The rematch between Clemson and Duke won’t be any ordinary game.
The teams’ first meeting came a little more than two weeks ago when Duke pulled out a two-point win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. When they square off again Thursday for the second and possibly final time this season, it will be Mike Krzyzewski’s last time coaching inside Littlejohn Coliseum.
Duke (19-4, 9-4 ACC) holds a 24-39 all-time advantage in games played at Littlejohn Coliseum, most of those coming during Krzyzewski’s four-decade run in charge of the Blue Devils’ program. Clemson (12-11, 4-8) has defended its home court better of late against Duke and its Hall of Fame coach, who’s retiring after this season. Clemson has won three of the last four games played against the Blue Devils on its home court.
With Krzyzewksi set to make his final stop at Clemson as part of his ACC farewell tour, here’s a look back at some of the Tigers’ most memorable home games against Krzyzewski’s Duke-led teams:
Feb. 25, 1981: After being hired away from Army in March 1980, Krzyzewksi, then just 34 years old, brought his first Duke team into Littlejohn a little less than a year later for what turned into an instant classic. The game went to overtime on a late free throw from Duke’s Gene Banks, but Larry Nance scored 17 points, including the final four in overtime to lift Clemson to a 54-52 win. That Clemson team finished its season in the National Invitation Tournament.
March 2, 1988: By the late 1980s, Krzyzewksi had Duke on the precipice of becoming the blueblood program it is today. Unranked Clemson was coming off a 36-point loss at North Carolina to close out the February portion of its 1987-88 season, but the Tigers, thanks in large part to freshman star Dale Davis, looked like a different team against the ninth-ranked Blue Devils. Davis had 23 points and 17 points to lead Clemson to a 79-77 upset, which started a string of three straight home victories for Clemson over Krzyzewksi’s team.
Jan. 7, 1997: In the first meeting between Clemson and Duke as top-10 teams, overtime was needed to determine a winner after the Tigers erased a six-point deficit in the final 61 seconds of regulation. Terrell McIntyre had a team-high 17 points for Clemson, which iced the victory on a dunk from Greg Buckner with 0.5 seconds left in extra time. Clemson was assessed a technical after fans prematurely stormed the court in celebration, but it didn’t matter in an 86-82 victory. Rick Barnes’ team advanced to the Sweet 16 that season.
Feb. 4, 2009: Clemson and Duke met again as top-10 foes, but this one wasn’t nearly as competitive. With the energy of the home crowd behind it, Oliver Purnell’s team dominated from the opening tip, leading by 12 at the half en route to a 74-47 rout. Trevor Booker finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, Terrence Oglesby knocked down five 3-pointers, and K.C. Rivers added 11 points and seven steals to help lead Clemson to the eighth-largest margin of victory over an ACC opponent in program history. It doubled as the Tigers’ first home win over Duke since the 1996-97 season.
Jan. 13, 2016: Clemson had already lost six times in the first two months of the season while Duke brought in the No. 6-ranked team in America. By the time it was over, though, the Blue Devils left Littlejohn with their third loss. Clemson overcame a 12-point deficit in the first half and got 33 combined points from Donte Grantham and Jaron Blossomgame, who threw down a baseline dunk with 13 ticks left to give Clemson a three-point lead. The Tigers held on from there for a win over a Duke team that made the Sweet 16 that season.
Jan. 14, 2020: Fresh off an Elite Eight run the previous season, Duke entered this matchup as the nation’s third-ranked team after winning 15 of its first 16 games. Clemson came in just one game above .500 on the season, but a career night from Aamir Simms helped the Tigers spring a 79-72 upset. Simms poured in 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds, and Alabama transfer Tevin Mack scored 22 points of his own against a Blue Devils team that led the nation in average margin of victory at the time (21.5 points). It matched the highest-ranked win Clemson has ever notched over Duke.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports
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