Game 20 Notes: Clemson vs. Florida St |
Game 20: Clemson at Florida State Thursday, Jan. 24, 2002 8:00 PM (EST) Leon County Civic Center (12,200) Tallahassee, FL TV: Fox Sports Net/Sunshine Play By Play: Mike Hogewood * Color Analyst: Dan Bonner Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Properties Play By Play: Jim Phillips * Color Analyst: Tim Bourret Clemson vs. Florida State Series * This is the 35th meeting between Clemson and Florida State in men's basketball. The Seminoles hold a 19-15 lead. The Seminoles have won four of the last six meetings, but Clemson won the most recent outing, a 66-64 victory in the ACC Tournament in Atlanta, GA last year. Florida State had won the two regular season meetings last year, 88-84 at Florida State and 75-63 at Clemson. Last year the two teams met in the final regular season game at Clemson, then met five days later in the ACC Tournament. * Clemson has 3-10 all-time record in Tallahassee. The wins came in 1961-62 (82-77), 1996-97 (76-70) and 1997-98 (78-49). Florida State has beaten Clemson by six points or less five of the last seven games at the Leon County Coliseum. In fact, each of Florida State's last five wins over Clemson in Tallahassee have been by six points or less. Larry Shyatt has lost three games by 13 points in Tallahassee in his three previous trips to the state capital. * Florida State has won the three games in Tallahassee in the Larry Shyatt era by six, three and four points, respectively. * Clemson's 78-45 win over Florida State at Littlejohn Coliseum in 1998-99 was the second largest margin of victory in Clemson history in an ACC game. The Tigers led by 22 at the half. * Over the last 11 meetings, Florida State has won six games and Clemson has won five. Clemson's average margin of victory in those three wins is 22 points a game. Florida State's average margin in its six victories in that time is five points per game. * Clemson swept Florida State with two of its most impressive games of the 1997-98 season. Clemson won the game at Clemson, 86-65, its highest scoring ACC game of the season. Florida State was ranked 17th in the nation entering the contest. Clemson won at Tallahassee 78-49, the largest margin of victory in an ACC road game in school history. Clemson has not won in Tallahassee since that game. * Clemson and FSU first met in the 1952 Gator Bowl Tournament in Jacksonville, FL. The Tigers won 62-56 and in fact won the first three games of the series, one in Jacksonville, one in Charlotte and one in Clemson. * Since Florida State joined the ACC in 1991-92, the Seminoles have won 15 of the 23 meetings. Clemson's top victory in that time came in the 1993 ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Clemson defeated a 10th-ranked Florida State team, 87-75. That victory, led by Clemson future NBA players Sharone Wright, Chris Whitney and Devin Gray, broke a 27-game Clemson losing streak in the Tournament as a lower seeded team. All three scored at least 20 points, the last time Clemson had three 20-point scorers in the same game. * Clemson is 2-1 against Florida State in the ACC Tournament, including 1-1 against Larry Shyatt. Each of Clemson's two wins over Florida State in the ACC Tournament came in seasons the Tigers lost both regular season games to the Seminoles. Kennedy and Maravich Coached at Midcourt One of the more unique games of the series took place before Florida State was in the ACC. On Jan. 8, 1962, Clemson defeated FSU 75-69. In that game, both coaches, Bud Kennedy of Florida State, and Press Maravich of Clemson, sat side-by-side at mid-court while the game was in progress. Both coaches, who were good friends, had dinner together the night before the game at Sports Information Director Bob Bradley's home in Clemson and decided to watch the game together. During timeouts they huddled with their team, then returned to their chairs at mid-court. Clemson defeated a 15-8 Florida State team twice that season. Last Year vs. Florida State... Florida State 88, Clemson 84 Jan. 31, 2001 at Tallahassee, FL Florida State made 12-16 free throws in overtime and scored 20 points overall in the extra session and defeated Clemson 88-84 in overtime at Tallahassee, FL on Jan. 31, 2001. It was the first conference win of the season for the Seminoles, who have now won five games by six points or less over the Tigers in Tallahassee since 1994. Will Solomon led the Tigers with perhaps his finest all-around game of the year. The junior scored 25 points, had six rebounds and six assists in his 40 minutes of play. He made 6-13 three-point shots and held Florida State's Adrian Crawford to 4-14 shooting for the night. Freshman Chris Hobbs added 17 points and11 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season. He made 6-12 shots from the field and had eight offensive rebounds. Ray Henderson added nine points, including a short jumper with four seconds left to send the game into overtime. Edward Scott had nine of his 11 points in the last five minutes of regulation and the overtime period, while Tony Stockman added 10 points. Five players scored in double figures for Florida State, led by guard Delvon Arrington, who had 16 points and seven assists. Clemson was without the services of Adam Allenspach, who was out with a back ailment. Still, the smaller Tigers won the rebounding battle, 43-42. Clemson showed a much-improved defense over its game with Virginia, holding the Seminoles to 41 percent shooting, 36 percent on three-point shots. Clemson got off to a difficult start offensively, hitting just 4-19 from the field to open the game. Florida State had a 34-20 lead with three minutes left in the half. But, Clemson closed with a 10-4 run and trailed by just eight at the half. Florida State stretched the lead again to double figures, holding a 58-45 lead with 8:35 left. Clemson was still down 60-50 at the 6:30 mark, but mounted a comeback. Clemson took a 64-63 lead on a jumper by Tony Stockman with just 3:08 left. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way until Henderson's jumper tied the score. But Florida State went on a 13-4 run to open the overtime. Clemson trailed by nine with 38 seconds left, then cut the margin to two with five seconds remaining, but that was as close as the Tigers got. Florida State 75, Clemson 63 March 3, 2001 at Clemson, SC Florida State went on a 30-9 run over the last 8:43 of the first half and went on to a 75-63 win over Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum on March 3. It was the final game of the regular season for the Tigers who fell to Florida State for the second time in 2000-01. Tony Stockman led Clemson with 20 points in just 25 minutes. The freshman made 6-10 three-point shots and had three steals to go with two assists and just one turnover. Will Solomon had 11 points, but all 11 came in the first half. Ray Henderson scored all nine of his points in the second half. Clemson shot 37.5 percent from the field for the game. The Tigers committed just nine turnovers, their second lowest single game total of the season. It was a disappointing Senior Day for Clemson's only senior Adam Allenspach. The 7-1 center had been limited by back ailments since Christmas. He started this game, but could play only three minutes as he re-injured his back and spent the rest of the game getting therapy in the training room. Florida State had a balanced attack led by freshman Michael Joiner, who scored 14 points. Mike Mathews added 13 points off the bench, while Antwuan Dixon added 10 points and eight rebounds. Florida State made 84 percent of its free throws and hit 7-19 three-point shots. State won the rebound battle 36-32. Clemson had a 22-20 lead at the 9:48 mark of the first half. Clemson made 7 of13 shots from the field to open the game and Solomon had 11 of those 22 points. But, Florida State hit 10 of its last 12 shots of the half and had a 50-31 lead at intermission. Behind freshmen Tony Stockman, Dwon Clifton and Chris Hobbs, the Tigers cut the margin to 10 points by the 12:19 mark of the second half. Freshmen scored 11 of the 13 points. Florida State made just 1 of its first 10 shots of the second half. But, Florida State would not allow the Tigers to get closer than nine points (61-52) the rest of the way. A seven-point flurry highlighted by a three-point goal and drive for a layup by Delvon Arrington gave Florida State a 71-55 lead with three minutes left. Clemson 66, Florida State 64 ACC Tournament March 8, 2001 at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA Clemson gained revenge for two regular season losses with a 66-64 win over Florida State in the 8 vs. 9 game at the 2001 ACC Tournament at the Georgia Dome. Ray Henderson led the Tigers with 15 points, while Will Solomon added 13 and Edward Scott scored 12 to key the win for the Tigers. Antwuan Dixon led Florida State with 23 points, while Michael Joiner and Adrian Crawford scored 11 apiece. Clemson held Delvon Arrington to just six points and two assists. Clemson jumped out to a 15-8 lead in the game's first nine minutes. Clemson's defense held Florida State to just eight points in the first nine minutes. But, Florida State went on 12-5 run to tie the score at 20 with 6:39 left, then took the lead on a Dixon jumper at the 5:56 mark. The Seminoles held a30-27 lead at intermission as Clemson made just 9-30 shots from the field. Clemson then countered with a 13-5 run to open the second half and had a 40-35 lead with 14:36 left after a steal and layup by Scott. But, Florida State came back with a 6-0 run to take the lead back at 41-40. Clemson jumped back to an eight-point lead, largest of the game for either team on a layup by Scott with 6:36 left. It gave Clemson a 57-49 lead. The Seminoles then went on a 13-4 run and held a 62-61 lead with 3:29 left. But, with 1:50 to go, Tomas Nagys made a steal and fed to Solomon, who made a three-point goal at the 1:45 mark, giving Clemson the lead for good. Two free throws by Edward Scott with 10 seconds left gave Clemson a 66-62 lead and Monte Cummings layup at the buzzer became meaningless. Ray Henderson's 15 points were a career high. He also contributed eight rebounds. Nagys added four points and five rebounds off the bench. Clemson shot 55 percent from the field in the second half and made 9-12 free throws for the game. Clemson Veterans vs. Florida State Ray Henderson has an 8.8 scoring average and has 32 rebounds in just five games against Florida State in his career... Edward Scott has a 15/9 assist/turnover ratio for his career against the Seminoles... Tony Stockman had 20 points in the game at Clemson last year and he made 9-21 three-point goals in the three games combined... Chris Hobbs averaged 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in the three games last year. Last Time Out Maryland 99, Clemson 90 Jan. 20, 2002 at College Park, MD Clemson placed all five starters in double figures and made a school record tying 15 three-point goals, yet lost to third-ranked Maryland in College Park, 99-90 on Jan. 20. Clemson also had a +10 rebound margin and blocked six shots defensively. Tony Stockman led the Tigers with 22 points, including 6-13 on three-point goals. Edward Scott contributed 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in playing all 40 minutes. The scoring total was his top effort in an ACC game as a Clemson player. Jamar McKnight scored 10 points in the game's first five minutes and finished the game with 19. He also had six rebounds, added a career-high four assists and was 3-4 on three-point shooting. Ray Henderson added his eighth double-double of the season as he collected 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Chris Hobbs had 12 points and nine rebounds to round out Clemson's double-digit scorers. Maryland was led by Juan Dixon with 23 points, while Lonny Baxter added 21. Chris Wilcox was the top Terp overall with 17 points and a game high 14 rebounds. Drew Nicholas added 14 points and six assists off the bench. Steve Blake scored just three points, but had 13 assists in running the Maryland offense. Byron Mouton scored 14 points, including 4-6 on three-point goals. Mouton had made just seven three-point goals all year entering the game. The contest was close throughout as there were 19 lead changes and 13 ties in the game, including 15 lead changes in the first half. Clemson made 7 of its first 8 shots from the field and led 24-23 at the 12:32 mark of the first half. McKnight, Scott and Stockman connected on long-range jumpers, while Maryland scored from the inside. Tiger turnovers were a key in the first half as Maryland had a 19-1 lead in points off turnovers at intermission. It was a 52-48 lead for Maryland at intermission. Clemson made 11-16 three-point attempts in the first half, a school record for made three-point goals in a half. Maryland pushed the lead to 11 points at 62-51 at the 16:07 mark of the second half and it appeared the Tigers were wilting. But, Clemson struck back and tied the score at 67 on a layup by Dwon Clifton. The score remained close the rest of the game. The contest was tied at 72, 74, and 80. Clemson took a 83-82 lead with 4:41 left on a layup by Chris Hobbs. But, Maryland made some clutch three-point baskets down the stretch, one by Nicholas and one by Dixon and held a 93-86 lead with 1:49 left. Clemson cut the lead to six in the final minute, but could not get a stop and the Terps had a nine-point win. Maryland's ability to control the ball had a lot to do with its victory. The Terps had a 27-6 assist/turnover ratio for the night, fourth best ratio ever against the Tigers. Clemson Starting Backcourt Has Pair of 20-Point Scorers Clemson got 20 points apiece from its starting backcourt of Tony Stockman (22) and Edward Scott (20) in the Maryland contest. It was the first time both have scored at least 20 in the same game. It was the first time Clemson's starting backcourt has each scored 20 in the same game since last year's Georgia Tech contest when Stockman had 20 and Will Solomon scored 41 in a 111-108 loss to the Yellow Jackets in Littlejohn Coliseum. It marked the third time this year that two different Tigers reached the 20-point mark in the same game. In the win over Georgia Tech, Chris Hobbs tallied 25 and Jamar McKnight added 22, the only time this year the Clemson starting forwards scored at least 20 in the same game. The other occurrence came at Duke when Hobbs had 25 and Chey Christie scored 21 off the bench. Jamar McKnight scored 19 points at Maryland, nearly giving Clemson three 20-point scorers in the same game. Each of the last two times Clemson has had three 20-point scorers in the same game the opponent was Florida State. In 1992-93 Clemson got 24 points from Sharone Wright, 23 from Devin Gray and 20 from Chris Whitney enabled Clemson to gain a 87-75 win in the ACC Tournament. Earlier that year at Tallahassee, Clemson also had three 20-point scorers in a loss to the Seminoles. Tigers Net 15 Three-point Goals at Maryland Three-point shooting had been a problem for Clemson much of the season, but that was not the case when Clemson played its final game ever in Cole Fieldhouse on Jan. 20. The Tigers tied a school record with 15 three-point goals in the 99-90 loss to Maryland. Clemson converted 15-28 from long range, a .565 mark. Clemson entered the game having made just 5.3 three-point goals per game and had connected at a .303 clip, worst in the ACC. Clemson had made just 29 percent on the opponent's home court. Clemson made 11 of 16 in the first half, a school record for made three-point goals in a half. The Tigers missed their last four three-point attempts when they were forcing threes in the final minute. Tony Stockman made 6-13 threes in the game, Edward Scott hit 5-8 and Jamar McKnight made 3-4 in the contest. Even Tomas Nagys made his first three-point goal of the year. Clemson's 15 three-point goals were the most by the Tigers since Larry Shyatt became head coach. It was the highest figure since Clemson made15 against Evansville in the 1993 Rainbow Classic. The Tigers also made 15 at Virginia in 1982-83, the year the ACC used a 17-9 three-point goal line. Clemson has now made 15 three-point goals in a game three times and lost all three. Clemson Has Been Road Warriors Clemson will play its fifth ACC road game this Thursday when the Tigers travel to Florida State. Clemson is playing five of its first seven ACC games on the road this year, the only ACC team that must do that. It is the first time since the 1987-88 season that Clemson has played five of its first seven ACC games on the road. Clemson has a 1-3 ACC road record so far. Clemson has played well in three of its four ACC road games so far. Clemson lost at Duke in December, 96-80. The 16-point margin is the closest Duke has had in an ACC home game this year and the second closest overall (13-point win over San Diego State). Clemson then won at Georgia Tech for just the fourth time in the last 15 years. Last Sunday, Clemson lost at Maryland by nine. It is the closest any team has come to beating Maryland at home this year. This Sunday when North Carolina comes to Clemson it will begin a stretch of six home games in an eight-game streak. Between Jan. 25 and Feb. 25 Clemson has just two road games, at Virginia and at N.C. State. Tiger Stats outstanding last Two Games Here are some facts and figures about Clemson in its two games last week, losses to N.C. State (80-79) and at third-ranked Maryland (99-90). * Clemson had five players score in double figures in both games, yet lost both contests. Clemson had not lost a game under Larry Shyatt when it had five players in double figures, now has lost consecutive games in that situation. * Clemson was +22 in terms of rebound margin last week. Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State by 12 on Jan. 15; then out-rebounded the Terps by 10 on Sunday night. Clemson also has had more offensive rebounds than the opposition, 26-23. * Clemson has shot 52 percent from the field over the last two games, including 20-40 on three-point attempts. * Five different players have averaged at least 11 points a game over the last two contests, including a 20-point average for Tony Stockman and an 18.5 average for Jamar McKnight. * Edward Scott has a 21/8 assist/turnover ratio over the last two contests. * The Bruise Brothers, Ray Henderson and Chris Hobbs, have shot 19-31 from the field over the last two games combined, .613. The duo has combined for 50 points and 40 rebounds in the last two games combined. So, where has the problem been? Clemson has committed 33 turnovers and forced just 18 over the last two games combined. A 63 percent free throw percentage also has not helped. While Clemson has hit 20-40 three-point goals for 50 percent, the opposition is now far behind, hitting .456 from long range. The Unusual Occurrences of Jan. 15 Clemson suffered a heart-breaking defeat against N.C. State on Jan. 15, 80-79 at Littlejohn Coliseum. There were many noteworthy accomplishments for the Tigers, figures that usually are not characteristics of a Clemson loss, or a loss for any team for that matter. * Clemson had five players in double figures, yet lost the game. Clemson had not lost a game in which it placed five players in double figures since the 1998 NCAA tournament, a 75-72 loss to Western Michigan. That was Rick Barnes final game as Clemson head coach. * Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State by +12, 32-20. Clemson had won nine of its last 10 games when out-rebounding the opposition by double digits. * Clemson shot 61.2 percent from the field, the highest team field goal percentage by an ACC squad this year. It was just the fifth time in history that Clemson had shot 60 percent from the field, yet lost the game. Clemson is now 40-5 in its history when it shoots 60 percent from the field. * Clemson made more free throws than N.C. State attempted (14-12). Clemson had an 18-2 record under Coach Shyatt and had won nine straight games when it made more free throws than the opposition attempted. * Clemson shot 75 percent from the field in the first half (12-16), yet trailed by 11 points at intermission. Clemson committed 13 turnovers in the first half and that was the reason Clemson had the large deficit even with the strong shooting numbers. It was the first time since the 1983-84 season that Clemson shot 75 percent in a first half, yet trailed at intermission. Clemson shot 80 percent at Virginia that year, yet trailed 39-32 at halftime. Tigers Shoot 60 Percent from Field... And Lose Clemson made 30 of 49 field goal attempts in its loss to N.C. State on January 15. That computes to a 62.1 field goal percentage. Clemson had lost just one game since the 1986-87 season when it shot at least 60 percent from the field. Ironically, that loss was at home to N.C. State in 1997-98. That year, Rick Barnes final season as Clemson head coach, the Tigers shot 31-50 from the field, yet lost to the Pack, 82-80. Clemson is now 21-2 since 1986-87 when it makes at least 60 percent of its field goal attempts and 40-5 all-time. Clemson actually shot well in all three of the shooting areas against the Pack. Clemson was .621 from the field, .417 on three-point shots and .700 from the foul line, a 50-40-70 game. Clemson is now 26-7 all-time when it shoots at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc and 70 percent from the foul line, all in the same game. Clemson actually has lost two games in a row when shooting that well in all three areas. Clemson shot 52 percent from the field, 50 percent on three-point attempts and 81 percent from the foul line, yet lost to Georgia Tech, 111-108 last year at Littlejohn Coliseum. How good was Clemson's 1986-87 team? That squad led by Horace Grant finished with a 25-6 record. It had 11 games that season in which it shot at least 50-40-70 in the three shooting areas. There have been just 22 such shooting games by the Tigers in the other 14 seasons combined. Clemson 2-4 to Open ACC Schedule Clemson has opened the ACC season with a 2-4 record. The Tigers are 2-3 since the calendar turned to 2002. Getting off to a good start in ACC play has not been a characteristic of Clemson teams over the years. In fact, each of the last three Clemson teams have been just 1-7 through the first half of the ACC schedule. This team has already bettered that with two wins. A win for the Tigers against Florida State would give Clemson three wins in the first half of the ACC schedule for the first time since 1997-98, the last time Clemson went to the NCAA Tournament. Clemson has had a winning record in the first half of the ACC schedule just once in the last 11 years. That was in 1996-97 when Clemson was 6-2 for the first half. That Clemson team went on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a number eight final ranking in USA Today. In the previous 48 years of the ACC, Clemson has had a winning record at the halfway point of the league schedule just eight times. Clemson has had just one other season (1995-96) in which it was break even. Ford Has Been top Clemson Freshman Clemson reserve forward Sharrod Ford has been among Clemson's most productive players this season. He has played 12.2 minutes per game, but still ranks in the top 12 in the ACC in blocked shots. He has 20 in the first 19 games in just 12.2 minutes per contest. Ford has shot almost 57 percent from the field and has pulled in 3.3 rebounds and scored 3.9 points per outing. He had 11 points at Wake Forest on Jan. 12 for his third double figure scoring game of the season, his first in ACC play. Earlier this year he made 4-4 from the field and had 10 points and four rebounds in a win at Penn State. He also had 10 points in the win at Hartford. Unlike most freshman, Ford plays better on the road than at home. As noted above, all three of his double-figure scoring games have taken place on the road. He averages 6.2 points a game on the road and just 2.9 at home this year. Ford attended Gwynn Park High School in Maryland where he played for Steve Matthews. He averaged 15.8 points, 12 rebounds and 6.6 blocked shots per game. That blocked shot figure seemed high, but based on what he has done on a per minute basis this year, it is certainly realistic. Ford came to Clemson from Hargrave Military in Virginia where he helped that team to a 26-1 record last year by averaging a double-double. Scott Second in Nation in Assists Clemson guard Edward Scott was second in the nation in assists through games of Jan. 21. A new ranking is issued every Tuesday afternoon. Scott had a 7.8 average through games of Jan. 21, second only to Texas guard T.J. Ford. Scott had 13 assists on Jan. 15 against N.C. State and eight against Maryland. Grayson Marshall averaged 7.71 per game in 1985-86 and that is the record for the course of an entire season. Grayson Marshall is the only Clemson player to rank in the top 25 in the nation in assists over the course of a season. Marshall was 20th as a freshman, 13th as a sophomore and 16th as a junior (1984-85 through 1986-87). Scott leads the ACC in assists per game, just ahead of Steve Blake of Maryland. Delvon Arrington of Florida State is fourth, giving the ACC three of the top four assist makers in the country. No Clemson player has ever led the ACC in assists over the course of the season. Scott Moves to Seventh on Clemson Assist List Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had 13 assists against N.C. State on Jan. 15 and jumped three spots on Clemson's all-time assist list. He now has 344 for his career, good enough for seventh place. He needs just 11 against Florida State to move into sixth place ahead of Chris Whitney. Scott is also now fourth in Clemson history in assists on a per game basis. His performance against State allowed him to move ahead of Terrell McIntyre on a per game basis. Scott has six games of double figures in assists and eight with nine or more this year. That includes the win at Georgia Tech when he had 11 assists to go with 12 points. He had 10 points and 13 assists against State for a double-double. It was his fifth double-double of the season. In his first two years he never had more than seven assists in a single game. He had a career-high 14 assists against Charleston Southern on Dec. 22, the most assists by a Tiger since Chris Whitney had 14 against Liberty on Dec. 5, 1992. Scott has been improved in a number of areas this year, including scoring. He has averaged 10.2 points a game this year and has had three 20-point scoring nights, the first three of his career. He recently netted 20 points, including a career-high five three-point goals, in a loss at #3 Maryland. That was his high point game in an ACC contest as a Clemson player. Scott had 25 points on 8-12 shooting in the win over LaSalle in The Virgin Islands in the second game of the year, and had 21 points and 11 assists in a victory over Elon. That was the first time since the 1998-99 season that any Clemson player had 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game. He had 17 against Virginia on January 8, his career high against an ACC opponent. Scott averages 7.8 points per game over his career, but has the 10.2 average this year. He has averaged 4.71 assists per game for his career, but stands at 7.79 assists per game this year. That is ahead of Grayson Marshall's record pace. And, Scott's rebound average of 4.8 this year is ahead of his career 3.8 figure. In fact, his 4.8 rebounds per game is the best for a Clemson point guard since Doug Hoffman had a 6.0 average as the point guard in 1957-58. Scott had 10 rebounds in the loss to Yale, his career high. He had an unusual double-double in that game with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but just one point. Five times this year Scott has had at least six rebounds, assists and points in the same game, including the Maryland game of Jan. 20 when he had 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Clemson Career Leaders in Assists/Game
Rk Name Yrs Years Ast GP A/G
Clemson Looks to Reach Last Year's win Total
Clemson will be looking to equal its victory total of all of last
year with a triumph at Florida State. Clemson has an 11-8 record and
the Tigers won just 12 games all of last season. Clemson did not win
its 12th game last year until the ACC Tournament, a victory over
Florida State. Clemson has already equaled its regular season ACC
victory total from last year. Clemson had two conference wins in the
regular season last year, then won two of its first three this season.
Clemson Had Avoided Consecutive Losses
Clemson had done a good job of making comebacks from losses this year
prior to the loss against N.C. State. Clemson is 5-2 this season
coming off a loss. Clemson enters the Florida State game off three
consecutive losses, the first time this year that has happened.
Clemson had not suffered consecutive losses 17 games into this
season. This was the longest Clemson had gone without suffering
consecutive losses within a season since 1996-97 when Clemson opened
16-1 and did not suffer consecutive losses until games 17 and 18.
Clemson suffered losses in games 17 and 18 this year.
This is just the fourth season in the last 25 years that Clemson has
gone 17 games into the season without suffering consecutive losses.
The other years are the aforementioned 1996-97, 1989-90 when the
Tigers opened 15-3, and 1986-87 when Clemson opened with a record
17-0.
Only three Clemson teams in history that have played at least 10
games in a season have gone an entire season without suffering
back-to-back losses. All three of those seasons came in the 1930s
(1937-38, 1935-36, 1934-35).
Clemson Has Beaten a Ranked Team 16 Straight Years
Clemson's victory over fifth-ranked Virginia continued the school's
streak of consecutive years with at least one win over a top-25 team.
Clemson has beaten at least one top-25 team every year since 1986-87,
a streak of 16 consecutive years.
The victory over fifth-ranked Virginia was the highest ranked
Cavalier team Clemson has beaten in history. It was the first Clemson
win over a top-20 Virginia team since Jan. 19, 1980 when Clemson
defeated the Cavs 88-68. Virginia was led by Ralph Sampson and Jeff
Lamp that year. This was just the sixth time Clemson has beaten a
top-25 Virginia team, its low total among ACC teams.
The win over Virginia was the 16th top-five victory in Clemson
history, but just the fifth in the last 20 years. Larry Shyatt has
now coached two of Clemson's five top five wins since the 1981-82
season. The others are a win over #4 Duke to win the ACC regular
season championship in 1990, a win over second-ranked North Carolina
in 1994, Cliff Ellis's final season, and a win over #3 Kentucky in
Indianapolis to open the 1996-97 season. Larry Shyatt had a hand in
that game also, as he was Rick Barnes's associate head coach that
year.
Shyatt Has Five Top-10 Wins
Larry Shyatt now has four wins over top-25 teams since he has been at
Clemson, and three of those are top 10 wins. He defeated a
ninth-ranked North Carolina team in his first year, 78-63, a
21st-ranked N.C. State team in his second year, 59-42, and a
number-one ranked North Carolina team, 75-65 last year. Combined with
the 16-point win over Virginia, all of Shyatt's top-25 wins have been
by double digits and the average margin has been 14.5 points. Shyatt had two wins over top 10 teams when he was the head coach at
Wyoming, victories over New Mexico and eventual national finalist
Utah. That means Shyatt now has five top 10 wins in his five years as
a head coach.
Clemson Has Balanced Team
Clemson has a much more balanced team offensively than it has had in
each of the last two years. The previous two seasons Will Solomon
averaged around 20 points per game. The Tigers had just one other
double figure scorer in each of those seasons. A year ago Solomon
scored 26 percent of Clemson's points. In 1999-00, he scored 32
percent.
Clemson has five players averaging over 9.6 points per game this
year. Clemson has had five different players lead the team in scoring
over the last eight games. No Clemson team has had four players
average in double figures over the course of the season since 1965-66. The balance has continued in ACC play as four players have scored in
double figures on a per game basis in the conference games and
another is at 8.4 per game. Jamar McKnight leads the way in league
games with a 16.2 average.
Tigers Won Consecutive ACC Games
Clemson won consecutive ACC games against Georgia Tech (83-76) and
Virginia (68-52) in January. This was the first time since the
1998-99 season that Clemson won consecutive ACC contests. Clemson
defeated Florida State (78-45) and Virginia (88-65) in consecutive
games Feb. 14-17 that year.
In case you were wondering, the Clemson record for consecutive wins
over ACC teams is seven, set in 1966-67 season. The Tigers won seven
straight against ACC teams from Feb. 4, 1967 through Feb. 25, 1967.
Virginia broke the streak on Feb. 27 in a
"Senior Night" game at Fike Fieldhouse, 73-71. Clemson finished with
a 17-8 record that year, but was not invited to postseason play. In
those days only the ACC Tournament champion could go to the NCAA
Tournament.
Clemson on the ACC Road
Clemson returns to the ACC road this week when it travels to Florida
State for a game.
Overall, Clemson has had just 58 ACC road wins in the 49 years of the
league. Clemson is now 58-261 in its history in ACC road games, a
winning percentage of 18 percent. That includes the win at Georgia
Tech in early January.
Clemson has won two or less ACC road games in 10 of the last 11 years
and 42 of the previous 48 seasons. Clemson has had a winning record
on the road in the ACC just twice in history, 1976-77, when Clemson
was 4-2 with center Tree Rollins, and 1986-87 when Clemson was 5-2
with center Horace Grant.
Clemson Wins on the Road... in January
Clemson's win at Georgia Tech was a landmark victory for the Tigers.
The 83-76 victory was Clemson's second ACC road win in the last four
years, the first since winning at N.C. State by a 66-63 score on Feb.
27, 2000.
It was the first Clemson ACC road win in the month of January since
Jan. 15, 1997 when Clemson at 11th-ranked Maryland by a 67-63 score.
That was Clemson's third straight ACC road win that year, the last
time Clemson has won three straight ACC road games. Clemson has
struggled on the road historically, but especially in the month of
January in recent years. Clemson had lost 16 straight January ACC
road games prior to the Georgia Tech game. Clemson had been 6-44 in
ACC road games in January dating to the 1987-88 season.
Each of the last two years Clemson has won an ACC road game in
January it has gone on to win two. Clemson was 2-1 in ACC January
road games in 1996-97, and 2-2 in 1994-95, Larry Shyatt's first year
with the program (as an assistant under Rick Barnes). Clemson had
been shutout when it comes to ACC January road games nine of the last
11 years.
McKnight Stats Much Improved
Jamar McKnight, Clemson's only senior, is following a tradition of
second-year improvement by Tiger junior college players. This season,
McKnight has scored12.8 points a game and averaged 4.3 rebounds per
contest. He is shooting 49.7 percent from the field and a team best
45 percent from three-point range. He continued his fine play against
N.C. State and Maryland last week as he scored 37 points and had 10
rebounds. He made 13-23 shots from the field last week, including 5-9
three-pointers.
Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all
year in 20 games. This year he has 217 points and 74 rebounds in 17
games. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest year ago.
Thus, McKnight has tripled his scoring average and rebound average
between his junior and senior seasons.
McKnight might have played his best game as a Tiger when Clemson
defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 5. The native of Zachery, LA
who was playing in front of family and friends who had made the trip
from Louisiana, had 22 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes of
play. He made his last five shots from the field and shot 9-12
overall.
He added to his growing fan base with a 25-point performance against
fifth-ranked Virginia. McKnight made 9-20 shots from the field, 3-7
on three-pointers and scored 18 points in the second half. He scored
six of Clemson's final 10 points down the stretch. He did not have a
turnover in his 33 minutes of work and added seven rebounds, one off
his career high. He led Clemson in scoring against Wake Forest. Most junior college transfers make improvement from year one to year
two. But, McKnight is doing it at a near record pace. Billy Williams
holds the Clemson standard for scoring average improvement for a
junior college transfer from his first year to his second. Williams
average went from 5.6 a game in 1977-78 to 13.2 in 1978-79, a 7.6
points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 a game and
earn first-team All-ACC honors in 1979-80. McKnight stands at a 9.4
points per game improvement this year over last season, so he is
ahead of Williams improvement rate.
The overall Clemson record for improvement in scoring from one season
to another is held by Will Solomon, who improved by 14.9 points a
game from his freshman year to his sophomore year. That is an ACC
record.
Jamar McKnight Improvement Chart
Category 2000-01 2001-02 Points/Game 3.4 12.8 Rebounds/Game 1.3 4.4 Field goal % .429 .497 3Pt FGs/Game 0.45 1.82 3pt Goal % .391 .449 Minutes/Game 9.4 23.5
Stockman Second in Three-Point Goals/Game
Clemson sophomore Tony Stockman is now second in Clemson history on a
per game basis in three-point goals per game. He made 3-4 against
N.C. State on the way to an 18-point performance, his best scoring
game in 2002. He made six more at Maryland, giving him nine for the
week and 120 for his career. He now needs just five three-point goals
to move ahead of Merl Code into seventh place overall.
It took him just 43 games to reach 100 three-point goals, second
fastest in Clemson history behind Chris Whitney. Of course, Whitney
was a junior college transfer, so Stockman is the first to reach 100
as a sophomore just 43 games into his career.
Stockman now has 120 three-point goals in just 48 games, an average
of 2.50 per game. That is second best in Clemson history on a
per-game average, behind Whitney's 2.88 per game achieved between
1991-93. Whitney had 167 threes in 58 career games. He is now a
starting guard with Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards.
Stockman is making threes at a higher rate than former teammate and
Will Solomon, Terrell McIntrye.
As far as overall three-point goals are concerned, his 120 rank
eighth in school history. His three three-point goals at Georgia Tech
moved him from 10th to eighth in school history, as he moved ahead of
Tony Christie and Andre Bovain. Next on the list is Merl Code, who
had 125. Current Clemson assistant AD for basketball operations,
Bruce Martin, is sixth with 129.
Clemson Career Leaders in Three-Point Goals/Game
Rk Name Yrs Years Md GP 3G/G 1. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 167 58 2.88 2. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 114 47 2.43 3. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 214 94 2.28 4. Michael Tait 2 1985-87 70 31 2.26 5. T McIntyre 4 1995-99 259 126 2.06 6. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 37 19 1.95 7. Anthony Jenkins 4 1982-87 91 47 1.94 8. Jeff Brown 2 1992-94 82 55 1.49 9. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 129 88 1.46 10. David Young 4 1988-92 138 97 1.42 Clemson Career Leaders in Total Three-Point Goals Rk Name Yrs Years GP Att 3Gls 1. T McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 696 259 2. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 94 585 214 3. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 404 167 4. A Jurkunas 4 1995-00 115 414 146 5. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 6. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 129 7. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 125 8. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 48 320 120 9. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 107 10. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106
Clemson Playing Better on the Road
Clemson has historically been a team that struggles on the road.
Clemson has just 58 ACC road wins in 49 seasons. But, Clemson already
has five wins away from home this year, including a victory at ACC
rival Georgia Tech. Clemson is 6-4 at home and 5-4 away from home so
far this season.
Clemson has already won five games away from home this year, more
than they won away from home in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Clemson won
three games away from Littlejohn Coliseum each of those seasons.
Clemson won six games away from home Larry Shyatt's first year,
1998-99.
The Clemson single season record for wins away from home in a year is
11 set in the 1996-97 season, Clemson's last Sweet 16 season in the
NCAA tournament. Larry Shyatt was associate head coach of that
Clemson team.
Clemson has made 36 percent of its three-point shots away from home
this year, but just 28 percent in Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson has a
+11 rebound margin on the opponent's home court this year.
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