After seeing its nine-game winning streak snapped, No. 18 Clemson looks to rebound on Saturday against Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference play in Atlanta, GA.
Clemson (16-4, 6-1 ACC) fell for the first time in conference action on Tuesday, dropping its first home game of the season to North Carolina State, 80-76 in overtime.
After losing all but one contributor from last season’s 27-win team, head coach Brad Brownell had to piece together an almost entirely new roster. That’s part of the reason why the longest-tenured coach in the ACC would refrain from calling Tuesday’s loss a reality check.
“I’m not sure I expected us to go 18-0 in the league,” Brownell said. “Our team is just trying to get better. We’re trying to win every game as best we can, but we’re probably not going to play great 18 times. We’re going to have to find ways to win when we don’t play well.”
Clemson allowed 80 points for the first time since a 90-84 loss at then-No. 12 Alabama on Dec. 3. The Tigers’ first conference blemish won’t doom their NCAA Tournament resume, but a setback against Georgia Tech on Saturday would qualify as a Quad 3 loss. Brownell’s team has been upset by the Yellow Jackets (11-8, 2-4) in each of the last two seasons.
“The margins in these basketball games are very small,” Brownell said. “Our team was great last year and we lost to Georgia Tech at home. They came in here and beat us. Anybody can beat anybody in this league.”
Georgia Tech has won at Clemson in back-to-back years, while the Tigers have nipped the Yellow Jackets on the road in three straight seasons.
RJ Godfrey’s 12.2 points per game lead Clemson, while Jestin Porter adds 11.2 and Carter Welling chips in 10.7.
Georgia Tech should be well-rested after a week off from game action. The Yellow Jackets earned their most impressive win of the season last Saturday, pulling off a 78-74 win at NC State.
After a 23-point home loss to lowly Pittsburgh, head coach Damon Stoudamire’s group answered with its first road win of the year.
“For me, that was a culture win. It was the things we stand for,” Stoudamire said. “I can’t tolerate guys not playing hard, and I think that’s what we got back to. I think everybody held themselves accountable from the top to the bottom, and that was the difference in the game.”
Georgia Tech senior forward Kowacie Reeves Jr. is averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game – including a 17.5-ppg clip in league play. As freshman center Mouhamed Sylla continues to miss time with an ankle injury sustained on Jan. 3, junior forward Baye Ndongo has compiled 11.8 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per contest.
Stoudamire and company would approach the .500 mark in ACC play with a win on Saturday, but the team knows the challenge ahead.
“I haven’t been in the league that long, but from afar, it just seems like Brad (Brownell) is just consistently doing what he does,” Stoudamire said. “He brings guys to his program who are going to do the things that he stresses and wants. The players change, but the system doesn’t. He usually keeps a couple of studs on the inside, a couple of really good bigs, who are physical and want to beat you down. You’ve got to bring your hard hat when you play against them.”
–Field Level Media
