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No. 20 Clemson (18-4, 8-1 ACC) defeated Pittsburgh 63-52 in Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday, overcoming a sluggish start before taking control and stretching their lead to 17 points. The victory was head coach Brad Brownell’s 200th home win at Clemson and his 310th overall with the program.
Clemson also strengthened its dominance over Pittsburgh, improving to 15-3 all-time against the Panthers and extending its winning streak in the series to 15 consecutive games.
Now, Clemson carries a perfect 6-0 ACC road record and a 12-game road winning streak dating back to last season out west, where it will face Stanford (14-8, 3-6 ACC) on Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion (10 p.m. ET, ACC Network) before traveling north to Berkeley for a Saturday matchup against California (16-6, 4-5 ACC) at Haas Pavilion (8 p.m. ET, ACCN).
“We've tried to talk to some folks, and get as much intel as we can,” Brownell said Saturday about preparing for the West Coast swing and the approximate drive of 40 minutes between campuses. “But I think until you kind of do it, you just got to kind of play it by ear. But, we think we have a decent plan in place to hopefully be ready to play Stanford and Cal on a good trip. These are two good teams.”
The Tigers departed campus on Monday and practiced Tuesday at nearby Santa Clara University, a West Coast Conference member coached by former NC State head coach Herb Sendek (1996–2006).
Clemson becomes the ninth conference program to attempt the Golden State double, joining Florida State, Virginia Tech, Miami, and No. 18 Virginia, who each hosted the two teams, along with Notre Dame, No. 24 Louisville, No. 14 North Carolina, and No. 4 Duke, who navigated the same travel stretch as the Tigers.
Home teams have held a slight advantage with a 6-2 record during those series, while road teams have split results at 4-4 overall. Duke managed a sweep, whereas North Carolina dropped both contests. Notre Dame and Louisville each left with splits, while Virginia and Florida State successfully defended home courts against both opponents.
| Team | Location Format | Record vs Stanford/Cal |
| Duke | Road Trip | 2-0 (Sweep) |
| Notre Dame | Road Trip | 1-1 (Split) |
| Louisville | Road Trip | 1-1 (Split) |
| North Carolina | Road Trip | 0-2 |
| Virginia | Hosted Series | 2-0 (Sweep) |
| Florida State | Hosted Series | 2-0 (Sweep) |
| Virginia Tech | Hosted Series | 1-1 (Split) |
| Miami | Hosted Series | 1-1 (Split) |
Stanford has proven particularly dangerous at home, securing victories against North Carolina and Louisville while dropping a close contest to Notre Dame. California also demonstrated its ability to protect home, highlighted by a victory over the Tarheels and an additional win over the Fighting Irish.
The California trip also allows redshirt senior Nick Davidson and younger brother, true freshman Blake Davidson, to return to their home state, although their hometown of Mission Viejo sits more than 400 miles from both Bay Area campuses. Nick is averaging 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds, while Blake is expected to redshirt during his freshman campaign.
From a standings standpoint, the trip arrives at a crucial juncture. NC State (17-6, 8-2 ACC) tightened the race atop the league by defeating SMU on Tuesday and holds a tiebreaker advantage over Clemson. The Tigers must maintain consistency — avoiding the peaks and valleys — if they hope to return from the Pacific coast with a 2-0 result and control of their ACC destiny.
