With its road loss at Temple and its hard-fought victories over Georgia Tech and Virginia in the last 10 days, Duke has had ample opportunity for self analysis this month.

At first, the scrutiny revealed the Blue Devils needed to play harder and play smarter on defense. Then it showed progress, even if there were still improvements to be made guarding opponents and finishing out games.

After their 61-58 victory Thursday over the No. 16 Cavaliers, a game in which they trailed at halftime and had to play at Virginia's more conservative pace, the eighth-ranked Blue Devils (14-2, 2-0) are feeling a lot better about themselves heading into today's game at Clemson (6 p.m. ESPNU).

"It just shows how tough we are," Blue Devils freshman Austin Rivers said in the locker room after the win over the Cavaliers. "To be able to beat a great team like Virginia - it shows us that we're capable of beating anybody. Virginia is one of the top teams in the country - I don't care what anybody says - just because of how old they are and how smart they are.

"To play their game and still win, it shows how we've grown and how we can play different styles."

In one sense, Clemson (9-7, 1-1) will provide a similar test for Duke tonight at Littlejohn Coliseum. Just like Virginia, Clemson likes to play at a deliberate pace. The Tigers entered the weekend ranked second (behind Virginia) in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing just 57.7 points a game. Opponents have scored more than 70 points against the Tigers only three times this season, and one of those games went to overtime.

However, as the Tigers' loss to Boston College on Thursday suggests, Clemson has its own issues on offense. Coach Brad Brownell's club has trouble scoring, ranking second to last in the ACC in points per game (64.2 points per game).

So the Blue Devils' defense likely won't be challenged in the same way it was by Virginia's Mike Scott (23 points) or Temple's Khalif Wyatt (22 points). But Duke will want to get some things going on the offensive end.

The 61 points it scored against the Cavaliers were a season low, and several Duke players - Rivers, especially - could use the positive reinforcement of seeing the ball go through the basket repeatedly.

Still, the Blue Devils seem more optimistic than they were a week ago.

While they will want to guard against overconfidence - after its 22-point loss to Ohio State at the end of November, Duke was also talking about the strides it had made over the month of December before the unexpected loss to Temple - the Blue Devils' players said they like where they are at the moment.

"I think this is a momentum builder going into Clemson," Rivers said. "Clemson's a great team, especially at home. Every team in the ACC is great, especially when they play Duke. We're really looking forward to going to Clemson and playing a good team in a hostile environment. Especially just beating a team like Virginia at home gives you momentum for that game."

Duke (14-2, 2-0 ACC) at Clemson (9-7, 1-1)

6 p.m., Littlejohn Coliseum

The eighth-ranked Blue Devils are coming off a good win at home against Virginia while the Tigers wasted multiple chances near the end of a two-point loss at Boston College Thursday night. While Clemson looks for a consistent offensive leader, the Blue Devils come in shooting .499 from the field, sixth-best in the country. The Tigers will need Andre Young, Tanner Smith or someone to score consistently from the perimeter as the Tigers have made just 18 percent of their 3-pointers against Duke in the last three meetings. The Tigers will also need to get a strong defensive effort inside against Miles and Mason Plumlee.

- Ron Green Jr.