoot just 30.1 percent on three-point shots this year. If the season ended today that would be a school record for three-point defense.

Clemson Individual Notes *Trevor Booker had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the earlier meeting with Duke this season. Booker has played three games against Duke and North Carolina this year and had a double-double in all three games.

*Raymond Sykes made 6-6 shots from the field against Boston College and has now made 11 consecutive shots from the field over three games. His last miss was in the second half at Maryland. He had the longest streak by a Tiger this year when he made 12 in a row from December 21 through December 29.

*Saturday will be K.C. Rivers 100th game as a Clemson Tiger and he will play the game in his hometown of Charlotte, NC.

*Rivers had four steals without a turnover against Boston College and now has 57 steals and just 33 turnovers this year.

*Rivers is 8-15 on three-point shots in his career against Duke and 17-29 overall from the field.

*Demontez Stitt had a career high tying seven assists against Boston College against just one turnover.

*Over the last three games, playing with a broken right wrist, Cliff Hammonds had 14 assists and just five turnovers. Hammonds received the first Skip Prosser Award prior to Friday night’s game.

*Hammonds will become Clemson’s career leader in playing time when he plays his 17th minute against Duke on Saturday. He has played 4184 minutes entering Saturday and the record is an even 4200 by Terrell McIntyre from 1995-99.

*Hammonds moved into 10th place in career scoring at Clemson when he scored seven points against Boston College. He now has 1433 career points, two more than Tree Rollins is next on the list at 1463.

*James Mays led Clemson in scoring on Friday night against Boston College with 15 points. It was the second time in the last four games he has led Clemson in scoring. When he wore a protective brace for a broken left hand between January 12 and February 19, he never led Clemson in scoring. Mays has scored in double figures in all five games since took off the cumbersome brace that protected his broken left hand. He has shot 28-51 from the field during that time, 55 percent. He shot 43 percent from the field and averaged 8.7 points per game with the brace.

*Sam Perry had a productive 19 minutes against Boston College with nine points, five rebounds and three steals, plus a blocked shot. It was his second highest scoring game of the year and the most minutes he has played in a game this year.

*Clemson is now 8-3 since Sam Perry was inserted into the starting lineup on February 2 against Boston College.

*Jerai Grant had six points on three dunks against Boston College. He is the third member of his family to play in the ACC Tournament. His father, Harvey, played for Clemson in the 1985 tournament, while his uncle, Horace Grant, played in four ACC Tournaments between 1984-87.

*Two of Clemson’s top three scorers against Boston College are from North Carolina. Mays led the Tigers with 15 and is from Garner, NC, while Rivers is from Charlotte and scored 11 points. Demontez Stitt is from Mathews and scored just two points, but he had a team best seven assists.