Clemson rising, but must take care of business at Virginia Tech

Off to its second-best start ever in ACC play, Clemson might be tempted to look ahead two weeks when the Tigers host conference blue bloods Duke and North Carolina in a span of three days.

But first, Clemson (16-4, 8-1) must take care of business against three teams with losing records in the conference, including Virginia Tech (8-11, 3-5) on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.

Since back-to-back overtime losses in December to Memphis and South Carolina, Clemson has won seven of eight games to establish itself as a contender for the ACC regular-season title.

In his sixth season in a Clemson uniform, Chase Hunter has been the constant for the Tigers, averaging a team-high 17.9 points per game.

"His shooting has improved over the course of his career dramatically," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Hunter scored 23 points in an 86-72 win Wednesday at home over Syracuse.

In increasing his scoring average by 5.0 points per game, Hunter has jacked up his overall marksmanship from 42.4 percent a season ago to 50 percent. He's also vastly improved from 3-point range, hitting an ACC-best 46.2 percent, up from 31.1 percent in 2023-24.

Clemson's top inside threat, Ian Schieffelin, is putting up 12.9 points, while his 9.9 rebounds per game ranks second in the league.

Unlike Clemson, Virginia Tech has struggled to find a go-to threat. In seven of the Hokies' last eight games, they've had a different high scorer.

After opening the calendar year with three wins in four games, the Hokies have dropped their last two, including a 71-64 loss Wednesday at Georgia Tech.

The defeat was particularly discouraging because the Yellow Jackets entered on a four-game losing streak and were without four rotation players, including top scorer Lance Terry.

"Certainly their (lack of) depth, I thought that would work to our advantage down the stretch. It was the polar opposite," Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said of his team, which was outscored 10-4 over the final 4:04.

The Hokies are led by frontcourt players Tobi Lawal (12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) and Mylyjael Poteat (10.4 points).

--Field Level Media