CLEMSON — In basketball, a team cannot enjoy a victory as long as they can in football. Teams play just once a week on the gridiron, which allows the victors to enjoy their success for a few days before turning the page.
On Wednesday night, the Clemson basketball team took down No. 24 SMU for their 11th straight ACC victory. However, the Tigers had just a few hours to enjoy the win, as they quickly turned their attention to Notre Dame, whom they play Saturday at 6 p.m., at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind.
Besides looking for a 12th straight regular season win in conference play, Clemson is also going for an 11th consecutive road win in ACC competition, which is already a school record.
To keep those streaks alive, Clemson (13-3, 3-0 ACC) will have to do something it has only done once before on the hardwood – win at Notre Dame. The Tigers are 1-5 all-time in South Bend since the Irish joined the league in 2014.
Clemson’s load win at Notre Dame came in 2019 when the Tigers hung on for a 64-62 win.
The Irish come into the ACC clash with a 10-5 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the league.
With the win over SMU, Clemson improved to 3-2 in Quad 1 games this season. The Tigers’ other Quad 1 win came against No. 18 Georgia on Nov. 23 in the Charleston Classic.
Notre Dame is ranked 60th in the NET rankings, meaning the Tigers have a second straight opportunity at a Quad 1 win. A road win against a top 75 team is considered a Quad 1 win.
Two Tigers are averaging double-digit points through their three ACC games: RJ Godfrey (15.0 ppg) and Jestin Porter (12.3 ppg). Clemson is powered through their defense where they are ranked third in the ACC, limiting opponents to 65.9 ppg. They have done a great job of creating havoc around the arc, ranking 16th nationally, and first in the ACC, in three-point percentage defense (.283).
The Fighting Irish will be without their floor general, Markus Burton, for the second consecutive year.
On Dec. 10, he had surgery performed on his left ankle, an injury he incurred at TCU. Burton was averaging a team best 18.5 points per game and was coming off one of his most complete games of his career after dropping his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 assists vs. Missouri. He had six points and five assists in 10 minutes at TCU.