After a rousing 77-57 win over Florida State on Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson men’s basketball travels to Atlanta, Georgia for a showdown with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Tuesday night.
The Tigers currently sit in a tie for second in the ACC standings, behind only Duke (6-0), and tied with Louisville (5-1). Clemson’s only conference defeat came at the hands of the Cardinals last Tuesday night. A week later, the team looks to snap a two-game road losing streak.
Saturday’s win over the Seminoles was one of senior guard Chase Hunter’s best performances of the 2024 season, as he racked up 25 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. A 5-of-9 showing from three gave Clemson the firepower it needed to outshoot FSU.
It wasn’t just Hunter that provided a scoring punch from the outside, though. Senior guard Jaeden Zackery knocked down three of his four three-point attempts on the way to a 15-point outing. After a stretch of four games that saw him shoot just 2-for-16 (12.5%) from three, the Boston College transfer has made five of his last nine from downtown against Louisville and Florida State. Hunter and big man Ian Schieffelin may be the most potent offensive threats for the Tigers, but Zackery is the x-factor that can prove to be very valuable.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-9, 2-4 ACC)
Head coach: Damon Stoudamire (2nd season, 22-27 at Georgia Tech, 9-17 in ACC)
Advanced rankings*:
103 in Kenpom (Clemson is 30)
148 in NET (Clemson is 37)
102 in BPI (Clemson is 28)
– out of all 364 Division I teams
Record by quadrant:
Quadrant 1: 0-5
Quadrant 2: 0-2
Quadrant 3: 1-1
Quadrant 4: 7-1
Notable wins: Notre Dame, Boston College
Notable losses: North Florida, Syracuse, Georgia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Duke
Leading scorer: Lance Terry (guard #0), 15.4 points
Leading rebounder: Baye Ndongo (forward #11), 6.9 rebounds
Assist leader: Naithan George (guard #1), 6.4 assists
Last time out:
Saturday, January 11th
SMU 93, Georgia Tech 71 in Dallas, TX
SMU raced to a 50-19 halftime lead and never looked back. Javian McCollum led Georgia Tech in scoring with 20 points (7-11 from the field, 5-8 from three) off of the bench, but the game was never in doubt. The Mustangs shot 50% from the field and knocked down 14 threes to the Yellow Jackets’ nine. 20 turnovers committed by Georgia Tech let SMU get out and run, leading to 27 points off of turnovers.
Outlook:
Tuesday night’s matchup with the Yellow Jackets should be a game that tests Clemson’s mettle and focus. Though it is a “step down” of sorts in competition compared to their last two ACC opponents (Louisville and Florida State), the Tigers need to arrive ready to play. Georgia Tech sprung multiple upsets last season, over No. 3 North Carolina on its home floor, and at Clemson in double overtime.
As far as a matchup to watch, it’s the guard play for me. Chase Hunter and Lance Terry are two of the better guards in the ACC, with the two ranking 7th and 12th in the conference in points per game. If Clemson can force Terry into an inefficient night from the floor, it’ll go a long way toward leaving McCamish Pavilion with a win.
