The Clemson Tigers have been one of the ACC’s most compelling storylines this season - a team that wasn’t projected to be near the top but played like they belonged there. Heading into Durham with a 20-5 overall record and a 10-2 mark in conference play, Clemson had earned their place among the ACC’s elite. But against Duke, they ran into a wall - one that wore Blue and flexed its depth and discipline in the second half.
Clemson kept it tight early, trailing by just five at halftime. But then came the Blue Devils’ surge - and it was a familiar sight inside Cameron Indoor.
Cameron Boozer and company found their rhythm, and once Duke got rolling, Clemson couldn’t keep pace. The Tigers were outscored by eight in the second half, managing just 28 points over the final 20 minutes.
Even as Duke rotated in bench players, the defensive clamps stayed tight, and the Tigers' offense never found its footing.
For Clemson, the loss stung - not just because of the opponent, but because it marked their second straight defeat. Just days earlier, they had fallen to an unranked Virginia Tech squad by 10 points. That’s two double-digit losses in a row for a team that had previously dropped only one conference game all season - a narrow four-point loss to NC State.
After the game, head coach Brad Brownell didn’t sugarcoat the situation. But he also didn’t let it define his team.
“Don’t forget who we are and why we’ve had success,” Brownell told reporters. “We’re not as gifted, I think, as some of the teams at the top of the league… But we’ve had a lot of success. Let’s not let a bad week derail us.”
That quote says a lot about this Clemson team. They’ve been winning on grit, execution, and chemistry - not necessarily on raw talent.
And when that margin for error is slim, a couple of off nights can snowball quickly. Brownell knows it.
His players know it. The question now is how they respond with March fast approaching.
On the other side, Duke looks like a team shaking off the rust from a midseason stumble. Just two games removed from a heartbreaker against North Carolina, the Blue Devils have bounced back strong - first with a 70-54 win over Pitt, and now with a convincing performance against a quality Clemson squad.
Head coach Jon Scheyer was quick to show respect for the Tigers, despite the final score.
“I’ve coached three games against Clemson as a head coach, and every game’s gone down to the wire,” Scheyer said. “That shows our respect for them. We knew that middle stretch in the second half was going to be big.”
He wasn’t wrong. That stretch is where Duke separated - tightening up defensively, pushing the pace, and executing their sets with precision. It was a reminder that while this team may have taken a few lumps earlier in the season, they’re still very much a force in the ACC.
Now, Duke turns its attention to Syracuse before a marquee showdown with No. 2 Michigan on February 21. That matchup could be a measuring stick game for a Blue Devils squad that’s rounding into form at just the right time.
As for Clemson, the road doesn’t get any easier. But if Brownell’s message resonates, and if this team can rediscover the formula that got them to 20 wins, they’ll still be a tough out come tournament time. The margin may be slim - but the heart is real.