Tigers set to host Yellow Jackets
After snapping a three-game ACC losing streak with an 11-point victory against Boston College on Saturday, Clemson will look to keep momentum going this week with a game against Georgia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers (12-4, 2-3 ACC) and Yellow Jackets (8-8, 1-4) will play Tuesday (9 p.m., ACC Network).
Clemson is 20-8 against Georgia Tech under Coach Brad Brownell, including a 12-1 record at Littlejohn Coliseum, and have won three in a row in the series.
Georgia Tech started the season under first-year Coach Damon Stoudamire 8-3, including a 72-68 victory against Duke on Dec. 2. But the teams have gone different ways since – Duke has won eight in a row and is tied for second in the ACC standings while Georgia Tech is on a five-game losing streak and is tied for last place in the ACC.
Here are other things to look for Tuesday night:
Girard sets sights on Scott
It’s fitting that Clemson will be playing Georgia Tech because Clemson guard Joseph Girard III is poised to pass former Georgia Tech guard Dennis Scott for third place on the ACC’s all-time career 3-point leaders list.
Girard made five 3-point shots in the Tigers’ win against Boston College and now has 346 for his career – five behind Scott entering Tuesday’s game.
Catching the top two players on the list – Duke’s JJ Redick and Virginia’s Curtis Staples – will be more of a challenge. Redick is No. 1 with 457 3s while Staples is No. 2 with 413.
Clark injury update
Jack Clark, a 6-foot-10 graduate forward, could return to action against Georgia Tech. He had offseason hernia surgery, then has dealt with a groin injury of late, but has been medically cleared after playing in only six games this season.
“He was available today for the first time,” Brownell said Saturday. “He practiced the last two days. This was the first day that the trainer came to me this morning and said he can play. He really hasn’t practiced very much,
so there’s a lot he doesn’t know. I wish maybe I’d thrown him out there for two or three minutes (against Boston College). We’re just going to kind of wait and see, game to game.”
A transfer from NC State, where he averaged 9 points and 6.9 rebounds last season, Clark has the size and experience to provide the Tigers with another solid contributor down the season’s home stretch.
History says Clemson has a tough road ahead
After Tuesday’s home game against Georgia Tech, the Tigers will hit the road for games at Florida State and Duke on consecutive Saturdays. Given recent history, neither will be easy.
Florida State, which was picked for an 11th-place finish in the league’s preseason poll, has been a surprise through the early portion of the season and is tied for second place in the ACC with a 4-1 record. The Tigers are 3-10 all-time at FSU under Brownell.
Duke, on the other hand, is no surprise. The Blue Devils were the preseason No. 1 pick in the ACC and currently share second place in the league standings. Clemson has never won at Duke under Brownell, losing in all seven trips to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Score prediction
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 68:
Georgia Tech is tied with North Carolina as the top rebounding team in the ACC with an average of more than 40 per game. Then again, the Yellow Jackets have plenty of opportunity to corral missed shots – they are next-to-last in the league in both field goal percentage (42%) and 3-point field goal percentage (29.6%).
Email Scott Keepfer at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X @ScottKeepfer