If you’re anywhere within a day’s driving distance to Clemson University, pack your things and pack Riggs on Thursday night. If you don’t, you’ll miss one of the best college lacrosse games of the year.

No. 5 South Carolina is coming to town to square off against the No. 10 Tigers on April 2 at 7 p.m. at Historic Riggs Field.

Clemson, 8-2, 4-1 ALC, fell back down to Earth in its first action after a month-long break. The Tigers were blown out, 20-5, by No. 8 Virginia Tech last Friday in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Clemson struggled to gain possession against the Hokies, winning just 10 of 27 faceoffs and remaining scoreless in the second quarter; meanwhile, Virginia Tech soared to an 11-2 halftime lead. Holden Morrison was involved in four of the Tigers’ five goals, scoring a hat trick and assisting once.

The team got back on track on Sunday with a 17-12 victory over No. 14 Liberty. The defense strongly bounced back, with Emerson Smith putting together a stellar performance between the pipes, posting 20 saves for a 62.5 save percentage. Logan Jordan went 11-for-17 at the faceoff, providing ample offensive opportunity.

The Clemson attack capitalized again and again. Landen Snyder and Aidan McNulty scored five goals each, totaling 7 and 6 points, respectively. Morrison added another two goals and three assists against the Flames.

Though the team is surely riding high, South Carolina will not be an easy foe.

The Gamecocks, 10-2, will close out their regular season with this matchup. South Carolina has won four of its six ranked matchups, including victories over No. 4 Tennessee, Virginia Tech, No. 18 Auburn and No. 12 Georgia. The Gamecocks’ only losses were to Liberty in February and No. 1 Utah Valley on Saturday.

The Palmetto Bowl has been a split series over the last few years, with the host team winning each time. Clemson took a 9-4 home victory in 2024, while South Carolina won last year, 20-8.

Thursday will mark the second time the two teams have played at Historic Riggs Field. The first was a 14-13 overtime thriller for South Carolina, in front of 3,000 fans, in 2022.

And so the stage is set: a top-10 rivalry showdown in an iconic Clemson stadium. There is but one question left to answer:

Who will come out on top?