AROUND THE ACC

For a team that has struggled with turnovers for much of the year, Clemson's recent trouble handling the ball has not been surprising. In back-to-back road defeats at Florida State and North Carolina last week, the Tigers committed a combined 38 turnovers. After a 3-3 start in ACC play, Clemson has dropped three straight, falling to ninth in the league. The Tigers' 347 turnovers ranks third-worst in the conference, surpassed only by Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, owners of the ACC's two worst records. "When you turn the basketball over-averaging twenty a game for our team that struggles to score-that puts an additional burden on our defense," head coach Oliver Purnell said of his team's play last week. Clemson's ball-handling woes came at the most inopportune moments in each game, killing momentum and leading to easy scores for the Seminoles and Tar Heels. In Tallahassee, two straight turnovers quickly turned a tie game into a seven-point deficit. Against North Carolina, the Tigers' miscues keyed big runs at the start of each half for the Tar Heels. "Our inability to take care of the basketball cost us in both those instances," Purnell said. "Putting yourself in a chase mode on the road in this league is very difficult." The barrage of turnovers accentuated Clemson's offensive struggles. In those same road losses, Clemson made only 8-of-39 three-point attempts and shot a combined 37 percent from the field. The Tigers, who average more than 73 points per game, scored just 59 and 61 in the two games, respectively. "Well, we're obviously struggling right now," Purnell said. "One of the reasons is the point we're at in the schedule. We probably have passed the toughest part and it hurt us." Four of the Tigers' last seven contests are at Littlejohn Coliseum, including Wednesday's battle with Virginia Tech. "In some ways, the schedule's favorable in that we've passed the tough part," Purnell said. "But that certainly doesn't mean anything is going to be easy from here on out."