Surging Clemson team can show program's progress hosting No. 4 Kentucky

All of the early ingredients have begun to come together to set up a recipe for an electric test against No. 4 Kentucky. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / USATODAY)

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Monday, December 02 2024

Brad Brownell sat in the Littlejohn media room, wondering how his new group would begin the year. Several fresh faces joined the roster and were expected to make significant contributions immediately.

Following a double-digit loss on the road to Boise State where a career night from Chase Hunter wasn’t enough, the words “work in progress” felt appropriate for this team.

Much can change in two weeks.

The Tigers have now won four straight, including wins over Penn State and San Francisco, which are both in the top 60 of the NET Rankings.

Last year, Brownell’s unit found favor with the selection committee with a strong non-conference record, starting the year 11-1 once ACC play began. His group had its ebbs and flows in conference play, but a strong start was enough of a boost to mask losses to inferior competition. That team went on to the Elite Eight, cementing the 2023-24 Tigers as one of the best teams to come through the program.

So, what can this version of Clemson Hoops become? That answer began to formulate at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.

In the Sunshine Slam, the potential of this Tiger team was on display through two matchups. Against the Dons and Nittany Lions, the script was relatively the same. Both gave Clemson fits in the first half, only for Brownell’s defense to wear down each matchup in the second half, pulling away for consecutive victories.

Those second-half efforts continued against Florida A&M. After Thanksgiving, the Rattlers provided stiff resistance. However, the Tigers stuffed the Rattler offense with a flurry of punches, putting together a blowout effort.

Brad Brownell still believes there’s another level for this team to reach, but he certainly knows there’s fun to be had in the winning.

“We're still a work in progress for sure,” Brownell said. “But yeah, I mean, I'm pleased with how we've been playing. I think we played well against Radford and then certainly the two games down in Florida. We competed really hard. Our effort was terrific and we probably wore some teams down a little bit tonight. This was a quick turnaround. It was Thanksgiving and just everything that goes with it. I want to thank our crowd. I thought we had a great crowd tonight and that was fun. That was helpful for our guys. Happy for them to get to play in front of a nice crowd at home, but we've got things we've got to work on. Our bench has got to be more productive consistently, but I think we are figuring our team out a little bit. And we've had a nice little run here in the last couple of weeks.”

Those wins have also come with the growth of a balanced attack from the offense. Hunter has wasted no time picking up where he left off from the NCAA Tournament, averaging over 16 points per game as he’s established himself as Clemson’s clear number-one option.

The looming question was who could contribute enough offense to provide a balanced attack against stiffer competition.

The resounding answer in Daytona was Ian Schieffelin, who averaged a double-double away from home, taking home the tournament’s MVP honors. His damage has also been felt on the glass, as he’s become one of the best on the boards in college basketball.

Clemson has marked three straight games with at least three scorers in double digits, with consecutive games of four or more scorers hitting that mark. It certainly has been the quick turnaround this offense needed, with some clear progress being made on that front.

Those scorers have been different contributors every night, with Dillon Hunter becoming a spark off the bench, or Chauncey Wiggins making a much-needed surge in his development in Clemson’s rotation.

Hunter certainly agrees, seeing momentum being established as the team enters December with just one loss.

“Yeah, we got some momentum right now,” Chase Hunter said. “We got some good momentum guys playing well, coming off some big wins, so we're just going to try to keep that momentum going and make sure we play well versus them.”

All of the early ingredients have begun to come together to set up a recipe for an electric test against No. 4 (AP) Kentucky on Tuesday night (9:30 p.m./ESPN).

The Wildcats were ranked 8th in the initial NET rankings, establishing Mark Pope’s unit as one of the best Clemson will play all year.

It circles back to what Brownell believes this team will become. After such a run in the postseason, this team certainly entered the year with heightened expectations, but is that run a flash in the pan or a sign of where this program is headed?

A win in Littlejohn would absolutely signify that Brownell’s program is approaching recognition on a different level than in years past. Defeat would mirror his words about simply where this team stands: a work in progress.

Maybe Tuesday night’s results don't provide a definite answer, but much like this team, results certainly can indicate where things are headed.