Clemson Tigers 17-8 (7-7) vs. Georgia Tech Yellowjackets 11-15 (4-11)
when: Wednesday 2/21, 7pm
where: McCamish Pavilion – Atlanta, Georgia
tv set: ACC network
As the meme goes, Saturday night felt like Captain America sitting in a chair, looking out at the crowd and asking, “You thought Clemson basketball turned the corner?” On Wednesday night, the seasonal roller coaster slides down toward Atlanta. Clemson is projected as a -7.5 favorite tomorrow, but that doesn't really give you peace of mind as the season progresses (especially in GT).
Let's address the elephant in the room from the get-go. On January 16, Clemson University lost to Georgia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum after leading by nine points with 1:43 left in the game. Combine that with endings at Duke, Virginia, and most recently North Carolina State, and the troughs in the season tend to have fanbases worried they're going to see Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde every night (and To be honest, – minutes).
Clemson has had its ups and downs, but the Yellow Jackets have been even more unpredictable. They are a classic example of a team that can win against anyone or lose to anyone. They have wins over Duke, UNC, Mississippi State, Syracuse, and of course Clemson, but have lost twice to Massachusetts Lowell, Louisville, and Notre Dame. They are still 2-7 since beating Clemson, but those two wins came in their last games at home against ACC-leading North Carolina and (former) NCAA contender Syracuse. They will be looking to win back-to-back ACC titles for the first time all season when they take on Clemson.
Georgia Tech's leading scorers are Myles Kelly, Bai Ndongo and Kowasi Reeves, but Nathan George led the scoring with 20 points in the last matchup. Georgia Tech shot 32% from 3-point range as a team, but it just so happened that they shot nearly 43% as a team that night. Clemson has to find a way to make Tech uncomfortable and get him going again.
As for Clemson, you already know about their power players. Hall, Girard and Hunter are the main scorers. Schieffelin and Clark are rebounding specialists, and players like Godfrey, Beadle, Dillon Hunter, and Wiggins continue to move forward. The hope is for this team to finish the second half like they did against Miami in their second meeting.
If you recall, when they first met, Miami shot 74% in the second half. Clemson controlled the pace and fought back in last week's rematch, finishing with a 24-3 run that pushed the game completely out of reach.
Clemson will need a similar effort for a road win tomorrow night, especially with March just around the corner.
Go Tigers!
