No. 23 Clemson is riding high after consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference wins over Duke and North Carolina and now sets its focus on Florida State for a road game Saturday at Tallahassee, Fla.
Clemson (20-5, 12-2 ACC) topped then-No. 2 Duke 77-71 last weekend to end the Blue Devils’ 16-game winning streak and spark a storming of the court. It also propelled the Tigers into Monday’s rankings.
Monday’s blowout of the Tar Heels was a different matter entirely. The Tigers found little resistance from the Tar Heels in an 85-65 home victory.
The two victories marked the first time since 2019-20 that Clemson defeated both Duke and North Carolina in a season.
Guard Chase Hunter leads the Tigers with 17.6 points per game, hitting 43.8 percent of his 3-pointers, which ranked 17th in the nation leading into Thursday’s play.
Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin has impressed coach Brad Brownell by stepping up his game after struggling last season.
“When his emotions are intact and he’s composed and thinking clearly, he’s a very good player,” Brownell said of the 6-foot-11, 240-pound redshirt senior. “He cares. He wants to do well. But emotionally he’s wound up, and sometimes it causes him to lose his composure when bad things happen.”
Bad things did not happen Saturday as Lakhin totaled 22 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in the upset of Duke. He averages 11.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots per game.
“I think I’m playing really good basketball,” Lakhin said. “Probably the best basketball of my whole college career. And part of what makes it so good, we’re winning.”
While the Tigers are chasing their second regular-season conference championship in school history, Florida State (15-9, 6-7) is tied for eighth in the ACC with Virginia Tech.
In the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 11, the Seminoles received a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds from 6-foot-11 junior Malique Ewin but could not keep up with Clemson in a 77-57 loss. The Tigers made 13 shots from 3-point range and outscored Florida State by 13 in the second half.
Coach Leonard Hamilton’s squad went on the road and rallied past Wake Forest 72-70 on Wednesday night, winning for the second straight outing after dropping four straight games.
The Seminoles are trying to make Hamilton’s final FSU days good ones. They are 2-0 since he announced his impending resignation at the end of the season.
“What I’m most proud of is we didn’t get discouraged,” Hamilton said after trailing by 16 with just over eight minutes left. “We didn’t panic. I thought we became closer as a unit as a result of the tougher the situation was.
“It seemed like we became closer. And hopefully that will give us some confidence moving forward.”
Guard Jamir Watkins leads the Seminoles with 18.2 points per game, pacing them in five of the past six contests. Ewin grabs 8.2 rebounds, while Daquan Davis averages 2.8 assists.
–Field Level Media
