Lofty Company

Clemson 74, Duke 47

"Play hard, Tigers," I said yesterday.

Yeah ... you could say they played hard.

I'm on a belief that desiring payback is wrong. And I stand by that belief. Still, it was nice to see the shoe on the other foot for a change.

Last night was one of those magical nights where everything gelled perfectly for Clemson at both ends of the court. Offense finally clicked into gear. Our full-court press fixed its reputation. And I would say despite the slightly less than anticipated student turnout, the Littlejohn Loonies and Oliver Purnell's Posse did their part to make life even more miserable for Duke.

We haven't thoroughly enjoyed a romp like this since the 31-7 GameDay stomp of Georgia Tech in 2006. And even that was reasonable close for nearly half the game. Last night, our basketball team not only played with Duke in the first half - they beat them like an old, dusty carpet. The 33-21 score did not reflect just how much the Devils got flat-out punished by the more seasoned, more athletic, and more driven Tiger squad.

But in the second half?

Heck, we clicked into an even higher gear and pushed our foot clear through Duke's jugular. Who was waiting and waiting for one of Duke's patented "runs" that would surely tighten things up in the second half? Never happened. And anytime there was a thought it could happen? Oh, there was Trevor Booker slamming home a monster dunk. Oh, there was Terrence "The Assassin" Oglesby nailing a dagger-like trey. Oh, there was K.C. Rivers disrupting things from the inside.

I think we all knew Clemson could beat Duke. Last year in the ACC semis was proof enough of that.

But flat out humiliate them? Give them the same spoonful of pain they've given us for years? Wow. Didn't see that coming.

Now let's go beat Florida State. GO TIGERS!