Preview: Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Fighting Irish

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Interstat) — A surging Clemson team aims to continue its climb in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings when it visits a Notre Dame squad seeking a resume-building win Saturday at Joyce Athletic Center.

The 12th-ranked Tigers (13-3, 3-0 ACC) have won six straight, including their first three conference games by narrow margins. Their latest was a 74-70 home win over SMU on Wednesday. Clemson’s success has been built on balanced scoring and clutch play in tight games, with five of their last six victories decided by seven points or fewer.

Notre Dame (10-5, 1-2) looks to rebound from a heartbreaking 72-71 road loss at California on Jan. 2, a game decided on a last-second basket. The Fighting Irish have shown resilience but have struggled to close out opponents in key moments, also falling to Fort Wayne at home last month.

A key matchup will feature two of the conference’s emerging wings. Clemson’s RJ Godfrey enters on a hot streak, averaging 14.2 points over his last six games. He scored 17 in 25 minutes off the bench against SMU. For Notre Dame, freshman guard Jalen Haralson has been a consistent force, leading the team with 17 points and four assists in the loss at California. He nearly posted a triple-double against Fort Wayne with 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Clemson’s conference start marks its best since the 2019-20 season. The Tigers’ defense, allowing just 66.1 points per game, will test a Notre Dame offense that has been inconsistent, scoring 47 points in a win at Stanford before the narrow loss at Cal.

Notre Dame holds a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series, but Clemson won last season’s meeting 74-69 in South Carolina. The Tigers have not won at Notre Dame since 2022.

The game tips off at 2:15 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on the ACC Network. For Clemson, it’s a chance to solidify its top-tier conference standing. For Notre Dame, it represents an opportunity to notch a pivotal ranked win and stabilize its ACC campaign before a difficult stretch that includes road games at North Carolina and Virginia Tech.