Following its biggest win of the season over North Carolina on Thursday, Duke welcomed lowly Clemson to Cameron Indoor on Saturday -- the very definition of a trap game. And the Blue Devils nearly got caught before escaping with a 64-62 win.
Clemson limped into Saturday having lost 8 of its first 11 ACC games, but Duke couldn't hold any energy after halftime and nearly let an 11-point lead slip away. Outside of Luke Kennard, who finished with 25 points, the Blue Devils shot just 14 for 34 from the floor. Opposite of Thursday's UNC game in which four players scored in double figures -- three going from 19+ -- Kennard was only one Blue Devil to score more than nine points.
Clemson quietly snuck up late in the second half after keeping it within striking distance, and got an unlikely performance from sophomore guard Shelton Mitchell, who finished with 23 points. He hadn't scored more than 15 points in ACC play all season.
Earlier in the afternoon, Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils barely snuck into the NCAA's initial top 16 seeds. Despite owning a five-game winning streak, they certainly didn't play like a top-16 team against one of the ACC's worst teams, much the same as they had to squeak out a win against another ACC bottom-sweller in Pitt. Coach K thinks his team was simply worn out.
"I thought Grayson [Allen] was really tired today," Krzyzewski said. "You could tell it in his face." He added: "Our guys need to get away from the game for a little bit here."
Duke (20-5) will get a three-day rest before a road trip to face the daunting defense of the Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday.
