UM basketball team wary of dangerous Clemson in key ACC matchup

In late December, the University of Miami’s game at Clemson on Saturday looked like a routine outing against a mediocre conference opponent. The Tigers were 7-6 back then and had lost three games in a row.

Oh, how things have changed.

Clemson ended its football season with a loss in the national championship game on Monday night, and the basketball team has moved into the spotlight.

Clemson is one of the hottest teams in the nation after four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference wins, including back-to-back victories over then-No. 16 Louisville and No. 9 Duke. The Tigers (11-6, 4-1 ACC) sit in second place in the conference after shocking Duke 68-63 on Wednesday night. It is the first time since 1989 that Clemson beat two ranked teams in a row.

The Tigers and their fans are pumped as they get ready to face the No. 8 Hurricanes on Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina.

“They’ve got great balance,’’ UM coach Jim Larrañaga said of Clemson. “A key [to their success] is they have been getting to the free-throw line twice as many times as their opponents. They have found a way to play inside-out, getting great interior play and going to the foul line.’’

Clemson is one of the nation’s least foul-prone teams, and the Hurricanes will need to keep that in mind.

Larrañaga would like to see his players at the stripe more often, rather than launching so many three-point shots. The Canes (13-2, 2-1) have not shot well from beyond the arc in recent games, and that is a concern heading into Clemson.

“Against Syracuse, we took 25 threes, which is far too many,’’ he said. “Against FSU we took 24 and against Virginia 22. I’d rather we be more selective, turn down some of those shots, drive to the basket and get to the foul line.’’

UM is coming off a road loss against Virginia, but Larrañaga said the team’s spirit has been good at practice.

The Tigers, meanwhile, are feeling energized and confident after their win over the Blue Devils.

“I always say momentum is a big thing,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “I always try to tell y’all that momentum is important with young people and powerful in this sport. We had some negative momentum in the beginning of this season and couldn’t build any real positive vibe. [The FSU win] told us that we are good, we beat a good team, take a deep breath, relax, go back to doing what we were doing and focus on what we do, because we have a chance to beat some good teams.

“We have been fortunate having some of these games at home, but we played great at Syracuse. That win really helped us, and our confidence is just continuing to grow.”

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after Wednesday’s loss: “We lost to a really good team. They’ve been playing lights-out basketball. They’re old, experienced and well-coached. That showed up, and I thought that was the difference.”

The Hurricanes have taken note and hope to put an end to Clemson’s streak.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 7:19 PM with the headline "UM basketball team wary of dangerous Clemson in key ACC matchup."