Next up for Duke is Clemson, and while Duke is the clear favorite, since Brad Brownell showed up, playing Clemson can be a bruising experience.
Like Tony Bennett and Leonard Hamilton, and for that matter Mike Krzyzewski, Brownell starts with defense first.
Unlike Bennett, whose packline defense is highly effective but based on denying the interior, or Hamilton, whose defense is based more on athleticism and pressure, Brownell’s teams are highly physical. In Brownell’s first visit to Cameron, we remember watching Nolan Smith run through picks and getting bounced like the ball in a pinball machine, much to his frustration.
It’s sort of like an early 80′s Big Ten system, like Gene Keady’s Purdue, and it can’t be a lot of fun to play against.
CLEMSON – The Clemson Tigers will face many challenges during their 18-game run through the 2013 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season.
There might not be any as great as the one they’ll face Tuesday.
Clemson (8-5, 0-1) travels to Durham to face No. 1 Duke (14-0, 1-0 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the most intimidating venues in all of basketball. And while Mike Krzyzewski’s unbeaten team enters with momentum that’s been building since November, Brad Brownell’s club must shake off the effects of a home loss to Florida State last Saturday.
