UConn back at No. 1 in AP, Coaches Top 25 polls

UConn is back in the top spot in both the new AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll and USA TODAY Sports coaches poll. The Huskies defeated Marquette Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to clinch the Big East Tournament. They also won the …

UConn is back in the top spot in both the new AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll and USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.

The Huskies defeated Marquette Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to clinch the Big East Tournament. They also won the regular season conference championship and head into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 overall seed at 31-3 overall.

UConn is hoping to become the first men’s basketball program to repeat as tournament champions since Florida in 2006 and 2007.

Houston (30-4) fell to No. 2 after being blown out, 69-41, by Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game Saturday night. Iowa State’s win propelled the Cyclones (27-7) to No. 4. They moved up three spots in the AP poll and four spots in the coaches poll.

Purdue (29-4) remained at No. 3 in both polls, and North Carolina (27-7) came in at No. 5. Houston, Purdue, and North Carolina were awarded the other No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee Sunday.

Tennessee (24-8) dropped one spot to No. 6 after suffering a 17-point loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament last week. Auburn (27-7), which won the SEC Tournament Sunday, climbed five spots in both polls to No. 7.

Marquette (25-9), Arizona (25-8), and Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois (26-8) rounded out the top 10 in both polls.

Duke (24-8) was the only ACC team ranked in the top 25 other than North Carolina. The Blue Devils checked in at No. 13 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the coaches poll.

Clemson (21-11) received no votes for consideration in either poll after its loss in the ACC Tournament to Boston College. The Tigers were awarded an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed and will play No. 11 seed New Mexico Friday at 2:15 p.m. EDT at Memphis’ FedExForum. The game will be televised by truTV.

Clemson rallies past Duke in 10th inning, earns series win

No. 9 Clemson earned a hard-fought 8-6 win and series victory over No. 7 Duke Sunday at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

Clemson got home runs from Jimmy Obertop and Jacob Hinderleider in the 10th inning and held on in the bottom half for a hard-fought 8-6 victory over No. 7 Duke Sunday at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

The win gave the Tigers (17-2 overall, 2-1 ACC) an impressive series victory to open conference play.

Getting there wasn’t easy as Duke (15-5, 3-3) seemingly answered each Tigers rally with one of its own.

Clemson, ranked No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, got out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Blake Wright launched his team-leading seventh home run to the opposite field in right off Duke starter Tim Noone.

The Tigers carried a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning despite having only one hit through seven innings. Then, both teams’ offenses began to erupt.

Alden Mathes led off with a sharp single to right and had advanced to third with two out when Hinderleider lined a ground-rule double to the warning track in left-center for a 4-2 lead.

Jarren Purify followed with a run-scoring double that brought in Hinderleider and made it 5-2.

Duke answered right away with four consecutive hits to open the eighth. A.J. Gracia’s two-run home run off Mark Clayton cut the Tigers’ lead to 5-4.

A deep fly to left from Wallace Clark off Reed Garris later that inning allowed Devin Obee to tag from third and score the tying run.

After Clemson was retired in order in the ninth, Rob Hughes took over in the bottom half. When Gracia lined a triple down the right field line, Alex Stone tried to score all the way from first to end the game but was thrown out at home by Purify following a terrific relay from Mathes.

Clemson went ahead for good in extra innings.

Obertop unloaded on a 2-0 pitch that cleared the wall in right to put the Tigers ahead, 6-5. It was a no-doubt shot that was Obertop’s fourth homer of the year and his second in as many days.

After Tristan Bissetta reached on an infield single, Hinderleider followed with a two-run homer down the right field line for an 8-5 Clemson lead.

Matthew Marchal pitched the 10th inning and allowed back to back singles with one away to bring the tying run to the plate. But Bissetta made a sensational diving catch to keep Clark from emptying the bases. A run scored on the play but it robbed Clark of at least a double and possibly a triple.

Marchal then got Zac Morris to ground to third for the final out.

Duke outhit the Tigers, 17-7. Morris (3-for-6) had three hits for the Blue Devils, and Gracia and Ben Miller each had two hits, including home runs. Five Duke players finished with two hits or more.

Hinderleider (2-for-3) was the only Tigers player to finish with two hits in a three-RBI performance.

Purify (1-for-3) drove in two runs. His RBI sac fly in the sixth broke a 2-2 tie and gave Clemson the lead.

Freshman Aidan Knaak started for Clemson and received a no-decision. The right-hander scattered nine hits but finished with nine strikeouts and didn’t allow a walk. Knaak pitched out of trouble by striking out Andrew Yu to end a Duke threat in the sixth. Knaak finished with 86 pitches in the seventh.

The Tigers used six pitchers total, including Marchal who earned his first save. Hughes (1-0) earned the win in relief. Duke also used six pitchers with Charlie Beilenson (0-1) suffering the loss after allowing Obertop’s go-ahead home run.

NEXT UP: Clemson has a pair of midweek contests beginning Tuesday when the Tigers host Winthrop in a scheduled 6 p.m. EDT start at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers will then travel to Greenville Wednesday for a 6 p.m. start against Presbyterian. The game against Winthrop will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX). Clemson will then welcome Florida State to Doug Kingsmore Stadium next weekend.

Bissetta, Obertop home runs help Clemson even series with Duke

No. 9 Clemson edged No. 7 Duke, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

Tristan Smith struck out a career-high 10 batters in six solid innings, Tristan Bissetta hit a clutch grand slam, and No. 9 Clemson edged No. 7 Duke, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field in Durham.

The Tigers (16-2 overall, 1-1 ACC) needed all the offense it could get.

Jimmy Obertop’s three-run home run in the fifth inning off Blue Devils reliever Edward Hart gave Clemson a 4-2 lead midway through.

In the seventh, Bissetta notched his first career grand slam — the only hit in the Tigers’ half of the inning — with one out off Josh Allen, who’d previously loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batsman.

The Blue Devils (15-4, 3-2) answered with five runs of their own against left-hander Ethan Darden in the seventh to pull to within a run. Lucas Mahlstedt took over for Darden and closed out the seventh with back to back strikeouts of Devin Obee and Mason Winslow.

Mahlstedt struck out three of the four batters he faced in the seventh after the first six Duke hitters reached base against Darden. The junior right-hander then worked a scoreless eighth inning before Rob Hughes closed out the game in ninth.

Hughes pitched out of trouble to strand the potential tying and winning runs on base for his second save. Hughes has yet to allow a run in six appearances this season.

Duke out-hit the Tigers, 11-7. Blake Wright drove in Clemson’s only other run with an RBI fielder’s choice in the first inning off starter Andrew Healy. Healy pitched just one inning as the Blue Devils used nine different pitchers in Saturday’s game.

Gabriel Nard (0-1) suffered the loss for Duke after allowing two men to reach base in the fifth before Obertop’s home run — his third of the season.

Smith (2-0) was sensational in his fifth start for Clemson. In addition to his 10 strikeouts, the southpaw yielded only one earned run on four hits. He walked two and threw 102 pitches.

The rubber match of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT Sunday. Freshman right-hander Aiden Knaak (1-0, 4.05 ERA) will make his fifth start for Clemson. Duke has yet to announce its Sunday starter. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

Preview and Where to Watch/Stream/Listen: No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 3 Duke

Here’s where Clemson fans can watch, stream, and listen to this weekend’s series against No. 3 Duke.

No. 9 Clemson travels to Durham this weekend to take on No. 3 Duke at Jack Coombs Field in the Tigers’ opening series in ACC play.

Clemson (15-1 overall) won its 11th straight game earlier this week when the Tigers swept Manhattan in midweek play by a combined score of 18-2.

The Tigers have averaged over eight runs per game this season and their only loss was a weekend series opener to Kennesaw State three weeks ago. As a unit, Clemson is batting .318 with a slugging percentage of .538. They have a collective on-base percentage of .429.

Alden Mathes leads the team with a .388 average (19-for-49) in 15 games. Sophomore Cam Cannarella has been the pulse at the top of the Tigers’ lineup and is batting .385 with a team-best six doubles and 17 RBIS. Second baseman Blake Wright has driven in 14 runs and is tied for the team lead in home runs with Will Taylor with five.

Tristan Bissetta has played his way into the lineup of late, totaling six hits in his last 12 at-bats entering Friday’s series.

On the mound for Clemson, sophomore southpaw Tristan Smith has been the Tigers’ best starter this season. He’s held opponents to a .180 average in four starts and is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA in 18 2/3 innings.

Right-handers Rob Hughes and Drew Titsworth have each thrown six-plus innings in relief without a run being charged to them.

Duke (14-3 overall, 2-1 ACC) is ranked No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, but they’re No. 3 in Baseball America’s Top 25 rankings and ranked No. 6 by D1Baseball.com. The Blue Devils took two of three from previously No. 1-ranked Wake Forest last weekend.

The team is averaging 10 runs per game and batting .338 with a staff ERA of 3.30 ERA. Third baseman Ben Miller leads Duke with a .449 average in 17 games. Miller had a 4-for-5 performance against Wake Forest on March 8 that included two doubles. He finished with six hits in that weekend’s series.

Miller and second baseman Zac Morris lead Duke with seven home runs apiece. Miller’s 22 RBIs is tied for the team lead with outfielder A.J. Garcia.

The Blue Devils split a pair of midweek contests with Rider earlier this week, including an 18-4 victory on Wednesday.

Duke is is scheduled to start left-hander Jonathan Santucci (3-0, 2.29 ERA) Friday, followed by left-hander Andrew Healy (1-1, 5.63) Saturday. The Blue Devils’ Sunday’s starter has yet to be announced.

Austin Gordon (0-0, 6.75 ERA) will start Friday’s opener for Clemson, followed by Smith on Saturday and freshman right-hander Aiden Knaak (1-0, 4.05 ERA) on Sunday.

Series History

Clemson leads the all-time head to head series with Duke, 131-77-2. The series dates back to 1904. Duke took two of three in last season’s series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Where to Watch/Stream/Listen

Here’s a look at where Clemson fans can watch, stream, and listen to this weekend’s series.

Dates: March 15-17

Start Times (ET):

Friday, 6 p.m.

Saturday: 3 p.m.

Sunday: 1 p.m.

Where: Jack Coombs Field

Broadcast Info

Video: ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), ESPN+

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | ClemsonTigers.com

Duke eyeing Florida A&M head coach for new coaching staff

Duke head coach Manny Diaz has his eyes on the Rattlers head coach and a former coworker of his for his coaching staff.

New Duke head coach Manny Diaz is building out his staff for his debut season, and a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Friday says he has his eyes on Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons for his running backs coach.

Simmons has been the Rattlers’ head coach for the past five seasons. He led the team to a 45-13 record in that time frame, highlighted by a 12-1 season this year that culminated in a Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game victory over Prairie View A&M and a Celebration Bowl victory over Howard.

After an 0-2 start in 2022, Florida A&M has won 21 of its past 22 games.

Simmons worked with Diaz before while they were both at Middle Tennessee. Diaz was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2006-09, also coaching safeties and linebackers. Simmons coached the running backs from 2007-11, and he was promoted to offensive coordinator for his final season before he left to coach at Alcorn State.

At just 43 years old, Simmons has catapulted up the coaching ranks. He was made a coordinator at 30 years old, and he has nine years of head coaching experience already.

Duke builds early lead, holds on to secure a bowl victory

Duke held on to secure the victory over Troy.

The Birmingham Bowl should have been called the interim bowl game on Saturday. The Duke Blue Devils were led by Trooper Taylor, who would fill in for Mike Elko, who left for Texas A&M. Greg Gasparato took on the role of interim coach since Jon Sumrall left for the vacancy at Tulane.

Duke raced out to a 14-0 first half lead thanks to a touchdown to Jaylen Coleman. Todd Pelino made it 14-0 after two field goals, including a 37-yard attempt as time expired in the half. Troy’s defense would tighten up in the second half.

The Trojans finally got on the board with a 44-yard field goal with 01:36 left in the third quarter. Duke quickly answered a 45-yard field goal from Pelino to give them the 14-point lead once again.

Offensive lineman Derrick Graham had the play of the game when he ran into the endzone from two yards out to close the gap to seven with 5:54 left in the game.

Troy had one final shot to tie up the game or even take the lead late. With 1:46 left to go the Trojans began the drive from their own 11-yard line. The dream ending never came as Duke picked off Gunnar Watson just two plays and 24 seconds later.

Check out these images from the game:

Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy commits to Duke

Maalik Murphy, a four-star prospect from the Class of 2022, spent the past two seasons with the Longhorns before he entered the portal.

Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy verbally committed to the Duke Blue Devils on Friday, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Murphy spent the past two seasons with the Longhorns, not seeing any game action in a redshirt year during 2022. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, however, he started two games as Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers recovered from a shoulder injury. The Longhorns won both games with Murphy at the helm of the offense, first an overtime victory over Kansas State before a dominant 35-6 victory over BYU.

Across his one season of action with Texas, Murphy threw 71 passes. He completed 40 of them for a 56.3% completion percentage with 477 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Murphy will not be with Texas for the College Football Playoff, a decision he made when he announced he would enter the transfer portal on December 13. In Thamel’s report on his initial decision, he said he wished to stay with the Longhorns for their semifinal game, but timing made the choice impossible.

Murphy becomes the first big get of the Manny Diaz era, Duke’s new coach who was announced on December 8. The former Miami coach spent three seasons as the Hurricanes head coach from 2018-2021 and he spent the past two seasons as Penn State‘s defensive coordinator.

Quarterback Riley Leonard officially commits to Notre Dame

The junior quarterback helped lead Duke to a 4-0 start before an ankle injury held him out of most of the rest of the season.

Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard announced his next destination on Tuesday, revealing his commitment to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2024.

Leonard, a junior who spent the past three seasons with the Blue Devils, shared a short video on social media to announce the decision.

Duke got off to a hot start with Leonard under center this past year. The Blue Devils won four straight games to start the 2023 season, including a season-opening victory over Clemson. Notre Dame actually ended Duke’s perfect season in Week 5, converting a miracle fourth down before scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute.

Leonard suffered a high ankle sprain in that game against the Fighting Irish that ended up severely limiting the rest of his season. After he threw 126 passes in the first five games of the season, the junior threw 39 the rest of the season. Duke fell from 4-0 to 7-5.

The Blue Devils quarterback ended the season with 1,102 passing yards and a 57.6% completion percentage on 165 attempts, with three touchdowns and three interceptions in seven appearances. He threw a career-high 20 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022.

Duke announces Manny Diaz as its next head football coach

The Penn State defensive coordinator and former Miami head coach gets his second ACC head coaching job.

Duke announced Manny Diaz would become its next head football coach on Thursday.

The Penn State defensive coordinator spent the last two seasons with the Nittany Lions. His 2023 defense was the third-best scoring unit in the country at 11.4 points allowed per game and led the nation with 223.3 yards allowed per game.

“This is a great moment for Duke football, Duke athletics, and Duke University,” athletic director Nina King said in a short video shared on social media. “The future of Duke football is in great hands.”

Diaz, a Florida State alum, has spent most of his career in the ACC despite his recent stretch with Penn State. He was a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 1998-99 before he spent the next six seasons on N.C. State’s coaching staff. He served as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, Texas, and Louisiana Tech before he was hired at Miami in 2016. He spent three seasons as the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator before he was promoted to head coach for the 2019 season.

Diaz won at least six games in all three seasons as Miami’s head coach, finishing with a 21-15 overall record and climbing into the top 10 of the College Football Playoff in the 2020 season, but he was fired before the conclusion of his third year.

Diaz will replace Mike Elko, who compiled a 16-9 record before he left to take the head coach job at Texas A&M.

Duke athletic director makes statement after Mike Elko departure

After Texas A&M announced it had hired the Duke football coach, Nina King said the focus for the Blue Devils is on its student-athletes.

Duke athletic director Nina King made a statement in front of the media on Monday after it was announced former Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko would become the new coach at Texas A&M.

King began the statement by thanking Elko for his time with the Blue Devils program over the past two seasons. She said she would meet with the families of current football players and verbally committed prospects from upcoming classes later on Monday.

“Our priority is the well-being of our current student-athletes and to ensure they have what they need as they close out the semester academically as well as prepare for a very well-earned bowl game later this month,” King said.

The search for Elko’s replacement is already underway as well, King added.

Duke went 16-9 under Elko with a bowl victory last season and a win over Clemson to start the 2023 season. The victory over the Tigers was Duke’s first top-10 win since 1989.

Associate head coach and running backs coach Trooper Taylor will serve as the interim head coach for Duke’s bowl game.