Two of the hottest teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference will put their winning streaks on the line Saturday when No. 22 Clemson hosts Miami.
The Tigers (15-3, 5-0 ACC) have won eight straight games under longtime coach Brad Brownell, while the Hurricanes (15-2, 4-0) have won 10 in a row under first-year coach Jai Lucas.
For Miami, it’s the best start to a season in program history, and it’s the first time in eight campaigns that the Hurricanes have had a 10-game win streak.
Clemson is coming off a 74-50 home win over Boston College in which they were led by Nick Davidson’s 25 points off the bench. Davidson, a transfer from Nevada, scored 21 consecutive points in the first half.
On the season, Davidson is averaging 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
“I think he’s played a lot better than most people realize because (Davidson) does a lot of things. He passes the ball. He’s one of our best defensive communicators and leaders. Handles the ball against the press. He does a lot of things that probably go unnoticed a little bit in a game. Our team is just different,” Brownell said. “We have different guys that can make some plays, and thankfully that’s what our strength is.”
RJ Godfrey typically has led Clemson in scoring this season. He is averaging 12.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and had 10 points and eight rebounds in the win over Boston College.
Clemson’s collective defense has been its biggest strength, as it ranks 15th nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 64.8 points per game. The Tigers limit opponents to 9.7 assists per game, which is tied for fifth nationally.
In that way, the Tigers’ meeting with the Hurricanes could be a clash of styles.
Miami ranks 23rd nationally in scoring with 87.8 points per game and is third nationally in 2-pointers made per game with 24.8. The Hurricanes’ 81-69 win over Notre Dame marked the 12th time this season that they’ve topped 80 points.
Tre Donaldson led the Hurricanes against the Fighting Irish with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with five assists. On the season, the Michigan transfer is averaging 16.9 points and 6.8 assists per game, both of which are career highs for the senior.
“Sometimes it just takes a different voice, a different system to unlock something else in a player,” Lucas said of Donaldson, who started his college career at Auburn. “He’s played for two great coaches, Bruce Pearl and Dusty May, so I’m not taking anything away from them, but sometimes it can be that little thing that can help them a little bit. And he’s older now. I’m getting him in his senior year. He’s played at a high level and has great experience.”
Malik Reneau leads Miami in scoring with 20.4 points per game. He is coming off having a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds against Notre Dame.
–Field Level Media
