Clemson @ Louisville preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 16, 2019 ) Clemson 55, Louisville 56

Fifth-ranked Louisville is on the upswing again with five straight wins after a rough 2-3 stretch, and the Cardinals look to continue moving forward when they host improving Clemson for an ACC contest Saturday afternoon. Louisville rolled over Miami (Fla.) to start the streak before winning each of the last four by six points or fewer, capped by Wednesday’s 68-64 triumph over Georgia Tech at home.

The Cardinals were dominant early in the season to rise all the way to No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches’ poll, but winning has not looked as easy since and they trailed by six at halftime against the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday before roaring back. “Our defensive energy was completely different in the second half,” Louisville coach Chris Mack told reporters. “You’re going to ask why and I’m going to say I have no idea. … I’d like to think that our kids care about winning, and we have a lot of pride. But it shouldn’t take a deficit to figure it out.” Clemson, which took the Cardinals down to the wire before losing 56-55 last season, has turned its season around with four wins in the last five games - one against eighth-ranked Duke - but had to rally in the second half Tuesday to turn back struggling Wake Forest 71-68. “We won’t have a lot of prolific scoring,” Tigers coach Brad Brownell told reporters. “So it’s hard for our team sometimes. We’ve got to kind of use everybody - that’s kind of our team right now. We’ve got to figure out what we can do every night to put some points on the board.”

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: RSN

ABOUT CLEMSON (10-8, 4-4 ACC): Sophomore Hunter Tyson was the player to step up against Wake Forest, pouring in a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field after managing 24 total in his previous five games. “He’s attacking the basket with confidence. He’s finishing plays,” Brownell told reporters of Tyson, who averages 6.6 points. “He was a guy who we felt like would continue to get better, and he has.” Junior forward Aamir Simms leads the team in scoring (14.4), despite being held to seven on Tuesday, and rebounding (7.7) while senior guard Tevin Mack adds 11.9 points per contest.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (16-3, 7-1): The Cardinals are winning without big performances from preseason ACC player of the year Jordan Nwora (19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds) as the junior forward is just 11-for-36 from the field over the past three games. Junior forward Malik Williams has raised his level of play by scoring in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season and freshman guard David Johnson is averaging 13.3 points and four assists over the past three contests. Senior center Steven Enoch is second on the team in scoring (10.8) and senior forward Dwayne Sutton tops the team on the glass (8.7).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Clemson sophomore G John Newman III is averaging 11.8 points on 23-for-39 shooting from the field the past five games.

2. Louisville junior PG Darius Perry leads the team in assists (3.5) and recorded just six turnovers the past seven games - none in 30 minutes Tuesday.

3. The Cardinals lead the league in 3-point shooting percentage (38.2) and Clemson is 10th at 32.4.

PREDICTION: Louisville 74, Clemson 66