Miami vs. Clemson Features Road Test for ‘Canes, Battle of Bigs

In perhaps their toughest test this season, the Hurricanes will play on the road against Clemson in front of what should be a packed crowd at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Tigers, led by head coach Brad Brownell, finished 11th in the ACC’s preseason poll but have used that fuel to race out to a 10-2 conference record and a standalone first-place spot in the ACC.

The team has been characterized by its tenacious defense, which allows the lowest opponent field-goal percentage in the ACC. 

“[The Tigers’] personnel fits the Brad Brownell philosophy where they’ve got a lot of guys who are tough-minded defensively,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “They defend both the 2-point shot and the 3-point shot very well.

Clemson (18-5, 10-2 ACC) also features a talented frontcourt pairing of Hunter Tyson and PJ Hall.

Tyson has made a leap in his fifth season with the team. He upped his scoring average from 10 points last year to a team-high 16.3 points per game this season. 

The veteran forward is also averaging a career high in rebounds per game and is shooting 48.6% from the field, another career-best for the big man.

Miami F Norchad Omier, who tied his season high with 21 points on Tuesday against Virginia Tech, has a confident mindset heading into one of his most challenging individual matchups of the season.

“The ACC has so much good players and at my position – big guys that can hoop,” Omier told reporters on Thursday. “My mentality going into is that I’m good too, that they gotta worry about me too. It’s not just about me worrying about them. So that’s how I think going into every game.”

Aside from just winning the game, (17-5, 8-4 ACC) Miami is also looking to break a recent string of inconsistencies and close road losses that plagued the team throughout January. 

The Hurricanes finished with a 4-4 record for the month. They lost each of those four games by an average of 3.3 points.

“We’re playing good opponents. Those losses are on the road,” Larrañaga said. “And they’re very very close games. We have our chances to win, which is the most important thing a coach could ask for.”

The Hurricanes’ chance of road redemption in the month of February will start against the Tigers. Saturday’s tip-off is set for 3 p.m. The game will air on ACC Network.