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Clemson

Clemson pulls off upset of No. 2 Duke, hand Blue Devils first ACC loss of season

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 9 hours•

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Duke was the lone undefeated team remaining in the ACC. Talks of getting throughout the conference slate without a blemish were certainly there, winning the first 12. However, Clemson put an end to any of it with a massive upset of the Blue Devils from Littlejohn Arena.

This game had serious ACC regular season title implications as well. Clemson currently has two conference losses on the resume and falling three games behind Duke might be a mountain too big to climb. Earning the win now means the Tigers, along with the likes of Louisville, will be able to compete for a championship down the stretch.

A massive court storm took place as Clemson fans flooded in from the stands. You can check out the full scenes here.

Scoring from the starting lineup is how Clemson wound up pulling off the upset. Four of the five starters finished in double figures, as Viktor Lakhin led the way with 22 points on 9-12 shooting. The three-point shot was not where a lot of scoring came from Brad Brownell‘s squad, only attempting 10 from deep.

Efficiency inside the arc was the name of the game, shooting 63.4.8% on two-point shots.

Clemson had a huge advantage on the glass too, finishing +11 over Duke. Eleven offensive rebounds were massive and led to multiple second-chance points. Without them, Clemson is not in the game and heading home in a sour mood.

With just under 20 seconds remaining in the game, Duke did have a possession to potentially tie or take the lead. Jon Scheyer put the ball in the hands of Cooper Flagg, unsurprisingly. Flagg was attempting to get downhill but wound up slipping on the court. He was called for a travel, essentially putting the game to bed. Certainly a tough way to lose a game for Flagg and Duke.

It’s now the second time a top-ranked team has been taken down on Saturday. No. 1 Auburn fell earlier in the day, losing at home to Florida. Duke dropping this one to Clemson means somebody brand new could take the top spot in the AP poll set to be released on Monday. Alabama, currently ranked No. 3 and facing Arkansas, certainly has a chance if they can get a win.

Clemson is not too concerned about rankings, though. It’s a historic win for the program and one they will be talking about for a long time.