Duke vs. Clemson
January 11, 2014 • 2 p.m.
Clemson, S.C. • Litteljohn Coliseum (10,325)
RSN • WatchESPN • Blue Devil IMG Sports Network
The Opening Tip
• Duke faces Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C., Saturday in the Blue Devils’ third ACC matchup of the season. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on RSN.
• Duke is ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press and No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. The Blue Devils are 11-9 all-time when ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll.
• The Blue Devils have won six of their past seven games. A 79-77 loss at Notre Dame in the ACC opener on Jan. 4 interrupted a five-game winning streak. Duke rebounded to defeat Georgia Tech 79-57 the next time out.
• Duke has held six of its past seven opponents under 70 points, including three of the past four under 60 points.
• Saturday’s game will be only Duke’s second true road game of the season. Duke has played five times on a neutral court and once – at Notre Dame on Jan. 4 – in an opponents’ gym.
The Last Time Out
• The Blue Devils topped Georgia Tech 79-57 in Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday. Rodney Hood scored 27 points in the second straight game, hitting 8-of-12 shots from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range. Hood connected on his final four shots from beyond the arc.
• Quinn Cook (13 points), Jabari Parker (12), Rasheed Sulaimon (11) and Andre Dawkins (10) also scored in double figures, marking the fifth time this season Duke had five players score at least 10 points in a game.
• Amile Jefferson grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Duke in rebounding for the fifth time in the past seven games.
• Duke shot a season-high .880 (22-of-25) from the free throw line while Georgia Tech did not make a single free throw. Georgia Tech’s 0-of-6 performance marked the first time since Feb. 3, 1982 versus Georgia Tech (0-of-7) that Duke did not allow a made free throw.
By The Numbers
• Duke leads the ACC in scoring (84.3 ppg.) and field goal percentage (.494). The Blue Devils have scored 80 or more points 10 times, while shooting 50 percent or better from the field on six occasions.
• Duke has made more free throws than an opponent has shot in four of the past six games. Against Georgia Tech Tuesday, Duke hit 22-of-25 from the line while the Yellow Jackets finished 0-of-6. On the season, Duke has made 276 free throws, compared to just 301 free throw attempts by the opposition.
• Duke averages 22.3 points per game from its bench this season, compared to 10.5 per game in 2012-13. Rasheed Sulaimon averages a team-high 8.9 points per game when coming off the bench, while Andre Dawkins averages 8.5.
• Rodney Hood has scored 27 points in back-to-back games while hitting eight field goals and five three-point field goals in both contests. Hood is only the 15th Blue Devil in school history to hit at least five three-pointers in back-to-back games.
• Duke has at least one 20-point scorer in 14 of 15 games this season. Jabari Parker has a team-high 10 20-point games, followed by Rodney Hood (7, plus one 30-point game), Quinn Cook (3), Andre Dawkins (1) and Rasheed Sulaimon (1).
• Parker’s 10 20-point games are tied for the second most by a Duke freshman. Gene Banks (1977-78) holds the school freshman record with 11 games of 20 or more points scored.
• Rodney Hood has hit 16 consecutive free throws. He is shooting .859 (67-of-78) from the line this season and leads Duke in made free throws.
• Andre Dawkins is just one three-pointer shy of becoming the 13th player in Duke history to hit 200 career three-pointers. Dawkins is 199-of-484 (.411) from three-point range for his career to rank fifth at Duke in career three-point percentage and 13th in made three-pointers.
• Dawkins leads the ACC with a .471 (32-of-68) three-point shooting percentage. He is averaging 9.4 points in just 14.9 minutes per game.
• Quinn Cook ranks among the ACC’s top 10 in assists (6.1, 2nd), free throw percentage (.870, t-2nd), steals (1.7, t-6th), assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1, 6th) and minutes (35.3, 5th). He also ranks 16th with 14.0 points per game.
• Amile Jefferson is averaging 8.9 rebounds per game over his past seven contests and has led Duke in rebounding five times in that span. Jefferson has three double-figure rebounding games in that stretch.