In some years, it would be easy for Duke to overlook a team like Clemson.
The No. 4 Blue Devils have beaten the Tigers 20 straight times during the regular season, including nine straight at Littlejohn Coliseum, where the two teams will tangle Wednesday at 9 p.m.
But this year is different. No. 10 Clemson won its first 16 games of the year, and unlike years past, hasn't suffered a conference slump to temper the early success.
"They're a different team from last year," Singler said. "They still have players like [Trevor] Booker, [Terrence] Oglesby and [Demontez] Stitt. They're going to be a tough team. The game is on the road, and we haven't played very well on the road this year, so it's going to be an important game for us to prepare well and come with the mindset that it's going to be a good and tough game."
To be fair, Duke (19-2, 6-1 in the ACC) has only lost twice on the road this season, Dec. 6 at Michigan and Jan. 28 against Wake Forest. Against Clemson (18-2, 4-2), the Blue Devils find themselves facing their fourth top-10 opponent of the season, and for the fourth time, Duke won't be in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils are 2-1 in the three matchups-they beat Purdue Dec. 2 and Xavier at the Izod Center Dec. 20.
But the Tigers could pose problems that Duke finds unique. Clemson is the only team in the nation to be ranked in the top 10 in both steals and blocked shots, and will look to break the Blue Devils with full court pressure.
Duke knows from first-hand experience how tough the Tigers can be. After all, it was Clemson which eliminated the Blue Devils from the ACC Tournament last year after Duke had bested the Tigers in the regular season.
"You can't turn it over against them," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Oliver [Purnell]'s teams, he's built such a good program and it's based on defense and effort. You know, his kids play hard. They play as hard as anybody in the league game in and game out. And you can't turn it over. You've got to be strong with the ball.... We have to make shots when we break their presses."
To break the high pressure, Duke will look to start its offense on the defensive end with pressure led by sophomore guard Nolan Smith. Krzyzewski prodded Smith to be more aggressive after the loss to Wake Forest, and the difference showed Sunday in Duke's win over Virginia, when Smith scored 14 points and displayed bursts of energy that were absent in Winston-Salem.
"[Against Virginia], our defense had a lot to do with our offense," junior guard Gerald Henderson said. "A lot of guys got contesting steals. A lot of guys got out on the fast break. Nolan [Smith] had a really good finish off of one of his steals. That's important for us-to be aggressive on defense. That kind of gets you in an aggressive mindset for offense."
If Duke is looking for Smith to start the offense, it will look for Henderson to finish and make plays. After scoring more than 20 points just once in the Blue Devils' first 14 games this season, Henderson has scored 20 or more points in four of the last seven games. In those last seven contests, he has led Duke in scoring all but once.
And despite Duke's recent history over Clemson and Smith and Henderson's play of late, Duke knows that winning in Littlejohn won't be an easy task. Clemson has lost only once this year at home, and Tiger fans have created one of the nation's rowdiest venues.
"It's another hostile environment, kind of a smaller stadium where they're right on top of you," Henderson said. "And they're a good team. They like to press and they like to push the tempo, especially with their presses and their defense."
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