No. 20 Clemson men's basketball suffered a tough loss at home Wednesday night, falling to Virginia Tech 76-66 in a matchup at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers' strong season got a reality check in ACC conference play, with the visiting Hokies finding success from beyond the arc in a game that came down to three-point shooting.
Carter Welling led the Tigers with a season-high 19 points and even returned after briefly exiting the game due to an ankle injury. The bench also made its presence known, as Nick Davidson and Ace Buckner provided a huge spark off the bench and scored 32 of the Tigers' 76 points. Despite strong individual performances, Clemson couldn't overcome the Hokies' efficiency from three-point range.
The deciding factor in Wednesday's loss came down to perimeter shooting. Clemson surrendered 11 three-pointers, while making just five and finishing 11-for-18 from the free throw line. The Tigers (20-5, 10-2 ACC) had one of their toughest shooting nights of the season, unable to match Virginia Tech's hot outside touch. With this loss, Clemson now looks ahead to a matchup at Duke on Saturday as they work to bounce back in conference play.