How To Watch Clemson Tigers Basketball vs. Wake Forest, Injury Report

To begin their postseason run, the Clemson Tigers will have to get rid of demons from Feb. 18, looking to get revenge on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Clemson lost its third-straight game on that night in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, falling 85-77 to a Wake Forest team that shot the lights out of the gym. The Demon Deacons went into the half with 45 points, and the Tigers couldn’t keep up in the second half.

Head coach Brad Brownell saw his opponent hit elite shots in the loss, and Clemson couldn’t throw punches back.

“Their pace of play and their enthusiasm to compete was fantastic,” Brownell said on Feb. 18. “Ours was not as good as it needed to be. When guys make a couple of shots, it gives you extra momentum.”

The Demon Deacons came off a win over the Virginia Tech Hokies last night in overtime, being a factor in how this game goes on Wednesday night. Steve Forbes’s group only played an eight-man rotation, while guard Juke Harris played 44 minutes in the win. If heavy legs become a factor, let alone being a 9:30 p.m. game, fatigue could play a factor in this ACC Tournament game.

As for Clemson, it will look to stop a team that is currently playing with house money. Wake is not on the bubble and won’t get much closer to it barring a historic ACC Tournament run, making the Demon Deacons dangerous due to having nothing to lose.

The Tigers will look to stop that momentum, but that’s something that Brownell has spoken about before this week.

“That’s real, momentum in sports is real,” he said. “I mean it, there's a power behind it. It's hard to explain, but it's a confidence that your team gets. It's also just having made shots in the arena, right?”

Harris was announced as the ACC’s Most Improved Player on Monday, averaging 21.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. That included a 20-point performance over the Tigers in February, and he scores them in bunches. Seven out of the eight players who saw minutes for the Demon Deacons on Tuesday night finished in double-digits, being a collective effort.

Brownell wants another swing at the North Carolina Tar Heels on the double-bye, who Clemson would play next, but he needs to get his team back to its identity, not having that against Wake in the first game between the two teams.

That seems to be the key if the Tigers want to continue dancing in Charlotte going into this weekend.

“Certainly some of that's a credit to them and the way those guys played,” Brownell said. “I thought they played with great pace. And, you know, got off to good starts in both games. So certainly defending will be important, but it'll be important for our team, regardless.”

Clemson Tigers Injury Report

G Zac Foster - OUT (torn ACL)

F Trent Steinour - OUT (shoulder)

Clemson Tigers [22-9, 12-6 ACC] vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons [17-15, 7-11 ACC]: What You Need to Know

Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

When: Wednesday, March 11, 9:30 p.m.

Watch: ESPN2

Play-by-Play: Dave O’Brien
Analyst: Cory Alexander
Sideline Reporter: Molly McGrath

Listen: Clemson Athletic Network

Play-by-Play: Don Munson
Analyst: Tim Bourret

Odds: Clemson is a 4.5-point favorite of Wake Forest, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under total is set at 140.5 points.

Editor's note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Series History: The Demon Deacons lead the all-time series over the Tigers, 103-68. That includes the last game, where Wake Forest defeated Clemson 85-77 at home on Feb. 18.

Clemson Tigers Injury Report

G Zac Foster - OUT (torn ACL)

F Trent Steinour - OUT (shoulder)

Clemson Tigers [22-9, 12-6 ACC] vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons [17-15, 7-11 ACC]: What You Need to Know

Editor's note: ​​Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Editor's note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.