CLEMSON — Following Saturday's breakout effort at Wake Forest, freshman guard Devin Coleman said he gained confidence with his first made shot.

The Clemson guard entered the game 2-of-23 on the season; he finished with four makes in five tries for nine points, doubling his total points for the entire season.

He built on that confidence Tuesday against Virginia. Although his first 3-point try rimmed out, Coleman came back midway through the first half, nailing a 3 from the left wing that gave Clemson a 19-17 advantage. He finished the half with seven points on three made shots, and finished the game with nine points on four-of-seven shooting.

"I had some rhythm shots against Wake Forest, and I had some rhythm shots tonight," Coleman said. "I've got to keep my head up when I do miss and shoot the open shots if I have them. And just have confidence going forward."

Clemson coach Brad Brownell is seeing the light come on for Coleman. He had 23 minutes Tuesday, more than any of the Tigers' five freshmen.

"Devin Coleman has improved a lot," Brownell said. "He's starting to do in games the things we've seen in practice, the ability to move off screens in offense. It's taken him a while to figure out things at both ends of the court, the way we want him to play.

"He needed a couple of shots to go down and take the pressure off."

Coleman said he took solace from watching NBA games, and knowing he isn't the first — or last — player with talent to slump.

"It's just knowing that everyone goes through struggles," he said. "I watch a ton of NBA games, and guys like Ray Allen, people that can shoot the lights out, everyone goes through slumps. Just knowing that helped me stick with it."

Sellout crowd

Following an announced crowd of 7,321 in last week's loss to Maryland (in reality, Littlejohn was only about half-full), Clemson's marketers used several sales (including $5 kids' tickets and a two-tickets-for-$20 deal that also included concession vouchers) that produced a sellout crowd of 10,000 Tuesday night. It was the second sellout of the season, following Jan. 15's visit from Duke. Last season, the Tigers sold out five ACC games, with the smallest ACC crowd listed at 8,592.

Some who bought the tickets clearly didn't use them, though. There were plenty of empty seats in the student sections and Littlejohn's upper reaches.

Lovely day

February 14 is a momentous day for Clemson basketball. Entering Tuesday night, the Tigers were 15-4 at home in program history on Valentine's Day. That's the most successful day in home history, passing the 13 wins on Jan. 18. Overall, Clemson has 21 wins on Feb. 14, second-most in program history, including a 1967 win over North Carolina in Charlotte and a 1987 overtime win over Virginia in Charlottesville.

Same lineup

Clemson used the starting lineup that produced Saturday's 78-58 win at Wake Forest — guards Andre Young and Tanner Smith and forwards Bryan Narcisse, Milton Jennings and Devin Booker. It is the 10th different lineup combination Brad Brownell has used this season.