Clemson on downturn, Wake Forest rising ahead of matchup

Clemson and Wake Forest went in different directions during the past week.

Now they end up in the same place for a Wednesday night meeting in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Clemson (20-6, 10-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) is coming off back-to-back losses, as an upset victim at home against Virginia Tech and then at first-place Duke. The results caused the Tigers, who were ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 last week, to fall out of the poll.

"Don't forget who we are and why we've had success," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "And we have to defend at a high level, and we've got to continue to play as a team. I'm proud of this group."

Wake Forest (13-12, 4-8) has won back-to-back games for the first time since prior to Christmas, winning at Georgia Tech and coming back for a home triumph against Stanford. The first of those two results halted a five-game overall losing streak, and the second stopped a four-game homecourt skid.

"I'm tired of us losing at home," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. "The fans deserve better."

While third-place Clemson's pursuit of first place has taken a detour, Wake Forest's short-term goal might be to remain out of the bottom three spots in the ACC standings so the Demon Deacons receive a place in next month's ACC tournament.

Juke Harris has added to his splendid season, leading Wake Forest in scoring in the past four games. He has averaged 26 points per outing during that stretch.

It's not coming easy for the sophomore guard.

"Everybody's coming at him," Forbes said of defensive tactics on Harris. "They're being physical."

Wake Forest made a season-high 28 free throws (on 32 attempts) in the Stanford game.

Clemson's offense has sputtered recently, as the Tigers have reached 70 points only once in a five-game span. Brownell said without a clear go-to player, there are bound to be certain challenges.

"We have to work, we have to minimize our mistakes," he said. "Our margins are small, but we've had a lot of success. Let's not let a bad week derail us, and obviously, we've got a lot more work to do."

RJ Godfrey's average of 11.6 points per game is the top mark for Clemson. Godfrey has scored more than 10 points only twice in the last nine games.

Carter Welling topped the Tigers with 12 points vs. Duke on Saturday and Godfrey added 10, but Brownell appreciated his side's defensive effort in the 67-54 defeat.

"It's hard when you're struggling that bad on offense, for your defense not to just give in," the coach said.