Tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils (24-7, 13-5 ACC) will begin their quest for an ACC tourney title against the Clemson Tigers (20-11, 10-8 ACC) who are unlikely to earn an NCAA Tournament bid without a deep run in this conference tournament. Watch the action on ESPN, or live stream it free here. Duke fans can hear the game on 620 The Buzz AM, while Clemson fans can tune in to WCCP 104.9.
Despite possessing one of the top players in the nation, freshman Jabari Parker, Duke knows getting through the ACC tourney grind will be no simple task. "It's not going to be given to us," Parker said. "Throughout the years, we have been able to win it but I think we've been in a drought so far."
Duke finished the regular season with a bang, spanking UNC in the finale behind a 30-point, 11-rebound showing from Jabari. They fell to the Tigers in early January, but won 12-of-15 since then. Even though they've been on a roll, Clemson's still using that huge win for mental fuel.
"I think that was probably like our best win so far in the regular season," Clemson guard Damarcus Harrison said. "It was a big conference win for us."
While Clemson isn't expressing fear of the Blue Devils, their coach has a healthy respect for them. "Duke is one of the marquee programs in the country, not just in the ACC, and to have a chance to compete against those guys is something you really look forward to and respect," Brad Brownell said.
Clemson's defense has been stiff this year, giving up just 57.8 points per game, while Duke has had one of the NCAA's finest offenses this year, scoring 79.8 points per contest.
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