Tigers host USC Upstate on Wednesday |
GAME SETUP
CLEMSON (4-2) vs. USC UPSTATE (1-7) Date: Wednesday, December 2 Tipoff: 7 p.m. Arena: Bon Secours Wellness Arena (14,987) Radio: CTSN (Tony Castricone-pbp; Tim Bourret-color) Web: ESPN3 (Roy Philpott-pbp; Nate Ross-color) After three straight road or neutral site games, Clemson returns to Greenville and Bon Secours Wellness Arena for a five-game homestand, beginning Wednesday in the first-ever meeting with USC Upstate. The Tigers look to rebound from an 89-83 loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, when Clemson hit a season-high 14 three-pointers. The 83 points were the most scored by the Clemson program in a loss since the 2011 ACC Tournament semifinal against North Carolina (87). SERIES HISTORY First meeting TIGER TRACKS Clemson assistant coach Steve Smith was a member of USC Upstate head coach Eddie Payne’s staff in Spartanburg from 2002-09. Smith was on staff during the Spartans’ transition into Division I, and helped lead Upstate to consecutive DII NCAA Tournaments in 2005 and 2006. Clemson has scored 70 or more points in five out of the six games this season. Last season, the Tigers scored 70 or more just nine times in 31 games. Clemson’s scoring average is up 12.6 points per game over 2015-16. Jaron Blossomgame entered the 2015-16 season with two career games with 20 or more points, but already has surpassed that with three in the Tigers’ first six games. Jordan Roper posted a career-high 25 points at Minnesota, while adding five assists in 36 minutes. Last year’s Clemson team had just six 20-point performances, but the 2015-16 group has already matched that total. Roper’s 8.3-1 assist-turnover ratio continues to pace the ACC, and is No. 5 in the NCAA. As a team, the Tigers are 15th with a 1.7 ratio. Clemson is averaging 16 assists per game.
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