Trevor Keels lifts Duke over Clemson
Freshman Trevor Keels scored 23 points in the second half to lead Duke over Clemson.
Balance might be the word of the day for Duke in its 82-64 win over Clemson, but “Keel Mode” is most likely the phrase the Tigers will hear ringing in their ears as they playback the loss overnight.
Freshman Trevor Keels brought a horror story to Littlejohn Coliseum that would leave even the heartiest gorehound tumbling into a sleepless night. The Duke guard scored 23 of his game-high 25 points in 17 minutes of second half action.
He was 8-of-9 from the field in the final 20 minutes of play, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. The lone miss came with just 57 seconds left to go in the game.
Even more impressive is the fact he scored 21 of those 23 points from the 12:46 mark on. During that stretch alone, Keels outscored the entire Clemson team by one point. At the time of his activation of Keel Mode, Duke was leading 53-44. Up to that point, Clemson had frequently put together mini-runs to keep the Blue Devils within reach.
Each time Duke extended a lead to double figures, the Tigers seemingly clawed back to within seven or eight points. It was the running theme for most of the game. At least until Keels decided enough was enough.
Keels explosion came when he converted a layup to push Duke ahead 55-44. For the next 1:12, he put together a 7-2 run that ultimately led to a 22-6 run and a 75-53 lead with 5:13 left in the contest.
AJ Griffin, Mark Williams and Paolo Banchero joined the party during that stretch, adding eight points, but it was Keels’ 14 that propelled Duke into a position to bury the Tigers and deflate any hopes they may have had about mounting a comeback.
He was quite simply remarkable.
As previously mentioned, however, Keel Mode is not the only thing we should place focus on from Thursday’s victory.
Duke played with great balance on offense, as four players finished in double figures and one other just two points shy of the mark. In addition to Keels near-perfect night, that saw him shoot 9-of-13 for the game, was the play of center Mark Williams, who was indeed perfect.
Williams finished the night 8-of-8 from the field for 16 points. Five of his last six buckets of the night came on dunks, and the sixth was a layup. In fact, he didn’t attempt a shot away from the rim after the 8:57 point of the first half when he connected on a mid-range jumper to give the Blue Devils a 20-14 lead.
After that he found his points off of lobs, rebounds and incredible feeds from Moore, who recorded eight assists in the game. In fact, six of Moore’s assists went to Williams. The two were locked in together and the Tigers simply had no answer. In addition to Moore’s assists, the junior co-captain finished with eight points.
As good as that trio was, one should not forget about Griffin’s play. He was consistent all game long, posting 12 points on an impressive 4-of-5 shooting from long range.
In what has become the norm, Griffin was laser focused from the perimeter and hit shots in big moments — both to swing momentum back in Duke’s favor and to help push it forward when Keels decided to takeover the game.
The balance did not end with those four, though. Despite shooting just 5-of-15 on the night, Banchero still managed to finish as Duke’s third leading scorer with 15 points while also handing out three assists.
Though his shot was not connecting as consistently as he would have liked, the 6-foot-10 freshman also hit some big attempts in important moments.
Clemson never truly proved to be a threat to Duke beyond the 9:18 mark of the first half when they trailed by just four points. After that, the Tigers never got closer than five points down with 16:38 left to go in the game.
Duke did start the second half off slowly, allowing Clemson to close that gap, but Mike Krzyzewski’s team finally put things together and cruised the rest of the way.
OWNING THE BOARDS
A key for Duke’s success on Thursday was the team’s ability to control the backboards. Although the different in total rebounds by game’s end was not that wide of a gap (42-33), Duke’s ability to own the glass was a critical factor in the 18-point victory.
The Blue Devils held Clemson to just one first half offensive rebound before giving up six in the second half. The Tigers ultimately finished with five second chance points on seven offensive boards. All five of those came in the final half.
Duke’s 33 defensive rebounds were a difference maker.
The Blue Devils ended the game with two double digit rebounds — Keels with 11 and Banchero with 10. Williams added six boards, while Moore pulled down four and Griffin three. Jeremy Roach, Theo John and Bates Jones each pulled down two boards, while Joey Baker added one.
MOORE TAKES HARD, DIRTY FOUL
The first half provided a terrifying moment that saw Moore breakaway with a steal from Clemson’s David Collins just before mid-court. The Duke guard beat his man down the floor, finishing with a powerful two-handed dunk in which he launched from nearly a full sprint.
Rather than go for a block, or simply let the play go, Collins chose make one of the most dangerous moves you will ever see on a basketball court. With Moore flying through the air, back facing Collins, the Clemson guard put a forearm in Moore’s hip, with no attempt on the ball, sending him parallel to the court and ultimately hard to the floor.
Referees immediately rushed to Moore’s side, while Roach walked over with his hands on his head in fear and concern. Krzyzewski walked to the other end of the floor, barking his disapproval to the Clemson bench and in the direction of Collins.
Collins was awarded a flagrant 2 and ejected from the game. The Clemson bench was also given a technical foul, as was the Duke bench for stepping onto the court.
Following the official decision to eject Collins, Clemson coach Brad Brownell and the senior guard walked over to Krzyzewski and offered an apology. Duke’s coach accepted, spoke briefly to Collins while giving him a hug.