The Opponent
No. 18 Virginia (8-2, 4-0 ACC) at No. 12 Clemson (9-1, 4-1 ACC)
6 p.m., ESPN
The Cavaliers entered the season as the ACC favorite and to this point have taken care of business against league foes. They moved to 4-0 in league play by completing a season sweep of Notre Dame on Wednesday, rolling to an 80-68 victory in Charlottesville. After handling teams at the bottom of the league standings, UVa will face its toughest challenge yet when at No. 12 Clemson on Saturday night.
While the Hoos entered the season with high expectations, the Tigers have been one of the season’s pleasant surprises. Clemson got off to a great start to the season with a 5-0 record, including wins over Mississippi State, Purdue, Maryland, and Alabama. After their lone loss of the season, a 66-60 setback at Virginia Tech, the Tigers have won their last four games, including three ACC contests. Their best win to date was a 77-67 triumph over Florida State at home, and a home win over UVa would be another impressive pelt on the wall.
Like many other teams around the ACC and the country, Clemson has dealt with a COVID-related pause of late. It’s game last weekend at UNC was postponed and Saturday will be the team’s first game since a win over NC State on January 5th. Clemson did return to practice on Wednesday, so odds that Saturday’s game is played appear to be getting better.
The Numbers
Clemson and UVa have similar statistical profiles to this point in the season. Virginia ranks 15th in KenPom’s efficiency ratings while the Tigers rank 18th. UVa ranks 34th nationally in offensive efficiency and 13th on defense, while Clemson ranks 72nd on offense and first on defense.
It’s odd to see another ACC team ranked above UVa on defense but the Tigers have been downright stingy thus far.
Clemson ranks seventh nationally in turnovers forced per possession, with many of them dead-ball turnovers. Opponents have struggled to shoot the basketball, making just 44.7 percent of their two-point tries and just 29.9 percent from 3. The key to beating the Clemson defense is great ball movement, with nearly half of all points allowed by the Tigers coming on plays that included an assist from the opponent.
On offense, the haven’t been as dominant as they are on the other end of the floor, but they are doing enough to win a lot of slugfests. In fact, the Tigers don’t have a single offensive category, at least in KenPom’s efficiency markers, that ranks top 100 or above nationally. Clemson shoots 33.9 percent from deep, which is middle of the pack nationally. But the Tigers still shoot a good number of 3s, with 41.8 percent of their shots coming from long range. Clemson doesn’t get to the line much and allows shots to be blocked at a pretty high rate. And, like the Cavaliers, the Tigers play at a slow pace, ranking 296th in tempo this season.
