By JACOB POLACHECK
Just one day after Clemson fell to LSU in the College Football Playoff national championship, the Clemson men’s basketball team gave fans a nice consolation prize with a win over Duke.
The Tigers knocked off the No. 3 ranked Blue Devil, 79-72, on Tuesday led by junior forward Aamir Simms.
The Blue Devils (15-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) came into the game a 10 1/2-point favorite and leading the nation with an average margin of victory of 21.5 points. Duke had not lost since a stunning home defeat to Stephen F. Austin in November.
The Blue Devils were riding a nine-game winning streak heading into Tuesday’s matchup.
The Blue Devils lose for the first time since their last-second defeat against Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26, a loss that dropped them out of the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll.
Simms led all scorers with 25 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Tevin Mack also added 22 points and nine rebounds in the win.
Duke freshman Vernon Carey scored a team-high 20 points while sophomore Tre Jones added 17 points.
With the win, Clemson moves to 9-7 (3-3 ACC) on the year. In their last three games, Clemson has knocked off N.C. State, North Carolina and Duke.
The last time Clemson beat North Carolina and Duke in consecutive games was in 1990.
Duke will host No. 11 Louisville on Saturday. Clemson will play at NC State on Saturday.
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