Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Clemson

West Virginia and Clemson will meet for the seventh time on Friday night, a series the Mountaineers have had a lot of success in, winning five of the six matchups.

Here are our picks for tonight's game.

Schuyler Callihan: Clemson 68, West Virginia 65

Clemson's length is definitely concerning, but so is its depth. They have ten players averaging 10+ minutes per game, and even if they shorten the bench a smidge, they have eight (four guards, four forwards) reliable players they can throw at you.

The debut of Chance Moore will certainly help Ross Hodge, giving him more lineup combinations to toy with, but I'm sure he'll have to knock off some game rust before he becomes a key part of what they do.

With Honor Huff's track record, in addition to coming off a game in which he went 8/9 from three-point range, Clemson is going to try and take him out of the game and run him off the line, forcing someone else to step up and beat them.

Who is that going to be? Brenen Lorient and Harlan Obioha will have their hands full with a number of bigs in the post, and Treysen Eaglestaff is still looking to get out of his shooting slump. Clemson is 33rd in defensive rating, which is just 13 spots lower than West Virginia. They're going to really make you work to get open looks.

If WVU can get to the free-throw line and grab some offensive rebounds, which Clemson has done a poor job of preventing early this season, the Mountaineers may walk out of TD Arena with the win. It's a toss-up for me, but I'll go with the Tigers sneaking this one out.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Clemson 57

West Virginia and Clemson enter this matchup facing similar challenges, each integrating a wave of new players into their programs. For WVU, this season marks the beginning of the Ross Hodge era in Morgantown. Hodge brought in two veterans familiar with his system - point guard Jasper Floyd and forward Brenen Lorient, who have helped with the transition, and both, at one point or another, have led the team in scoring.

Clemson, meanwhile, is led by Brad Brownell, now in his 16th season with the Tigers. He returns point guard Dillon Hunter, who had nine career starts entering the year. After spending a season at Georgia, forward RJ Godfrey is back for his senior campaign and is averaging career highs of 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Clemson also brings back redshirt freshman guard Ace Buckner, who recently earned his first career start in the Tigers’ last game against North Alabama.

The Tigers typically take care of the ball, averaging just 7.2 turnovers per game, but they’ve combined for 22 turnovers in their last two outings — including 10 in their lone loss of the season at Georgetown.

West Virginia will be playing away from home for the first time this year, and while it’s not a true road game, the 5,000-seat TD Arena is expected to lean heavily orange, which could challenge a Mountaineer squad still searching for offensive rhythm. Then again, the Lowcountry has plenty of WVU alum, and Mountaineer fans are known for making their presence felt.

One of the key battles will be inside, where WVU senior center Harlan Obioha (7-0, 265) matches up with Clemson junior forward Carter Welling (6-10, 240). Obioha, I believe, holds the edge, and across the board, the matchups appear to tilt slightly toward the Mountaineers. That could set up big opportunities for Floyd and Lorient, especially with Clemson likely to focus on containing senior guard Honor Huff after he knocked down eight threes in his last outing. WVU’s Eaglestaff may be poised for a breakout performance.

If the Mountaineers impose their defensive pressure, they have a chance to suffocate Clemson and take control of the game while multiple Mountaineers hit big shots in key moments to pull out a 67-57 victory.

Schuyler Callihan: Clemson 68, West Virginia 65

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Clemson 57

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