Clemson @ Boston College preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 23, 2019 ) Boston College 66, Clemson 76

Clemson will be well-rested and coming off its biggest win of the season when it pays a visit to Boston College on Saturday for an ACC matchup. The Tigers rolled to a 77-62 win over then-No. 5 Louisville last Saturday, following up a 20-point victory at Pittsburgh three nights earlier to make for a solid week that provided a pulse for the squad's mediocre-at-best NCAA Tournament resume.

"There are a lot of times when you can play pretty good basketball in this league, but because of the quality of the competition, it's not going to be enough some nights," Clemson coach Brad Brownell told reporters while speaking up for the ACC. "We only got four teams right now that they think are going to make it (to the tournament)." A strong stretch run that includes four games against teams with losing conference records and a big home date with No. 8 Florida State can get Clemson into the discussion, but a slip-up at Chestnut Hill would be damaging to the tourney hopes. The Eagles have exchanged wins and losses for the past four weeks, knocking off tournament hopeful North Carolina State before falling to another bubble team in Virginia on Wednesday. Senior Nik Popovic scored 22 points in the 78-65 loss to the Cavaliers as Boston College fell into 10th place in the conference.

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network

ABOUT CLEMSON (13-12, 7-8 ACC): Sophomore guard John Newman III scored a career-high 23 points in the win over Louisville after being held to single digits in each of his previous eight contests. "(It was) just one of those games where John Newman plays at another level and gives us that extra guy that we need making shots," Brownell told the media. "We're getting a bunch of different guys that are having good games, and when we get three or four of them on the same day, offensively, it gives our team a chance to play with most teams in the league." Junior forward Aamir Simms leads the squad in scoring (13.3) and rebounding (7.1), and senior guard Tevin Mack is just behind him in both categories at 12.4 and 5.7, respectively.

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (13-14, 7-9): Wednesday's loss came with leading scorer Derryck Thornton (13.1) out with back spasms, which gave Popovic a chance to shine. The 6-11 forward made 9-of-16 shots - 3-of-5 from 3-point range - in his best offensive effort since Nov. 16, which came a few weeks before he was sidelined with a back injury of his own. Freshman guard Jay Heath scored 18 points in the loss to boost his average to 12.8.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Simms averages 2.7 assists but has a total of 11 over his last two games.

2. Eagles junior F Steffon Mitchell leads the ACC in steals per game (2.2) and ranks fifth in rebounding (8.4).

3. Clemson owns an eight-game winning streak in the series, including three straight at Boston College.

PREDICTION: Clemson 68, Boston College 67