8-1 in the ACC. After yet another solid conference victory this Wednesday against Syracuse, the Tigers are off to one of their best starts in ACC play in the past few seasons. Clemson will look to continue to build on this momentum on Saturday when the team faces off against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Clemson (16-4, 8-1 ACC) is coming off one of its stronger performances of the season, as the team tied a season-high for points in the first half against Syracuse, with 48. Chase Hunter led the charge with 23 points, while Viktor Lakhin recorded a double-double.
The Hokies (8-11, 3-5 ACC), however, will be hungry, as they are coming off back-to-back losses at the hands of Georgia Tech and Wake Forest and have lost five of their last eight matchups.
Virginia Tech is led by forward Tobi Lawal, who averages 12.5 points per game, the highest on the team. The Tigers’ lead scorer, Chase Hunter, tallies an average of 17.9 points per contest.
Clemson also scores more on average as a team, with 77.7 points per game in contrast to Virginia Tech’s average of 70.1. The Tigers have had some struggles on the road, however, as they are 3-3 when away from Littlejohn Coliseum.
“There’s still a long way to go. We obviously have a tough road game up in Blacksburg (Virginia), a hard place to play and this is a quick turn. We’ll have to be sharp for that one,” head coach Brad Brownell stated.
Brownell’s team seems close to another tournament appearance for the second year in a row. However, a large portion of the team wasn’t here to experience the run to the Elite Eight last season.
“Me particularly, I definitely have a chip on my shoulder,” Lakhin said. “I’m sure Myles (Foster), Jaeden Zackery, Christian (Reeves), Jake Heidbreder, we’ve never made it, so we want to get a taste of it … half of our team has never been there, so that’s a big push.”
Clemson is currently tied with Louisville for second in the ACC, behind only No. 2 Duke, who the Tigers will face in Littlejohn Coliseum on Feb. 8.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
