Photo Credit to “Tigernet.Com”
In front of an electric crowd at Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson played a tight game with ACC foe Virginia, who came in ranked at number seventeen in the Nation. The Tigers came out hot and ran to a 12-6 lead going into the first media timeout, but UVA was able to slow that offense down. The Cavaliers were able to secure a 31-28 lead at halftime. The two teams would proceed to trade the lead back and forth during the second half, but some late missed shots and controversial fouls gave Virginia the 63-58 win. The Tigers had another outstanding effort from forward KJ McDaniels, who had 24 points on Saturday. Freshman Austin Ajukwa came off the bench to add 6 points and 2 assists, hitting a pair of clutch three pointers to keep the Tigers in the game. Center Landry Nnoko missed the game with the flu, so sophomore Josh Smith made the start at center for Clemson. Despite Smith being at center, McDaniels actually jumped in the opening tip off for Clemson, winning the ball to start off the game. Joe Harris for the Cavaliers went for 16 points, while center Mike Tobey and guard Malcolm Brogdon each added 14 to the Cavaliers total. The loss sits Clemson at an even 6-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, and puts them tied with the North Carolina State Wolfpack for the sixth spot in the conference. The Tigers will take on the Wolfpack Tuesday night in Littlejohn. After Tuesday’s game, Clemson will hit the road for two games to play in Atlanta against Georgia Tech and in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Tigers will the finish up the regular season with a three game home stretch. While star KJ McDaniels has stated that he has not thought about whether he will leave school a year early to enter the NBA, his recent efforts have made an impressive argument for him to be picked if he chooses to leave. The next four home games could be Tiger fans last shot at seeing the star, who has been a real special player at Clemson
