CLEMSON — If Clemson is to advance in tonight’s ACC Tournament second-round game against No. 13 seed Wake Forest, the fifth-seeded Tigers will have to play better than they did in last Saturday’s home win over Georgia Tech.

The Tigers struggled in the victory despite the fact the Yellow Jackets ended the season with a 12-game losing streak. Again, it was a slow start that almost did Clemson in, as Tech came out on fire and the Tigers went almost six minutes without scoring.

It’s the same recipe that cost the Tigers in four consecutive losses last month, including one at Wake Forest, Clemson’s opponent tonight (9:30) at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

“We just didn’t have the juice defensively in the first half,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said.

Clemson’s defense picked things up in the second half and the offense got going, too. In the end the Tigers rallied to win. However, they know that is something they cannot do going forward, especially if they want an opportunity to win their first ACC Tournament Championship.

The good news is the Tigers (22-9) have already clinched an at-large bid to next week’s NCAA Tournament, the program’s third consecutive spot in the Big Dance. However, a couple of wins in the ACC Tournament could move the Tigers up the seed line.

Right now, it appears the Tigers will be a No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the NCAAs.

“When I first came here, people didn’t really care about basketball as much. You know, football is great. But now everyone’s buying into basketball, too,” point guard Dillon Hunter said.

A couple of wins this week is sure to get the Clemson Faithful even more excited.

“This is a very meaningful place. They’re going to have some great memories for a long time. Leading their team to another NCAA tournament is a big one,” Brownell said.

If Clemson can win tonight, it will advance to play No. 4 seed North Carolina in Friday’s quarterfinals.