Game Preview: Virginia Basketball at Clemson
After picking up a huge confidence-boosting victory over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on New Year’s Day, the Cavaliers look to keep the momentum going with another tough road test at Clemson, who beat Virginia by 17 points at JPJ just 13 days ago. UVA has had plenty of time to figure out what went wrong in that contest and Virginia’s improved execution on the offensive end against Syracuse is an encouraging sign that the Hoos will give the Tigers a better fight this time around.
Game Details
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (8-5, 2-1 ACC) vs. Clemson Tigers (9-4, 1-1 ACC)
When: Tuesday, January 4th at 9pm
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina
How to watch: Regional Sports Networks
All-time series: Virginia leads 79-53
Last meeting: Clemson defeated Virginia 67-50 on December 22nd, 2021 at John Paul Jones Arena
By the Numbers
| Virginia | By the Numbers | Clemson |
|---|---|---|
62.8 | Points Per Game | 75.2 |
57.2 | Opponent PPG | 65.2 |
45.2% | Field Goal % | 47.3% |
39.3% | Opponent FG % | 39.8% |
31.9% | Three-Point FG % | 41.0% |
33.1% | Opponent 3PT FG % | 31.8% |
-15 | Rebounding Margin | +70 |
+16 | Turnover Margin | +2 |
92nd | NET Ranking | 50th |
119th | RPI | 40th |
Opponent Breakdown: Clemson
Notable Results: Temple (75-49 W), St. Bonaventure (68-65 L), West Virginia (66-59 L), Rutgers (74-64 L), Miami (80-75 L), South Carolina (70-56 W), Virginia (67-50 W)
Clemson has won three games in a row coming into Tuesday night’s matchup with Virginia, but the Tigers have also not played a game since their 67-50 victory over the Cavaliers in Charlottesville on December 22nd. Clemson might have to kick off a little bit of rust after not playing in 13 days, but the Tigers will certainly enter the game with a bit of confidence after having beaten this same UVA team by 17 points less than two weeks ago.
Clemson’s Hunter Tyson had a fantastic game against Virginia, recording 17 points on 6/10 shooting from the floor. UVA struggled to defend the versatile Tyson, who consistently backed down smaller defenders to score inside and also sprang free to the three-point line for clean looks from range and hit three of his five three-point attempts. Virginia will need to do a better job of defending Tyson, while also not allowing any open looks for his teammates like PJ Hall (14.4 ppg), David Collins (11.6 ppg), and Al-Amir Dawes (11.4 ppg).
What to Watch For
Run it back
Virginia and Clemson met just 13 days ago in Charlottesville and the Tigers defeated the Cavaliers 67-50 to snap an 11-game losing streak to UVA. Still, Virginia is 13-3 in its last 16 meetings with Clemson and Virginia has a five-game winning streak in the series in games played at Clemson. UVA has played just one game since its home loss to Clemson, a 74-69 victory over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, but Clemson has yet to play another game in the 13 days since beating Virginia, as Clemson’s game against Duke scheduled for December 29th was postponed. It will be interesting to see how these very familiar opponents change their preparations and strategies for a quick rematch.
Ball security
Virginia turned the ball over 14 times in the loss to Clemson, as compared to just seven turnovers for the Tigers. Clemson scored 24 points off of those UVA turnovers and Virginia scored only six points off of takeaways. Against Syracuse on Saturday, Virginia had only nine turnovers and the Orange scored only seven points off of those turnovers, while UVA scored 14 points on 11 Syracuse turnovers. Virginia’s style of play is predicated upon limiting the number of possessions in the game, so the Cavaliers have to be sound with the ball and make the most of each possession as they did a few days ago in the Carrier Dome.
Bench points and paint points
Virginia’s bench did not score a single point in the loss to Clemson and the Tiger bench outscored Virginia’s 17-0. Additionally, Clemson outrebounded Virginia 35-26 and outscored Virginia in the paint 22-12. These statistics more than explain the lopsided loss the Hoos suffered on their home floor the last time these two teams met. In Virginia’s 74-69 win over Syracuse on Saturday, the UVA bench outscored Syracuse’s 11-4 and the Cavaliers had 40 points in the paint to 24 paint points for Syracuse. The matchups are certainly different, as Syracuse uses its bench much less, takes more perimeter shots, and has less of a size advantage than Clemson. Nonetheless, the Hoos showed that they are capable of playing much better in these areas than their previous performance against the Tigers.
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