As the season winds down, the Blue Devils find themselves in a great position—No. 19 in the country, No. 8 in the RPI and in the conversation as a possible host for the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Only four games remain on the schedule, however, and Duke sits in sixth place in the ACC. Friday’s match against Clemson provides a golden opportunity for the Blue Devils to boost their conference standing and increase their chances of playing their postseason opener in Koskinen Stadium.
“We’re in a good spot right now,” head coach John Kerr said. “We’re eighth in the RPI, which is a good place to be going into the final phase of the season. We know we have to keep winning to maintain that level and aim for a postseason home game.”
The top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament host the opening rounds, with the higher seed playing host every round after that until the final four.
How long Duke (9-4-0, 2-3-0 in the ACC) manages to stay around in the competition this year could very well be a function of how many matches it plays at home. The Blue Devils boast an impressive 8-1 mark at Koskinen but are only 1-3 on the road.
“Every game we play, especially from now on, taking one game at a time, we need to win,” senior Josh Bienenfeld said. “We need to increase our chances of getting in and hosting a home game in the tournament.”
Clemson (2-9-1, 1-4-0) comes limping into Friday’s match on the heels of a disappointing loss to Furman, and with only one win in conference play.
“They’ve had a tough season so far, and their record is not as good as how they’ve played,” Kerr said. “In some games they’ve played quite well.”
In Duke’s last effort, a 3-0 win Tuesday over Navy, the Blue Devils struggled at the beginning and failed to match the Midshipmen’s effort for some of the first half.
With so much riding on Friday’s tilt against the Tigers, another lackluster start could prove disastrous.
“That game against Navy wasn’t easy,” Kerr said. “They’re a really good team, we needed to step up and we did. We know that we have to be ready from the whistle, and I think that will be a good reminder. Our slow start against Navy will keep us ready for Friday.”
Rising to the occasion down the stretch in any sport is crucial, even when it doesn’t seem like the biggest of games. Tuesday’s performance shows that the Blue Devils are capable of just that, and they will need to demonstrate similar resolve against Clemson if they want to have a chance at home-field advantage.
“I’m happy to how we responded to having a slow start,” Kerr said. “That gives us a lot of confidence going into Friday.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.