Clemson Tigers
ACC (23-9, 11-7)
Most expected Clemson to be towards the bottom of the ACC pecking order this year. But instead the Tigers put together a superb season and competed for a conference title. Coach Brad Brownell deserves a lot of credit for taking the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since his debut season in 2010-2011.
Big Wins: 11/29 at Ohio State (79-65), 1/13 Miami (72-63), 1/30 North Carolina (82-78)
Bad Losses: 11/19 vs Temple (60-67), 1/11 at NC State (77-78), 2/21 at Virginia Tech (58-65)
Coach: Brad Brownell
Why They Can Surprise:
Clemson will always play good defense, but this group has some very talented scorers as well. Marcquise Reed, a 6-3 junior, leads the way with 15.9 points per game. He has not been the most consistent three-point shooter this year, but he is extremely effective attacking the basket. He also spearheads the defensive effort on the perimeter. Point guard Shelton Mitchell can knock down some three-pointers too, but like Reed he does most of his scoring by attacking the basket. It is Gabe DeVoe who has emerged as the team’s biggest shooting threat. The 6-3 senior averages 13.2 points per game and connects on an impressive 38.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. In the frontcourt, the main scorer is Elijah Thomas. He is having a very strong senior season and averages 10.8 points and 7.9 rebounds.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The pressure has been on Thomas since Donte Grantham went down with a season ending injury in late January. Grantham, a 6-8 senior, was averaging 14.2 points and 6.9 rebounds prior to the injury. Thomas has performed very well, but the Tigers frontcourt now lacks depth. Mark Donnal, a transfer from Michigan, provides some size and David Skara, a transfer from Valparaiso, is an outside shooting threat, but this team will continue to miss Grantham.
Probable Starters:
Shelton Mitchell, Junior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 3.5 apg
Marcquise Reed, Junior, Guard, 15.9 ppg, 3.4 apg, 4.6 rpg
Gabe DeVoe, Senior, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 2,0 apg, 4.7 rpg
David Skara, Junior, Forward, 3.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Elijah Thomas, Junior, Forward, 10.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Key Role Players:
Aamir Simms, Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Mark Donnal, Senior, Center, 3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Clyde Trapp, Freshman, Guard, 2.0 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.2 (195th in nation, 11th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.3 (25, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.6 (136, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.8 (27, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.3 (113, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.0 (83, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.8 (56, 3)
Rebound Margin: 2.2 (104, 6)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (200, 12)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (108, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NIT First Round loss to Oakland
2014 NIT First Round win over Georgia State
2014 NIT Second Round win over Illinois
2014 NIT Regional Final win over Belmont
2014 NIT 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 3/4
