The Clemson men’s basketball team will hit the road this weekend, traveling to South Bend, Indiana, to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavillion on Saturday night.
The Tigers come into the game on a three-game win streak, winning six of their last seven ACC contests that have propelled the team into the top 5 of the conference. Despite their record not showing it, they face a tough Notre Dame (11-17, 6-11 ACC) squad who are coming off of their biggest win of the season.
Clemson (20-8, 10-7 ACC) added another important win to their resume in their last game, coming back in the second half to secure a seven-point victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday night. The Tigers had another successful effort as a group, with four of the five starters scoring ten or more points in the contest.
Continuing to win at the end of the season is crucial for head coach Brad Brownell and his team. The team is currently tied with Wake Forest for the No. 4 seed in the ACC, which would grant a team with the double-bye, which is important for rest and injuries, which Clemson has experienced with the wear-and-tear of the season as of late.
If the Tigers continue to win as well, it would only mean a better seeding in the NCAA Tournament, which the team is almost certain to make following their win over the Panthers. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the Tigers remain a No. 5 seed in the tournament, and ending the season with an impressive win streak would only make their position better.
Clemson is getting plenty of production for players Joe Girard III, Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin over the last three games, but the team would not be complete without center PJ Hall, who has been rather quiet in the last three wins.
The senior has averaged ten points per game over the last three, compared to the 18.5 points per game that he is coming into the game with. Hall did have a double-double on Tuesday night, however, marking that his rebounding and post defense remain the same despite a dip in offense as of late.
Meanwhile, in his first year as Notre Dame’s head coach, Micah Shrewsberry has his team in the best stretch of the season so far. The Irish have won four of their last five, including an impressive upset win over Wake Forest on Tuesday night, winning by five points to secure the biggest win of the Shrewsberry era so far.
Leading the team in scoring is freshman Markus Burton, scoring an impressive 17.2 points per game and 4.3 assists per game. The guard is coming off of his best game of the season, scoring a career-high 31 points against the Demon Deacons on Tuesday night.
Braeden Shrewsberry, the son of the coach, is another face to know, who has had some standout games as of late in Notre Dame’s stretch of games. The freshman averages ten points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m. and the game will be broadcasted on the CW Network.
