Preview: Clemson Tigers Basketball vs. Wake Forest

To erase a two-game losing streak, Clemson basketball hits the road once again to the Tar Heel State, facing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Wednesday night. 

The Tigers are looking to bounce back with a strong win against an ACC opponent that needs a statement win to get into the bubble talks, similar to how Virginia Tech was last week. 

Clemson has been flirting with a No. 6 seed since the month of January, but the two losses has the team dropping. According to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, the Tigers are now a No. 7 seed, playing No. 10-seeded UCF in the first round in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Head coach Brad Brownell said that it’s about going back to Clemson’s identity, one that has the second-best defense in the ACC behind No. 3 Duke. 

“Our team's connectedness, our spirit and our defense is really our superpower,” Brownell said on Monday, “and we have to lean into that every game.”

Wake Forest comes into the game on a two-game win streak, defeating the likes of Georgia Tech and Stanford to try to pick up momentum to sneak into a bubble position late in the season. The Demon Deacons use a third-best turnover margin (2.76) to turn defense into offense, something Clemson will clean up going into Wednesday. 

Wednesday’s game will have all eyes on star guard Juke Harris. The sophomore averages 21.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest, scoring at least 25 points in four of the last seven games. If he leaves his mark on the game in the volume that he has, the Tigers will have their hands full to pull out an away win.

Brownell compares him to Virginia Tech guard Ben Hammond, who lit up Clemson last week for 19 points on excellent efficiency. 

“Ben Hammond, along with Juke over here at Wake Forest, they’re both probably up for Most Improved Player in the ACC,” he said. “Juke Harris,  I mean, those two guys, phenomenal, the steps they made.”

Three other Wake players average double digits or more. However, one of them, Nate Calmese, has been out with an injury since the end of January. He is not expected to play in the game. 

Clemson has ways to win, however, and that will mainly be through scoring. Wake Forest allows the third-most points in the conference at 77 points per game. If the Tigers can get a few of those players going, especially from beyond the arc, their chances of picking up their 11th win in conference play will get better. 

Brownell kept it simple: the Tigers need to get back to playing consistent basketball. After the back-to-back losses to Alabama and BYU at the beginning of the year, Clemson won 11 straight. That will look to happen once again, beginning on Wednesday. 

“We’ve found ways to win some games, and we haven’t played our best some games,” he said.  “We’ve played extremely well, beaten all different kinds of teams in different places. Now, we’re down to a five-game regular season. 

Let’s just all get connected here and give it our best shot.”

Clemson [20-6, 10-3 ACC] at Wake Forest Demon Deacons [13-12, 4-8 ACC]: What You Need To Know

Where: LJVM Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.

When: Wed. Feb 18, 7 p.m. 

Watch: ACC Network

• Play-by-Play: Evan Lepler
• Analysts: Dan Bonner and Jim Boeheim

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network

• Play-by-Play: Don Munson
• Analyst: Tim Bourret

Odds: Clemson is considered a 4.5-point favorite over Wake Forest, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 138.5 points. 

Editor’s Note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to chance. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 

Series History: Clemson trails the series all-time series, 102-68. However, the Tigers won the last meeting, defeating the Demon Deacons 73-62 at Littlejohn Coliseum on Dec. 21, 2024.