Following what Notre Dame basketball fans hoped was a confidence-building win over Pitt, Clemson secured a program-best 15th ACC victory in a single season, defeating the Fighting Irish 83-68 on Wednesday night behind a career-high performance from Ian Schieffelin.
The senior forward dominated with 24 points and nine rebounds, helping the Tigers (23-5, 15-2 ACC) break their previous record of 14 conference wins, set in 2022. Meanwhile, the Irish fell to 6-11 in the conference and are once again in danger of missing the ACC tournament.
Notre Dame basketball can’t stop Clemson
Schieffelin played a pivotal role late in the first half when Clemson found itself in a shooting slump. After missing 12 straight field goals and allowing Notre Dame (12-16, 6-11 ACC) to briefly take the lead, he responded with four consecutive baskets, including a three-pointer and a three-point play, to give the Tigers a 41-31 halftime advantage. The Irish never recovered from that swing.
Viktor Lakhin added 18 points for Clemson, while Markus Burton carried Notre Dame with 30 points. However, the Irish’s interior struggles were evident, as Schieffelin controlled the paint with 16 points and six rebounds before the break.
Markus Burton can’t carry the Notre Dame basketball team
Notre Dame’s February struggles continued, with this being its sixth loss in seven games. Clemson, meanwhile, overcame early inconsistency but will need to find more stability to make a strong push in March after last year’s Elite Eight run.
The Tigers also took care of the ball, committing a season-low four turnovers in the win.
Up next, Clemson visits Virginia on Saturday in a key ACC matchup, while the Notre Dame basketball team looks to regroup on the road against Wake Forest.