March 11, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Nick Davidson (11) carries the ball and Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Trevon Spillers (25) plays defense in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images RJ Godfrey supplied 11 points and eight rebounds to lead a balanced attack as fifth-seeded Clemson rolled past 13th-seeded Wake Forest 71-62 in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Nick Davidson, Ace Buckner, Buta Johnson and Dylan Hunter each added eight points as the Tigers (23-9) advanced to the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded North Carolina on Thursday night.
Chase Thompson contributed nine points for Clemson, which is seeking its first ACC Tournament title since the event began in 1954.
The Tigers used their trademark physical defense, forcing 12 turnovers and limiting the Demon Deacons’ field accuracy to 44.0%.
Coach Brad Brownell used 10 players on the field for more than 10 minutes to destroy Wake Forest, which was effective in an overtime win over Virginia Tech in Tuesday’s opener.
Clemson had just four turnovers and outscored Wake Forest 34-20.
The Tigers missed their last 12 attempts from 3-point range but made 10 of their first 19 attempts from deep to build a 20-point lead. Seven Clemson players connected from distance, including reserve Dallas Thomas, who finished with both attempts.
Juke Harris had 22 points for Wake Forest (17-16). Nate Calmese added 20 points and Tre’Von Spillers contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
In the opening period, Wake Forest scored two goals in a row to take a 5-2 lead. The Demon Deacons were then untied twice in a row for the remainder of the half.
At the other end of the court, Clemson poured in 3-pointers. Two early triples by Johnson put the Tigers ahead 8-7 and they continued to add to their advantage.
Back-to-back triples by Thomas and Buckner gave Clemson a 16-9 lead. A pair of plays by Buckner and Carter Welling gave the Tigers their first double-digit margin, 27-16, with 7:50 left.
Triples by Thomas and Jake Wahlin in the final five minutes allowed Clemson to extend its lead to 41-23 at the break.
The Demon Deacons trailed by their largest margin, 52-32, before Calmese hit a pair of 3-pointers around a trio of free throws.
Calmese won 52-41 with 11:29 left. But since then, Wake Forest has never let the deficit go below 8 points.
Welling suffered a right knee injury in the first half and was seen on crutches in the second half.
Losing Welling, the tallest Tiger at 6 feet 11 inches, would be a huge blow. He is the team’s second leading scorer and top rebounder, averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game entering the tournament.
–Field level media
