Battle of Unbeatens in ACC Action

It’s hard to remember such an important contest in the ACC, with neither Duke nor North Carolina involved. This is unquestionably the biggest game of the weekend and your casual fan might not even know the significance, matching two unbeaten teams this far into the season. It’s another stern test for Wake Forest (15-0, 7-4 ATS), traveling south to Clemson. Though, ranked number two in the polls, the Demon Deacons could put the college basketball world on notice that this team is for real.

Wake Forest a youthful bunch, nonetheless are heavy on talent with the likes of sophomore Jeff Teague, L.D. Willliams and Al-Farouq Aminu. Earlier this month they ended BYU’s 53-game home winning streak and left an impression on their competitors. "Wake Forest's speed and quickness is off the charts," BYU guard Jimmer Fredette said.

They followed that up with a convincing 94-87 win over North Carolina. In that game the overpowered the Tar Heels in the paint, outscoring them 44-30. The offense can come from many areas and they continue to be one of the most accurate shooting teams in the country at over 51 percent.

Clemson (16-0, 5-5-1 ATS) starting fast isn’t news; it’s what they do from here on that matters. Clemson is 16-0 for the second time in three seasons and a win away from tying its best-ever start set in 2006-07. That season they fell part, closing 8-11. Last year was marginally better, opening 12-1 and finishing 24-10, making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade.
“We’re just playing ball. We’re just playing like we’re having fun,” said senior K.C. Rivers. “We’re enjoying what we do like before we were ranked, so we’re going to continue to do that.”

As compared to previous Tigers' teams, this group might be able to handle prosperity, with senior leaders Rivers and center Raymond Sykes. If guard play is the most important aspect of college basketball, the edge has to go Demontez Stitt and Terrence Oglesby of Clemson. Each brings a unique talent and they work together in harmony for a team that is 35-16 ATS when they score 75 to 80 points in a game.

Bookmaker.com has established Clemson as 2.5-point home favorites.

This will be Clemson’s first game against a ranked opponent and the Tigers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games vs. a team with a winning road record. The Tigers are also 1-34 against Top 5 foes over the last 12 seasons, including 17 straight losses.

Wake Forest has enjoyed success at Clemson with 8-2 ATS mark and six outright triumphs.

This game will be televised regionally on ABC starting at 3:30 Eastern.