Tag: Chase Hunter

Clemson takes down Virginia Tech for fifth straight ACC win

Clemson’s supporting cast stepped up big as the Tigers beat Virginia Tech for their fifth straight win in ACC play. Here’s how it happened.

Not having Chase Hunter on the floor during the first half didn’t pose much of a problem for the Clemson Tigers against Virginia Tech Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

With Hunter not in the starting lineup due to an unspecified illness, Clemson started strong out of the gate and shot 60 percent from the field in the first half. The Tigers beat the Hokies, 72-57.

Clemson’s supporting cast stepped up big in this one. Freshman Del Jones had a career-high 13 points and Chauncey Wiggins tied a season-high with 16. The Tigers (17-4 overall, 9-1 ACC) also got 11 apiece from Viktor Lakhin and Jaeden Zackery.

The Tigers’ first 12 points came from five different shooters. Backup guard Jake Heidbreder and Wiggins connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to stake Clemson to a 12-6 lead early as Virginia Tech began the game by going over five minutes without a field goal.

Brandon Rechsteiner gave the Hokies (8-12, 3-6) a brief lead at 26-24 on a 3-pointer with around 6:30 to play in the half. Clemson answered with a 15-0 run that included 3-pointers from Wiggins and Heidbreder, plus an impressive move to the basket by Lakhin.

Wiggins had 10 points by halftime as Clemson took a 41-29 lead into the break. The Hokies missed their last nine shots from the field in the half as Clemson closed the first 20 minutes on a 17-3 run. The Tigers connected on 5-of-11 from behind the arc in that span.

Clemson went up by 17 in the first two minutes of the second half, but Virginia Tech would soon make it a game.

The Hokies cut the lead to single digits with a 9-0 run that made it 49-43 on a dunk by Tobi Lowal that forced Brad Brownell to call a timeout. Clemson had missed 10 of its last 11 shots at that stage and had made only three of 13 attempts to open the half.

After the timeout, Hunter checked in for his first minutes of action. He launched two quick 3-point attempts right out of the gate but didn’t connect as Clemson went over six minutes without a basket from the field. The Tigers got some breathing room when Wiggins hit his fourth trey from the corner to make it 54-45 with inside 9:30 to play.

Jones got hot, scoring six straight points for the Tigers that included a pair of back-to-back jumpers that made it 68-53 with under four minutes to play. Afterwards, Clemson took a 19-point advantage for their biggest lead of the night.

The Tigers finished the night shooting 48 percent from the field and had 36 points in the paint to Virginia Tech’s 20, including a 22-4 advantage in the paint in the first half.

UP NEXT

Clemson has a midweek bye and will return to action next Saturday vs. NC State in Raleigh. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on The CW Network.

Where Clemson lands in USA TODAY Sports’ first NCAA Tournament bracketology of 2025

Here’s where Clemson is projected in USA TODAY’s first bracketology of the season.

With a four-game winning streak in ACC play and a conference record second only to the Duke Blue Devils and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, the Clemson Tigers are in a great position to make the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.

To that end, USA TODAY Sports unveiled its first edition of bracketology for the 2024-25 college basketball season Friday.

Brad Brownell’s Tigers were a projected No. 7 seed according to the panel of Paul Myerberg, Eddie Timanus and Erick Smith, who have Clemson facing the Vanderbilt Commodores in a No. 7 vs. No. 10 seed game in the first round of the Midwest Region in Raleigh, N.C.

Duke joined Auburn, Iowa State and Tennessee as projected No. 1 seeds, with Bruce Pearl’s Tigers the overall No. 1 seed. Only four ACC teams were projected to make the NCAA Tournament in USA TODAY Sports’ first field of 68 projections: Louisville and Pittsburgh joined Duke and Clemson, with Wake Forest and North Carolina listed as bubble teams.

Clemson picked up its fourth-straight win with an 86-72 victory over Syracuse earlier this week at Littlejohn Coliseum. Chase Hunter had 18 points in the first half and finished with 23 on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc.

The Tigers travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network.

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Chase Hunter erupts in massive first half as Clemson basketball routs Syracuse

Fun night at Littlejohn as Clemson keeps rolling thanks to Chase Hunter, who went off in the first half.

Much as he’s done throughout his collegiate career, Chase Hunter set the tone for the Clemson Tigers Wednesday night.

Hunter gave Clemson its first lead of the night with a dunk almost eight minutes in and had 18 points in the first half of an 86-72 Tigers blowout of Syracuse at Littlejohn Coliseum. The sixth-year senior from Atlanta finished the night with 23 points — his sixth 20-point game of the season.

Clemson (16-4 overall, 8-1 ACC) won its fourth straight game thanks to Hunter, who was 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from downtown in the game’s first 20 minutes. Two of his four first-half treys came as part of a 10-0 Clemson run to close the half.

The Tigers, who entered the day as a projected No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN, shot almost 60 percent from the field in the first half and led 48-29 at intermission.

In the second half, Clemson would lead by as many as 24 after Hunter sank a pair of foul shots to put his team up 74-50 with less than nine minutes to play in the game.

Viktor Lakhin had 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Jaeden Zackery continued his recent hot streak by finishing in double figures with 14 points. Ian Schieffelin also finished in double figures with 11 points, including a pair of dunks.

J.J. Starling led Syracuse (9-10, 3-5) with a game-high 25 points.

Clemson basketball schedule 2025

The Tigers will travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions. 

Best photos of Clemson’s thrilling overtime win at Pitt Panthers

Here are 16 of the best game photos from the Tigers’ 78-75 overtime win at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The Clemson Tigers sank 14 three-pointers and had four of their five starters finish in double figures in a wild 78-75 overtime win over the Pitt Panthers in ACC play Saturday at Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh.

Clemson improved to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play despite letting a 14-point second-half lead slip away. The Tigers got 20 points from senior Chase Hunter, whose three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining in overtime turned a one-possession game into a 78-73 lead.

The Tigers held on for their third straight win, getting 16 points from Jaeden Zackery coming off a season-high 21 at Georgia Tech four nights earlier, plus 15 from Ian Schieffelin and 11 from Chauncey Wiggins. Dillon Hunter also added 10 points off the bench.

The Tigers finished 14-of-27 from behind the arc to remain one game behind the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC standings. The third-ranked Blue Devils (16-2, 8-0) cruised to an 88-63 blowout win at Boston College on Saturday.

Clemson returns home to face Syracuse at 7 p.m. ET at Littlejohn Coliseum Wednesday. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Tigers’ thrilling overtime win over Pitt.

Best photos of Clemson basketball’s 70-59 win at Georgia Tech in ACC play

Fifteen of the best game photos from the Tigers’ 70-59 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Four of the Clemson’s five starters finished in double figures on Tuesday night as the Tigers downed Georgia Tech, 70-59, at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta for another win in ACC play.

Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery scored a season-high 21 points, Ian Schieffelin added 16, and Atlanta native Chase Hunter had 14. Cincinnati Bearcats transfer Viktor Lakhin had 10 — all in the first half as the Tigers built a 36-25 lead at intermission.

Clemson (14-4 overall, 6-1 ACC) never trailed in the game and led by as many as 18 in the second half before Georgia Tech briefly trimmed the lead to single digits.

With the win, the Tigers stayed one game behind Duke in the ACC standings. The third-ranked Blue Devils (15-2, 7-0) won in an 84-59 blowout over the Miami Hurricanes Tuesday night. Clemson and Duke are scheduled to meet only once in the regular season, Feb. 8 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Tigers head to Pittsburgh to face the Pitt Panthers Saturday at noon ET. The game will be televised on The CW Network.

In the meantime, here’s a look at the best photos from the Tigers’ road win over Georgia Tech.

Clemson basketball tops Georgia Tech on the road for latest ACC win

Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery has his best performance in a Clemson uniform.

The Clemson Tigers continued their roll through ACC play with a 70-59 win over Georgia Tech Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta. Four of the Tigers’ five starters, including Atlanta native Chase Hunter, finished in double figures.

Jaeden Zackery scored a season-high 21 points, the highest the Boston College transfer had in a game since his 22-point showing in the Eagles’ 76-55 rout of the Tigers in the ACC Tournament a season ago. Ian Schieffelin added 16 and Hunter had 14 of his own.

Clemson (14-4 overall) improved to 6-1 in ACC play and never trailed in the game, getting out to an 8-0 lead in the opening six minutes and holding Georgia Tech (8-10) scoreless for over seven minutes to begin play. The Tigers led 36-25 at halftime, with Zackery scoring 12 points in the first half and Viktor Lakhin adding 10.

Hunter drained a 3-pointer in the first five minutes of the second half, part of five points in a span of 45 seconds. Schieffelin hit a layup to put Clemson up by 13 as the Tigers began to pull safely away.

After Chauncey Wiggins hit his only 3-point attempt of the night and then threw down a dunk with 7:38 to play, the Tigers had their biggest lead of the night at 18, 59-41.

Georgia Tech would cut the lead to single digits at 59-50 with 2:30 to play on a 3-pointer from Duncan Powell, but Schieffelin responded with a tray on the Tigers’ next trip down the floor.

Zackery made three of Clemson’s eight shots from behind the arc and finished 7-of-12 from the field.

The Tigers head to Pitt (12-4) for a noon ET tipoff Saturday. The game will be televised on The CW.

Best photos of Clemson basketball taking down Florida State for impressive ACC win

Here are 17 of the best photos from a happy Saturday at Littlejohn as Clemson beat Florida State for the fifth straight time.

The Clemson Tigers are getting good at beating Florida State.

Led by Chase Hunter’s game-high 25 points, Clemson won its fifth straight over the Seminoles dating back to 2022 with a dominant 77-57 win in ACC play on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Tigers (13-4 overall, 5-1 ACC) bounced back from their first loss of the year in conference play earlier in the week at Louisville by getting five 3-pointers from Hunter, who made 5-of-9 shots from behind the arc and was 8-of-14 from the field overall.

Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery added 15 points and was 3-of-4 from downtown, and Chauncey Wiggins had 12 points.

The Tigers turned a 36-29 lead at halftime into a rout, using a 13-2 run to open the second half that was capped by Hunter’s third trey of the game. Brad Brownell’s team would lead by 23 in the game’s final minute. Clemson connected on 48 percent of its shots from the field and was just as strong at the 3-point line (13-of-28).

Florida State fell to 11-5 overall and 2-3 in ACC action, while the Tigers’ 5-1 start in conference play is one game behind Duke’s 6-0 mark.

Clemson will take on Georgia Tech (8-9, 2-4) in Hunter’s hometown of Atlanta Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Tigers’ impressive win over Florida State.

Clemson slide continues in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll rankings

An updated look at the Coaches Poll after Clemson fell to South Carolina and then beat Wake Forest.

Fairly or not, the Clemson Tigers fell out of the Top 25 after their overtime loss to Penny Hardaway’s Memphis team back on Dec. 14. After a loss to rival South Carolina, Clemson fell even further.

A week ago, Clemson (10-3 overall) garnered the most votes for Top 25 consideration with 87. Five teams now rank ahead of the Tigers for top 25 consideration in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, released Monday.

Unofficially, it places Brad Brownell’s team at No. 31 in the rankings. Maryland, Michigan, Drake, Arkansas and Georgia are teams that received more votes for consideration than the Tigers.

Clemson suffered back-to-back overtime losses to Memphis and South Carolina, but defeated Wake Forest 73-62 in ACC play over the weekend at Littlejohn Coliseum. Chase Hunter had 16 points to lead the Tigers to a 2-0 start in conference action, while Jake Heidbreder added 15.

The Tigers return to the court on New Year’s Day when they host the Stanford Cardinal at 4 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

The top three teams in the new coaches poll remained the same, with the Tennessee Volunteers (11-0) at No. 1 for the third straight week. The Auburn Tigers (11-1) stayed at No. 2 with Iowa State (10-1) at No. 3. Duke (10-2) and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg moved up one spot to No. 4, as did the Florida Gators to No. 5.

Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils remained the only ACC team ranked in the Coaches Poll Top 25. Clemson was second closest, receiving 40 votes for top 25 consideration.

Full USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Top 25

Rank Team Record Points
1 Tennessee 11-0 764 (20)
2 Auburn 11-1 746 (11)
3 Iowa State 10-1 706
4 Duke 10-2 659
5 Florida 12-0 649
6 Alabama 10-2 620
7 Kansas 9-2 531
8 Marquette 11-2 529
9 Oregon 11-1 484
10 Kentucky 10-2 476
11 Oklahoma 12-0 412
12 Houston 8-3 406
13 Texas A&M 10-2 405
14 UConn 10-3 395
15 Gonzaga 9-3 327
16 Ole Miss 11-1 261
17 Cincinnati 10-1 252
18 Michigan State 10-2 233
19 Mississippi State 11-1 196
20 San Diego State 8-2 148
21 UCLA 10-2 128
22 Illinois 8-3 86
23 Baylor 7-3 83
24 St. John’s 10-2 82
25 Purdue 8-4 73

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Michigan; No. 22 Memphis; No. 24 Dayton;

Others Receiving Votes

Maryland 65; Michigan 52; Drake 51; Arkansas 51; Georgia 42; Clemson 40; Dayton 28; Memphis 25; Pittsburgh 22; Utah State 14; Texas Tech 9; Wisconsin 7; North Carolina 6; Missouri 6; West Virginia 5; Penn State 1;

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Clemson returns to ACC play with dominant win over Wake Forest

Clemson takes down Wake Forest.

Chase Hunter scored 16 points, five of his teammates finished in double figures, and the Clemson Tigers defeated Wake Forest, 73-62, Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum to snap a two-game losing streak in their return to ACC play.

For a Clemson (10-3 overall, 2-0 ACC) team that was coming off back-to-back overtime losses to Memphis and South Carolina, it was a nice way to close out the unofficial first half of the season as the Tigers head into their Christmas break.

The Tigers controlled Saturday’s game virtually from the start. They doubled up Wake Forest (9-4) at 30-15 in the first half thanks to a 10-0 run that included 3-pointers from Hunter and Air Force transfer Jake Heidbreder. Clemson led 40-31 at halftime.

Clemson would lead by as many as 20 in the second half after Ian Schieffelin put the Tigers up 71-51 with just over five minutes remaining. Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin both scored 13 points and Jaeden Zackery added 12 to go with Hunter’s 16.

Hunter was 5-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-7 from downtown.

Heidbreder was his own star, scoring 15 points off the bench and making three of his four three-point shots.

Clemson schedule 2024-25

Clemson will face Stanford at 3 p.m. ET at Littlejohn Coliseum on New Year’s Day. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Clemson star Chase Hunter on the loss to Memphis, takes blame for bad final stretch

Hunter on Clemson’s loss to Memphis.

With just over a minute left on Saturday, it looked like No. 16 Clemson was poised to secure another gritty win.

The Tigers had clawed their way back from behind for most of the game, and Chase Hunter’s clutch three-pointer with 1:04 to play put them ahead by five. But Memphis responded with big-time plays to force overtime, and Clemson couldn’t capitalize on key moments, falling 87-82 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Hunter had a chance to seal the game in regulation with the score tied at 72. Dribbling near center court, he waited too long to make his move, leaving just four seconds to attack the basket. Forced into a deep three-pointer as time expired, the shot fell short.

“I should have driven to the rim and tried to draw a foul or get a better look,” Hunter admitted. “That was on me.”

In overtime, Hunter had another opportunity with Clemson trailing 85-82. He opted for a quick three-pointer rather than attacking the rim for a layup to extend the game. It didn’t fall, and Clemson’s hopes were dashed.

Hunter finished with 17 points but acknowledged costly mistakes in the game’s closing minutes, including a turnover after his late three-pointer. “I celebrated too much and lost focus,” he said. “I have to be better as a senior leader.”

The Tigers (9-2) now turn their attention to a rivalry showdown at South Carolina on Tuesday (7 p.m., SECN)