No. 16 FSU basketball vs. Clemson: How to watch, preview, point spread, game thread

After a dominating performance over Georgia Tech on Saturday where the Seminoles held the Yellow Jackets to the lowest allowed points per possession by Florida State against an ACC opponent since advanced data became available in 2001-02, the ’Noles enter Tuesday’s game in hopes of winning their school record eighth consecutive ACC game. Ironically, a streak that started on January 22, 2019 when Florida State defeated the Tigers, 77-68 in Tallahassee. The Seminoles opened as a 2-point underdog for the late night matchup at 9:05 pm. You can catch the boys in action on ESPNU.

The Tigers enter tonight’s contest coming off of back-to-back heartbreaking one-point losses on the road to Miami and Louisville. After making the NCAA tournament last year for the first time since 2011, the Tigers (15-10, 5-7) have officially arrived in Bubble Watch and will likely need to claw out a win tonight in order to make another appearance. At home, Clemson is 11-2 on the season and 4-1 in conference play and the Seminoles (20-5, 8-4) have won their last three consecutive ACC road games.

Clemson is led by senior guard Marcquise Reed, who’s 4th in the ACC in scoring with 18.6 PPG. He also leads the Tigers in assists averaging 3.1 per game and in steals averaging 2 per game. Fellow senior forward Elijah Thomas is one of just four guys in the country to average at least 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field. Clemson ranks third in the ACC in scoring defense (63.8 points allowed per game) and second in conference games (61.4). According to KenPom, Clemson’s adjusted defensive efficiency now ranks 13th in the country (91.9).

Overall, this has the makings of a great ACC matchup. The Seminoles streak is on the line and the NCAA tournament isn’t out of the Tigers grasp just yet. If Florida State continues to shoot from beyond the arc like they have recently, I don’t see Clemson mustering up much of a fight. However, If the threes don’t fall for the Seminoles today, the game might come down to the wire and the Tigers will definitely make sure they are not on the wrong side for the fourth time this season.

Be sure to chime in before and during the game in the comments section below.