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Clemson basketball vs. Pittsburgh: Score prediction, scouting report for ACC game

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Clemson basketball vs. Pittsburgh: Score prediction, scouting report for ACC game


CLEMSON — After gaining ground ahead of the middle of the ACC standings in Saturday’s win vs. Florida State, Clemson basketball (19-8, 9-7) hosts Pittsburgh (18-9, 9-7) in another critical conference matchup Tuesday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Tigers are coming off a 74-63 win in which their leading scorer and shot blocker, PJ Hall, played a season-low 16 minutes. Now they shift their focus to the Panthers, a team that has the second-best road record in the conference (6-3).

“As much as anything, they’re just playing with tremendous confidence,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “That’s a big thing on the road because your team has to truly believe they’re going to win. You’re going into places, you’re just executing your plan and you’re not distracted by the environment.”

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Pittsburgh, which has won six of its past seven games, defeated Virginia Tech 79-64 on Saturday. The Panthers hope to split the regular-season series against the Tigers after losing 79-70 on Dec. 3. The teams are tied with North Carolina State for fifth in the ACC.

Here are three things to know and a score prediction:

RJ Godfrey, Clemson’s reserves come through as team battles attrition

With Hall in early foul trouble Saturday, it opened the door for 6-foot-8 RJ Godfrey to maximize his time off the bench again. He gave an instant boost to Clemson, thanks to his size and athleticism on both ends of the floor. He recorded 12 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals against Florida State. Brownell said it was “maybe his best game at Clemson.”

The sophomore has played at least 20 minutes in his past three games. His additional minutes correlate to Hall and Ian Schieffelin missing practices due to undisclosed injuries. As a result, Godfrey and the reserve unit are receiving extra reps, and their results are showing up on the floor.

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The Tigers’ bench (Godfrey, Josh Beadle, Chauncey Wiggins, Dillon Hunter) scored 23 points Saturday — their fifth straight game scoring in double figures — and added four blocks and four steals.

“There’s not many guys left to work on the post stuff, so our perimeter guys are just getting a lot of work,” Brownell said. “We’re walking through a lot of things. RJ is getting a lot of extra work, and that’s helped him become a better player.”

Tigers continue to respond to Brownell’s call to be better defensively

Monday’s “difficult” film session — when Clemson coaches challenged the players and emphasized to them to be aggressive on defense — has resonated with the Tigers. After holding Georgia Tech to 57 points — a season low in conference play, they held FSU to 63, which is 13 points fewer than its points per game average.

Clemson finished Saturday’s game with nine blocks, tying a season high, and six steals, its most since Jan. 20. It has held opponents to under 70 points in four of its past five games. The outlier was against NC State, allowing the Wolfpack to score 78, which sparked the intense film session.

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“We’ve worked hard on our defense the last month or so,” Brownell said. “It’s gotten better, and one of the things that we’ve got to do is just continue to get our hands on a few balls.”

PROTECTING PLAYERS: ‘We can’t have players getting hurt’: Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell on court storming

What makes Pittsburgh a tough out?

The Tigers must figure out how to slow down guard Blake Hinson. He is second in the ACC in points per game with 18.9, shoots 42.2% from 3-point range and leads the conference in made 3-pointers (95). The last time Clemson faced an elite scorer was NC State’s DJ Horne, who finished with 27 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final seconds on Feb. 17.

The Panthers are also a dominant rebounding team, averaging 12 offensive boards, which ranks second in the ACC. Defensively, they allow the third-fewest points (67.1) and the lowest 3-point field goal percentage (29.8%) in the conference. Federiko Federiko and Zack Austin are among the best shot blockers in the ACC; both have 38 blocks this season.

Clemson basketball score prediction vs. Pitt

Clemson 73, Pittsburgh 69: This crucial ACC game is going to go down to the wire. In a game like this, look for both teams’ best players to dominate. Hinson will be dynamic, but expect Hall, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds in their first matchup, to lead the Tigers to their third straight victory by having a greater impact on both ends of the floor.

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Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00



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Pittsburg, PA

Performers play on with enthusiasm despite a damp Pittonkatonk – Pittsburgh Union Progress

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Performers play on with enthusiasm despite a damp Pittonkatonk – Pittsburgh Union Progress


One of the stated goals of Pittonkatonk is to break the barrier between performer and audience. And that’s what happened Saturday when a break in the rain allowed the performers to lead the audience on a short parade from inside the Vietnam Veterans Pavilion in Oakland’s Schenley Park out into the burgeoning sunshine.

There would be more rain later in the day, but that didn’t faze the performers, the organizers or the audience members at Pittonkatonk, the annual May Day community festival at Schenley Park. This year’s edition, the 11th, attracted performers from Africa, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Puerto Rico and, of course, Pittsburgh. 

Learn more at https://pittonkatonk.org.

Yamoussa Camara, of Pittsburgh’s Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, helps drive the dancers outside Schenley Park’s Vietnam Veterans Pavilion during Pittonkatonk Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Michael Pound/Pittsburgh Union Progress)
Col. Eagleburger’s High Stepping Good Time Band of Pittsburgh started the Pittonkatonk party inside the Vietnam Veterans Pavilion in Schenley Park Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Michael Pound/Pittsburgh Union Progress)
Nicole Sinwell, left, helps bring the thunder with Pittsburgh’s Timbeleza inside Schenley Park’s Vietnam Veterans Pavilion during Pittonkatonk Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Michael Pound/Pittsburgh Union Progress)
When the rain let up, Pittsburgh’s Timbeleza led the crowd outside Schenley Park’s Vietnam Veterans Pavilion during Pittonkatonk Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Michael Pound/Pittsburgh Union Progress)
Jamie Moore dances and plays with Pittsburgh’s Timbeleza outside Schenley Park’s Vietnam Veterans Pavilion during Pittonkatonk Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Michael Pound/Pittsburgh Union Progress)
A Pittonkatonk sign hangs from the Vietnam Veterans Pavilion in Schenley Park Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Michael Pound/Pittsburgh Union Progress)



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Zach Frazier explains wearing No. 54 with Pittsburgh Steelers

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Zach Frazier explains wearing No. 54 with Pittsburgh Steelers


Zach Frazier can’t help his toughness. It’s embedded in his soul. The Steelers rookie loved Pittsburgh’s physical style of play when he was growing up in West Virginia. Plus, he always wears the number 54 in honor of another player known for his tenacity.

But yikes. The Steelers newest offensive lineman wears his number because of a Dallas Cowboy. He explained that his parents were big fans of the Miami Dolphins. And they loved long-time Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. He’s the Texas Tech star who finished his career back home in Texas with the Cowboys. Last August, former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson presented Thomas for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The number, Frazier told the Steelers web site has “always been special to me.”

Go figure. Zach Frazier, the Steelers second-round draft pick, wears No. 54 because his parents loved Zach Thomas, a former Dallas Cowboy, who also starred for the Dolphins. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Pittsburgh selected Frazier with the 51st pick of the second round of the NFL Draft last month. The former West Virginia Mountaineer probably is everything a coach wants from an offensive lineman. He’s talented, as evidenced by his All-America accolades. And he’s smart. Frazier also was an academic All-American with a 3.88 GPA while majoring in sports management.

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Plus, he’s also athletic. Frazier excelled in both football and wrestling in high school back home in Fairmont, WV. In fact, he was a four-time state champion in wrestling.

“You know, you go straight from football season, to wrestling season, to baseball,” Frazier said. “It was just a fun time to be a kid and play all these sports and really have a good time.”

The Steelers wanted to draft a center in the first round with the 20th pick. Instead, they opted for Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, who Pittsburgh coaches didn’t expect to be available that late in the first round. Perhaps they found their future long-time starter with pick No. 51.

And speaking of the draft, Frazier’s time with the Steelers got off to a bad start. Literally. When Mike Tomlin called Frazier to welcome the center to the team, Frazier said he knew, immediately, it was Pittsburgh on the phone. He recognized the area code.

However, once he answered “I could hear them, they couldn’t hear me, so I ran upstairs,” he said.

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But since then, he’s been studying the playbook. He might’ve landed in the most perfect place for his talents. Marc Ross, an analyst for NFL.com, recently listed the rookies who ended up in the best spot. Ross described Frazier as a “brawler who embodies everything this franchise is about. His experience and toughness will allow him to step in immediately as the pivot of an overhauled unit with a new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.”



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Residents surveying damage after Saturday’s intense storms

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Residents surveying damage after Saturday’s intense storms


Residents surveying damage after Saturday’s intense storms – CBS Pittsburgh

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The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down near Finleyville around 6 p.m. Saturday. Crews will be out on Sunday to assess the damage and intensity. KDKA-TV’s Meghan Schiller reports.

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