After Duke's controversial 68-66 win over Clemson in Durham Jan. 25, the ACC admitted that a timing error allowed the Blue Devils additional time on the game's final play.
In the days following the game, Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell avoided the opportunity to criticize the ACC for the mistake, dismissing the notion that Duke receives preferential treatment from the officials.
"I also wanted it to be a lesson to our players," Purnell said. "Sometimes you're dealt a setback or you are disadvantaged in life, but you've got to move on and take care of what's currently in front of you."
Currently in front of the Tigers are the No. 18 Blue Devils (20-7, 7-6 in the ACC), who are riding a two-game winning streak. Duke has defeated Clemson (19-7, 5-7) 20 consecutive times dating back to Jan. 8, 1997. Nonetheless, the Blue Devils expect the Tigers to be hungry and ready to play on their home court when the teams meet in Littlejohn Coliseum tonight at 9 p.m.
"They probably feel like they owe us one," freshman Gerald Henderson said. "We have to go in there and play our basketball. We have to play good defense, execute on both ends, and hopefully we will come out with a win."
If Clemson does feel like it owes Duke one, it has good reason. With five seconds remaining in the teams' first meeting, Tiger guard Vernon Hamilton drove coast-to-coast for a layup that cut the Blue Devil lead to 66-63. On the next play, Duke forward Josh McRoberts threw the inbounds pass right into the hands of Hamilton, who had time to set himself and bury a three-pointer to tie the game.
The clock, however, did not start until Hamilton's shot had almost reached the basket and continued to run until a few seconds after the shot was made. Officials then reset the clock to 4.4 seconds, which meant that the entire sequence after Hamilton's layup took an improbable 0.6 seconds. The added time proved to be crucial, as Duke pushed the ball up the floor, and sophomore Dave McClure hit a layup to break the tie as time expired.
Since then, Clemson has managed only one victory in ACC play-a 71-58 win over Florida State Feb. 7. The team that started the season 17-0 and 3-0 in conference play now sits in seventh place and squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
In the teams' first matchup, Duke built an 11-point halftime lead only to allow the Tigers to close the gap near the end of the game. Tonight, the Blue Devils will try to keep the flow of the game in their favor and not allow Clemson any breathing room.
"We know they are going to come out after us and try to throw punches right away, and we have to be ready for that," freshman Jon Scheyer said. "We have to come out and attack also-we can't let them dictate the tone of the game."
In Duke's last two games, the Blue Devils have been able to set the tone early and have slowed down their opponents' attempts to rally. Scheyer attributed the team's recent play to experience it gained over the course of its four-game losing streak.
With the Tigers on the horizon, Scheyer said he sees another opportunity to keep the maturing Blue Devils' current win streak going.
"I would like to know what other teams have been through the amount of close games we've had and all the ups and downs," Scheyer said. "I think that makes us experienced. I don't consider myself a freshman, and I know the rest of the guys don't either. We consider ourselves an old team who has gone through a lot and who is closer because of it."
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