Super 2010 prospect, Brandon Knight led his team to an easy win at today's Hoophall Classic Tournament.  The event is held in Springfield, Massachusetts, which is the home of the Basketball Hall of Fame.  If early returns are any indication, young Brandon may be in the hallowed hall one day.  The Blue Devil Nation had Jay Dennis on the scene and he secured an informative interview with the Duke prospect which is hot off the press in our Premium section.  So, if you love recruiting and want to discuss the latest happenings with some knowledgeable fans, then it is time you joined Blue Devil Nation Premium.  Simply go to the appropriate paypal links to your left.  There you can sign up for a 3, 6 or 12 month membership.  We will send you an ID and password and you'll be in the know on the latest in all things Duke.

Blue Devil Nation Premium has an interview and impressions up on Brandon Knight from today's Hoophall Classic, where he scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds!

Duke - 93 Clemson - 80

Courtesy of Duke Sports Information

DeMarcus Nelson tied his career high and is once again the BDN's Player of the Game

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- DeMarcus Nelson scored 24 points and No. 7 Duke beat No. 24 Clemson 93-80 on Saturday night for their 22nd straight win in the series.

Kyle Singler added 17 points and keyed the game-breaking run for the Blue Devils (15-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). They blew a 12-point first-half lead, regrouped and eventually ran away from the Tigers while improving to 54-4 against them at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Gerald Henderson had 16 points, Nolan Smith scored 13 and Jon Scheyer finished with 12 for Duke, which overcame a serious height disadvantage by turning up the defensive pressure and riding some hot shooting to win its fifth straight.

Clemson held a 42-26 rebounding advantage, but the Tigers turned it over 21 times -- 5.5 more than their average. Duke turned those miscues into 37 points and shot 53.4 percent, knocking down 10 of 11 shots in one early stretch.

K.C. Rivers scored 16 points to lead the Tigers (14-4, 2-2), who were denied their first victory in the series since an overtime triumph at home more than a decade ago. They haven't won at Cameron since 1995.

A year ago, they came close to knocking off Duke. The Blue Devils took advantage of what ACC officials would later admit was a timing error and claimed a memorable 68-66 victory on David McClure's last-second layup.

This one was decided significantly earlier. After Clemson tied it for the last time when Rivers' 3-pointer with 11 minutes remaining made it 58-all, Nelson and Singler took over.

About 15 seconds later, Nelson knocked down a 3 from the left corner, putting Duke ahead for good and starting the decisive 23-7 run.

Singler later hit 3s about a minute apart, capping the run by converting from the same spot that Nelson did to make it 81-65 with 5:45 left.

Demontez Still finished with 15 points and Trevor Booker had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Clemson, which had its two-game winning streak snapped.

Duke came out firing, building an early double-figure lead and hitting 10 of 11 shots, with Scheyer's 3 from the corner capping that burst and concluding the 15-2 run that made it 26-14 with 11 minutes left in the half. Clemson tightened things up, pulling within 41-38 on Terrence Oglesby's 3 with 32 seconds left.

Official Box Score Link                    Game Notes Link Here

Duke Photo Gallery                             A.P. Photo Gallery

Bob's take - Clemson leads the ACC in offensive rebounding and is third in overall rebounding. They lead the ACC in steals at almost 11 per game and are second in assist/turnover margin. Clemson combines size with good guard play, 6'9" James Mays and 6'7" Trevor Booker provide the size, while K.C Rivers, Cliff Hammonds, and Demontez Stitt provide the skill on the perimeter. Clemson's Achilles Heel is that they are last in the ACC in free throw shooting.

Due to Clemson's size, Duke will be hard pressed to run the one forward four guard line-up utilized against FSU. This means more playing time for Lance Thomas and Dave McClure. The question is whether the two can contribute some offense. In ACC play this season, the two combined for zero points in twenty minutes against FSU, and one point in thirty six minutes against Virginia. Both players need to figure out how to put the ball in the basket.

Duke brings a potent offensive punch off the bench with Jon Scheyer, Taylor King, and Nolan Smith combining to average 27 points in 58.2 minutes per game. Solid play from the trio will be essential to defeat Clemson. Equally important will be attacking the glass on the defensive end in order to limit Clemson's second chance points. Duke will attempt to disrupt Clemson's offense by harassing Freshman point guard Demontez Stitt. As always, Duke must make their open shots.

My prediction: Duke 81 - Clemson 75

Mark's take -  On the Duke side of the ball, the Devils must be on their game from the three point stripe.  As usual, free throws will play a very important role in the game.  Duke needs to get to the line while staying out of foul trouble.  Duke will be prepared and hopefully the crowd will too.  I worry about the crowd in that snowy weather threatens the Triangle.  There will be some no shows and that's never good.  In fact, if you are in the area -- this is the kind of game where you can get tickets for face value or less outside.

Clemson is led by two solid seniors in James Mays and Cliff Hammonds.  Add K.C. Rivers to the mix too.  The junior seems as if he has been around forever.  The X-Factor is freshman Terrence Oglesby.  While he comes off the bench, he leads the league in three point accuracy and averages 18.2 PPG on the road.  He hits better than 50% of his threes in opposing arena.  He scored twelve points in Clemson's two overtime wins. 

The last time Clemson won at Duke was in 1995, however, they played Duke to the buzzer last season.  That game took a miraculous pass from Scheyer and a McClure shot to escape and this game could be just as close.  If Duke connects from the free throw line, they win.

The pick here is Duke 83 Clemson 76

Clemson Off vs. Duke Def	Duke Off vs. Clemson Def
81.4 Pts F 63.1 Pts A 46.5 FG% 40.1 FG% 37.4 Reb. 31.1 Reb.	84.5 Pts F 67.5 Pts A 48.4 FG% 42.5 FG% 31.1 Reb. 31.3 Reb.

Here is an excellent read on Duke soph Gerald Henderson in which he tells the author he still wants to improve upon his game.

Lindsey Harding will have her jersey number raised to the rafters this Sunday versus N.C. State.  The Duke Chronicle checks in on the affair.  Harding joins Alana Beard as the only two Duke women to have their number retired.  There are many who think some other numbers deserve recognition.  We will have more on that another day.  Be sure you check out the game this weekend if you are in the Durham area.

Clemson Coach Oliver Pernell gives his thoughts on playing Duke in Cameron.  Both teams are ranked in the top 25 in what promises to be an exciting game.  Here are the official game notes from the Tigers perspective.  In this article Clemson wants to knock Duke off in Cameron.  The Tigers feel they have something to prove and want to show their comeback in last seasons game was no fluke.  Perhaps we will have some more David McClure heroics.

Here is a very solid preview of the Duke-Clemson game from ESPN's Jay Bilas.  Jay has been catching a little flak of late, but he is true blue.

Will Duke football prospect Butler opt to go elsewhere?  The word is Coach Cutcliffe has been talking to speedster who was originally recruited by Roof and company.