Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Clemson looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 40-31 lead against Wake Forest.
Clemson came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.
Who's Playing
Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Clemson Tigers
Current Records: Wake Forest 9-3, Clemson 9-3
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 2 p.m. ET
- Where: Littlejohn Coliseum -- Clemson, South Carolina
- TV: ESPN
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $2.88
What to Know
We've got another exciting ACC matchup on schedule as the Clemson Tigers and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons are set to tip at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 78.3 points per game this season.
Clemson fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against S. Carolina on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Gamecocks by a score of 91-88. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Saturday (82), the Tigers still had to take the loss.
Clemson's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Chase Hunter, who earned 27 points, and Ian Schieffelin, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 rebounds. Schieffelin continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Jake Heidbreder was another key player, earning ten points in addition to three steals.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest strolled past James Madison with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 75-58. The contest marked the Demon Deacons' most dominant win of the season so far.
Wake Forest can attribute much of their success to Hunter Sallis, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 12 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Sallis a new career-high in offensive rebounds (five). Another player making a difference was Tre'Von Spillers, who scored four points in addition to 11 rebounds and four blocks.
This is the second loss in a row for Clemson and nudges their season record down to 9-3. As for Wake Forest, they pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's game: Clemson has been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 37.9% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Wake Forest, though, as they've only made 26.6% of their threes this season. Given Clemson's sizable advantage in that area, Wake Forest will need to find a way to close that gap.
While only Clemson took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. Looking ahead, Clemson is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 8.5 points. Against the spread, Wake Forest has been a house darling this year with a chancy 3-9 ATS record.
Odds
Clemson is a big 8.5-point favorite against Wake Forest, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Bettors have moved against the Tigers slightly, as the game opened with the Tigers as a 10.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 135.5 points.
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Series History
Clemson has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Wake Forest.
- Mar 09, 2024 - Wake Forest 81 vs. Clemson 76
- Jan 17, 2023 - Wake Forest 87 vs. Clemson 77
- Dec 02, 2022 - Clemson 77 vs. Wake Forest 57
- Feb 23, 2022 - Clemson 80 vs. Wake Forest 69
- Feb 24, 2021 - Clemson 60 vs. Wake Forest 39
- Feb 01, 2020 - Wake Forest 56 vs. Clemson 44
- Jan 21, 2020 - Clemson 71 vs. Wake Forest 68
- Feb 03, 2019 - Clemson 64 vs. Wake Forest 37
- Feb 03, 2018 - Clemson 75 vs. Wake Forest 67
- Feb 14, 2017 - Clemson 95 vs. Wake Forest 83