Tag: PJ Hall

The good and bad of Clemson hoops’ extended break

Much to the chagrin of head coach Brad Brownell, Clemson’s men’s basketball will have to wait a little longer than usual to play its next game. It’s routine for college basketball teams to play a couple of games a week – usually one midweek and …

Much to the chagrin of head coach Brad Brownell, Clemson’s men’s basketball will have to wait a little longer than usual to play its next game.

It’s routine for college basketball teams to play a couple of games a week – usually one midweek and another on the weekend – once conference play starts. Outside of a coronavirus-related postponement of its home game against Duke on Dec. 29, it’s been the norm for Clemson over the last month.

But that will be disrupted this weekend with an open date on the schedule. Clemson pushed the ninth-ranked Blue Devils to the brink in a narrow loss Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the Tigers won’t play again until Wednesday when they welcome Florida State to Littlejohn Coliseum.

It’s unfortunate timing for Clemson (11-9, 3-6 ACC), which has responded to what was its longest losing streak of the season with two of its better performances. Before putting together a well-rounded effort against Duke – one in which Clemson sank 11 3-pointers, finished plus-8 on the glass and forced the Blue Devils into 12 turnovers – the Tigers notched their largest margin of victory in an ACC game so far with their weekend pummeling of a Pittsburgh team that turned around and beat Syracuse its last time out.

“This time of year, we just don’t want to lose our momentum,” Brownell said. “It’s always hard.”

Brownell cited his team’s longest layoff of the season as a prime example. Because of the Duke postponement, Clemson went 12 days between games against Virginia. The Tigers’ 17-point win in Charlottesville on Dec. 22 ran their longest winning streak of the season to four games. When they faced the Cavaliers again in Littlejohn on Jan. 4, Virginia handed Clemson a 10-point loss to start a stretch in which the Tigers lost four out of five games, including three straight before the win over Pitt last week.

“We came back from Christmas, we’d just won at Virginia, we were on a roll, and we felt really good,” Brownell said. “We were excited about the Dec. 29 game, and then we kind of got put on hold for a while. Now the last two games, Pittsburgh we won, and we played well (Tuesday). We’d rather be playing Saturday, but we’ve got some time.”

But not everything about the long layoff is a negative, Brownell said.

Clemson continues to deal with injuries in its frontcourt to forward Hunter Tyson (ankle sprain) and sophomore big PJ Hall (foot), though it’s been hard to tell given the way they have continued to perform. Tyson, with both ankles heavily taped, scored 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting and added eight rebounds against Duke while Hall paced Clemson with a 14-point, 10-board double-double.

Hall, who also had three assists Tuesday, has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and still leads the Tigers in scoring at 14.8 points per game. But Brownell said the extra down time gives both a chance to heal injuries they’ve been dealing with for the better part of the season.

“PJ and Hunter Tyson for us need rest,” Brownell said. “Both guys are playing through some physical ailments.”

As for Clemson’s next opponent, Florida State (13-6, 6-3) will host Virginia Tech on Saturday before making the trip to Clemson for Wednesday’s game, which is set for a 7 p.m. tip.

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Coach K on Hall: ‘Most improved player on the planet’

Duke coach Mike Krzykewski came away as impressed with one of Clemson’s players as any of his own following the teams’ tightly contested matchup Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In what eventually became a 71-69 loss for the Tigers, PJ Hall once …

Duke coach Mike Krzykewski came away as impressed with one of Clemson’s players as any of his own following the teams’ tightly contested matchup Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

In what eventually became a 71-69 loss for the Tigers, PJ Hall once again paced Clemson with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes, scoring in double figures for the 19th straight game. It wasn’t the most efficient night for the Tigers’ sophomore big, who shot just 6 of 21 from the floor.

But Hall’s work on the glass helped neutralize Duke’s size advantage on the interior with 7-foot-1 center Mark Williams as the Tigers finished plus-8 in rebounding margin (39-31). Hall also showed his offensive versatility by stepping out to shoot a season-high seven 3-pointers, making two of them.

Hall’s performance wasn’t lost on Duke’s Hall of Fame coach, who wasn’t watching the same player who averaged just 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in limited playing time last season as a freshman. The 6-10, 242-pound Hall is Clemson’s leading scorer at more than 14 points per game this season and is also averaging nearly six rebounds.

“Hall is the most improved player on the planet,” Krzykewski said. “He played nine minutes a game last year, and he’s one of the better big guys in the country.”

Krzykewski continued singing Hall’s praises, adding he believes the Spartanburg native has a future beyond the collegiate level in the sport.

“He’s a pro, really, because he can shoot,” Krzykewski said. “He can go out and he’s mobile.”

Hall spent most of the night matched up against Williams, who made it difficult for Hall and the rest of the Tigers to score around the rim with his length. Williams had 10 points, 10 boards and three blocks.

Krzykewski said Williams has improved his lateral quickness over the course of the season, something he said helped against Clemson’s most improved player.

“I see him improving in that area, and he needed to do it (Tuesday) because Hall’s a big-time matchup problem,” he said. “Mark did a good job.”

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Clemson pushes No. 9 Duke to the brink, falls late

DURHAM, N.C. – As hard as Clemson’s men’s basketball team fought to wake up from it, the Tigers’ nightmare at Cameron Indoor Stadium continues. Clemson pushed No. 9 Duke to the brink Tuesday but ultimately lost out on what would’ve been its most …

DURHAM, N.C. – As hard as Clemson’s men’s basketball team fought to wake up from it, the Tigers’ nightmare at Cameron Indoor Stadium continues.

Clemson pushed No. 9 Duke to the brink Tuesday but ultimately lost out on what would’ve been its most significant win of the season with a 71-69 setback to the Blue Devils. PJ Hall led the Tigers (11-9, 3-6 ACC) with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Hunter Tyson scored 13 points, and Chase Hunter added 12 points in his second game in the starting lineup for the Tigers, who got almost everything they needed to notch their first win at Cameron Indoor Stadium since the mid-1990s.

Clemson got off 19 more shots (71 to Duke’s 52), knocked down 11 of its 26 3-pointers and even neutralized Duke’s size advantage on the interior by outrebounding the Blue Devils by eight (39-31) and finishing plus-6 in paint points (28-22). But the Blue Devils shot 50% from deep and better than 48% overall to ultimately keep Clemson from notching that elusive win in Duke’s home building, a place the Tigers haven’t won since the 1994-95 season.

Star freshman Paolo Banchero had 14 of his 19 points in the second half for Duke, including the final couple of buckets after Clemson chipped away at a seven-point deficit with 9 minutes, 25 seconds left. 

The teams traded buckets down the stretch until Joey Baker’s runner in the lane put Duke up 67-65 with 2:15 left. Banchero then gave the Blue Devils a two-possession lead with a baseline jumper. After Tyson got free for an outlet pass and a dunk to get Clemson back within a possession, Duke again got the ball back to its 6-10 freshman in isolation along the baseline.

Banchero again finished over a defender to push the Blue Devils’ lead to 71-67 with 38.9 seconds left. David Collins eventually scored the Tigers’ final basket on a putback with 1.7 ticks left, but it was too little, too late for Clemson, which shot 41% from the field and forced the Blue Devils into 12 turnovers, though only three of those came after halftime.

Clemson also shot just one free throw to Duke’s 13. The Blue Devils, who also got 13 points from Wendell Moore Jr. and 11 from Baker, made 11 of those freebies.

Hall shot 6 of 21 from the field with seven of those attempts coming from 3-point range. He made two of those, including one in the waning seconds of the first half to send the teams to the break knotted at 36.

It was a theme for the Tigers early. Clemson struggled to score near the basket against the Blue Devils’ size, but the Tigers shot 50% from deep (6 of 12) in the opening 20 minutes. Clemson also turned Duke over nine times in the opening half, converting those into 12 points.

The Tigers also benefited from two quick fouls picked up by Banchero, who played just nine of the first 20 minutes. A baseline dunk by Tyson followed by a 3 from Al-Amir Dawes gave the Tigers their largest lead of the half at 31-26. Duke answered with a quick 6-0 spurt capped by Wendell Moore’s steal and flush, forcing Brad Brownell to use a timeout to halt the Blue Devils’ momentum.

Hall had nine first-half points, including a putback slam that put Clemson back on top on its next offensive sequence. His tying 3 with 10 seconds left in the half helped the Tigers offset a 46% shooting clip for Duke in the opening 20 minutes, including the Blue Devils knocking down six of their first 10 3s.

This story will be updated.

Duke – with its potential No. 1 pick – provides biggest test yet for Clemson

In helping build one of the top five winningest programs in the history of men’s college basketball, Mike Krzykewski has had no shortage of talented teams at Duke in his four decades as the Blue Devils’ head coach. This one, though, has a distinct …

In helping build one of the top five winningest programs in the history of men’s college basketball, Mike Krzykewski has had no shortage of talented teams at Duke in his four decades as the Blue Devils’ head coach.

This one, though, has a distinct characteristic to it, Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.

“I think they’re big, they’re long and extremely physical,” Brownell said. “Aggressive. They’re very athletic.”

In other words, Clemson (11-8, 3-5 ACC) will face another tall task tonight at 7 when No. 9 Duke hosts the Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first of two meetings between the teams this season. Quite literally, it may be the tallest the Tigers have gotten from the Blue Devils (15-3, 5-2) in recent memory.

And one of Duke’s prized freshmen may be the biggest matchup problem of them all.

One of the nation’s top recruits in the 2021 recruiting cycle, Paolo Banchero was immediately inserted into the Blue Devils’ starting five and hasn’t disappointed during what will almost certainly be his only season of college ball. The only question at this point seems to be whether or not Banchero will be the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.

His stiffest competition for that distinction will likely be fellow freshmen phenoms Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) and Jabari Smith Jr. (Auburn), but Banchero is firmly in the mix given how he’s performed so far this season. Yahoo Sports draft analyst Krysten Peek has the Orlando Magic taking Banchero first overall in her latest mock draft.

At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Banchero leads Duke and ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring (17.9 points per game), though that’s far from the only elite facet of his game. He’s also averaging 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists while being versatile enough at his size to play virtually any position on the floor.

Banchero often brings the ball up and serves as the Blue Devils’ de-facto point guard. He’s just as comfortable finding teammates for open shots as he is creating his own, averaging four assists per game in January. He finished three assists shy of a triple-double in the Blue Devils’ overtime loss at Florida State earlier this month.

But Banchero is far from the only big body Duke can throw at the opposition, which has Brownell just as concerned about how his team is going to score over the Blue Devils’ trees. Sophomore center Mark Williams is the tallest of them all at 7-1 and 245 pounds whilo Theo John, a Marquette transfer, gives Duke a 6-9, 242-pound big off the bench.

Duke has another 7-footer if needed in freshman Stanley Borden, though he’s only played in one game so far.

“I do think it makes it more challenging to plan to go inside against them in some ways,” Brownll said. “You’re not going to have as much success as you would against other teams in some ways, and then other times I think your kids make plays within the game, and then all of a sudden you’re in front of Mark Williams and you’re not used to shooting over a guy like that.

“Guys are going into the basket, you get bumped, you don’t make a shot, you fall down and now Duke’s on a 5 on 4 and you’re in trouble. So I just think they’re are a lot of things that happen within the course of the game where their size, physicality and shot blocking cause problems and, a lot of times, can lead to good offense.”

It makes for the stiffest test yet for Clemson as a whole but particularly on the interior, where forwards PJ Hall, Hunter Tyson and Naz Bohannon like to operate. Hall, at 6-10 and 242 pounds, is Clemson’s best bet to match up with Duke on the inside while Tyson goes 6-8 and 215 pounds.

Hall, the Tigers’ leading scorer (14.8 points per game), has reached double figures in all but one game this season. Tyson had six points and two rebounds in the Tigers’ rout of Pittsburgh over the weekend, though he’s still feeling the effects of a recent ankle injury and not operating at full strength. Meanwhile, Hall continues to deal with a foot injury that’s going to limit his practice time for the rest of the season, Brownell said.

“We’ve got to be careful with him, but I’m optimistic he’ll be fine tomorrow and ready to go,” Brownell said of Hall.

Duke leads the ACC in blocked shots and ranks second in field-goal percentage defense thanks in large part to its ability to protect the rim. That’s going to make Clemson’s ability to knock down perimeter shots all the more important if it has any realistic shot of pulling its first Quadrant 1 win of the season out of Cameron Indoor, a place the Tigers have won just four times ever.

But Brownell said he may try to better match Duke’s size with more of his own. Freshman center Ben Middlebrooks played nine minutes against Pittsburgh – the second-most he’s logged all season – something Brownell said could become more frequent for the 6-10, 232-pounder going forward.

“Just in terms of sheer size and physicality, we’re going to need that, especially (Tuesday) night against Mark Williams and Banchero. They’re big, strong, physical dudes, and we’re going to need some guys that can match that strength.”

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Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery: Clemson 75, Pitt 48

CLEMSON, SC – The Tigers dominated Pitt Saturday night in Littlejohn Coliseum. Check out some great pictures from the win in Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery.

CLEMSON, SC — The Tigers dominated Pitt Saturday night in Littlejohn Coliseum.

Check out some great pictures from the win in Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery.

‘Everything is up for discussion’ as Clemson tries to snap out of sudden funk

After another setback that has his team riding its longest losing streak of the season, Clemson men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell isn’t ruling anything out that might help keep the reeling to a minimum. “Everything is up for discussion right …

After another setback that has his team riding its longest losing streak of the season, Clemson men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell isn’t ruling anything out that might help keep the reeling to a minimum.

“Everything is up for discussion right now,” Brownell said. “We’re not playing well enough.”

Clemson (10-8, 2-5 ACC) lost for the fourth time in five games late Tuesday night when Syracuse dealt the Tigers a 91-78 blow inside the Carrier Dome. It was Clemson’s third straight loss, a funk that escalated quickly.

This time a week ago, the Tigers were coming off their fifth win in six games after knocking off North Carolina State on the road. Since then, Clemson has been beaten by nearly 11 points on average, including that loss to Boston College over the weekend that the Tigers led by 23 at one point.

Syracuse handed Clemson its second-largest margin of defeat this season despite the Tigers getting a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double from PJ Hall, 18 points from David Collins and 11 points off the bench from Chase Hunter. The primary issue for Clemson during its skid has been getting stops.

Clemson has allowed at least 70 points in every game of its losing streak while Notre Dame, Boston College and Syracuse each shot better than 45% from the field. The Orange made those numbers look pedestrian. Syracuse, which got 48 combined points from guards Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard III, sank 53.4% of its shots en route to its highest point total against an ACC foe this season.

Brownell said the primary issue is a lack of size and physicality from his team on the defensive end of the floor, allowing opposing players to frequently get their shots off from wherever they’re trying to get on the floor. It’s a deficiency that Brownell said may have to be addressed, at least in part, off the court.

“We’re physically a little weak,” Brownell said. “We’re physically smaller and weaker, and some of that is a product of recruiting. We’ve got to think about that. Now obviously what you get on the other hand is you get some skill. You get guys that can shoot. You get guys that can pass. And that’s why offensively we’ve got a bunch of guys that shoot a high percentage from 3.

“We scored 78 (Tuesday), but we miss Aamir Simms’ defense drastically. Just his physicality, smarts, toughness. And some other guys, too. We just had bigger, stronger dudes in some spots. And then we’re not going getting some other guys that played well last year, we’re not playing as well defensively right now. I’ve got to coach that better.”

Brownell has recently made a change with the personnel on this year’s team. Nick Honor and Al-Amir Dawes started together for the first half of the season in Clemson’s backcourt, but junior guard Alex Hemenway, at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, replaced the 5-10 Honor in the starting lineup two games ago in an effort to get more size on the perimeter.

“Guys shoot over top of us some,” Brownell said. “That’s not lack of effort. That’s just a lack of some strength and size.”

But Hemenway hasn’t done much in that starting role, combining for just six points on 2 of 9 shooting in the last two games. Foul trouble limited him to just 13 minutes against Syracuse while Honor had eight points, five assists and just one turnover in 26 minutes off the bench.

Brownell didn’t rule out the possibility of more personnel changes when Clemson hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday.

“(Hemenway) is trying hard, but the results aren’t there,” Brownell said. “Whether we stick with it or not, I don’t know. We could move Chase into the starting lineup. Chase has played better, but sometimes it’s nice to have Chase off the bench because he could play the 2 (shooting guard) or play the 3 (wing).”

Brownell said he’s not worried about losing his team during this rough patch, adding the Tigers had “two really good practices” in preparation for Tuesday’s game. But Clemson could use the pick-me-up of that translating over to the game.

And soon.

“Our team is wounded. We’re disappointed,” Brownell said. “Obviously the Boston College loss hurt. We wanted to play well (Tuesday) and get a win, and we didn’t get a win. It’s hard.”

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Clemson coughs up sizable lead in loss to Boston College

Clemson’s men’s basketball team was coming off its largest margin of defeat following its midweek loss at Notre Dame. But given the caliber of opponent the Tigers faced Saturday, they’re now fresh off their worst loss of the season. Clemson watched …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team was coming off its largest margin of defeat following its midweek loss at Notre Dame. But given the caliber of opponent the Tigers faced Saturday, they’re now fresh off their worst loss of the season.

Clemson watched most of its sizable early lead evaporate before coughing up all of it in a 70-68 loss to the Eagles at Littlejohn Coliseum. Al-Amir Dawes led the Tigers (10-7, 2-4 ACC) with 17 points while David Collins and PJ Hall chipped in 15 and 12 points, respectively, for Clemson, which looked like it might cruise with a 23-point lead toward the latter stages of the first half against a Boston College team that came in having lost five straight games.

Ultimately, though, it wasn’t enough to keep the Tigers away from their first Quadrant 4 loss of the season.

The Eagles, who shot better than 48% from the field, outscored Clemson 37-15 from the 7:10 mark of the first until the early part of the second to get within a possession. Boston College (7-8, 2-3) eventually caught up on T.J. Bickerstaff’s layup to tie it at 66 with 1 minutes, 8 seconds left.

Clemson forced one of the Eagles’ 11 turnovers on their ensuing possession and regained the lead on Collins’ ensuing jumper from the top of key, but Brevin Galloway answered with a 3-pointer to give Boston College its first lead at 69-68 with 26 ticks left.

Collins missed a runner on Clemson’s next possession, forcing the Tigers to foul. After Makai Ashton-Lanford split a pair of free throws, Collins was fouled with just 2 ticks left trying to put back Alex Hemenway’s missed 3-pointer.

But Collins missed the first free throw and clanked the second one on purpose to try to get an offensive rebound for Clemson, but the Tigers were called for a lane violation. That gave possession back to the Eagles in a two-point game and ultimately sealed Clemson’s fate. 

Ashton-Langford led all scorers with 19 points while Galloway, who went 5 of 10 from 3-point range, added 18 for Boston College, which began the day at 198th in the NET rankings.

This story will be updated.

PJ Hall signs NIL deal with The Clemson Insider

The Clemson Insider is excited to announce a NIL (name, image and likeness) endorsement deal with PJ Hall. The Clemson basketball sophomore has signed an advertising agreement with TCI. “I am happy to have PJ signed as our third NIL deal. He is a …

The Clemson Insider is excited to announce a NIL (name, image and likeness) endorsement deal with PJ Hall.

The Clemson basketball sophomore has signed an advertising agreement with TCI.

“I am happy to have PJ signed as our third NIL deal. He is a great young man that comes from a great family,” TCI Publisher Robert MacRae said. “He is having an outstanding season, and I look forward to having PJ help us promote The Clemson Insider.”

A Spartanburg native, Hall has been one of the ACC’s most improved players in his first year as a starter for the Tigers, who are 10-5 overall and 2-2 in ACC play heading into Wednesday’s game at Notre Dame. The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder leads Clemson in scoring at 14.7 points per game while averaging 27.5 minutes. Hall averaged just 3.5 points in 9.8 minutes per game a season ago.

Hall is also averaging 6.0 rebounds after pulling down 2.8 boards a game last season. He’s shooting 47.8% from the field — tied for the 12th-highest field-goal percentage in the ACC — and 74.5% from the free-throw line.

Hall is coming off a 20-point effort in Clemson’s win at North Carolina State over the weekend, his fourth 20-point game of the season. He’s scored a career-high 22 points three times this season and 22 points and 13 rebounds in an overtime win over Drake on Dec. 11 for his first career double-double.

A consensus top-60 recruit during the 2020 recruiting cycle, Hall has been one of Brad Brownell’s biggest recruiting coups during his time as Clemson’s head coach. Hall starred at Dorman High School, where he was the 2019-20 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. He chose Clemson over offers from South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee among others.

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Clemson exorcises recent demons with latest road win

Raleigh, North Carolina hasn’t been a historically nice place for Clemson’s men’s basketball team to visit. Some of its recent trips to PNC Arena have been particularly cruel. But Saturday was a different story. The Tigers topped N.C. State in their …

Raleigh, North Carolina hasn’t been a historically nice place for Clemson’s men’s basketball team to visit. Some of its recent trips to PNC Arena have been particularly cruel.

But Saturday was a different story.

The Tigers topped N.C. State in their latest try inside the Wolfpack’s home arena, snapping a four-game losing streak in Raleigh. Counting the ACC Tournament, Clemson (10-5, 2-2 ACC) had dropped five of its last six matchups with N.C. State away from home dating back to the 2015-16 season before its win this weekend.

“It’s hard to win games,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “You’re going to play well, and it’s not going to always work out.”

None of Clemson’s last four losses at PNC Arena had come by more than six points, and a couple were downright agonizing for the the Tigers and their fans.

In 2019, Clemson led the Wolfpack in their own building by six points with just 24 seconds left, but N.C. State scored the final eight points to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. A year earlier, it was the Tigers who mounted a rally down five with 25 ticks left. Gabe DeVoe was fouled on a 3-pointer with 1 second left in a three-point game, but he missed the third and final free throw as N.C. State escaped.

Saturday’s game was just as tightly contested. This time, Clemson prevailed.

PJ Hall paced the Tigers with 20 points, Al-Amir Dawes scored 16, and Nick Honor and Chase Hunter combined for 15 crucial points to help Clemson overcome a game-high 27 points from N.C. State’s Dereon Seabron and 16 turnovers of its own.

Hunter played 14 minutes — 11 in the second half — with David Collins in foul trouble and went 3-for-3 from the field, including a jumper to cap a 7-0 run that gave the Tigers their largest lead at 62-53 with 3 minutes, 31 seconds left. His seven points were the second-most he’s scored in a game this season.

“Not just a couple of buckets that he made, but they denied our point guard some and made other guys initiate offense. And Chase can do that,” Brownell said. “He can handle the ball. He can make some decisions. He’s kind of a third point guard for us, and that helps us. Thought he did some really good things in the game to help us push through.”

N.C. State didn’t go away, getting as close as four with 10 seconds left. But Clemson sank its final six free throws with four of those coming from Honor.

They iced the Tigers’ fifth win in their last six games and first inside N.C. State’s building since Jan. 28, 2015. It’s only the 15th time Clemson has won in 66 all-time trips to Raleigh.

“Sometimes this game comes down to those things,” Brownell said. “You’ve just got to step up and make a shot or two. You’ve got to make a couple of free throws to finish the game.

“Execution-wise, we’re getting better.”

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‘Starting to figure our team out’ has Clemson streaking back into ACC play

Clemson’s up-and-down season to this point may be starting to level out. There have been blowout wins and victories over fellow high-major programs. Clemson has also lost out on opportunities for others with repetitive double-digit leads that have …

Clemson’s up-and-down season to this point may be starting to level out.

There have been blowout wins and victories over fellow high-major programs. Clemson has also lost out on opportunities for others with repetitive double-digit leads that have slipped away. Lately, though, the Tigers have experienced more of the former.

With its rout of South Carolina over the weekend, Clemson (8-4, 0-1 ACC) kept its momentum going into the second and most important half of its season. The Tigers’ three-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game at Virginia (7-4, 1-0) is their second-longest of the season, trailing only their 5-0 start to the season.

“I think it’s good for us,” forward Hunter Tyson said. “I think the guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now, and I think we’ve just got to keep doing that.”

Clemson’s current win streak includes its best two of the season – Drake and Carolina, who rank 103rd and 111th in the latest NET rankings, respectively – after the Tigers, coughing up sizable second-half leads in each, missed out on wins over St. Bonaventure, Miami and West Virginia, which sits at No. 42 in the NET. The games against St. Bonaventure and West Virginia were played before Thanksgiving while the five-point loss at Miami was three weeks ago.

One of the biggest differences between then and now, players say, is more cohesion among a group that wasn’t all that familiar with one another at the start of the season.

“It takes time,” Tyson said.

Clemson lost two starters off last season’s NCAA Tournament team, including all-ACC forward Aamir Simms. But that was just the beginning of the attrition.

With six lettermen no longer around, the Tigers turned over half of their roster. Clemson replaced them with seven newcomers, including a pair of transfers in guard David Collins and forward Naz Bohannon. Collins, who spent the previous four seasons at South Florida, was immediately inserted into the starting lineup and has been there ever since.

And with Simms gone, sophomore PJ Hall, a former top-75 national recruit out of nearby Spartanburg, stepped in as a first-time starter in the frontcourt after averaging just 9.9 minutes per game a season ago.

“It’s not easy to just come straight in with multiple guys who are coming in where they are the best player on their team coming into another program,” Hall said. “Everyone has to buy into their own role. So it’s not you just go onto the court and gel. It takes a little time, but we’re getting there for sure.”

After scoring just 10 points apiece in losses to West Virginia and Rutgers, Hall has averaged 17.2 points over the last four games and leads five Tigers averaging double figures on the season. Clemson also ranks fifth out of 350 Division I teams in 3-point field-goal percentage (41.4), sixth in the ACC in scoring (75.9 points per game) and, after pulling down a season-high 51 boards the last time out against Carolina, in the top half of the ACC in rebounding (37 per game).

The Tigers aren’t perfect. Long scoring droughts are still an issue at times. Clemson had to go to overtime to finish off the win against Drake after going the final 6 minutes, 34 seconds of regulation without a bucket. And Carolina nearly cut a 25-point deficit in the second half to single digits, getting within 11 points late before Clemson extended its lead again.

The Tigers, who began the week ranked 67th in the NET, will have to start maximizing their in-conference opportunities if they plan on building a legitimate postseason resume. Wednesday’s game, which has been moved up to a 7 p.m. start, starts a string of 19 straight ACC games to end the regular season, and Virginia is one of eight top-100 NET teams in the conference. Duke (twice), North Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech are also still on the schedule, which are shaping up to be chances at Quad-1 wins.

But Clemson likes where it is a lot more now than where it used to be.

“Just little things that we’re kind of getting used to,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “We’ve been pressed a lot of times now. We’ve had to do a lot of things. You kind of just get used to your team as you get into 10 or 12 games. I think we’re starting to figure our team out pretty well.”

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