In an ACC contest, the Clemson men’s basketball team will face the Pittsburgh Panthers at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night.
After winning their last two games over ACC opponents, the Tigers (19-8, 9-7 ACC) will play the second matchup against another pivotal in-conference opponent: a Pittsburgh team that gave Clemson its first ACC win back in early December.
The Dec. 3 matchup has felt like forever ago, so let’s take a trip down memory lane.
Fueled by a 12-point halftime lead, a Pittsburgh surge cut Clemson’s lead to two points with under four minutes to go before the Tigers were able to close out the game and steal an away win. Joe Girard had 25 points, PJ Hall had 22 of his own and Ian Schieffelin grabbed 17 rebounds in the win.
This game will feature two teams who remain tied for fifth in the ACC. A win would allow both sides to remain only a game behind Wake Forest for the No. 4 spot in the ACC Tournament, which would allow a double-bye in the conference tournament. With four games to go for the Tigers, every win matters if the team wants to fall into the top four of the conference.
Perhaps the biggest factor for Clemson in this game will be the performance of Hall. The senior standout had a quiet week over the last two games, scoring only 11 and seven points, respectively, in his last two games. Saturday night’s win over Florida State marked the first time Hall did not score over ten points this season.
After Saturday’s win, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell spoke to the media about his center, saying that he has been fighting injuries over a long, physical season.
“There’s some injury stuff that is holding him out of practice,” Brownell said. “When you’re a big guy like that and don’t get to practice much, and he really hasn’t practiced at all, it’s not easy to have your timing. It’s easy to get out of rhythm, and tonight was one of those nights.”
“I hate it for him, but I am really proud of our team,” Brownell added. “He has put us on his back many nights, so for us to take care of him tonight was good.”
However, similar to last season, the Panthers (18-9, 9-7 ACC) have played better throughout the season under head coach Jeff Capel. The team has won eight of their last ten, including wins away at Duke, Virginia and NC State. Pittsburgh has only lost three away games this season, hoping that another away win at Littlejohn Coliseum helps their ACC odds.
The matchup serves more as a “must-win” for the Panthers as well. While the Tigers are comfortably in the NCAA Tournament mock brackets as a No. 5 seed, Pittsburgh finds itself on the outside looking in. According to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, the Panthers remain on the bubble, falling into Lunardi’s “considerations” group. A win over Clemson would put them one step closer to the tournament.
The Panthers have the stars to do so. Leading the team is ACC Player of the Year-hopeful Blake Hinson. The senior is coming off of an ACC Player of the Week honor-winning on Feb. 19 following a 41-point performance over Lousiville. He averages 18.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, shooing 42% from three-point range.
Hinson had 27 points in the December loss against the Tigers.
Guards Carlton “Bub” Carrington and Ishmael Leggett are two others to know. Carrington leads the team in assists, scoring 12.7 points and averaging 4.2 assists per game. Leggett, a 36.3% three-point shooter, scores an average of 12.2 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
