Feb. 13, 2026, 12:03 p.m. ET
The 18th-ranked Clemson Tigers have their work cut out for them if they want to move on quickly from Wednesday’s 76-66 upset loss to Virginia Tech in ACC basketball play. The Tigers play the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Clemson (20-5 overall, 10-2 conference) fell to the Hokies after a successful trip out west in which the Tigers earned a gritty four-point win at Stanford and a 22-point blowout win over a California Golden Bears team that’s on various NCAA Tournament bubble watches.
Virginia Tech got 23 points from Jailen Bedford, including a 3-pointer to close the first half, and 19 points from Ben Hammond to send Clemson to just its second home loss of the season. The Tigers had won 13 of their last 14 games this season, and 27 of 30 ACC regular-season contests dating back to last season.
One of those wins came in February 2025 when Clemson took down Duke in a 77-71 upset at Littlejohn Coliseum. More recently, the Blue Devils (22-2, 11-1) bounced back from a 71-68 loss at rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a 70-54 win at Pittsburgh earlier this wee.
Duke is led in scoring by Cameron Boozer, who averages 23 points per night. That ranks No. 4 nationally.
The Tigers nearly pulled an upset the last time they visited Duke in January 2024, falling 72-71 on a late foul call that sent Tyrese Proctor to the free-throw line for the go-ahead points with one second remaining. The Tigers have won two of the last three meetings against the Blue Devils.
Will Clemson make it three of four when the Tigers visit Cameron Indoor Stadium?
Will Clemson beat Duke basketball in ACC upset? ESPN’s prediction
Ahead of Clemson-Duke, ESPN’s matchup predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its college basketball power index (BPI) and other variables, weighed in with its odds. ESPN’s metrics give the Tigers have only a 10.8% chance to win and the Blue Devils an 89.2% chance.
ESPN explains its basketball power index and score projections:
The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily.”
ESPN projects Clemson basketball’s odds of winning ACC after upset loss to Virginia Tech
ESPN’s BPI ratings give Clemson an overall final record projection of 23.4-7.6, which includes a 13.4-4.6 mark in ACC play. The Tigers’ remaining strength of schedule rates 66th nationally.
Clemson is currently given a 3.4% chance of winning the ACC title, which is down from 4.8% last week.
Duke leads the BPI with a 24.9 rating (12.5 offense, 12.3 defense). The Blue Devils also have the highest odds of winning the ACC at 97%, according to ESPN’s metrics. Among ACC teams, Clemson is ranked fourth in BPI, one spot behind Virginia and one spot ahead of North Carolina.
Where Clemson basketball lands in ESPN’s latest BPI metrics
Clemson is 27th nationally in ESPN’s latest BPI ratings, the same as last week. The Tigers have a 15.4 overall rating. The metrics give the Tigers a 6.1 rating on offense that ranks 51st nationally, and a 9.3 rating on defense that’s 16th-best.
Start time, TV channel for Clemson vs Duke basketball
Tipoff for Clemson-Duke is noon ET Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN. Dave O’Brien, Cory Alexander and Dick Vitale are scheduled to have the TV call of the game.
Additionally, the game can be heard on the Clemson Athletic Network featuring Tigers play-by-play voice Don Munson and analyst Tim Bourret. The Clemson radio call of the game can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 193.
Find your local Clemson radio affiliate below.
| CITY, STATE | FREQUENCY |
| Clemson | 105.5 FM |
| Camden | 102.7 |
| Charleston | 98.5 |
| Columbia | 93.1 |
| Florence | 97.1 |
| Greenville | 92.5 |
| Greenwood | 1450 AM |
| Hampton | 92.1 |
| Hilton Head | 96.1 |
| Hilton Head | 1130 |
| Myrtle Beach | 100.7 |
| Myrtle Beach | 105.9 |
| Newberry | 1240 |
| Orangeburg | 105.3 |
| Rock Hill | 100.1 |
| Rock Hill | 1340 |
| Spartanburg | 97.5 |
| Sumter | 94.7 |
| Union | 103.5 |
| Union | 1460 |
| Charlotte, N.C. | 730 |
| Lincolnton, N.C. | 1050 |
Clemson basketball schedule 2026
All start times Eastern.
- Nov. 3: vs. New Hampshire (W, 88-38)
- Nov. 7: vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 97-59)
- Nov. 11: vs. Morehead State (W, 83-56)
- Nov. 15: at Georgetown (L, 79-74)
- Nov. 17: vs. North Alabama (W, 81-61)
- Nov. 21: vs. West Virginia (W, 70-67)
- Nov. 23: vs. Georgia (W, 97-94, OT)
- Nov. 28: vs. Alabama A&M (W, 92-56)
- Dec. 3: at Alabama (L, 90-84)
- Dec. 9 vs. BYU (L, 67-64)
- Dec. 13: vs. Mercer (W, 70-63)
- Dec. 16: vs. South Carolina (W, 68-61)
- Dec. 21: vs. Cincinnati (W, 68-65)
- Dec. 31: at Syracuse (W, 64-61)
- Jan. 3: at Pittsburgh (W, 73-68)
- Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 74-70)
- Jan. 10: at Notre Dame (W, 76-61)
- Jan. 13: vs. Boston College (W, 74-50)
- Jan. 17: vs. Miami (W, 69-59)
- Jan. 20: vs. NC State (L, 80-76, OT)
- Jan. 24: at Georgia Tech (W, 77-63)
- Jan. 31: vs. Pittsburgh (W, 63-52)
- Feb. 4: at Stanford (W, 66-64)
- Feb. 7: at California (W, 77-55)
- Feb. 11: vs. Virginia Tech (L, 76-66)
- Feb. 14: at Duke, Noon, ESPN
- Feb. 18: at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Feb. 21: Florida State, Noon, The CW
- Feb. 28: vs. Louisville, ESPN or ESPN2
- March 3: at North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU
- March 7: vs. Georgia Tech, Noon, ACC Network
Overall: 20-5.
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