Tag: David Collins

Clemson’s David Collins receives an NBA opportunity

Former Clemson basketball guard David Collins just received an opportunity to showcase his skills on the NBA stage this summer.

Former Clemson basketball guard David Collins has a shot at making a name for himself in the NBA.

According to Clemson basketball’s social media, Collins will play in the NBA Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks, which currently have four games on their schedule between July 8 and 14. The playoffs will begin on July 16 and will end the next day.

Collins played at South Florida from 2017 to 2021 before transferring to Clemson for the 2021-2022 season. As a graduate senior, Collins was third in scoring for the Tigers with 10.3 points per game, shooting 51.1% from the field and 38% beyond the arc. The 6-foot-4 guard was also the team’s leading rebounder at 6.9 per game.

 

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Clemson holds off Virginia Tech, takes momentum into ACC Tournament

Clemson’s men’s basketball team became whole again Saturday. Now the Tigers are streaking into the ACC Tournament. Clemson closed out the regular season with a 63-59 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. PJ Hall returned from a …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team became whole again Saturday. Now the Tigers are streaking into the ACC Tournament.

Clemson closed out the regular season with a 63-59 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. PJ Hall returned from a two-week hiatus to lead four Tigers in double figures with 12 points while junior guard Alex Hemenway added 11 for Clemson, which will take a four-game winning streak into next week’s tournament in Brooklyn.

Clemson (16-15, 8-12 ACC) held its largest lead at 50-44 with 10:08 remaining after a 7-0 run capped by Ian Schieffelin’s jumper, but four free throws were the only points the Tigers mustered over the next 5 minutes and change. Hall ended the drought with a layup that gave Clemson a 56-54 lead with 3:57 left.

Buckets were hard to come by for both teams down the stretch with Clemson clinging to a 60-59 lead with just 44 ticks left after a pair of free throws by Tech’s Justyn Mutts. But senior forward Hunter Tyson sank a timely jumper to extend the Tigers’ lead, and Tech (19-12, 11-9) missed its last seven shots, including five 3-pointers, as Clemson matched its longest winning streak of the season.

Playing for the first time since reaggravating a foot injury against Louisville two weeks earlier, Hall scored just two points in four minutes in the first half before he got going in the second. The Tigers’ sophomore big got off nine shots, making five of them, and pulled down four rebounds in just 13 minutes.

It was the first time Hall and Tyson, who returned to the lineup earlier in the week after missing six games with a broken clavicle, were simultaneously available since Clemson’s win over Florida State on Feb. 2. That put two of the Tigers’ top three scorers on the floor together for the first time in more than a month.

But with Tyson struggling for most of the game (five points on 2 of 7 shooting in 25 minutes), Clemson got more significant contributions from its guards to help pick up the slack. Hemenway scored all of his points off the bench, finishing 4 of 4 from the field and 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. Al-Amir Dawes and senior David Collins, playing his final game at Littlejohn, each chipped in 10 points for Clemson, which shot 43.8% from the field and 40% from 3-point range to deal a major blow to Tech’s NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.

The Hokies, who were paced by Nahiem Alleyne’s 17 points, had won three straight games and nine of their last 10 coming in.

This story will be updated.

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Another Clemson hoopster dealing with injuries

Clemson’s men’s basketball team is already dealing with its fair share of injuries, but the list is even longer than what’s been publicized. While the Tigers went through Wednesday’s game against Wake Forest without its starting frontcourt, …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team is already dealing with its fair share of injuries, but the list is even longer than what’s been publicized.

While the Tigers went through Wednesday’s game against Wake Forest without its starting frontcourt, Clemson’s backcourt was intact. Clemson coach Brad Brownell revealed afterward that was only because David Collins continued to push through thumb and thigh injuries that have been bothering the senior guard all season.

Brownell said Collins didn’t practice at all leading up to Clemson’s win over the Demon Deacons.

“I didn’t know if he was going to play (Wednesday),” Brownell said. “He barely did much in the shootaround (Wednesday) morning. You could see him limping.”

Collins played 30 minutes, scoring seven points, dishing out four assists and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds in a win that snapped Clemson’s six-game losing streak. The 6-foot-4 guard is still the Tigers’ leading rebounder at 7.0 boards per game.

The South Florida transfer has started all 27 games he played this season, averaging 10 points and 2.5 assists on the season. He served a one-game suspension against Notre Dame four games ago after committing a flagrant foul against Duke on Feb. 10 that got him ejected from that game.

But Collins has been available for the Tigers for most of the season even with the injuries. Brownell said Collins reaggravated his thigh injury during the course of Wednesday’s game.

“He got kneed in the thigh,” Brownell said. “He’s had an issue with his thigh all year, and there are just games where it’s really hard for him. He’s got kind of that big, physical body, and he plays so hard with so much physical contact. He’s one of those guys that is going to be hurt some.

“His thumb has been bad all year, and every time he starts to get better, somebody hits it. It’s just something he’s had to deal with.”

Clemson won’t have Hunter Tyson (broken clavicle) and could still be without PJ Hall (foot) when it travels to Boston College on Saturday, but Collins should be available for the rematch of a game the Tigers dropped by two in mid-January.

“At this time of the year, you just do the best you can,” Brownell said. “He gutted it out (Wednesday). You could tell he was hurting. He showed great toughness and fight.”

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Perimeter shooting suddenly a ‘problematic’ trend for Clemson

PJ Hall did all he could to try to help Clemson stop the bleeding. The Tigers’ sophomore big, who has a strong case as the ACC’s most improved player this season, poured in more points than he ever has in his first two seasons in the men’s …

PJ Hall did all he could to try to help Clemson stop the bleeding.

The Tigers’ sophomore big, who has a strong case as the ACC’s most improved player this season, poured in more points than he ever has in his first two seasons in the men’s basketball program. Despite foot inflammation he’s dealt with for much of the season and being at the top of every opponent’s scouting report at this point, Hall still scored a career-high 28 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the floor and 12 of 13 shooting from the free-throw line Tuesday at Florida State.

“Obviously his efficiency in the offense (Tuesday) was fantastic,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of Hall, who’s averaging 21.2 points over the last five games. “I’m super proud of him. The kid is in a (walking) boot 90% of every day. He’s walking to games in boots. He’s giving us everything he has, and (Tuesday) he was special in terms of finishing plays.”

But, for multiple reasons, it was all for naught in an 81-80 loss to the Seminoles, which ran Clemson’s longest losing streak in five years to five games.

One was FSU guard RayQuan Evans, who scored 20.5 more points than his season average to match Hall’s 28 on a night when the Seminoles shot nearly 44% from the field and 42% from 3-point range (8 of 19). Throw in 17 points from forward Cam’Ron Fletcher, who came in averaging just 5.9 on the season, and it helped FSU overcome the absence of four of its top six scorers because of injuries.

Hall also didn’t get much help offensively from the backcourt, which has become a trend during Clemson’s skid. Junior guard Al-Amir Dawes bounced back from an 0-for-6 shooting performance against Notre Dame to score 18 points Tuesday, but the Tigers’ guards combined to make just 24.4% of their shots, which included a 23% clip from 3-point range.

Nick Honor and Chase Hunter combined to go 1 of 13 from the field. David Collins, back after his one-game suspension, shot 2 of 3 but missed his lone 3-point attempt.

“They’re not playing quite as well as I’d like or probably they’d like,” Brownell said. “There’s great effort, I thought. But we’re not making enough shots from the perimeter. And it’s problematic for us.”

Dawes, who shot 4 of 10 from beyond the arc, accounted for all but two of Clemson’s buckets from deep. In fact, Dawes is the only guard that’s made more than two 3-point shots in a game during the Tigers’ losing streak.

It’s uncharacteristic of Clemson, which still ranks fifth in the ACC in 3-point field-goal percentage (36.7). But the Tigers’ perimeter shooting has been a real struggle without stretch forward Hunter Tyson, who was shooting nearly 39% from 3 before breaking his clavicle in Clemson’s most recent win back on Feb. 2.

Clemson is shooting just 28.3% from 3-point range during its losing streak. The Tigers have gone three straight games with six made 3s or fewer. They haven’t made more than eight since sinking 11 3s against Duke on Jan. 25, which was seven games ago.

Brownell admitted there have been “a few bad ones.” But, for the most part, he said getting quality looks from deep hasn’t been the issue.

“The last two games (against Notre Dame and Duke), we have five and six turnovers, and we only score in the low 60s because we don’t make enough shots,” Brownell said. “It’s hard. It’s not like we’re not executing things. That’s the frustrating part. … When we go back and analyze it, we’re getting the ball to places where we like, and we’re just not making enough shots to be consistent to win.”

Clemson’s final possession against FSU was a prime example. After Evans converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Seminoles the lead with 14.4 seconds left, Brownell called a timeout with 4 ticks remaining once Clemson got the ball past halfcourt to draw up one last play. 

Hunter inbounded the ball to Hall near the wing. As Hall tried to drive toward the basket, three defenders converged on him, leaving Alex Hemenway alone near the corner. Hall found him for a clean look at the buzzer, but Hemenway’s shot bounced off the front of the rim, capping a 2-of-8 shooting night from deep for a 39.5% 3-point shooter.

“We had obviously our best shooter coming open,” Brownell said. “Alex got a wide-open shot. It’s as good a shot as you’re going to get under the circumstances. He makes it a lot, and unfortunately it was short and didn’t go.”

Clemson’s next opportunity to end its late-season slide will come Saturday at Louisville. More consistent complementary play from the backcourt would go a long way in helping the Tigers’ chances.

“We have to do better,” Brownell said.

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Clemson going through type of late-season funk it hasn’t experienced in nearly a decade

Clemson’s men’s basketball team returned to Littlejohn Coliseum five days ago hoping to stop the bleeding. Yet after a three-game homestand, the Tigers are just trying to make sure they don’t start hemorrhaging. Clemson capped an eventful and …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team returned to Littlejohn Coliseum five days ago hoping to stop the bleeding. Yet after a three-game homestand, the Tigers are just trying to make sure they don’t start hemorrhaging.

Clemson capped an eventful and winless week with a 76-61 loss on Saturday to the ACC’s co-leader, Notre Dame. That came on the heels of a blowout loss to No. 7 Duke that included an ejection and subsequent one-game suspension for senior guard David Collins and a narrow setback to North Carolina in a game that was up for grabs until the final seconds.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “I thought we fought pretty hard. You’re playing three of the best teams in the league. The first game, we’ve got the lead with a minute to go and have a chance to win. The second game, we battle for a half and, the first five or six minutes of the second half, we’re hanging in there. And then Duke pulls away with size and numbers. And they played well.

“Then Notre Dame was ready. I thought they had a good plan. We got punched in the mouth. Right away, we’re down double figures, and it’s hard. We could’ve caved. But I thought our kids fought, and we battled back several times.”

For the fourth straight game, though, Clemson came up short, which hasn’t happened to the Tigers this late in a season in nearly a decade. The last time Clemson had a four-game losing streak beginning in February was 2013 when the Tigers lost seven straight to end that season.

The 2012-13 campaign was also the last time Clemson had a losing season. With six games left this season (not counting the ACC Tournament), the Tigers are in danger of ending that streak, too.

Clemson fell to 12-13 overall with Saturday’s loss, the first time all season the Tigers have dipped below .500. They also fell to 4-10 in ACC play, which has another streak – four straight seasons with at least nine regular-season conference wins – in jeopardy, too.

The Tigers have lost eight of their last 10 games overall. If the ACC Tournament started today, Clemson would be the No. 13 seed in the 15-team event. Only Georgia Tech, which began Clemson’s losing streak on Feb. 5, and North Carolina State have worse records in league play so far.

Asked following Saturday’s game how he tries to go about keeping his players engaged in an effort to keep this season from further unraveling, Brownell said it starts with heavy doses of honesty and truth.

“When I think we play well, we talk about it. And when I don’t think we’re playing as well as we can, we talk about that,” Brownell said. “As much as anything, you try to remind them of their development and then remind them of the opportunity they’re in. They’re playing ACC basketball at a great school and in a program that we’re proud of what we’re doing. So it’s easy to get a little whoa is me, feel sorry for yourself and get wrapped up in all of that, but, man, there are a lot of people that would like to trade places with you. And you better be mindful of that.”

Of course, there’s a caveat to the Tigers’ skid besides the quality of competition they have faced.

Senior forward Hunter Tyson, the team’s third-leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer, didn’t play in any of the last four games after sustaining a broken clavicle in Clemson’s last win Feb. 2 against Florida State. Clemson got yet another double-digit scoring output from leading scorer PJ Hall (19 points) against Notre Dame while point guard Nick Honor added 12 in his just his second start in the last nine games, but the Tigers didn’t have their leading rebounder in Collins, who was suspended for his flagrant foul on Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr. two nights earlier.

Clemson also missed the defense of the 6-foot-4 Collins against a Notre Dame team that shot better than 54% from 3-point range (13 of 24).

“Would’ve loved to go 3-0 this week,” said junior guard Alex Hemenway, who matched a season-high with 26 minutes and scored eight points against Notre Dame in Collins’ absence. “I feel like this is another speed bump we’ve just got to overcome this season. We’ve had a lot of them, but I still believe we can turn this thing around.”

The schedule eases up a bit the rest of the way with four of the Tigers’ last six regular-season games coming against teams in the bottom half of the league standings. It starts with a trip on Tuesday to face a Florida State team that’s without four of its top six scorers because of injuries, but Clemson hasn’t won a road game since beating N.C. State back on Jan. 8.

The Tigers haven’t lost five consecutive games since losing six straight conference games during the 2016-17 season.

“It’s easy to have some discourse right now, but we’re sticking in there,” Brownell said. “We’re battling hard. We’ve got another chance on Tuesday to try to bounce back and continue to play a little bit better.”

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‘Can’t thank them enough’: Brownell, Tigers appreciative of support amid rough patch

Last week didn’t play out how Clemson’s men’s basketball team would’ve hoped, but the atmosphere inside Littlejohn Coliseum for the Tigers’ three-game homestand wasn’t lost on Brad Brownell. “Proud of our fans and our students,” Clemson’s 12th-year …

Last week didn’t play out how Clemson’s men’s basketball team would’ve hoped, but the atmosphere inside Littlejohn Coliseum for the Tigers’ three-game homestand wasn’t lost on Brad Brownell.

“Proud of our fans and our students,” Clemson’s 12th-year coach said. “Incredibly supportive. I hope people see that we’re trying and we’re fighting and our kids are giving it what we’ve got right now.”

Despite drawing three of the biggest home crowds of the season, Clemson went winless in its own building over the last five days. The shutout was capped Saturday night with a loss to Notre Dame, which dropped the Tigers (12-13, 4-10 ACC) below .500 for the first time this season.

Clemson has lost four straight games and eight of 10 heading into Tuesday’s road tilt against Florida State (13-11, 6-8). There won’t be any NCAA Tournament for the Tigers this season like there was in 2018 and 2021, and Clemson, in danger of its first losing season since 2012-13, may get shut out of the postseason all together unless it can get things turned around in the last six games of the regular season.

Losing senior forward Hunter Tyson (broken clavicle) hasn’t helped the Tigers’ situation. Clemson also played Saturday without another veteran starter, guard David Collins, who served a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul against Duke earlier in the week.

“We’re not playing great all the time, and we’re a little overmanned at times,” Brownell said. “We’ve got to do some things in recruiting to make sure that doesn’t happen. Last year’s team was deep. We had 11 guys, and we were a little bit bigger. Certainly more experience, and we could absorb a few things. This year’s team is not quite there.”

Yet fans have still come out to provide their support. Clemson’s games against North Carolina, Duke and Notre Dame marked three of the four highest-attended games at Littlejohn this season. Thursday’s game against Duke turned into a sellout of the 9,000-seat arena, but even without the bump of the Blue Devils’ traveling party, attendance was still strong this past week.

Clemson announced an attendance of 7,470 fans for the UNC game while 7,524 fans turned out to watch Saturday’s game in person. Only games against Duke and nearby Wofford (8,118) have drawn more fans at Littlejohn this season.

Amid a season that’s gone awry, Brownell said his program is thankful for the support.

“We’re getting our lip bloodied some,” Brownell said. “That makes you better. You need that. But for our fan base to stick with us, it’s appreciated by our players and appreciated by our coaches. I can’t thank them enough for sticking with us and hanging in there. I hope they see kids that are really competing and trying because I do think my guys are doing that.”

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More punishment for Collins following flagrant foul

David Collins will face additional punishment for the flagrant foul he committed against Duke. The ACC on Friday handed down a one-game suspension for Clemson’s senior guard. That means Collins will miss the Tigers’ game against Notre Dame on …

David Collins will face additional punishment for the flagrant foul he committed against Duke.

The ACC on Friday handed down a one-game suspension for Clemson’s senior guard. That means Collins will miss the Tigers’ game against Notre Dame on Saturday.

The suspension comes after Collins was ejected late in the first half of Thursday’s game after being issued a flagrant 2 foul on Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr. After Moore picked his pocket, Collins undercut Moore on a dunk, sending Duke’s junior guard crashing to the floor.

Collins is the Tigers’ leading rebounder and third-leading scorer this season.

‘He feels awful’: Krzyzewski, Brownell discuss Collins’ hard foul

Mike Krzyzewski’s final visit to Littlejohn Coliseum as Duke’s basketball coach ended up good for the Blue Devils and bad for Clemson. Duke’s 18-point victory also included an ugly sequence. With the Blue Devils leading 27-20 with a little more than …

Mike Krzyzewski’s final visit to Littlejohn Coliseum as Duke’s basketball coach ended up good for the Blue Devils and bad for Clemson. Duke’s 18-point victory also included an ugly sequence.

With the Blue Devils leading 27-20 with a little more than 3 minutes left in the first half Thursday, Wendell Moore Jr. stripped David Collins and took off the other way for a dunk. Collins, in hot pursuit, undercut Moore mid-flight, causing Duke’s junior guard to crash to the hardwood beneath him without being able to brace his fall.

The hard foul combined with Moore’s subsequent hard landing drew an audible gasp from many of the fans watching inside Littlejohn Coliseum, and Moore stayed down for a few seconds. Krzyzewski sprang out of his chair on the Blue Devils’ bench as the foul drew the ire of Duke’s coaching staff. Moore eventually got up under his own power and walked it off, but after video review, Collins was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.

Brownell said “the last thing we’re trying to do is hurt anybody,” adding it was a moment in which his frustrated senior guard let his emotion get the better of him.

“He’s a very competitive player,” Brownell said. “And I think he thought he got fouled on the play down there (on offense), so he’s fighting like crazy to get back in the play. And then he makes the wrong play. “

Collins explained the play from his vantage point and issued a public apology in a post to his Instagram account immediately following the game, but he expressed regret to Krzyzewski well before that. Before Collins left the court, Brownell walked him over to Duke’s bench so he could apologize to Krzyzewski, who called it “one of the most dangerous plays I’ve ever seen” because of Moore’s body being parallel to the ground at one point during his fall.

But Duke’s Hall of Fame coach had no hard feelings afterward. He gave Collins a hug before Collins headed to the locker room early.

“(Brownell) is good people, and his kids are good people,” Krzyzewski said. “We didn’t want that to escalate, so the fact he brought him and we did some interaction, I thought that was really good.

“You put it behind. And Brad apologized after it, and I said, ‘Please, let’s just move on.’”

Brownell said he took Collins over to Krzyzewski so he could apologize to him in person. As for the play itself, Brownell opined he didn’t think Collins had any bad intentions, particularly considering Collins had been on the receiving end of a similar foul two days earlier in Clemson’s loss to North Carolina.

“Obviously we take a lot of pride in how we do things in our program from how we play to who we are on and off the court, and so it was certainly a situation,” Brownell said. “Ironically, the same play happened to David against North Carolina. He got fouled hard, and there was a flagrant 1. He just had that happen to him, and I thought he got hurt. So he was very emotional with it.”

Brownell said he also made Collins apologize to his teammates after Clemson had to play the last 23 minutes and change without their leading rebounder and third-leading scorer. Already playing without injured forward Hunter Tyson, the Tigers allowed 44 points in the second half with Collins unavailable.

“He feels awful,” Brownell said. “Not only does he make a bad play that puts somebody in danger, but he also isn’t there for our team. If you’re his teammate, we don’t have him for the last 26 minutes. And we need him. We need him to guard (Duke point guard) Trevor Keels, (AJ) Griffin and their bid-bodied guys. We’re out there with our little guards with guys like that, and it’s a problem.

“It’s a teaching moment. It happens.”

A flagrant 2 foul doesn’t come with an automatic suspension, so Collins would be able to return to action Saturday when Clemson hosts Notre Dame unless Brownell decides to hand down his own suspension. As for Moore, he bounced back to play 19 minutes in the second half, though all eight of his points came in the first.

Krzyzewski said Moore is “good” physically and is expected to suit up for the Blue Devils when they play Boston College on the road Saturday.

“I hope he’s good,” Krzyzewski said. “We’ll see tomorrow after the plane ride and all of that. It’s best to move on.”

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Collins takes to social media to comment on foul

During Clemson’s 82-64 loss to Duke Thursday, Tigers senior guard David Collins was called for a flagrant 2 foul, which came with an automatic ejection. In the play in question, Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr. fell hard to the floor at the end of the play …

During Clemson’s 82-64 loss to Duke Thursday, Tigers senior guard David Collins was called for a flagrant 2 foul, which came with an automatic ejection.

In the play in question, Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr. fell hard to the floor at the end of the play after Collins undercut Duke’s junior guard, which drew the ire of the Blue Devils’ players and coaches.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell walked Collins over to Duke’s bench to apologize to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who shared a hug with Collins.

Collins later offered a further explanation in a statement on his Instagram story, which you can read below:

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Clemson can’t keep pace with Duke in third straight loss

Mike Krzyzewski’s final time coaching inside Littlejohn Coliseum started warm and fuzzy. Just before the rematch between Clemson and No. 7 Duke tipped off, Clemson recognized the Blue Devils’ Hall of Fame coach, who’s retiring at season’s end, by …

Mike Krzyzewski’s final time coaching inside Littlejohn Coliseum started warm and fuzzy.

Just before the rematch between Clemson and No. 7 Duke tipped off, Clemson recognized the Blue Devils’ Hall of Fame coach, who’s retiring at season’s end, by announcing a donation to his daughter’s non-profit organization benefiting students underrepresented in higher education. But the pleasantries didn’t last long in what turned into a frustrating night for a Clemson team that’s reeling.

Two weeks earlier, the Tigers (12-12, 4-9 ACC) gave Krzyzewski’s final Duke team all it wanted in a two-point loss inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. But things didn’t go nearly as well this time around for Clemson, which has started its three-game homestand 0-2 after an 82-64 loss Thursday.

The Tigers, who’ve dropped seven of their last nine games, got 17 points from PJ Hall and 13 apiece from Chase Hunter and Naz Bohannon, but Clemson shot just 38.6% from the floor without injured forward Hunter Tyson (broken clavicle) and leading rebounder David Collins, who missed the second half after being ejected for a flagrant foul. Duke didn’t have as much trouble finding buckets, particularly on the interior.

Freshman point guard Trevor Keels paced Duke with 25 points while 7-footer Mark Williams (16 points on 8 of 8 shooting) and likely NBA lottery pick Paolo Banchero (15) combined for 31 points for the Blue Devils, who shot nearly 58% from the field and outscored Clemson 34-26 in the paint to complement their nine 3-pointers. Duke, which led by as many as 22 points, also dominated the glass with a plus-9 rebounding advantage (42-33).

Behind 18 combined first-half points from Williams and Banchero, Duke held a 38-27 advantage at the break. The Blue Devils led by as many as 13 in the opening 20 minutes after answering a 8-0 run by Clemson with a 9-0 spurt of its own after Hall missed a dunk.

AJ Griffin immediately knocked down a transition 3-pointer to give Duke a 27-14 lead with 5:32 left in the first half. Clemson answered with the next six points, but the Tigers’ frustration boiled over a couple of minutes later when Wendell Moore Jr. picked Collins’ pocket and raced to the other end for a dunk. Moore fell hard to the floor at the end of the play after Collins undercut Duke’s junior guard, which drew the ire of the Blue Devils’ players and coaches.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell walked Collins over to Duke’s bench to apologize to Krzyzewski, who shared a hug with Collins. But Collins was called for a flagrant 2 foul, which came with an automatic ejection.

Clemson cut the deficit to five early in the second half on a 3 from Al-Amir Dawes, but Duke answered with back-to-back buckets. The Blue Devils later used a 16-4 run over a span of 6 minutes and change to open up a 65-46 lead.

A boisterous “Let’s go, Duke” chant broke out among the large contingent of Duke fans in attendance soon thereafter. And the Tigers were well on their way to a third straight loss since a home win over Florida State on Feb. 2.

This story will be updated.