CLEMSON — Clemson basketball looks to set a program record for most wins in a regular season.
The No. 11 Tigers (25-5, 17-2 ACC) hosts Virginia Tech (13-17, 8-11) on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, ESPNU) at Littlejohn Coliseum. They are tied for second with Louisville in the ACC standings, one game behind first-place Duke.
Clemson is on a season-long seven-game win streak and clinched an ACC tournament double bye, which will allow the Tigers to avoid playing during the first two days of the five-day tournament on March 11-15 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Hokies lost 91-59 to North Carolina on Tuesday. They are tied for ninth in the ACC and are not projected to make the NCAA Tournament. Clemson looks to sweep Virginia Tech in the regular season after defeating the Hokies 72-57 on Jan. 25.
Here are three things to know about and a score prediction for this ACC game:
Clemson eyes ACC regular-season title, No. 1 seed in tournament
Clemson can win a share of the ACC regular-season championship with a win and a Duke loss to North Carolina (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) on Saturday. It would be Clemson’s first regular-season conference title since 1990.
The Tigers also can nab the top seed in the ACC tournament if: Stanford wins at Louisville on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPNU), Clemson wins at home vs. Virginia Tech and Duke loses to UNC at Chapel Hill.
If Clemson achieves either of these feats, it would cap a historic regular season and give it immense momentum entering the postseason.
What to know about Virginia Tech basketball
Virginia Tech’s top scorer and rebounder is forward Tobi Lawal. He averages 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game but has been held under 10 points in his past three games. No other Virginia Tech player averages double-digit scoring.
The Hokies average 69.8 points, 16th in the conference, and allow 73.1 points, sixth most in the ACC. They average 13 turnovers (the most in the ACC) and have committed double-digit turnovers in four of their past five games.
Virginia Tech leads 24-20 in the all-time series against Clemson.
Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin has found his groove entering postseason
The reigning ACC’s most improved player has been a force lately. In the past three games, he is shooting 62% from the field while averaging 19.3 points and 10 rebounds.
Schieffelin has battled a whirlwind of ailments this season, including a calf strain, back spasms and a wrist and hip injury, but hasn’t missed any games. Now, he has recovered during Clemson’s final regular-season games to return to being the team’s energizer and rebounding monster. This bodes well for the Tigers as they enter the postseason.
Clemson vs Virginia Tech prediction, picks
Clemson 79, Virginia Tech 63: The Tigers will earn win No. 26 to set a program regular-season record in the final home game for Schieffelin and guard Chase Hunter. In their final game at Littlejohn Coliseum, both will put on dominating performances to rout the Hokies for a chance at a share of the ACC regular-season championship.
Clemson vs Virginia Tech odds
This section will be updated to add betting information.
Clemson vs Virginia Tech injury updates
- Clemson: Freshman guard Ace Buckner and freshman forward Dallas Thomas are redshirting.
- Virginia Tech: N/A
How to watch Clemson vs Virginia Tech: Time, TV channel, live stream
Clemson basketball vs. Virginia Tech will broadcast on ESPNU. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
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