Clemson vs. Virginia basketball: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

The Cavaliers have a huge game on Saturday, But first, they’ll have to get past a team that’s both physically and emotionally hurt right now.

TV schedule: Tuesday, Jan. 23, 7:00 p.m. ET. ACC Network

Arena: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia

Despite getting a solid win over Notre Dame this weekend, Clemson’s basketball program is reeling right now. The announcement of Zion Williamson was coming Saturday night, and the Tigers became a big favorite to land him. But he ended up shocking everyone involved, choosing to go to Duke, to join two other top recruits.

Related Story: Clemson's rough weekend

If that wasn’t bad enough, the second leading scorer, Donte Grantham went down with a knee injury, ending both his season and his college career. It’s a tough one-two punch for a program like Clemson 16-3 (5-2), but they just have to keep moving along. The good news is that there are still quality players on the roster, including the team’s top scorer Marcquise Reed, who averaged 16.5 ppg in last week’s games.

He’ll have to find a way to score against the best defensive team in the country in Virginia 18-1 (7-0), who are the last unbeaten team in ACC play. The team went on the road last week and held both Georgia Tech and Wake Forest to under 50 points total.

While the guards Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome each had a good game, reserve De’Andre Hunter averaged 16.5 off the bench, adding another weapon for Tony Bennett to use.

With the preseason favorites Duke just around the corner, it’s very easy for the Cavaliers to look ahead to Saturday. But that would be a mistake, as the Tigers are more than capable of winning this game, as their defense is a top 30 unit themselves.

The battle will be won on the perimeter between these teams, with Hunter as a wildcard off the bench. Isaiah Wilkins of Virginia might take advantage of Grantham’s absence in this one, and how the Tigers replace him will be key.

Next: Clemson is still in good shape without Zion

Even though it’s on the road, I like the Tigers to have an emotional bounce back after both pieces of news to catch Virginia looking ahead in the upset.

Prediction: Virginia 55 – Clemson 60