No. 3 Duke to face intriguing challenge in trip to face Clemson Tigers

The Duke Basketball team will face a new and intriguing challenge when traveling to face the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday night.

Duke has faced a number of challenges this season and a new one awaits when the Blue Devils take the court on Tuesday night on the road against the Clemson Tigers.

As many people know, the Clemson Football team was in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night and lost to the LSU Tigers, 42-25.

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While the game has no direct impact on Duke University of its men’s basketball program, it could have an indirect affect on Tuesday night’s basketball game between the Blue Devils and Tigers.

Will the crowd be as rowdy at the Littlejohn Coliseum if Clemson would have won? Will the crowd be more rowdy as their Tigers are coming off the first win in Chapel Hill in program history and are hosting the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils? Will it have no affect on the game?

Those questions remain to be answered, but it’s worth asking yourself.

As mentioned, Clemson defeated North Carolina on Saturday evening in Chapel Hill and it marked the first win on the road against the Tar Heels in program history.

This will now be the second time in as many weeks that Duke travels to face a team that is coming off a win in the Dean Dome.

The Blue Devils traveled to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last Wednesday after its win in Chapel Hill and Duke saw an 11-point halftime lead evaporate, but the Blue Devils were able to make a small comeback to win, 73-64.

Will the Tigers still be living in its glory from Saturday’s win and lay an egg against Duke on Tuesday? It’s certainly possible as the Blue Devils have been steamrolling ACC competition and are a perfect 3-0 on the road in conference play.

Clemson will need a huge game from its star Aamir Simms who is averaging a team-high 13.9 points per game and is coming off a 20-point explosion in the win over North Carolina.

Simms has scored at least 17 points in his last three games, with 21 points in a loss to Miami on December 31.

One note to monitor is the health of Joey Baker as a rumor was swirling around on Monday night that the sophomore was in a walking boot for precautionary measures after turning an ankle in practice this week.

The potential injury news was first reported by ‘Duke.Wave’ on Instagram as Baker was allegedly seen in a walking boot on campus.

Duke is already without freshman forward Wendell Moore who suffered a broken hand in the win over Miami on January 4 and has been ruled out indefinitely.

The Blue Devils and Tigers will go to battle at 7:00pm EST from the Littlejohn Coliseum and fans can watch the game on ESPN.

PREDICTION: Duke 78, Clemson 63

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