Virginia Tech-Clemson Preview

3/8/2008 8:10 PM

By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA
STATS Senior Writer

No ACC team has ever failed to make the NCAA tournament after winning 10 conference games in the regular season. Clemson and Virginia Tech are both just one win shy of that mark.

With both teams assured of a bye in the conference tournament, the 24th-ranked Tigers and Hokies will set their sights on bolstering their NCAA tournament credentials as they conclude the regular season Sunday.

Both Clemson (21-8, 9-6) and Virginia Tech (18-11, 9-6) will get a bye in the ACC tournament, which begins Thursday. The top four teams in the conference don't have to play in the first round. Clemson and Virginia Tech, tied for third place, both have the tie-breaker advantage over fifth-place Maryland.

Clemson hurt its chances at receiving a bye by losing its last game 80-75 against Georgia Tech on Thursday night, but Miami's 75-72 loss to Florida State on Saturday secured a first-round break for the Tigers and Hokies.

In three prior years under coach Oliver Purnell, Clemson was seeded either eighth or ninth in the ACC tournament and has lost three straight games.

"We've got one game left, I hope we fight," he said. "Obviously, we can win that game and we're in good shape going into the tournament. That's what we have to focus on."

Sunday's winner will not only get the third seed in the ACC tournament, but will likely secure a spot in the NCAAs. The Tigers are attempting to earn an NCAA tournament bid for the first time since 1998.

"We've been in big games all year long," said Purnell, who has guided Clemson to the NIT the last three years. "We've done a good job of minimizing our struggles in a tough league."

Another league victory also would tie Clemson's school record for ACC wins in a season. The Tigers went 10-4 in 1986-87 and 1989-90.

But Clemson has to find a way to bounce back from its first loss in three games. The Tigers had won four of five to return to the Top 25 for the first time since Jan. 14, when they were ranked 24th.

K.C. Rivers leads Clemson with 14.7 points per game. The junior swingman scored 22 points, including the game-winning shot with 18 seconds left to lead the Tigers past then-No. 21 Virginia Tech 75-74 on March 4, 2007 in the teams' last matchup.

A.D. Vassallo, who had 10 points off the bench for the Hokies in that game, is the team's leading scorer with 16.4 points a contest. Vassallo had 20 points to lead Virginia Tech to its fourth straight win, 80-58 over Wake Forest on Tuesday night.

The junior forward is averaging 19.5 points while shooting 88.5 percent (23-for-26) from the free-throw line during the Hokies' winning streak.

Virginia Tech also has gotten a strong contribution from its freshman class, with Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney combining to average 21.3 points per game. Allen tops the team with 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest.

Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 10-8.