By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

Though Clemson has already played No. 3 Duke, No. 7 Arizona and No. 8 Gonzaga this year, its biggest challenge to date quite possibly will be tonight when it visits No. 14 NC State for a 6:02 tip.

The Wolfpack (14-3, 3-1 ACC) have five players that average in double figures, while a sixth player, freshman Rodney Purvis, averages 9.4 points per game. The ‘Pack has had an up and down week after knocking off previously undefeated Duke last Sunday before being upended on a last-second shot at Maryland earlier this week.

“We have played a couple of teams with the caliber of talent they have, and have not got a win,” Clemson forward Milton Jennings said. “We have played them really great and had leads at times, like against Arizona, and had a good game against Gonzaga. But we lost it at the end.

“We are going into this game with a different mindset that we can play with the top-ranked teams and that we have to find a way to win this game.”

That’s going to be tough. NC State leads the ACC and is third in the NCAA with a .515 field goal percentage. The Wolfpack, which is 10-0 at PNC Arena this year, is averaging 86.3 points a game at home. Overall, NC State ranks second in the conference in scoring at 79.1 points per game.

“It is going to be a big challenge because we are so young going in, but playing against an older NC State will show us where we are both offensively and defensively,” Clemson’s K.J. McDaniels said. “We have to go in there and keep our composure and play hard.”

The Tigers (10-6, 2-2) will also have to keep an eye on forward C.J. Leslie, NC State’s top scorer at 16.0 points per game.

“He is athletic and he can get his shot off whenever he wants,” McDaniels said. “He is just so long. He is freakishly long so going in and trying to guard that and stop him is going to be a challenge.”

Leslie has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor. The 6-foot-9, 200-pound junior can put the basketball on the floor and drive to the basket, and if need be, he can pull up from 17 feet and consistently hit a jumper.

Leslie scored 25 points in NC State’s win over Duke.

“He is a tremendous athlete,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “He is quick around the basket. He is like K.J. He is a quick leaper so he is off his feet before a lot of guys are ready for it. When he makes his high post or 17-foot jump shot, he becomes really hard to guard.

“It’s hard to guard both his drive as well as his shot. Then around the basket he has a variety of quick spin type moves that you do not see as much so it makes it real challenging.”

Then there is Richard Howell in the post. All the 6-foot-8, 260-pound center does is lead the league in offensive rebounding and is second overall with 10.5 a game, while also adding 12.6 points.

If you stop that, then ACC assist leader Lorenzo Brown, who averages 6.9 per game, can take his man off the dribble and produce 13.2 points a night. But don’t forget about the ACC’s best three-point shooter and his league leading 45 trifectas. Wood has hit on 43.3 percent of threes this year, which ranks fourth in the conference.

“They are certainly one of the more talented teams in our league,” Brownell said. “They are a great offensive team with a lot of firepower.

“It’s a game defensively where we are going to have to play really well, but we are going to have to find a way to make some baskets and score some points to win this game. You are not going to hold NC State to some of the low numbers that we held the others, too.”

The good news for Clemson is that it has been done. Maryland used its size and length to cause issues for Leslie and Howell inside, while Wood had a rare off night as he struggled to find his stroke in a 51-50 loss to the Terps.

Clemson, who is second in the ACC in scoring defense, is coming off the best two-game stretch from a defensive standpoint in school history.  The Tigers held both Virginia and Wake Forest to 44 points; marking the first time in history they have held ACC opponents to under 45 points in back-to-back games.

“I think our length and defense can keep the game in the 50s and 60s and when you do that you have a good chance to win the game,” Jennings said. “They have like six scorers and they like to get out into the 70s and 80s, so if you can old them you have a chance of winning.”

Now the question is can Clemson beat a ranked team this time out? It’s going to be the hardest challenge yet.