NC State Wolfpack basketball is 6-1 (2-0 ACC) entering 2021 and will continue conference play with its ACC road opener at No. 19 Clemson Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.

The Tigers are 8-1 (2-1 ACC) under head coach Brad Brownell in his 11th season with the program. Clemson defeated Miami 66-65 on the road in its most recent game on Jan. 2.

The Pack is also coming off of a win last Wednesday, a 79-76 home victory over Boston College.

Here is the scouting report on Clemson:

Clemson is 8-1 through nine games and has four non-conference wins over Power Five opponents including Mississippi State (53-42), Purdue (81-70), Maryland (67-51) and Alabama (64-56).

After dropping its conference opener on the road to No. 19 Virginia Tech, Clemson has won its last two ACC games against No. 25 Florida State (77-67) and at Miami (66-65).

Clemson was projected to finish 10th in the preseason ACC media poll.

Clemson is currently the ACC's highest-ranked team in the first NET rankings of the season coming in at No. 15.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Tigers ranked No. 26 (NC State is No. 19), and KenPom.com has CU ranked No. 18 (NC State is No. 46).

Clemson is also ranked No. 7 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.

Clemson hasn't been efficient from the field overall, but the Tigers have proven to be a team that can be incredibly effective from the perimeter.

The Tigers have shot 34.4 percent on three-point attempts this season but have heated up to 37.1 percent from beyond the arc in their three conference games, good for third in the ACC in league play.

Overall, Clemson has shot just 42.4 percent from the field, which ranks 247th nationally.

Brownell's squad hasn't been able to get to the line much this season, but when it does, it makes its free throws at a high clip. The Tigers have shot 74.8 percent on free throw attempts, good for 55th nationally and fifth in the ACC.

Similar to NC State, Clemson hasn't been particularly strong on the boards, but it has found some success on the offensive glass.

The Tigers have averaged 34.2 rebounds per contest in nine games, which ranks 249th among Division I teams. Their 10 offensive rebounds per game, however, ranks 176th nationally.

Clemson also has a 29.6 offensive rebounding percentage, good for 130th in the country, and has held opponents to an offensive board on 28.5 percent of defensive possessions.

Clemson's key to success early in the season has come on the defensive end. The Tigers have been an average team offensively, but one of the nation's best on defense.

KenPom ranks Clemson 72nd among Division I teams in adjusted offensive efficiency but second in the county in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Statistically, it's difficult to point to just one specific area the Tigers excel in on the defensive end because they've been so well-rounded.

Overall, Clemson ranks fourth nationally in defensive points per game, allowing opponents to just 56.2 points per contest.

The Tigers' opponents have shot 38.7 percent from the field on an average of 51.1 attempts per game, good for 36th and 12th among Division I teams, respectively.

Like NC State, Clemson has a lot of success in forcing turnovers. The Tigers have a 27.3 defensive turnover percentage and a 12.5 steal percentage, which rank eighth and 21st nationally, respectively.

Brownell's squad has also averaged four blocks per contest in three conference games, which leads the ACC in league play.

Clemson is incredibly deep and distributes minutes rather evenly throughout a 10-man rotation.

The Tigers have 11 players that have averaged at least 10 minutes per game, 10 of which have started at least once this season.

Clemson will likely be without one of those players, Monroe, N.C. native junior forward Hunter Tyson, who was averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15 minutes per game before suffering a head injury against Alabama in December.

Sophomore guard Al-Amir Dawes leads the Tigers in playing time, averaging 27.9 minutes per game in eight starts. He's also Clemson's second-leading scorer, averaging 10.2 points per contest.

Clemson's leading scorer and rebounder is senior forward Aamir Simms. The 6-8, 245-pounder earned first-team All-ACC honors in the preseason media poll and is making a strong case to be an early-season frontrunner for conference Player of the Year.

Simms averages 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He's also third on the team with 2.2 assists per contest and averages 1.1 steals per game.

Simms has been very effective on the offensive glass. He leads the team with 2.3 offensive boards per game and grabs a second-chance rebound on 11 percent of Clemson's offensive possessions, good for 174th individually among Division I players.

He's an efficient scorer that can produce in the post and shoot the deep ball as a pick-and-pop center in Clemson's offensive system. Simms is a 60 percent shooter that has also made 50 percent of his 14 three-point attempts this season.

His effective field goal percentage of 65.5, which adds weighted value on three-point attempts, ranks 72nd nationally for an individual player.

+8.6 Is NC State's average turnover margin this season, which leads the NCAA, while Clemson's +5.0 average turnover margin ranks second in the ACC and 20th in the country.

49.2 Is the Wolfpack's field goal percentage through seven games this season, which leads the ACC and ranks 32nd nationally. The Tigers lead the ACC in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 38.6 percent shooting.

2012-13 Was the last time NC State started 3-0 in conference play. The Wolfpack will have the opportunity to advance to 3-0 in the ACC for the first time in eight years Tuesday night. A win would also give the Pack its second win against a ranked opponent this season.

NC State

G — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Sr., 7.1 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg)

G — 5 Thomas Allen (6-1, 180, Sr., 6.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.4 spg)

G — 24 Devon Daniels (6-5, 205, 5th-Sr., 16.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.3 apg)

F — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 205, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.3 apg)

F — 0 DJ Funderburk (6-10, 225, 5th-Sr., 11.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.8 spg)

Clemson

G – 2 Al-Amir Dawes (6-2, 180, So., 10.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)

G – 0 Clyde Trapp (6-4, 203, Sr. 6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.1 apg)

G – 15 John Newman (6-5, 207, Jr., 4.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.5 apg)

F – 25 Aamir Simms (6-8, 245, Sr., 13.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.2 apg)

F – 1 Jonathon Baehre (6-10, 214, Sr., 5.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 apg)

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