Clemson Hosts Georgia Tech Looking for Season Sweep

Chase Hunter brings the ball up the floor in Clemson's 78-75 win at Pittsburgh on January 18, 2025. Photo By: Charles Mays/Tiger View Media

The Clemson Tigers will play their first home game since January 22 against a Georgia Tech team coming off an upset win over Louisville at home. The Yellow Jackets are currently 10-12 overall on the season and 4-7 within ACC play, which has them tied for 11th place in the ACC with Florida State, Syracuse, and California. Georgia Tech is practically eliminated from the NCAA tournament unless they can win the ACC tournament in March. The Yellow Jackets won their last game 77-70 in an upset win over the #21 ranked Louisville Cardinals; this was a surprise considering Georgia Tech had just come off a loss against a struggling Notre Dame team. Last season, the Yellow Jackets finished 14-18 overall and 7 13 in the ACC, which tied for 12th place alongside Notre Dame. This continued a three-year drought from the NCAA tournament for Georgia Tech, their last time being the 2020-2021 season when they won the ACC tournament. Head Coach Damon Stoudamire is in his second season with the team and seventh overall after coaching Pacific for five seasons in the WCC. The 13-year NBA veteran and former Rookie of the Year has yet to make the NCAA tournament as a college head coach and will need a miracle to end the season if he plans on making it this year. Although the Yellow Jackets have struggled this season, Senior Guard Lance Terry has been a bright spot for Georgia Tech. In their win over Louisville on Saturday, Terry had 23 points on 9/20 shooting from the field and 4/9 from downtown. During the season, Terry has averaged 15.8 points per game, with 46.7% shooting from the field and 39.5% from behind the arc. Baye Ndongo, the sophomore from Dakar, Senegal, is another player to watch. In Georgia Tech’s first game against Clemson, Ndongo had 14 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, and a block. On the season, Ndongo averages 11.6 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, and a steal. The battle between Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin and Baye Ndongo should be fun to watch. The sophomore from Toronto, Ontario, Naithan George, can also be a factor for the Yellow Jackets. Just like Ndongo, George played well against Clemson when they played back in January, as he put up 13 points, four assists, and three rebounds on 45.5% shooting from the field and 50% from behind the arc. George, Ndongo, and Terry must be at their best to take down the Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Clemson Tigers are coming off a 10-point win in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon, making them winners of their last six games. The Tigers are 18-4 overall on the season and 10-1 within the ACC, which puts them in second place right behind second-ranked Duke. This 10-1 start within ACC play is tied for a program record with the 2022-23 Clemson Tigers, who also started 10-1 that season. In their previous game against NC State, the Tigers once again played terrific defense, holding the Wolfpack to just 58 points and 38.3% shooting from the field. As always, Chase Hunter was the star of the Clemson offense, putting up 20 points on 6/12 shooting from the floor, while Viktor Lakhin and Chauncey Wiggins scored 13 and 11 each. The last time Clemson played Georgia Tech, Chase Hunter had one of his weaker games of the season, with just 14 points on 33.3% shooting from the field. The Tigers will hope their 45% three-point shooter is on his A-game for tomorrow night’s affair. Viktor Lakhin has been a major part of Clemson’s success this season and will need to continue that into tomorrow night. The Senior from Anapa, Russia, has averaged 10.4 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 48.9% shooting from the floor; Lakhin will have to go toe-to-toe with Georgia Tech’s Freshman Ibrahim Souare. Another key piece to this Clemson team is Chauncey Wiggins. When Wiggins scores 10 points or more, the Tigers are undefeated. Last time against Georgia Tech, the Junior from Grayson, Georgia, could only muster up 7 points on five shots. Look for Wiggins to be more aggressive this time around as the Tigers look to get the season sweep over the Yellow Jackets. Game time is set for 9:00 PM on Tuesday, February 4, at Littlejohn Coliseum and available to watch on the ACC Network.