GAME NOTES: ACC foes will collide at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables today, as the Miami Hurricanes welcome the Clemson Tigers to town. Wins in three of the last four games have enabled Clemson to improve to 15-4 overall and 3-2 against ACC competition. The Tigers are coming off Tuesday's 80-75 triumph over Wake Forest in overtime. They also beat Florida State in overtime two weeks ago and lost to North Carolina in an extra session, so the team is accustomed to playing close games. Speaking of North Carolina, that was the opponent for Miami on Wednesday, and the result was a 98-82 victory for the Tar Heels. Prior to that defeat, Miami was a perfect 9-0 at home. While the Hurricanes still own an outstanding 14-4 overall record, they are just 1-3 against ACC competition. Clemson holds a narrow 6-5 edge in the all-time series with Miami, and three of the six wins by the Tigers have come in overtime.

Clemson has a numbers of quality players on its roster, and Cliff Hammonds is certainly one who deserves mention. Hammonds needs just one steal to become only the sixth player in ACC history with at least 1,200 points, 400 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals. He is averaging 10.5 ppg this season to go with team-highs of 76 assists and 40 steals. K.C. Rivers leads the Tigers with 15.6 ppg, and Trevor Booker checks in with 12.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 42 blocks. Terrence Oglesby is contributing 11.7 ppg on 42.9 percent shooting from three- point range, and James Mays adds 10.8 ppg to the mix. Clemson is averaging 81.7 ppg while limiting the opposition to 69.5 ppg. In the win over Wake Forest on Tuesday, Rivers posted 19 points, 11 rebounds and five steals, and Oglesby pitched in 13 points. Both Hammonds and Sam Perry scored 10 points for the Tigers, who overcame 20 turnovers and a 7-of-16 showing from the foul line.

Miami is putting up 77.1 ppg this season, and the team is surrendering only 64.7 ppg on 39.3 percent shooting from the floor. The Hurricanes are pulling down nearly five rebounds per game more than the opposition, and they are shooting 40 percent from three-point range. Jack McClinton leads the club with 16.1 ppg on the strength of his 46.3 percent accuracy from behind the arc. The only other double-digit scorer on the Miami roster is James Dews, as he is contributing 11.4 ppg. In the recent loss to North Carolina, Lance Hurdle scored 20 points to pace the 'Canes. Raymond Hicks added 17 points in defeat, while McClinton managed 11 points and seven assists. Miami was outrebounded, outscored from the foul line and committed 10 more turnovers than the Tar Heels, obvious reasons for the loss.

Clemson has a 4-3 record this month, and a victory over Miami today would clinch a winning record in January for the first time since 1997. Expect the Tigers to achieve that goal, winning narrowly on the road.