ACC Basketball: Current storylines following 2020 ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Who You Got: Clemson Tigers or Louisville Cardinals?

There’s an early darkhorse race brewing for the ACC title between the Louisville Cardinals and Clemson Tigers. They’re two of seven unbeaten squads left in the conference with conference play kicking off on Tuesday.

The Louisville Cardinals are unbeaten so far as the 2020-21 season rolls along at 4-0. Grad transfer Carlik Jones has proven to be a timely addition as he leads the team in scoring (17.3 ppg), assists (5.3 apg), and rank second in rebounds per game (7.0) while still shooting 60 percent from behind the arc.

Three other Cardinals are averaging double figures scoring in the first four victories alongside Jones in big man Dre Davis (12.5 ppg), guard David Johnson and hybrid forward Jae’Lyn Withers (12.3 ppg) as well. They’ve shown their depth in the backcourt and frontcourt through the early going.

They’ll look to stay unbeaten on Wednesday when they face another unbeaten squad in the NC State Wolfpack when they kick off their conference schedule.

The Clemson Tigers are another team that’s been hot in the conference at 4-0 and did their part in defeating the Maryland Terrapins in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Senior forward Aamir Simms leads the way with 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

He put up 16 points along with two 3-pointers and seven rebounds in their victory over the Terrapins. Al-Amir Dawes, John Newman III, and Nick Honor also finished scoring in double figures in the win.

The Tigers will have a chance to prove themselves when they open ACC play this Tuesday against the Virginia Tech Hokies, who are 4-1 on the season and coming off a loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions that should have them energized.