Clemson Looks to Stay Hot in ACC Play

Clemson Women's Basketball Head Coach Shawn Poppie (Photo Credit: Charles Mays)

Head Coach Shawn Poppie and the Clemson Women’s Basketball team aim to carry their momentum into tomorrow's matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers following back-to-back wins over No. 20 Cal and an overtime thriller against Stanford. The Tigers are currently 3-1 in ACC play, while the Cavaliers sit at 1-2 in conference action, with both teams securing wins against Wake Forest. Clemson was recently honored as the USBWA National Team of the Week, a testament to their impressive start. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM EST tomorrow night at Littlejohn Coliseum, but first, let’s dive into the game preview.

Teams At a Glance

Both the Tigers and Cavaliers have similar stats. When it comes to points per game, Clemson is averaging 70 points per game while Virginia is averaging 72 points per game, so expect this game to be a neck-and-neck matchup the whole game. Clemson does have the advantage against Virginia when it comes to the offensive side of the ball with a field goal average of 45% and a three-point percentage of 37%, opposed to the Cavs' 41% field goal average and 30% three-point percentage, so look for Clemson to capitalize on this advantage on offense. Where Virginia does gain its ground a little on Clemson is rebounding, with an average of 43 rebounds per game while the Tigers average 38 rebounds per game. If Clemson can cut down Virginia from getting second chances on the offensive side, then look for them to have the advantage over the Cavaliers.

Impact Players:

 Clemson

Loyal McQueen: McQueen has been nothing less than amazing for the Tigers as of late. Her last game against Stanford was one that you did not want to miss as she had a season high of 26 points while also making 12 out of 14 free throws in the game. Her performance against Stanford is what helped Clemson gain the overtime win against Stanford. If Loyal McQueen can stay hot, which is most likely to happen, then watch out for this Tiger team not only against Virginia but the rest of the ACC slate.

Mia Moore: Although Moore was very quiet in the Stanford game, you cannot forget about her previous performances against NC State and Cal, putting up 23 and 14 points against the two teams. Along with Loyal McQueen, Mia Moore has been one of the reasons for the Tigers' recent success. Look for Moore to have a bounce-back game and heat back up for Clemson in this matchup against Virginia.

Tessa Miller: Miller has been crucial for this Clemson team when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. Tessa is known for her ability to collect rebounds as she leads the team with an average of seven rebounds per game and had a breakout performance against Stanford with eight total rebounds. Not only is Miller effective on defense, but she can hurt you on offense as well, as she is averaging 9.5 points per game and has a field goal percentage of 73%. Look for Tessa to remain dominant for this Clemson team.

Virginia

Kymora Johnson: Johnson may be one of the best players in the ACC as she earned Second Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team last season, and she hasn’t stopped from there. Kymora leads this Cavalier team and is top ten in the ACC, averaging 17.8 points per game. She scored 16 points along with eight assists in their previous win against Wake Forest. This matchup between Kymora Johnson and Loyal McQueen will be one to watch in this game.

Latasha Lattimore: Lattimore, the Miami transfer, is a force for this Virginia Cavalier team. Behind Kymora Johnson, Latasha averages 12.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounds, averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, which is also top 6 in the ACC. In her previous game against Wake Forest, she scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and looks to continue this success against Clemson. The big matchup between Latasha Lattimore and Tessa Miller will be an exciting one to watch as this may be what it comes down to see who wins this game.

Prediction

In my opinion, this will be a fun ACC matchup to watch between the Clemson Tigers and the Virginia Cavaliers. This should be a close matchup between the two squads as both teams have players that are atop the ACC stats-wise. If Clemson can limit the defensive attack of Virginia and improve on their offensive performance from the previous game against Stanford, then there may be a chance Clemson can run away with this game. If they succeed, the Tigers could not only extend their hot streak to 4-1 in the ACC but also continue to build momentum ahead of their next test against the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.