Clemson Prepares for ‘House Money’ Opponent in ACC Tournament
The Demon Deacons defeated Virginia Tech 95-89 in overtime on Tuesday night in Charlotte at the Spectrum Center, wrestling a back-and-forth game from a Hokies team hungry for an NCAA Tournament bid. Instead of Virginia Tech marching a step closer to a postseason berth, it was Wake Forest who prevailed.
Less than a month ago, Clemson suffered an upset loss at the hands of the same Wake Forest team in Winston-Salem. The sharpshooting Deacs raced out to a 20-point first-half lead to hand the Tigers a second straight road loss.
Twenty-one days later, Brad Brownell’s team will have a chance at revenge on the conference’s biggest stage.
In the first meeting, Wake Forest’s spacing and superior guard play were on full display. ACC Most Improved Player Juke Harris was white-hot, scoring 20 points in 38 minutes to pace the home side. Five Wake Forest players scored in double figures on the team’s 54% shooting night from the field.
“I just thought Wake played great,” Brownell said after that loss. “Their pace of play and their enthusiasm to compete was fantastic. Ours was not as good as it needed to be. When guys make a couple of shots, it gives you extra momentum. There wasn’t enough resistance by us.”
That perimeter resistance will be paramount on Wednesday night, when the teams meet again. On the other side of the ball, Clemson’s backcourt is looking to rebound from an ice-cold night in the first meeting. Starters Dillon Hunter and Jestin Porter combined for 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting, making it nearly impossible to keep up with Wake Forest’s offensive attack.
Demon Deacons head coach Steve Forbes is adamant that the overnight prep will be critical for his team entering the second-round matchup.
“I think right now it’s fresh legs, clear mind,” he said. “We’ve played Clemson a lot, but only once this year. We know what they’re going to do, and they know what we’re going to do. We’ve got to come out, play hard, and execute. How do you do that? Well, get some rest.”
We’re playing on house money. We’re just playing. We’ve been playing like this for about a month now.”
Speaking of fresh legs, Wake Forest’s depth was on full display against Virginia Tech. All eight Deacs who played scored at least seven points, and seven players scored in double-digits. That marked the second time in ACC Tournament history that a team had that many players in double-digits.
They’ll tangle with a Clemson squad that’s been defined by its depth all season long, with the winner taking on North Carolina on Thursday night. Tip-off between the Tigers and Demon Deacons is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU from uptown Charlotte.
