Clemson @ NC State preview

Clemson at NC State

Last Meeting ( Jan 26, 2019 ) Clemson 67, NC State 69

The second round of the ACC tournament might serve as a play-in game to the NCAA Tournament when eighth-seeded North Carolina State takes on No. 9 seed Clemson in a battle of bubble teams Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C. The winner will earn a shot at top-seeded Virginia in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

The Wolfpack and Tigers both figure to be among the teams the selection committee is debating down to the wire Sunday, so a victory could make the difference in who makes the cut. The head-to-head meeting might carry extra weight for the Tigers, who suffered a 69-67 road loss to the Wolfpack on Jan. 26. N.C. State has lost two of its last three games but closed the regular season with a 73-47 thrashing of Boston College on Saturday. Clemson has won two straight and four of its last five, including a 67-55 home win over Syracuse on Saturday.

TV: Noon ET, ESPN

ABOUT CLEMSON (19-12): The Tigers could be a dangerous team in March because of their experienced backcourt and stingy defense, though their lack of depth could haunt them at tournament time. Guard Marcquise Reed (19.4 points, 5.6 rebounds) is coming off his third double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Syracuse, and backcourt mate Shelton Mitchell (11.7 points) has scored in double digits in nine straight games. Big man Elijah Thomas (13.2 points, 8.0 rebounds) posted his ninth double-double of the season - and his third in the past five games - with 13 points and 11 boards against the Orange.

ABOUT N.C. STATE (21-10): The Wolfpack are coming off their best defensive performance of the season, holding Boston College to 26.7 percent shooting. Tough defense is nothing new for N.C. State, which forces an ACC-best 16.2 turnovers per game and defends the 3-point arc especially well, holding opponents to 29.4 percent. Six players average at least nine points with guards Torin Dorn (13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds), Markell Johnson (11.5 points, 4.3 assists) and C.J. Bryce (11.7 points) leading the way.

TIP-INS

1. N.C. State on Tuesday reinstated G Eric Lockett, who has been suspended since Feb. 9, but he will not play against Clemson.

2. The Wolfpack bench averages 30.6 points and outscores the opposing reserves by an average of 14.5.

3. Reed is one of two players in the country to average at least 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals (2.3) per game this season.

PREDICTION: N.C. State 72, Clemson 67