Dallas Dominance: Clemson cruises past SMU in blowout road victory

Ian Schieffelin was all over the court versus the sizable Mustangs lineup. (Photo: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Saturday, February 22 2025

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the wins.

Clemson and SMU clashed for the first time as conference foes on the hardwood, and the Tigers overwhelmed the Mustangs in Dallas to make it four wins in a row this season, 79-69.

If you had been told the Tigers wouldn’t record a basket inside the arc until the 12-minute mark, there might be a slight concern.

There would be if not for Clemson’s scorching 7-for-8 start from three-point land. Jaeden Zackery led the way, knocking down his first three makes from deep, setting the tone for a fiery first half.

Zackery closed the half finishing 5-5 from three, becoming the Tigers’ most consistent option in Dallas in a crucial ACC clash. Ten of Clemson’s 13 makes in the first half were from beyond the arc, magnifying a necessary formula with the lack of size becoming an apparent issue.

Zackery finished with a team-high 19 points, two short of his season high.

With Christian Reeves’ absence on Saturday (ankle), the frontcourt depth was thin to begin with.

Along came foul trouble. Viktor Lakhin, Chauncey Wiggins, and Myles Foster all collected two fouls before halftime, making the rotation more challenging to manage.

The Tigers created separation in the second half, generating turnovers at a high rate. Totaling nine steals, the halfcourt defense swarmed the Mustangs, which led to quick baskets on the other end. Despite facing foul trouble, the Tigers’ aggression persisted as the defense navigated SMU’s screens to create chaos in their passing lanes.

Clemson collected 18 points off 16 SMU turnovers.

If Zackery started the offensive surge, then Chase Hunter certainly finished it. Hunter put together a clinic in the second half, driving the offense with 12 points, erasing a first-half funk where the All-ACC guard only totaled five points.

Clemson’s guards shined, but the ball movement as a whole unit gave the offense an extra push on the road. The Tigers recorded a season-high 24 assists on 28 makes, with Dillon Hunter leading the team with seven, playing at a fluidity that’s capped off a strong stretch as February creeps to a close.

Where the Tigers’ offense shined, the Mustangs’ high-flying offense was kept on the ground. Entering Saturday’s clash, they averaged 82.4 points per game.

Against Clemson, SMU wasn’t even close, struggling to maintain consistency throughout the afternoon. Plenty of those struggles came from the inability to hold on to the ball, coughing it up well over the season average of 11.6 per game.

Lakhin added 16 points, able to stay on the court for a majority of the second half after missing time with early fouls.

The Tigers move to 4-2 in NCAA NET metric Quad 1 games, putting one more strong stamp on their resume.