For the second straight season and the third time in four years, the Clemson Tigers have opened ACC play with a perfect mark.
Clemson (13–3) pushed to 3–0 in the league Wednesday night with a 74–70 win over then-No. 24 SMU at Littlejohn Coliseum. RJ Godfrey scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added six rebounds, while Dillon Hunter chipped in 10 points as the Tigers extended their winning streak to six.
Since a Dec. 9 loss to BYU at the Jimmy V Classic in New York, Clemson has steadied itself as one of the ACC’s early pace-setters. The Tigers are chasing a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth — something that has never happened under coach Brad Brownell.
Clemson enters the weekend projected as a No. 7 seed in ESPN bracketology from Joe Lunardi. While unranked in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the Tigers received 29 votes — the third-most among teams just outside the Top 25.
ESPN Analytics favor Tigers in South Bend
Clemson heads back on the road Saturday for its third ACC road game in four outings, visiting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame (10–5, 1–1 ACC) split its West Coast swing with a win at Stanford and a one-point loss at California.
According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, Clemson has a 59.3% chance to win, compared to 40.7% for Notre Dame. In ESPN’s latest BPI rankings, Clemson sits 26th nationally with a 15.0 rating, fueled by an 8.3 defensive score. Notre Dame is 63rd overall with a 9.6 rating.
Projections rise after SMU win
ESPN’s BPI now projects Clemson to finish 23.2–7.8 overall and 13.2–4.8 in ACC play, both improvements from last week’s outlook. The Tigers’ chances of winning the ACC climbed to 9.9%, nearly three points higher than a week ago. Clemson’s remaining strength of schedule ranks 78th nationally.
Within the conference, Clemson currently checks in fourth in BPI, trailing only Duke, Louisville and Virginia.
How to watch
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET Saturday at Purcell Pavilion. The game will air on ESPN2, with Kevin Brown and Cory Alexander on the call.