Clemson Hosts Belmont in NIT Quarterfinals

by CU Athletic Communications - Mon Mar 24 19:27:49 GMT-04:00 2014

CLEMSON, S.C. - With a trip to New York City and the famous Madison Square Garden for the National Invitation Tournament semifinals on the line, Clemson and Belmont square off Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Littlejohn Coliseum. It is the first meeting between the two schools.

GAME SETUP

CLEMSON (22-12) vs. BELMONT (26-9, 14-2 OVC)

Tipoff: Tuesday, March 25 (7 p.m.)

Tickets: 1-800-CLEMSON or ClemsonTigers.com (http://bit.ly/1hV4IpM)

Radio: CTSN (Pete Yanity-pbp; Tim Bourret-color)

TV: ESPN (Rich Hollenberg-pbp; Jimmy Dykes-color)

• Clemson faces Belmont for the first time Tuesday with the right to advance to New York City for the NIT semifinals on the line.

• Clemson beat Illinois in the second round, 50-49. Rod HallRod Hall
Jr. Guard
#4 6-1, 210
Augusta, GA
View Full Profile made the go-ahead layup with 9.3 seconds left. It was the first time since 2009 that Clemson won a game in regulation after trailing heading into the final 10 seconds.

• Sunday’s game was the most attended NIT game this season.

SERIES HISTORY

CU Series W-L record: First meeting

QUICK HITS

• Clemson enters Tuesday’s game ranked atop the NCAA stats in defending the three with a .279 figure. Belmont has made 311 three-pointers, fifth-most in the country. The Bruins shoot it at a .393 rate, 17th-best in the NCAA.

• The Tigers can set a school record Tuesday by winning their sixth game in the month of March. Clemson matched the school record of five, held by the 2006-07 team that advanced to the NIT championship game, with Sunday’s win over Illinois.

• Sunday’s win over Illinois was Clemson’s first this season when trailing with one minute left in regulation.

• This is the fourth time Clemson plays with only one day of preparation between non-tournament games. The Tigers are 2-1 in games following one day of rest, most recently beating Miami 58-54.

• The Tigers have blocked nine shots in each of their first two NIT games and are leading the ACC in the category at 6.1 per game.

• K.J. McDanielsK.J. McDaniels
Jr. Forward
#32 6-6, 200
Birmingham, AL
View Full Profile became the 21st underclassman and 37th player overall in school history to reach 1,000 career points in Clemson’s most recent game.