Clemson has already played three ACC games and has lost all three of them going into Saturday’s game against NC State.

The Tigers are off to a 6-7 start, which includes league losses against Virginia Tech and Miami (Fla.) at home, and a road defeat at Florida State. Clemson enters the NC State game with six losses among its last seven games, including falling to Yale 54-45 on Dec. 22.

NC State (10-3) travels to Clemson at 12 p.m. Saturday on the ACC Network.

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Clemson coach Brad Brownell has reached the NCAA Tournament twice since 2011, with three trips to the NIT mixed in. Reaching the postseason this season appears to be a significant challenge.

The Tigers are a mixed of younger players and transfers, but junior center Aamir Simms is the anchor. He leads the way with 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Clemson also welcomed back veteran guard Clyde Trapp over the last three games.

Rankings

In the NET rankings done by the NCAA, Clemson is currently No. 115 in the country. KenPom.com has Clemson at No. 99, and ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Tigers at No. 91.

The Tigers are ranked No. 152 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.

Shooting

Clemson ranks 11th in the ACC in scoring and are shooting 42.0 percent from the field, which is 12th in the league, and 31.7 percent on three-pointers, which ranks 10th.

The addition of Trapp could help with the outside shooting (he’s 4 of 9 on three-pointers), but well-traveled transfer Tevin Mack paces the squad. The Columbia, S.C., native is shooting 34.9 percent on three-pointers with a team-high 22 made three-pointers. Freshman guard Al-Amir Dawes has made 20 three-pointers and is 29 percent from beyond the arc.

Rebounding

The Tigers are 14th in the ACC with 33.9 rebounds per game, including 8.8 on the offensive boards. The aforementioned Simms and Mack are one-two on the squad in rebounds per game. Simms is tied for eighth in the ACC with 7.7 rebounds per game and Mack adds 5.0 a contest.

Simms has 100 rebounds with a team-high 32 on the offensive boards. The next highest offensive rebounder is Texas Tech transfer Khavon Moore, who has 14.

Defense

The Tigers rank fifth in the ACC in allowing 62.3 points per game. Opponents are shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 33.5 percent on three-pointers, with the latter category ranking 14th in the league.

Clemson lacks a shot-blocker with Simms having eight on the season, and Mack and reserve center Trey Jemison both have six. Simms is one of six players who have reached at least 10 steals, and he leads the way with 16

Depth

Clemson played three reserves in the overtime loss to Miami on Tuesday. Dawes is averaging 8.6 points and 3.2 assists in 31.7 minutes per game. He started with Trapp injured, but came off the bench for 32 minutes against the Hurricanes.

Sophomore forward Hunter Tyson of Monroe, N.C., is averaging 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game. Backup center Jemison is averaging 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game.

Freshman guard Chase Hunter hasn’t played since the South Carolina loss Dec. 15, and Moore didn’t play in the Miami loss.

Junior center Aamir Simms has been a one-man show inside due to the offseason injury to UNC Asheville transfer Jonathan Baehre, who was expected to help him this season.

The 6-8, 240-pounder was ranked No. 93 overall in the country in the class of 2017 by Rivals.com, coming out of Palmyra (Va.) Blue Ridge. He also was part of a talented Team Loaded VA traveling team squad.

Simms has steadily improved each and every season at Clemson. He’s averaging career highs with 13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The one concern is that he isn’t a shot-blocker.

Simms enters Saturday’s game on a mini-roll. He had had 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and even blocked two shots in the 73-68 overtime loss vs. Miami last Tuesday. He is averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game over the last four contests.

NC State

PG — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 175, Sr., 13.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.8 spg)

SG — 24 Devon Daniels (6-5, 205, R-Jr., 11.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.9 spg)

G — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 apg)

PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 205, Soph., 10.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.8 apg)

C — 15 Manny Bates (6-11, 230, R-Fr., 6.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.3 apg, 3.3 bpg)

Clemson

PG — 0 Clyde Trapp (6-4, 194, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.3 apg)

SG — 10 Curran Scott (6-4, 205, Sr., 7.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg)

G — 15 John Newman (6-5, 197, Soph., 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg)

F — 13 Tevin Mack (6-6, 227, Sr., 10.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 spg)

C — 25 Aamir Simms (6-8, 240, Jr., 13.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg)

4 Games where junior center Aamir Simms has scored at least 20 points in his career. He had 21 points against Miami in the Tigers’ last game, 23 against Colorado on Nov. 26 and also had 21 against South Carolina on Dec. 15.

5 Transfers on the roster including senior small forward Tevin Mack (Texas/Alabama), senior shooting guard Curran Scott (Tulsa), sophomore forward Khavon Moore (Texas Tech), center Jonathan Baehre (UNC Asheville) and sophomore guard Nick Honor (Fordham) is redshirting.

45 Wins when Clemson holds opponents to 50 points or less in 47 games under coach Brad Brownell since 2010. CU had held opponents to 40 or less nine times.

Clemson senior Tevin Mack took a long route to play for the Tigers. The Columbia (S.C.) Dreher product was ranked No. 61 overall in the class of 2015 by Rivals.com. He signed with Virginia Commonwealth, but when then coach Shaka Smart left to Texas, Mack followed.

The 6-6, 227-pound Mack was averaging 14.8 points per game during his sophomore year at Texas, but was suspended 15 games into the season. He transferred to Alabama where he averaged 9.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last year.

Mack graduated and made the move to Clemson, and he was humming along for the first month of the season, but then has hit a wall. Mack scored in double figures in eight of his first nine games, but has just 18 points over the last four contests.

Mack has always been a capable three-point shooter and is shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc this season. However, he has struggled at the free-throw line throughout his college career, and is just 55.6 percent this season and hasn’t gotten to the line that often with just 18 attempts (making 10).

NC State sophomore forward Jericole Hellems is averaging 10.5 points per game, but is still trying to find his game after suffering a concussion against Wake Forest on Dec. 7.

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