Clemson hosts Pitt this weekend. Here are three keys to the game

After starting ACC play with a 2-2 record, the Clemson’s men’s basketball team has dropped three straight games heading into Saturday’s 6:05 p.m. home contest against Pitt.

Tigers head coach Brad Brownell addressed the team’s struggles following Tuesday’s 91-78 loss to Syracuse, pointing out how the team’s smaller stature hurts on defense but helps on offense.

“We’re physically a little weak. Like, we’re physically smaller and weaker, and some of that’s a product of recruiting,” Brownell said. “What you get on the other end is some skill. You get guys that can shoot. You get guys that can pass, and that’s why offensively, we’ve had a bunch of guys that shoot high percentage from three.”

Clemson has a 5-1 record against Pitt at Littlejohn Coliseum and won eight straight games in the series.

With a road game at No. 6 Duke and home game against Florida State looming over the next 11 days, here’s what Clemson needs to do to keep its winning streak against Pitt alive.

Keep shooting

The Tigers’ offense has surged this year with plenty of shooting options. Five players are 45% from the field or better with a minimum of 50 field goal attempts so far this season. Grad transfer Naz Bohannon leads the way by shooting 55.9% on the floor, while fellow grad transfer David Collins (40%) and junior Alex Hemenway (48.8%) are the team’s top 3-point shooters.

As a team, Clemson ranks fourth in the ACC and 27th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (37.82%) and eighth in the conference in scoring, averaging 73.06 points per game. If the Tigers can get in a good offensive rhythm and continue helping each other find shots — they’ve assisted on 54.6% of made baskets this year — they can give themselves a chance to pick up a win at home.

Get back to defensive identity

Clemson has the eighth-best scoring defense in the ACC for an average of 67.83 points allowed per game. The team’s scoring defense finished second in the conference (61.9 ppg) with the fourth-best turnover margin (1.42) last season.

“We just had bigger, stronger dudes in some spots and then we’re not getting some other guys that played as well last year, they’re not playing as well defensively right now,” Brownell said after Tuesday’s loss. “I gotta coach that better.”

It seemed to have come to a head against the Orange, giving up 91 points, which is the most since a 109-61 loss at Florida State on Feb. 5, 2017.

While it is a smaller group in terms of their collective size, the team will need to get back to its defensive identity and apply ball pressure while being as physical as possible with Collins leading the way. He has a team-best 31 steals to go along with 5.61 rebounds on the defensive glass.

Contain John Hugley

Panthers sophomore forward John Hugley leads the Panthers in points (15.8) and rebounds (8.1) per game with five double-doubles on the year.

It’ll likely be sophomore against sophomore with Tigers forward PJ Hall taking the responsibility of guarding Hugley, who had a game-high 23 points in Pitt’s 66-61 home loss to Virginia on Wednesday. A bigger body like Bohannon and Hunter Tyson’s length at 6-foot-8 inside can also help Hall, who has a team-high 20 blocks, with potential double teams.

Next Clemson men’s basketball game

Who: Clemson vs. Pitt

When: 6:05 p.m. Saturday

Where: Littlejohn Coliseum

Watch: ACC Network