Clemson Men's Basketball ended a three-game skid against a depleted Boston College team Saturday afternoon with an 89-78 win over the Boston College Eagles and now look to make it two straight with Georgia Tech next up Tuesday in Littlejohn Coliseum.
It's an important game for Brad Brownell's team as they look to put the ugly three game stretch of not particularly close losses further in the rearview mirror.
The Yellow Jackets come in at 8-8 overall and only 1-4 in the ACC, but that one win was a 72-68 win over Duke back in early December.
In a schedule oddity that only the ACC could fathom, the Jackets have already played Duke twice in those five ACC games with the second coming last Saturday and resulting in an 84-79 loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Georgia Tech's other ACC losses were to Florida State, Boston College and Notre Dame (OT).
Clemson fields three double-digit scorers led by senior P.J. Hall at 19.4 points per game, followed by Joe Girard at 15.5 and Chase Hunter at 11.3.
Ian Schieffelin leads the Tigers with 9.5 rebounds per game, with Hall chipping in 6.5 per contest.
The Yellow Jackets meanwhile can match the Tigers length and feature a guard-oriented offense, led by 6'6 junior Miles Kelly at 15.6 points per game.
Other Yellow Jackets in double figures include 6'9 freshman forward Baye Ndongo at 12.8 points and 6'7 Kowacie Reeves at 12.1 points.
Ndongo leads Tech on the boards at 8.8 rebounds per contest, but both Kelly (6.2) and Reeves (4.6) are factors.
The Yellow Jackets have not shot as well from the floor as Clemson to date and therein lies the advantage for the Tigers, especially at home.
The recent Clemson losing streak featured shooting struggles, particularly from Hall and Girard, along with foul trouble from Hall.
Clemson Men's Basketball looks for a second straight ACC win against Georgia Tech on Tuesday
Clemson chose to go inside early and often against an outmanned Boston College team and that eventually paid off as Girard found his stroke after a slow start.
Girard and Hall each finished with 26 points, with Girard going 5 of 11 on three-point shots in the game.
How Brownell chooses to attack a Yellow Jacket team with size at guard is the question, as Girard has struggled at times against bigger opponents.
The early line lists Clemson as a thirteen-point favorite with an over/under of 149, implying a score of 81 to 68 in the Tigers favor.
After this game the Tigers will hit the road for two straight, first in Tallahassee on Saturday, January 20 and then travel to Duke on Saturday, January 27.
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. EST start on the ACC Network.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.