Five things to know about Clemson’s ACC road game against Florida State
Following a double-digit loss Saturday to Notre Dame, Clemson heads to Tallahassee to take on Florida State for a 7 p.m. contest on Tuesday.
The Tigers (12-13, 4-10 ACC) are 13th in ACC standings, while the Seminoles (13-11, 6-8) ranked ninth in the conference — and both are going through a rough patch in their seasons.
Here are five things to know about Tuesday’s ACC game:
A losing streak will end
Clemson and Florida State come into Tuesday’s contest on losing streaks of four and six games, respectively. The Tigers hit a rough stretch facing North Carolina, Duke and Notre Dame in a five-day span that followed a failed comeback attempt against Georgia Tech. Clemson’s last win was against Florida State, which hasn’t won a game since beating Miami 61-60 on the road on Jan. 22. The Seminoles were previously on a six-game winning streak, which included upsetting Duke 79-78 in overtime on Jan. 18.
Things turned sour for FSU eight days later when the losses began to accumulate. During the six-game stretch, they’ve been outscored by an average of 11 points, with their worst loss coming via a 94-74 trouncing by North Carolina on Saturday.
With both teams on a skid, one will get back in the win column on Tuesday night.
Must-win situation
The Tigers have only won three of their last 12 games with six left on the regular-season docket, starting with Florida State. While the next three games won’t be as rigorous as the previous three, it’s important for the squad to win again and try to salvage the season.
While Clemson head coach Brad Brownell acknowledges his team hasn’t always played the best, especially with having to make adjustments due to having players out, the group has competed well and battled during the latter stages of games. The Tigers rested up some Sunday after playing three games in five days with hopes of being fresh for the next stretch, which includes being on the road for three of the next four games.
“Our spirit is good, and hopefully we’ll play better at Florida State,” Brownell said.
Return of David Collins
David Collins will be back in the Tigers’ lineup against Florida State. He didn’t play against Notre Dame on Saturday while serving a one-game suspension after a flagrant foul drawn on Duke forward Wendell Moore Jr. on Thursday.
Brownell said Collins understands what he did wrong and had a good attitude on the bench Saturday.
“I think sometimes taking playing time away from young people is a great equalizer,” Brownell said. “It makes them appreciate how special it is to play in this league and a place like Clemson. I think he’ll be very excited to compete on Tuesday.”
Hamilton-Hall respect
Tigers sophomore center PJ Hall’s growth in a matter of a year has become a hot topic for opposing teams. He received praise from Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski each time Clemson played the Blue Devils and has now generated positive praise from Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton.
“I thought he made as much improvement in one year as anybody that I’ve ever seen,” Hamilton said of Hall. “He has no hesitation on anything he’s doing. Sometimes the transition from a freshman to a sophomore like that is still somewhat interesting for those guys, but he’s gone from being somewhat tentative to accepting his role that I am the lead dog on this Clemson team and everything goes through me. I like it and relish it. That’s the attitude he seems to be playing with.”
Hall, who’s averaging a team-best 15.5 points, had 15 points and seven rebounds against Florida State the last time the two teams played on Feb. 2 in Clemson.
Injuries abound
During the weekly ACC media call Monday, Hamilton was doubtful the Seminoles would have leading scorer Caleb Mills for the home game against Clemson on Tuesday. The redshirt sophomore suffered an ankle injury against North Carolina. An MRI didn’t show a fracture, but Mills still didn’t practice on Sunday, Hamilton said.
Brownell can certainly relate to the injury woes, having lost a starter in Hunter Tyson almost two weeks ago. Whether or not the Seminoles have Mills, Brownell said it won’t affect the Tigers’ game plan.
“They’re not drastically changing in how they’re playing, or at least I haven’t seen that yet, so just hate it for their team they’ve got a couple guys out,” he said. “It’s hard to keep the morale of your team, it’s hard to win games when you’re not at full strength. It’s hard as coaches to make adjustments on the fly, especially when the games are coming as quickly as they’re coming.”
How to watch Clemson vs FSU basketball
Who: Clemson vs Florida State
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
TV: Regional sports network
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 2:40 PM.
