After a week off to rest and recover, Clemson basketball (17-4, 9-1 ACC) finishes off a two-game road swing with a trip to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday. The game will be televised by The CW and tip off at 1:30 p.m. inside the recently-renamed Lenovo Center.
Last time out, the Tigers scored a 15-point victory on the road over the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg, 72-57. Clemson was led by a balanced offensive effort, including 16 points from junior forward Chauncey Wiggins, who connected on four of his six three-point attempts.
True freshman guard Del Jones served as a spark plug off the bench for the team, adding 13 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the effort. The Landover, Md. native played his most minutes of any game this season, earning the trust of head coach Brad Brownell. Without star guard Chase Hunter for much of the contest (illness), performances like Jones’ kept the Hokies at bay, securing Clemson’s fifth straight win.
Big man Viktor Lakhin and guard Jaeden Zackery scored 11 points apiece, and the Tigers shot a strong 48.3% from the field, much better than Virginia Tech’s 38%.
Clemson sits in a tie for second in the ACC standings, behind the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils (10-0), and in a tie with the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals (9-1). Louisville handed the Tigers their lone conference defeat, while Duke comes to Littlejohn Coliseum for a 6:00 p.m. duel on February 8.
NC State Wolfpack (9-11, 2-7 ACC)
Head coach: Kevin Keatts (8th season here, 11th overall, 148-104 at NCSU, 66-75 ACC)
2024 ACC Tournament Champion
2024 NCAA Tournament Regional Champion (Final Four)
Advanced rankings*:
96 in Kenpom (Clemson is 29)
110 in NET (Clemson is 30)
70 in BPI (Clemson is 25)
- – out of all 364 Division I teams
Record by quadrant:
Quadrant 1: 0-5
Quadrant 2: 0-4
Quadrant 3: 2-2
Quadrant 4: 7-0
Notable wins: Florida State, Notre Dame
Notable losses: Virginia Tech, California, Virginia, BYU
Leading scorer: Marcus Hill (guard #10), 12.8 points
Leading rebounder: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (forward #1), 4.9 rebounds
Assist leader: Michael O’Connell (guard #12), 3.4 assists
Last time out:
Monday, January 27
No. 2 Duke 74, NC State 64 in Durham, NC
NC State built a 12-point first half lead with hot shooting and feisty defense, but Duke wore down the Wolfpack. Future top NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg starred, scoring 28 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists, and 11 made free throws. The Blue Devils outscored NC State 41-27 in the second half, proving that they are one of the top teams in the nation once again. Wolfpack guard Dontrez Styles led the team with 18 points, including four made three-pointers. NC State out-shot Duke considerably from three (45.5% to 20%), but the Blue Devils made 24 free throws to the Wolfpack’s seven.
Outlook:
Clemson’s road mettle will be tested on Saturday against an NC State team that I believe is better than its record. Many of the players who led the Wolfpack on their Cinderella run to the Final Four a season ago have departed the program, but a Kevin Keatts team is never easy to beat, especially in Raleigh. After all, NCSU has lost its last five ACC games by an average of 4.8 points.
My matchup to watch in this one is the battle of the bigs. NC State’s Ben Middlebrooks and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield will battle with Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin all afternoon. Duke was able to hold Middlebrooks and Huntley-Hatfield to a combined ten points. If Clemson can do similar work on Saturday, the game should be Clemson’s for the taking.
