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Clemson Basketball Preview: Clemson vs Virginia Tech

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Clemson Basketball Preview: Clemson vs Virginia Tech


Clemson (16-4, 8-1 ACC) vs Virginia Tech (8-11, 3-5 ACC)

Blacksburg Virginia, Cassell Coliseum

Saturday, January 25th, 5 PM

ACC Network

This isn’t a good Virginia Tech team. Mike Young’s squad has struggled all season against any team with a pulse. Their win over NC State on January 15 is their only victory over a team in the KenPom top 100, and NC State is ranked 97th. On top of not beating good teams, they have a few head-scratching losses on their resume, including a home loss to Jacksonville and an away loss to Georgia Tech last time out in a battle of bottom-tier ACC squads.

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I will say this for the Hokies: they’ve managed to cobble together three ACC wins over Miami, Cal, and the aforementioned NC State. They are currently on a two-game losing streak, including a nine-point home loss to Wake Forest. If the Hokies are going to salvage anything from this season, knocking off Clemson at home could be the impetus to turn things around during the back half of the ACC schedule.

Turnovers have been one of the primary issues for Virginia Tech. Their turnover percentage of 20.7% ranks 332nd in the country (out of 364 teams). Meanwhile, Clemson’s defensive turnover percentage of 20.5% is good for 48th in the country. Virginia Tech is terrible at holding onto the ball, and Clemson is pretty good at taking it away. If that trend holds, it’s going to be tough for the Hokies to win this game.

Giving a team as efficient on offense as Clemson (currently 26th in the nation in terms of offensive efficiency) extra chances to score is a bad idea. The Hokies lost the turnover battle 17-10 to Georgia Tech in their loss in Atlanta and 14-7 in their home loss to Wake Forest. Forward Tobi Lawal and guard “Little Poppa Pump” Bradon Rechsteiner have both struggled with turnovers this season, coughing the ball up around 2.5 times a game. Look for Clemson’s sticky defense to force Tech to go the long way around on offense. The Tigers are the best team in the nation in terms of forcing opponents to use clock on offense. The longer Tech has the ball and the more passes they attempt, the better it is for Clemson.

Inside scoring is another spot where the Tigers should have a decisive advantage. Tech is allowing teams to shoot 54.8% from two (302nd in the nation) this season. Clemson isn’t great at scoring inside the arc, hitting 51.8% (153rd) from two, but the combination of Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin should find the going easier against Virginia Tech. Their frontcourt combination of Tobi Lawal (6’8”) at power forward and Mylyjael Poteat (6’9”) at center leaves a lot to be desired in terms of rim protection. Look for the Clemson guards, led by Chase Hunter, to attack the paint all game.

This could also be an opportunity for Ian to polish his post-game ahead of the back half of the ACC schedule.

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Virginia Tech is going to need help from Clemson in this game. If the Tigers play anything close to their “B game” on Saturday, I don’t think the Hokies have much of a chance. The Tigers are too good on offense, and Virginia Tech isn’t particularly good on defense.

The only way forward I see for Tech is to play a game similar to the one they played in their win over NC State. They put enough points on the board in that one because they got hot from three, hitting 11-22 from behind the arc, including a 3-3 performance from leading scorer Tobi Lawal and a 3-4 performance from Jaden Schutt.

The three-point line is the one place where Tech could potentially hurt the Tigers. They’re currently hitting 36.2% (70th) of their three-point attempts. That’s not great, but that—along with offensive rebounding (72nd)—are the only two areas where they are ranked in the top 100 in KenPom.

The problem they run into is that Clemson is currently shooting 39.2% (8th) from behind the arc. Still, shooting on the road can be tricky in college basketball and can act as a great equalizer. Clemson shot 33% (8-24) from three in their road loss to Louisville and would need to replicate something similar—both in terms of volume and percentage—to lose on the road in Blacksburg.

As long as they don’t fall in love with a three-point shot that isn’t falling and remember to work inside-out on offense to get quality outside looks, the Tigers should win this game.

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Prediction

KenPom

Clemson – 72

Virginia Tech – 63

Confidence – 80%

Drew

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Clemson – 77

Virginia Tech – 63

Clemson is the better team and has handled its business on the road against opponents ranked outside of the KenPom top 100 this season. Virginia Tech is ranked 170th and hasn’t exactly been stellar at home this season. The Tigers are too talented and experienced to get drawn into the kind of rock fight Tech needs to win this game.

As long as Clemson breaks 70, they should be bringing a dub back home to Tiger Town. I think they put up 77 and force Tech’s offense into an unsustainable number of turnovers.

Of course, I could also be totally wrong.

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Virginia Roberts Giuffre: Epstein accuser’s memoir sells 1m copies in two months

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Virginia Roberts Giuffre: Epstein accuser’s memoir sells 1m copies in two months


A posthumous memoir by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s best-known accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has sold 1m copies worldwide in just the two months after its release.

Publisher Alfred A Knopf announced on Tuesday that more than half the sales for Nobody’s Girl came out of North America; in the US, the book is now in its 10th printing after an initial run of 70,000 copies. Giuffre’s book, co-written by author-journalist Amy Wallace, was published in early October.

The memoir helped revive criticism of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly a British prince, whom Giuffre alleged had sex with her when she was 17. And it heightened demands that the Justice Department release its files on Epstein, who killed himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Giuffre died by suicide in April at age 41.

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“This is a bittersweet moment for us,” Giuffre’s family, including siblings Sky Roberts and Danny Wilson, said in a statement. “We are enormously proud of our sister, and the impact she continues to have on the world. We’re also filled with so much sorrow that she couldn’t be here to witness the impact of her words. In her absence, our family remains committed to ensuring her voice is everlasting.”

Within weeks of Giuffre’s book being published, King Charles III stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his remaining titles and evicted him from his royal residence.

Mountbatten-Windsor has long denied Giuffre’s claims but stepped down from royal duties after a disastrous November 2019 BBC interview in which he attempted to rebut her allegations.

He paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he didn’t admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

This week Giuffre’s family expressed their “deep disappointment” after the Metropolitan police announced Mountbatten-Windsor will not face a criminal investigation in the UK over allegations against him.

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  • In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org



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Virginia voters nominate candidates in Fairfax, Prince William ahead of January special election – WTOP News

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Virginia voters nominate candidates in Fairfax, Prince William ahead of January special election – WTOP News


Voters in several Northern Virginia districts are nominating candidates Tuesday who could be elected to serve on the state’s House of Delegates.

Voters in several Northern Virginia districts are nominating candidates Tuesday who could be elected to serve on the state’s House of Delegates.

Whoever wins Tuesday’s contests will compete in a special election on Jan. 13, 2026, for vacated seats in the Virginia General Assembly, where Democrats currently hold a 63-37 majority.

The series of shake-ups comes as several Democratic lawmakers step down from the House of Delegates to join Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s administration.

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Two of the resigning lawmakers represent Northern Virginia: Del. David Bulova, of Fairfax City and Fairfax County; and Del. Candi Mundon King, of Prince William and Stafford counties.

Last week, Spanberger named Bulova as her pick for Virginia’s next secretary of natural and historic resources.

And the future governor tapped King to serve as the secretary of the commonwealth.

Each party has until Dec. 17 to submit a nominee to the Virginia Board of Elections for next month’s special election, according to a writ of special elections filed by Virginia House Speaker Don Scott.

District 11: Fairfax City and part of Fairfax County

Democrats

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Five candidates are running for the Democratic nomination in a firehouse primary, including the exiting delegate’s wife, Gretchen Bulova, as well as Vanessa Cardenas, So Lim, Douglas Shuster and Denver Supinger.

Any voter registered in Virginia House of Delegates District 11 can participate — but they have to sign a declaration of support for the Democratic Party, according to the democratic committees in Fairfax County and Fairfax City. In a firehouse primary, the political parties organize the contest, not the state.

District 11 includes all of Fairfax City and portions of Fairfax County. If you’re not sure whether your home sits within the district’s boundaries, check out this website.

The caucus locations are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at these locations:

  • Fairfax Presbyterian Church at 10723 Main Street
  • Jim Scott Community Center at 3001 Vaden Drive
  • Fairfax County Government Center at 12000 Government Center Parkway

Gretchen Bulova is the chair of the Fairfax County 250th Commission and the county’s history commission.

Cardenas is also a Fairfax City resident who works as the executive director of America’s Voice, which works to garner support for policy changes that create paths toward full citizenship for immigrants.

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At a candidate forum on Sunday, Lim introduced herself as a progressive Democrat. She served three terms on the Fairfax City Council.

Shuster is the president of the Miller Heights Neighborhood Association and works at an advisory firm.

Supinger, former chief of staff to Del. Karrie Delaney, is the founder of a consulting firm that specializes in social impact strategy, political advocacy, and policymaking, according to its website.

It’s the second time Fairfax voters have participated in a firehouse primary this year, after earlier nominating candidates who competed to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly in June. Democrat James Walkinshaw ultimately won that special election in September.

Republicans

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The Fairfax County Republican Committee confirmed with WTOP that Adam Wise will be the nominee, and there will be no caucus held.

Wise had previously run for the District 11 seat in November but lost to David Bulova, the incumbent.

District 23: Parts of Prince William and Stafford

Democrats

A Democratic caucus will also be going on in Virginia House of Delegates District 23 on Tuesday, according to the Democratic committees in Prince William and Stafford counties.

The caucus is scheduled to run from noon to 7 p.m. at these locations:

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  • Dumfries Community Center at 17757 Main Street, Dumfries
  • Porter Branch Library at 2001 Parkway Boulevard, Stafford

Two candidates qualified to be on the ballot: Woodbridge Supervisor Margaret Franklin and Muhammed “Sef” Casim.

WTOP will report on the full ballot once the Republican nominee is finalized.

What’s happening in January

Voters in District 23 and District 11 will head to the polls on Jan. 13, 2026, for a special election to replace Dels. Bulova and King.

Early voting will be open from Jan. 3 to Jan. 10.

Outside of Northern Virginia, a separate special election is being held on Jan. 6, 2026, to replace representatives headed to Spanberger’s administration. Voters in the Richmond area will elect a new state senator in House District 15 and a new delegate in District 77.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

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Top 25 Virginia Girls High School Basketball State Rankings – Dec. 15, 2025

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Top 25 Virginia Girls High School Basketball State Rankings – Dec. 15, 2025


The high school basketball season is underway in Virginia and it’s time to unveil the first High School on SI girls Top 25 of the regular season.

Princess Anne, the preseason No. 1, remains at the top, followed by The Saint James Performance Academy. Bishop Ireton, Catholic-Virginia Beach and Menchville complete the Top 5.

The second 5 include Virginia Academy, Saint Anne’s-Belfield School, Osbourn Park, Saint Paul VI Catholic and Shining Stars Sports Academy. Shining Stars moved into the Top 10 after defeating then-No. 7 Norfolk Christian Academy at the She Got Game Classic at The St. James Complex in Northern Virginia over the weekend.

Five teams – Clarke County, Briar Woods, Loudoun Valley, Potomac Falls and Washington-Liberty – enter this week’s poll. 

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Here’s this week’s High School on SI Virginia girls basketball Top 25:

Preseason rank: No. 1

Record: 5-0

The Cavaliers are averaging nearly 80 points a game.

Preseason rank: No. 2

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Record: 5-2

The Strivers’ two losses have been by a total of 18 points.

Preseason rank: No. 5

Record: 4-1

The Cardinals defeated then-No. 4 Osbourn Park at the She Got Game Classic. 

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Preseason rank: No. 3

Record: 4-4

The Crusaders went 1-2 at the She Got Game Classic.

Preseason rank: No. 6

Record: 4-0

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The Monarchs topped Rosedale Christian Academy (Md.) and Mallard Creek (N.C.) at the She Got Game Classic.

Preseason rank: No. 8

Record: 6-0

The Patriots have wins over then-No. 9 Saint Anne’s-Belfield School and Maryland Top 25 schools Elizabeth Seton, St. Mary’s Ryken and Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Preseason rank: No. 9

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Record: 6-2

The Saints split two matches at the She Got Game Classic.

Preseason rank: No. 4

Record: 4-2

The Yellowjackets defeated Saint Neumann-Goretti (Pa.) and Southern-Garrett before falling to then-No. 5 Bishop Ireton at the She Got Game Classic.

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Preseason rank: No. 10

Record: 4-2

The Panthers dropped decisions to then-No. 4 Osbourn Park and Christ the King (N.Y.) at the Art Turner Memorial.

Preseason rank: No. 11

Record: 5-2

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The Panthers handled then-No. 7 Norfolk Christian Academy at the She Got Game Classic.

Preseason rank: No. 7

Record: 3-3

The Ambassadors have dropped decisions to then-No. 5 Bishop Ireton and  then-No. 11 Shining Stars Sports Academy.

Preseason rank: No. 12

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Record: 4-1

The Lancers’ only setback came against No. 1 Princess Anne. 

Preseason rank: No. 13

Record: 5-1

The Knights dropped a 57-48 decision to then-No. 6 Menchville in the opening week.

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Preseason rank: No. 14

Record: 5-2

The Panthers have won five straight, including victory over Whitney Young (Ill.) at She Got Game Classic.

Preseason rank: No. 18

Record: 4-0

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The Wolverines have won their four decisions by an average of 31 points.

Preseason rank: No. 22

Record: 6-0

After back-to-back two-point wins (then-No. 20 Centreville and then-No. 23 Gainesville), the Saxons routed Lake Braddock and West Springfield.

Preseason rank: No. 23

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Record: 6-1

The Cardinals’ only blemish is a two-point loss to Langley.

Preseason rank: No. 15

Record: 5-1

The Stallions dropped a 56-534 decision to Gainesville in the season opener.

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Preseason rank: Not ranked

Record: 5-0

The Eagles own a pair of victories over Loudoun Valley.

Preseason rank: Not ranked

Record: 4-0

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The Falcons opened the season with a win over then-No. 16 Heritage.

Preseason rank: Not ranked

Record: 5-2

The Vikings are riding a three-game winning streak after loss to Clarke County.

Preseason rank: Not ranked

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Record: 5-1

The Panthers own victories over then-No. 16 Heritage and then-No. 19 Chantilly.

Preseason rank: No. 19

Record: 5-1

The Chargers’ only loss is a 44-43 decision to Potomac Falls.

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Preseason rank: No. 20

Record: 3-2

The Wildcats’ losses to Langley and Gainesville are by a total of seven points.

Preseason rank: Not ranked

Record: 4-1

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The Generals have won four straight by a margin of 44 points.



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