CLEMSON — Virginia Tech came into Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night and handed Clemson just its second home loss of the season.

The No. 20 Tigers fell 76-66 to the Hokies in a game that saw Brad Brownell’s team never lead in the second half. The Hokies were lights out from beyond the arc, shooting 52 percent, but just as importantly, their guards defended well, keeping Clemson from ever finding its stroke from the perimeter.

Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young was thrilled with his team’s effort in securing a Quad 1 win on the road.

“I think the story of the game was we guarded well in the second half,” Young said. “You score 76 points on the Tigers, you are getting something done.”

While the Tigers certainly didn’t play well in the loss, Young was adamant that this was just an off-night for Brownell’s team. He was extremely complimentary of how Brownell navigated the portal in the offseason, knowing that Dillon Hunter was the only contributor returning to the team.

“I think it is a masterclass,” Young said. “To get (RJ) Godfrey back was huge, but (Carter Welling) and Nick Davidson, (Jake Wahlin) is a good player. Jestin Porter’s helped their team.”

Young is overly impressed with what Brownell has accomplished to this point in the season with a team made up of so many new faces. At the same time, he’s certainly not surprised.

Having spent close to two decades just down the road as head coach of Wofford before moving to Blacksburg, Brown is more than familiar with the kind of coach Brownell is.

“I had a couple of people say, ‘Hey, we saw Clemson in the summer, in the fall, and didn’t think they looked very good, ‘” Young said. “I said, yeah, I have heard that before. I know that guy down there blowing the whistle, he will get them right, and here we are. Ranked nationally and justifiably so. And on their way to another NCAA Tournament.”

Clemson will now hit the road looking to rebound against fourth-ranked Duke. The Blue Devils knocked off Pitt 70-54 Tuesday night to move to 11-1 in ACC play, one full game ahead of the Tigers in the league standings. Tipoff is set for noon.

—Photo by Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider