Clemson Tigers
ACC (17-14, 10-8)
Clemson has had their ups and downs this season, but it has mostly been up. Nonconference losses to Massachusetts and Minnesota got the team off to a rough start. Getting swept in three games in nine days against SEC opponents did not help matters heading into ACC action. But following a loss at North Carolina, the Tigers went on a great 5-0 run. And it was not just the fact that they won five games in a row, but they beat Florida State, Syracuse, Louisville, Duke and Miami, with the last three being ranked in the top 20 at the time.
Big Wins: 1/10 Louisville (66-62), 1/13 Duke (68-63), 1/16 Miami (76-65)
Bad Losses: 11/23 vs Massachusetts (65-82), 11/30 at Minnesota (83-89), 2/20 at NC State (74-77)
Coach: Brad Brownell
Why They Can Surprise:
What the Tigers have that is so tough to deal with is a versatile frontcourt that can hit outside shots. Forward Jaron Blossomgame is the leader of the team and averages 18.7 points per game. At 6-7 and 220 pounds he is a very tough matchup considering he is very efficient offensively inside and outside the arc. Blossomgame will be taking all of the big shots for Clemson. But he has been more difficult to defend with the emergence of 6-8 sophomore Donte Grantham. He is not nearly as efficient as Blossomgame, but Grantham can knock down three balls too. With Landry Nnoko manning the center spot and emerging as a decent interior scorer, Clemson has one of the best frontcourts in the country. What makes them even better than their versatility and their scoring is the fact that both Blossomgame and Nnoko are very good shot blockers and make it extremely difficult for anybody to score easily in the paint. Sidy Djitte, a 6-10 center, will provide about 15 minutes per game of solid defense and rebounding when the big guys need a break.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, despite the size on this team, they are not particularly strong on the glass. By size alone they can outrebound some teams, but Grantham does not help much in the rebounding department, leaving this one of the worst rebounding teams in the ACC. The backcourt gets overshadowed by the frontcourt, but Jordan Roper and Avry Holmes deserve a lot of credit for avoiding turnovers and creating for Blossomgame and Grantham. Both Holmes and Roper are capable shooters too and can put up big numbers in the scoring department on occasion. More importantly, especially in March, those two need to keep the tempo slow, wait for the big guys and create some offense and opportunities for Blossomgame and Grantham. This is not a fast moving team and that has kept them in most games, but they need to avoid long scoring droughts and be more aggressive instead of settling for jump shots. This is a good free-throw shooting team across the board, but they do not get to the line very often and sometimes that is the best way to end a scoring drought.
Probable Starters:
Jordan Roper, Senior, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 3.8 apg
Avry Holmes, Junior, Guard, 10.0 ppg, 2.6 apg
Jaron Blossomgame, Junior, Forward, 18.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Donte Grantham, Sophomore, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 2.3 apg, 4.1 rpg
Landry Nnoko, Senior, Center, 8.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Gabe DeVoe, Sophomore, Guard, 5.3 ppg, 1.4 apg
Sidy Djitte, Junior, Center, 5.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.1 (262nd in nation, 14th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.7 (20, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.5 (199, 12)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.8 (91, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.6 (111, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.2 (148, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.4 (73, 6)
Rebound Margin: 0.9 (161, 11)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (178, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.2 (15, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NIT First Round win over Georgia State
2014 NIT Second Round win over Illinois
2014 NIT Regional Final win over Belmont
2014 NIT National Semifinal loss to SMU
2011 NCAA Opening Round win over UAB
2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to West Virginia
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Missouri
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Villanova
2007 NIT First Round win over East Tennessee State
2007 NIT Second Round win over Mississippi
2007 NIT Quarterfinal win over Syracuse
2007 NIT Semifinal win over Air Force
2007 NIT Final loss to West Virginia
*all team stats through 3/6
