CLEMSON – After its comeback 69-62 win vs. Pittsburgh Tuesday, Clemson basketball (20-8, 10-7 ACC) has won three straight and will face Notre Dame (11-17, 6-11) Saturday (CW Network, 7:45 p.m. ET) at the Purcell Pavilion.
The Tigers are tied for fourth in the ACC standings with Wake Forest and have won 20 games in back-to-back seasons. It is the sixth time it has happened under coach Brad Brownell, and he does not take it for granted.
“We play 31 regular-season games (and) to win 20 games in this day and age of college basketball is hard to do,” Brownell said. “This is a team that can take it to another level, but certainly, I do think 20 wins is significant.”
Clemson shifts its focus to the Fighting Irish, which is coming off an upset 70-65 home win against the Demon Deacons Tuesday. Despite being tied for 11th place in the conference, Notre Dame has one of the top defenses and scorers in the ACC.
Here are three things to know and a score prediction:
Jack Clark move to Clemson starting lineup is paying dividends
Since Clark rejoined the starters in place of sophomore Chauncey Wiggins on Feb. 6 against North Carolina, the Tigers have won six of seven. They are allowing 66.3 points a game with him as a starter. Before he entered, Clemson gave up an average 75.7 points in conference play.
“He’s been a big help because of the rebounding, then his ability to switch and guard different people,” Brownell said. “His versatility and his experience are vital.”
In Tuesday’s win, the graduate transfer contained Pitt’s Blake Hinson, who is among the top five scorers in the ACC. Hinson finished with six points and shot 2-of-9 from the field, and Clark was his primary defender.
In Clark’s last seven starts, he is averaging 5.4 points, 7.9 rebounds (1.3 offensive) and one block.
“He’s been taking some of the best players on the team and just slowing them down,” Ian Schieffelin said. “He’s been guarding point guards sometimes, (and) he can even switch to the five and guard him.”
Clemson basketball showed vs Pitt it can win ugly
Pittsburgh had 13 more shot attempts, five more offensive rebounds and eight fewer turnovers than the Tigers, but Clemson still won.
“That’s usually not a recipe for success,” Brownell said. “Hard to beat teams like that. You really got to fight defensively.”
It’s a credit to the defense that Brownell has been wanting to see from his team. The Tigers have held opponents to an average of 60.7 points in their last three games after Feb. 19’s “difficult” film session – when Clemson coaches challenged the players and emphasized aggressiveness on defense.
Even with the Tigers falling short of their average points, the Pitt game showed they can win gritty, low-scoring matchups by scoring in the final minutes.
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Notre Dame’s Markus Burton is coming off a career-high 31-point game
The Fighting Irish freshman guard averages 17.2 points, which is eighth in the conference. In his 31-point game against Wake Forest, he shot 9-for-15 from the field and 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
Burton is a volume scorer, averaging 15 shots per game, and is second in the ACC in field-goal attempts (421). He also shares the ball well, averaging 4.3 assists that is tied for fifth in the conference.
Despite having a starting lineup with two freshmen and a sophomore, Notre Dame has a stout defense, allowing 65.6 points per game that is second lowest in the conference. Burton helps defensively too, averaging two steals that ranks fourth in the ACC.
Clemson basketball score prediction vs. Notre Dame
Clemson 71, Notre Dame 63: The last time the Tigers put together three straight wins, NC State derailed it in heartbreaking fashion. Expect Clemson to learn from its past and extend its win streak to four to get closer to the ACC Tournament double bye and further cement their NCAA Tournament bid.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball vs Notre Dame score prediction in ACC game
