No. 4 Virginia (14-0, 2-0) at Clemson (10-5, 0-2), Noon ACC Network
The Cavaliers crushed their second straight ACC opponent Wednesday, this time on the road, blasting Boston College, 83-56. UVa had four double-digit scorers, led by 18 points each from De'Andre Hunter and Mamadi Diakite. Ty Jerome added 13 points, and Kyle Guy had 10. Braxton Key also played well again, with nine points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
To me, the key to all of it was Diakite. I think he had 12 points in the first half, and that was the margin UVa led by at the half. Just like against FSU when Key went off, this time, another new player emerged in the 6-foot-9 junior from Guinea. Guy was 2 of 6 from 3-point range, so he cooled off some. Hunter was back in form in front of NBA scouts and went 2 for 3 on 3s and Jerome had a pair of long-distance makes as well. The cast that stepped up was different from last Saturday, but the result remained the same: an easy win for the 'Hoos. The 83 points was the most UVa has put up in a nonovertime conference game under Tony Bennett.
Diakite is averaging 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 66 percent over his past five games. It is such a big deal for players to be emerging not named Jerome, Guy, and Hunter, and hopefully, it remains a consistent theme this season. UVa works to always play great defense, but having more weapons on offense would greatly help the Wahoos when they go through lulls where the shots just aren't falling easily. Diakite seems to be at his best when he is attacking and not thinking too much. He is athletic enough to have what he wants to do figured out once he gets the ball, and then he can adjust from there on the fly. It also helped that the Eagles left him open a few times under the basket for easy dunks, seemingly concerned about Virginia's trio of 3-point shooters.
Now, Virginia stays on the road for an early tip-off at Clemson. Here's a look at the Tigers this season:
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Marcquise Reed (19.3), senior forward Elijah Thomas (13.5), senior guard Shelton Mitchell (13.1)
Leading rebounders: Thomas (7.3), Reed (5.2), sophomore forward Aamir Simms (4.9), senior forward David Skara (4.3)
Assist leaders: Reed (3.9), Mitchell (3), sophomore guard Clyde Trapp (2)
Notable: Seven players average double-figure minutes. Simms (9.5 ppg), Skara (8.6), and Trapp (6.9) are strong contributors offensively, too. Reed averages two steals, and Mitchell, Trapp, and Skara each average one per game. Thomas records 1.5 blocks per game, and Simms gets one per game.
Best win: vs. Georgia, 64-49, Nov. 20 in the Cayman Islands. The Bulldogs are 9-5.
Worst win: St. Peter's at home Dec. 4, 65-60. The Peacocks are 4-11.
Other wins: The Citadel, North Carolina Central, Sam Houston State, Akron, Radford, Charleston
Southern, South Carolina, Lipscomb
Best loss: vs. Nebraska, 68-66, at home Nov. 26; the Cornhuskers are 12-4
Worst loss: then-No. 22 Mississippi State, 82-71, in New Jersey
Other losses: Creighton, Duke, Syracuse
What Clemson does well: Coach Brad Brownell's teams are usually solid defensively, and these Tigers are following that trend, giving up just 67 ppg (75th). Clemson allows opponents to shoot 42.7 percent from the field (133rd) and records seven steals per outing (tied, 124th). The Tigers own a +5.3 rebound margin (57th). It is also good at the line, shooting 72.3 percent (106th) and pretty good shooting from the field at 47.6 percent (61st).
What Clemson doesn't do well: Clemson's overall defense is pretty good, but the Tigers aren't good at defending the arc, where teams shoot 36.4 percent (292nd). The Tigers' offense struggles some as well, scoring 73.3 ppg (tied, 195th), and they have an assist-turnover ratio of just +85 (294th). They turn it over 14.8 times per game (278th). The offense from beyond the arc is like the 'D' -- bad. The Tigers shoot 31.6 percent from back there (tied, 286th).
Clemson is a tough and odd little team. The school is SEC-levels-of-crazy about football and is now collecting its second trophy in that sport in three years. In fact, two years ago, just like today, Clemson was having its championship celebration and then played Virginia at home at noon in basketball, a fact noted by Bennett in his postgame news conference following the blowout of BC. Definitely a funny coincidence. But the Tigers always seem to stick around in hoops and remain relevant. Just when you think Brownell is done at the school, such as when he went three straight seasons with at least 15 losses prior to 2017-18, last year happens when the team went 25-10 and ripped off a run to the Sweet 16.
This year, the Tigers play in close games, with five having been decided by single digits. They are 3-2 in those contests. They do some things well, usually play Virginia close, and just don't bow out easily. Last season, Clemson got out to a 23-16 lead in Charlottesville before Virginia went on an incredible 34-13 run for the rest of the game to win, 61-36. In the ACC tournament, though, the matchup was much closer, with UVa pulling out a 64-58 win in the semifinals.
Clemson's weaknesses in shooting and defending the 3-ball is probably its biggest problem today. Its defense should keep the game close for a while, but with the way Virginia is looking, this seems like one UVa can put away late with a final surge.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 10-15 points.
The Cavaliers crushed their second straight ACC opponent Wednesday, this time on the road, blasting Boston College, 83-56. UVa had four double-digit scorers, led by 18 points each from De'Andre Hunter and Mamadi Diakite. Ty Jerome added 13 points, and Kyle Guy had 10. Braxton Key also played well again, with nine points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
To me, the key to all of it was Diakite. I think he had 12 points in the first half, and that was the margin UVa led by at the half. Just like against FSU when Key went off, this time, another new player emerged in the 6-foot-9 junior from Guinea. Guy was 2 of 6 from 3-point range, so he cooled off some. Hunter was back in form in front of NBA scouts and went 2 for 3 on 3s and Jerome had a pair of long-distance makes as well. The cast that stepped up was different from last Saturday, but the result remained the same: an easy win for the 'Hoos. The 83 points was the most UVa has put up in a nonovertime conference game under Tony Bennett.
Diakite is averaging 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 66 percent over his past five games. It is such a big deal for players to be emerging not named Jerome, Guy, and Hunter, and hopefully, it remains a consistent theme this season. UVa works to always play great defense, but having more weapons on offense would greatly help the Wahoos when they go through lulls where the shots just aren't falling easily. Diakite seems to be at his best when he is attacking and not thinking too much. He is athletic enough to have what he wants to do figured out once he gets the ball, and then he can adjust from there on the fly. It also helped that the Eagles left him open a few times under the basket for easy dunks, seemingly concerned about Virginia's trio of 3-point shooters.
Now, Virginia stays on the road for an early tip-off at Clemson. Here's a look at the Tigers this season:
Scorers in double figures: Senior guard Marcquise Reed (19.3), senior forward Elijah Thomas (13.5), senior guard Shelton Mitchell (13.1)
Leading rebounders: Thomas (7.3), Reed (5.2), sophomore forward Aamir Simms (4.9), senior forward David Skara (4.3)
Assist leaders: Reed (3.9), Mitchell (3), sophomore guard Clyde Trapp (2)
Notable: Seven players average double-figure minutes. Simms (9.5 ppg), Skara (8.6), and Trapp (6.9) are strong contributors offensively, too. Reed averages two steals, and Mitchell, Trapp, and Skara each average one per game. Thomas records 1.5 blocks per game, and Simms gets one per game.
Best win: vs. Georgia, 64-49, Nov. 20 in the Cayman Islands. The Bulldogs are 9-5.
Worst win: St. Peter's at home Dec. 4, 65-60. The Peacocks are 4-11.
Other wins: The Citadel, North Carolina Central, Sam Houston State, Akron, Radford, Charleston
Best loss: vs. Nebraska, 68-66, at home Nov. 26; the Cornhuskers are 12-4
Worst loss: then-No. 22 Mississippi State, 82-71, in New Jersey
Other losses: Creighton, Duke, Syracuse
What Clemson does well: Coach Brad Brownell's teams are usually solid defensively, and these Tigers are following that trend, giving up just 67 ppg (75th). Clemson allows opponents to shoot 42.7 percent from the field (133rd) and records seven steals per outing (tied, 124th). The Tigers own a +5.3 rebound margin (57th). It is also good at the line, shooting 72.3 percent (106th) and pretty good shooting from the field at 47.6 percent (61st).
What Clemson doesn't do well: Clemson's overall defense is pretty good, but the Tigers aren't good at defending the arc, where teams shoot 36.4 percent (292nd). The Tigers' offense struggles some as well, scoring 73.3 ppg (tied, 195th), and they have an assist-turnover ratio of just +85 (294th). They turn it over 14.8 times per game (278th). The offense from beyond the arc is like the 'D' -- bad. The Tigers shoot 31.6 percent from back there (tied, 286th).
Clemson is a tough and odd little team. The school is SEC-levels-of-crazy about football and is now collecting its second trophy in that sport in three years. In fact, two years ago, just like today, Clemson was having its championship celebration and then played Virginia at home at noon in basketball, a fact noted by Bennett in his postgame news conference following the blowout of BC. Definitely a funny coincidence. But the Tigers always seem to stick around in hoops and remain relevant. Just when you think Brownell is done at the school, such as when he went three straight seasons with at least 15 losses prior to 2017-18, last year happens when the team went 25-10 and ripped off a run to the Sweet 16.
This year, the Tigers play in close games, with five having been decided by single digits. They are 3-2 in those contests. They do some things well, usually play Virginia close, and just don't bow out easily. Last season, Clemson got out to a 23-16 lead in Charlottesville before Virginia went on an incredible 34-13 run for the rest of the game to win, 61-36. In the ACC tournament, though, the matchup was much closer, with UVa pulling out a 64-58 win in the semifinals.
Clemson's weaknesses in shooting and defending the 3-ball is probably its biggest problem today. Its defense should keep the game close for a while, but with the way Virginia is looking, this seems like one UVa can put away late with a final surge.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 10-15 points.
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