Duke Downs A Tough Clemson, 92-78 (1229 PM)

Though people say the ACC is down, you can pretty much count on this: hold an
ACC team to 16 points in the first half at your place, and they'll fight like
hell the next time out. That's precisely what Clemson did, and add in the fact
that Duke is still minus Dunleavy, and that Boozer and James fouled out and that
Clemson got particularly hot in the last five minutes, and you have the makings
of an ACC payback classic, with a 10-17 team sticking it to the regular season
champs.

Didn't quite happen though.  After a sensational first half by Shane
Battier, where he hit almost everything he threw up, Duke had the lead out to 14
fairly late, when Clemson started to rally.  First Boozer fouled out, then
Nate James, and suddenly Duke was finishing the game with Battier, Carrawell,
Williams, Christensen - and Andre Buckner.

As ACC fans will remember though, Buckner's brother was a very competitive
guy, and Andre came in and gave Duke some great minutes, hitting some free
throws, and making a steal when Clemson trailed by eight and had confidence on
their side.  Sound funny to say thank God for Andre Buckner? We like the
kid. We like his quickness, and his peskiness.  The idea is that he is an
insurance policy, but the first time Duke had to draw on that policy, the kid
came through admirably.  It's too much to say he won the game, but it's not
too much to say that had he not gotten that steal, Duke could have been in a
very serious situation. 

Everyone who played contributed a fair amount, and most impressive perhaps
was that Duke got all over the boards against a tough-rebounding Tiger team,
outrebounding them 38-33, and holding their own on the offensive boards, hardly
a Duke strength this year.  Boozer grabbed 10, Williams 7, Carrawell 6,
James 5, and Battier 4.  Almost as impressive was that Duke got to the foul
line 33 times and hit 25, which is not too bad.

Battier was sensational early, of course, but an increasing factor in Duke's
success, particularly in Dunleavy's absence, is the play of Jason Williams. Look
at his stats tonight: 16 points, 7 boards, 8 assists vs. 3 turnovers, and a
steal.   His leadership and point skill is coming on very fast, and
for Duke, it's a great time to see it, since Duke really needed someone to step
up. 

Boozer is stepping up as well, grabbing 19 boards in the last two games and
30 points in the last two as well.  Good thing, because the team needs that
from him now.

Another guy who deserves mention is Nick Horvath. In the three games since
Dunleavy has been out, he has had two very solid games and one lesser one
against St. John's.   St. John's was a difficult matchup for him as
they start, basically, only guards and quick forwards.  In the other two,
though, he has been a real contributor. Tonight he hit for 12 points Against
Wake he hit for 13.  That means he has made up Dunleavy's points, so far,
as Dunleavy was hitting for 9 per game also.

All things considered, this was an ACC game, and that's saying a lot
considering that Clemson started the year losing to the likes of Winthrop and
S.C. State.  They have come an awfully long way, and with Solomon,
Allenspach, Henderson, Gilmore, and the new kids coming in, Clemson has reason
to be optimistic.  Even though their record is miserable, they should be
commended for climbing their way out of a serious hole. State, for one, hasn't
been able to do what the Tigers have done, and they've had a lot more to work
with. Larry Shyatt, in particular, deserves huge credit for keeping the ship
from sinking.

Notes - Rachel posted this exchange on the board: "How many did he have? Seven?" Carrawell asked. "I told him he should have had 12. He choked." 
"The always loquacious Chris Carrawell, everybody," answered Battier...how do
you like Clemson with Solomon, Scott, and Dwon Clifton manning the
perimeter....though Dunleavy of course is a hugely savvy player, Horvath has
shown flashes of unusual basketball intelligence....we just can't get over how
rapidly Jason Williams has grown into his role...this is a year with incredible
point guards - Penn, Barkley, El-Amin, Ed Cota, Donald Hand, Mateen Cleaves,
Pepe Sanchez,  and on and on....Jason has staked his claim and is
definitely living in that neighborhood now...one of the best pieces of news
though is Boozer pulling down 19 rebounds in the last two games...that augurs
well...anyone wonder what Greg Buckner thought about tonight's game?....he
didn't like Duke but obviously is pulling for his brother....Andre the
Giant...Duke has gone undefeated on the road in the ACC for more than two
seasons...that's amazing....not to get ahead, but now that you see what Jason
Williams can do at the point, imagine Duke's backcourt with Duhon at the other
guard, and also imagine Sanders when he is ready to contribute a lot....his
speed is going to be devastating with those two chunking him the ball...