By Will Vandervort

Brad Brownell and the Clemson basketball team can’t seem to catch a break these days. It almost seems like every time the Tigers get set to play its next opponent, that team is coming off a loss or an emotional win.

Boston College was coming off an emotional victory against Virginia, one in which it honored its Sports Information Director, Dick Kelley, who has Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Eagles carried that win into Littlejohn Coliseum this past Tuesday, and used it as motivation in a 68-61 win.

Now Clemson gets No. 6 Miami on Saturday, a team that blew a 12-point lead at home in a 71-69 loss to Georgia Tech.

“I’m sure that got Miami’s attention even more,” Brownell said Friday.

That’s because the Hurricanes (23-6, 14-3 ACC) are playing for more than just a win to get their confidence back. A win over Clemson will assure the Hurricanes the top seed in next week’s ACC Tournament in Greensboro, NC.

“They will have a lot on the line, and I’m sure they will be ready with it being Senior Night and the chance to win the league outright, so I’m sure it will be a big game for them,” Brownell said.

Brownell says he isn’t going to try to sell the “spoiler” role for his team as they get set for the 2:30 p.m. tip on Saturday at BankUnited Center. Instead, he just wants them to concentrate on playing good basketball.

“Hopefully, we can execute some things to follow a plan to win,” he said. “You hope to put yourself in position to win games at the end, especially on the road. As a coach, that’s what you try to do. You want to put your guys in a position when in the last five minutes of a game on the road that they have a chance.

“Usually, it is going to come down to a guy making a play to win that game.”

Most of the time, Miami has been making those plays this season. Before the loss to Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes had won seven straight games that were decided by nine points or less, including their 45-43 at Clemson on Feb. 17.

Kenny Kadji made a go-ahead three with 34.7 second left to lift the ‘Canes to victory.

“They have played consistently very well most of the season and have found ways to win most games,” Brownell said. “From that standpoint it is a difficult game.”

Though Miami is 10-2 in games decided by nine points or less, Clemson is the exact opposite. The Tigers are 4-10, and five of those losses are by five points or less.

As they head into Miami with a five-game losing streak and losses in eight of the last nine, Brownell hopes his team can play well and steal a win on the road to help with their confidence more than anything else, especially with the ACC Tournament starting next week.

“It will give us some confidence going into the tournament knowing that we had played well on the road,” he said.

K.J is back. Sophomore forward K.J. McDaniels, who has missed the last three games after injuring his left ankle prior to the North Carolina game, is expected to play at Miami.

McDaniels was involved in limited practice Thursday and went a little bit more before the team flew out for Miami on Friday.

“Hopefully, he will have a chance to play some on Saturday,” Brownell said. “I don’t know how much, and it kind of depends on how he responds to practice today and how he feels the next day when he wakes up to treatment.

“We are optimistic that he will be able to play some on Saturday.”