The Tigers have been on a roll lately but haven't been rewarded in the rankings yet. That should change after Clemson's 72-57 win over Virginia Tech.
With leading scorer Chase Hunter coming off the bench due to illness, Clemson walked into Blacksburg, Virginia, disadvantaged. That didn't stop the Tigers from dominating most of the game.
The Hokies kept up for the first 15 minutes, but the Tigers ended the half on a 17-3 run. Without Hunter, Chancey Wiggins led the way, scoring 10 points and knocking down two of his four three-point shots. However, it was a group effort, with Viktor Lakhin shooting a perfect 4/4 for eight points and Jaeden Zackery knocking down 2/5 for seven.
Tech made the game interesting when it came out of the locker room, going on its own 16-3 run to bring the score within two possessions. But true freshman Del Jones joined in on the fun.
He was perfect from the floor, scoring three baskets, and went 3/4 from the charity stripe for nine second-half points. Jones finished with the third-highest points in the game with 13.
The Tigers are on the road again next Saturday. Clemson takes on NC State for a chance to win 10 conference games with nine left to play.