Florida State @ Clemson preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 22, 2019 ) Clemson 68, Florida State 77

It's been a heart-breaking week for Clemson as the Tigers suffered back-to-back one-point losses on the road to Miami (Fla.) 65-64 and Louisville 56-55. The going won't get any easier on Tuesday night as Clemson hosts surging Florida State, which moved up two spots to No. 17 in the national rankings after extending its winning streak to a school-record-tying seven straight ACC games with its 69-47 triumph over Georgia Tech on Saturday.

"That's our third one this year (by one point)," Clemson coach Brad Brownell told reporters after the Louisville game. "I'm just incredibly proud of our players. … Obviously we fought for the full 40 minutes. We defended great, about as well as you can guard them. Our kids played extremely hard." The Tigers fell short despite holding Louisville to just 19 points before intermission, the fourth time in the last 10 halves that Clemson held an opponent under 20 points and the Cardinals wound up with their lowest point total (56) and shooting percentage (35.2) of the season. The Seminoles also know about playing stiff defense and the 47 points they surrendered to Georgia Tech last time out was the school's lowest in an ACC game since it limited Clemson to 41 back in 2014. The Tigers have won their last four at home but the Seminoles have been almost as successful on the road with three straight victories and Florida State's overall winning streak actually began with a 77-68 win over Clemson on Jan. 22.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (20-5, 8-4 ACC): One game after producing his first career double-double (20 points, 12 rebounds) against Wake Forest, 7-4 senior center Christ Koumadje did it again against Georgia Tech with 10 points and 12 rebounds - draining 15-of-19 from the field in the two games. Senior guard Terance Mann remains a team leader but the Seminoles continue to get strong play from a deep bench, outscoring opponents 397-154 in ACC action, as freshman Devin Vassell led the way with 11 points against Georgia Tech. Florida State hurt Clemson with a then-season-high 10 3-pointers in the earlier victory and the Seminoles hit nine in their win over Georgia Tech as they are averaging nine long-distance makes during their seven-game winning streak.

ABOUT CLEMSON (15-10, 5-7): The Tigers play four of their last six at home, where they are 11-2 this season, as they try to make a last-gasp tournament push. Brownell continues to rely on his seniors, with Elijah Thomas (15 points), Marcquise Reed (13) and Shelton Mitchell (12) topping the team in scoring against Louisville, with Reed posting his fifth career double-double (12 rebounds). Thomas produced 19 blocks over a three-game stretch (all wins) against Wake Forest (seven), Georgia Tech (five) and Virginia Tech (seven), but he has had just one in each of the last two outings (both losses) against Miami and Louisville.

TIP-INS

1. The Seminoles lead the series 42-32 after the earlier win and they are aiming for their first sweep of Clemson since 2016-17.

2. With Vassell's effort against Georgia Tech, the Seminoles now have nine different leading scorers this season.

3. Clemson has outscored opponents 277-217 in its last four home games.

PREDICTION: Clemson 69, Florida State 67