Clemson Basketball Hosting Miami Hurricanes As Strong Favorite

The No. 22 Clemson Tigers will host the Miami Hurricanes at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, being the biggest game for the Tigers in ACC play thus far this season.

The contest will be a battle between two of the three undefeated teams remaining in the conference standings on Saturday. Clemson is 5-0 and is looking for its ninth straight win, while Miami is a perfect 4-0 and is looking for its 11th straight win this season.

ESPN Analytics is giving Clemson big shoes to fill, having the Tigers at a 71.9% chance to win on Saturday. Head coach Brad Brownell’s team hasn’t lost at home yet this season, looking to begin the year 10-0 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

However, Brownell gives tremendous credit to new Miami head coach Jai Lucas, who was a Duke assistant under Jon Scheyer for three seasons. Now, he has taken the Hurricanes to a borderline top 25 team.

“I mean, Jai’s done a great job with their group,” he said on Tuesday. “They’ve come together too, just like a whole new team, and they play really hard. Multiple guys that can score it, defend the fire out of it, they rebound as well as maybe anybody in the league.”

The Hurricanes rebuilt through the transfer portal, with Michigan transfer guard Tre Donaldson helping lead the group. The senior averages 16.9 points and 6.8 assists, 12th in the country in doing so. Clemson will have to give the same treatment to him as it did with SMU’s Boopie Miller, who was a floor general as well.

Malik Reneau will also be an important piece to watch in the frontcourt for the Tigers. He averages a team-high 20.4 points and 6.8 rebounds, being a matchup for Clemson’s RJ Godfrey in the game.

Four total players average double-digits for Miami, which averages 87.8 points, second in the ACC. Clemson has had experience playing fast teams already, facing the top team in Georgia and the Mustangs, who are 19th. The Hurricanes are 23rd in the country in scoring.

The Tigers will need to keep up with the Hurricanes, as well as win the turnover margin, something their opponent does a great job of. Miami is fourth in the ACC in turnover margin at 3.24. Clemson is eight at 2.44, to put things into perspective.

The transfers for Clemson will be the key pieces to watch on Saturday. Both Jestin Porter and Nick Davidson have scored 20 points or more in a game this season, occurring three times in the last four games. If that happens again, and the Tigers have a go-to guy in crunch time, Brownell’s team might see a higher ranking in the AP Poll with a big win occurring this weekend.

"We’re excited.," Davidson said. "We know that they’re a very talented team. Obviously, we will have Littlejohn, it’s going to be a Saturday, os stoked for a big crowd hopefully, and ready to get going onto the next."

The winner of this game will join the Duke Blue Devils as the only other undefeated team in the ACC remaining. Clemson and Duke face off on Feb. 14 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, setting up a matchup with two of the top conference teams so far this season.

How to Watch Clemson vs. Miami:

Where: Littlejohn Coliseum — Clemson, SC

When: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2:15 p.m. EST

Channel: CW Network

Listen: Clemson Athletic Network