Game Notes: North Carolina at Clemson |
Game 21: Clemson Tigers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Tipoff: 1:06 PM Site: Littlejohn Coliseum (10,500) City: Clemson, SC TV: Raycom/ Jefferson Pilot Bob Rathbun, Play-by-Play Dan Bonner, Color Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Properties (Jim Phillips, Tim Bourret) Clemson Head Coach: Larry Shyatt (College of Wooster, 1973) Overall (Sixth season): 86-88 .494 At Clemson (Fifth season): 67-79 .459 vs. North Carolina: 2-8 .200 Clemson Staff: Darren Tillis (Paul Quinn College, 1996; fifth season); Bobby Hussey (Appalachian State, 1963; fifth season); Matt Driscoll (Slippery Rock, 1992; fifth season). Assistant to the AD/Basketball Operations: Bruce Martin (Clemson, 1994). Strength Coach: Shannon Patterson (Taylor, 1996). Athletic Trainer: J. "Raz" Razayeski (Georgia Tech, 1994). North Carolina Head Coach: Matt Doherty (North Carolina '84) Overall (4th season): 69-53 .566 At North Carolina (3rd year): 47-37 .559 vs. Clemson: 5-1 .833 North Carolina Assistants: Doug Wojcik, Fred Quartlebaum, Bob MacKinnon Starting Lineups
CLEMSON (12-8, 2-7 ACC) North Carolina (13-10, 4-6 ACC)
Quick Notes
* Clemson guard Edward Scott scored 21 points in
Clemson's most recent game, a loss to South Caro-lina
in Columbia. It was his fifth 20-point game of
the season, and 12th of his career. He was a ca-reer
best 8-8 from the foul line, the highest perfect
free throw shooting game by a Clemson player since
Adam Allenspach was 9-9 against Wofford n 12/ 16/
00. Scott became the sixth Clemson player in his-tory
to start 100 games when he started against
Duke on Feb. 9. He needs 10 rebounds to become
the ninth player in ACC history to reach 1000 points,
500 assists and 400 rebounds in a career.
* Clemson has struggled at the outset of its last two
games. Clemson trailed Duke in Durham 13-3 to
open the game and trailed South Carolina 12-0 in
the first five minutes of the contest last Wednesday
night.
* Chris Hobbs recorded his first career three-point
goal in the loss to South Carolina. He banked in a
shot at the 9: 18 mark of the second half on his first
career attempt. He had gone 79 consecutive games
without even attempting a three-point goal. He is
currently the only Clemson player in history with a
perfect three-point shooting percentage.
* Clemson's last win over North Carolina took place
two years ago in Littlejohn Coliseum, a 75-65 victory
over a number-one ranked North Carolina team.
The Clemson victory broke an 18-game winning
streak for the Tar Heels and ended an eight-game
losing streak for the Tigers.
* While Clemson has won just one of its last three
games the Tigers have improved in terms of perim-eter
defense during that time. Clemson opponents
have made just 13 of their last 56, three-point shots,
a 23.2 percentage.
* Clemson is playing South Carolina and North Caro-lina in consecutive games for the first time since the 1990-91 season.
* Clemson has two wins by two points or less this year in ACC play. This the first time Clemson has done that since the 1989-90 season.
* North Carolina won the first meeting between these two teams, 68-66 in Chapel Hill on January 14. It was the 49th straight homecourt win in the series for North Carolina. Clemson had a three-point at-tempt
to tie the game with 21 seconds left, but the
shot missed. Clemson's frontcourt players were a
combined 16-24 from the field and scored 38 points.
* Shawan Robinson, a freshman from Raleigh, is
shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 70 percent
from the line. He is attempting to become the first
Clemson freshman since Elden Campbell (1986-87) to shoot at least 50 percent from the field and at
least 70 percent from the foul line.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: UNC Leads 112-17
At Clemson: UNC leads 32-13 at Littlejohn: UNC leads 23-10
at Chapel Hill: UNC leads 49-0 This Year: UNC 68, Clemson 66
Jan. 14 at Chapel Hill UNC Streak: UNC has won 4 in row
Last Year at CU: UNC won 87-69 Last CU Win: 75-65 at Clemson
in 2000-01 season
Head Coach Larry Shyatt
* Just the fourth coach in ACC history to lead a
program to 20 wins in his first season (20-15 in
1998-99) with a program.
*Led Clemson to a 9-0 start to the 2002-03 season,
Clemson's best start since 1995-96.
*Led Clemson to the NIT championship game of
1999, the first time Clemson has been to the finals
of a postseason tournament (non-conference)
*Has coached a guard who has made an All-ACC
team each of his five years at Clemson. That
includes ACC scoring leaders Terrell McIntyre
(1998-99) and Will Solomon (1999-00).
*Has coached 16 players at Cleveland State, New
Mexico, Providence and Clemson who have gone
on to play in the NBA. The list includes former
Clemson players Greg Buckner, Harold Jamison,
Devin Gray and Will Solomon.
*Has coached with a Division I program that has
gone to postseason play 15 of the last 19 years.
*Named Western Athletic Conference Mountain
Division Coach of the year at Wyoming in 1997-98, his only year as head coach at that school.
*Has been an assistant coach at Utah, Cleveland
State, New Mexico, Providence and Clemson prior
to his head coaching career.
*Associate Head Coach of Clemson's 1996-97 team
that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament
before losing to Minnesota in double overtime. That
Clemson team defeated five top 25 teams that year
and was ranked as high as #2 in the nation, the
highest ranking in Clemson history.
*Has upset a top five team each of the last two
years, including victory over a #1 North Carolina
team in 2000-01. It was just the second time in
history that Clemson has beaten a #1 team. Also
beat two top 10 teams while coaching at Wyoming.
His Cowboy team beat eventual NCAA finalist Utah
and New Mexico.
*His 2001-02 Clemson team led the ACC in
rebounding, the first time Clemson had done that
since 1984-85. Has coached three of the top 10
rebounding teams in Clemson history.
Shyatt Year by Year as a Head Coach
Year School Record Post 1997-98 Wyoming 19-9 NIT-First Round 1998-99 Clemson 20-15 NIT-Finals 1999-00 Clemson 10-20 2000-01 Clemson 12-19 2001-02 Clemson 13-17 2002-03 Clemson 12-7
Totals at Clemson 66-79
Overall 86-88
Last Outing South Carolina 76, Clemson 59
At Carolina Center, Columbia, SC Feb. 12, 2003
South Carolina went on a 26-10 run over the final 5: 50 of the game and defeated
Clemson 76-59 at the Carolina Center in Columbia, SC. South Carolina senior Chuck
Eidson made 12-12 free throws during the game, including 10-10 inside the last five
minutes to clinch the victory for South Carolina. It was the top free throw shooting performance
against Clemson in the Larry Shyatt era. Clemson was led by Edward Scott,
who had 21 points in front of his hometown crowd. A group of Clemson fans dressed in
#10 Clemson jerseys sat behind the Tiger bench. Scott made 8-8 from the foul line, his
highest perfect free throw shooting performance of his career.
Olu Babalola was the only other Tiger in double figures with 12 points. The
sophomore hit 2-3 three-point goals and had two steals in playing 31 minutes. Tomas Nagys
had eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. South Carolina had four players in
double figures, led by Eidson with 20 and Chris Warren with 17.
Clemson shot just 34.5 percent from the field, 28.7 in the first half and 40.7 in the
second half. Clemson was a strong 14-17 from the foul line, but the Gamecocks made 43.1
percent overall, 26-34 from the line. Clemson actually won the points off turnovers stat, 19-15.
The Gamecocks were a +12 in rebound margin, 41-29.
South Carolina jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first five minutes behind seven
points from Eidson. His defense held down Clemson's perimeter players, especially Chey
Christie, who had been Clemson's top scorer each of the last two games. Christie made just
2-9 shots in the game and was 0-4 from three-point range. Clemson closed the game to 25-22,
then South Carolina closed strong and led 33-24 at intermission.
Clemson scored the first four points of the second half to close the gap to four, but
the Gamecocks got the lead back to nine points almost immediately. The South Carolina
lead varied over the next 10 minutes between six and two points. Clemson finally cut the
margin to 50-49 on two free throws by Scott with 5: 50 left.
After a media timeout, South Carolina's Carlos Powell hit a three-pointer from the top of the
key, his only made field goal of the game. After a Clemson turnover, Warren scored for the
Gamecocks for a six-point lead. After a Scott miss, Rolando Howell scored on a dunk, giving
South Carolina a 57-49 advantage at the 4: 36 mark. Behind Eidson, South Carolina made its
free throws down the stretch. Their 17-point margin at the end was their largest lead of the
game.
Clemson Comes Close in Chapel Hill First Meeting of 2002-03
North Carolina 68, Clemson 66
Clemson came close to ending its infamous losing streak in Chapel Hill on January 14, 2003. The Tar Heels defeated the
Tigers 68-66. It was Clemson's 49 th straight loss to the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, but the
closest Clemson has come to victory in 28 years (74-72 loss in 1974-75, Tree Rollins sophomore year). It did not look as though Clemson
would challenge the Tar Heels in the early going. Raymond Felton, a native of Latta, SC,connected on four straight three-point goals in the first half and took the Tar Heels to a 27-12
lead over the first 12 minutes of the game. But, Clemson changed up its defense
and led by a seven-point run by Edward Scott, cut the lead to 29-23 with 5: 18 left in the first
half. Clemson tied the game at 31-31 on a three-point goal by Shawan Robinson with 2: 50
left. The two teams were tied at intermission 38-38, just the second time in the last 21 years that Clemson had been tied or in the lead against North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Clemson went on an 11-5 run to open the second half behind two more three-pointers
from Scott, and held a 49-43 lead with 13: 42 left. Clemson still led 51-49 with 11: 33
remaining, the latest in a game Clemson has led in Chapel Hill in 21 years.
North Carolina took a 54-51 advantage on a jumper by Melvin Scott with
8: 03 left. But, Clemson tied the game at 54-54 on a three-point play by Tomas Nagys. The
game was again tied at 56. But, Rashad McCants made consecutive three-point goals
and scored on a put-back to take the Tar Heels to a 64-60 lead. Clemson cut the lead to 64-63
on a follow up shot by Nagys with 30.2 seconds left. But Raymond Felton hit two free throws
with 21.9 seconds left.
Trailing by three, Clemson tried to work a play for Chey Christie. He was covered, so Edward
Scott tried a three-point attempt that was short. North Carolina scored a layup to put the game
out of reach. Christie finally got open and hit a three-pointer, to bring Clemson to within two
points, but only 0.8 of a second remained. Scott led Clemson in scoring with 17
points and he added six assists. Sharrod Ford added a double-double with 10 points and 11
rebounds. He hit 5-6 shots from the field. Clemson's front line players made 16-24 shots
from the field and scored 38 points, but it was not enough to counteract the 20 points in 22
minutes by McCants and the 19 points from Jawad Williams.
Clemson won the rebounding 42-35, but shot just 35.5 percent in the second half.
North Carolina hit just 38 percent in the second half, but made 7-19 three-pointers for the game.
Felton entered the game hitting just 26 percent on three-point goals, but made 4-6 against the
Tigers.
Clemson vs. North Carolina Series
*The Tar Heels have won four in a
row and 12 of the last 14 against the Tigers. Larry Shyatt owns two wins over North Carolina
and both have been over top 10 Tar Heel teams. The Tigers won at Clemson in Larry
Shyatt's first year (1998-99), 78-63 and won at Clemson in 2000-01, 75-65 when North
Carolina was ranked number-one in the nation. That is one of just two wins over the nation's
top ranked team for the Clemson program.
*Overall, North Carolina holds a 112-17 lead in the series that dates to a 48-24 North Carolina win in Chapel Hill in 1926.
Clemson's first win in the series took place in the 1939 Southern Conference Tournament,
when Clemson upset North Carolina behind Banks McFadden, 44-43. That was the
opening round of the event held in Raleigh. Clemson's only other win in the series before
1964 took place in Tigertown, 77-69 in 1952. North Carolina won 38 of the first 40 games of
the series, including 25 in a row between 1951-52 and 1963-64 seasons.
*Clemson won four out of eight games played between 1964-67 under Coach
Bobby Roberts. The Tigers swept North Carolina in 1963-64. The road win was in
Charlotte at the North-South Doubleheader, not in Chapel Hill, by a 97-90 score. The home
victory was by a 66-64 score. Both games were overtime contests. That is the only season
Clemson has swept the Tar Heels. *Clemson has defeated North
Carolina in consecutive seasons just three times. Clemson won in back to back years over
North Carolina in 1965-66 and 1966-67; 1978-79 and 1979-80; and 1888-89 and 1989-90.
*Clemson is 13-32 against North Carolina in games played at Clemson, 0-49 in
Chapel Hill and 4-31 in games played at neutral sites.
*Clemson's only win over North Carolina in the ACC tournament took place in
1996. Clemson overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to win 75-73. Greg Buckner's
dunk off a pass from Harold Jamison with 0.6 seconds left won the game for Clemson.
Current Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt was an assistant on Clemson's staff that year.
*The Tigers are 4-71 against North Carolina in games played in the state of North
Carolina. That streak is not long because Clemson won the 1996 ACC Tournament game
in Greensboro between the two teams , 75-73. *The other victories over North
Carolina in the Tar Heel state came in 1966-67, when Clemson beat a #4 UNC team in
Charlotte at the North-South Doubleheader by a 92-88 score; in 1963-64 by a 97-90 count, also
at the North-South Doubleheader in Charlotte; in 1938-39, in a 44-43 win in Raleigh at the
Southern Conference Tournament.
Last Clemson Victory over North Carolina February 18, 2001
Clemson 75, #1 North Carolina 65
Clemson rode a 26-point performance
from Will Solomon, plus 16 from freshman guard Tony Stockman and upset number-one
ranked North Carolina 75-65 at a sold out Littlejohn Coliseum on Feb. 18, 2001. It was
just the second time in Clemson history and the first time in 21 years that the Tigers upset the
nation's top ranked team. Clemson also had outstanding play
off the bench from Jamar McKnight and Tomas Nagys. McKnight, who had scored just 27
points in ACC play all year, had eight points in 17 minutes off the bench. He made 4-7 shots,
had five rebounds and did not commit a turnover. Nagys had five points and six
rebounds in 18 minutes. His two field goals were spectacular and were scored in the clutch.
One was a three-pointer, just the second of his career, and another was a diving shot from 10
feet out over Julius Peppers. They were scored on consecutive Clemson possessions that gave
the Tigers a nine-point lead with nine minutes left.
Solomon scored his 26 points in just 25 minutes. He also had four rebounds and
three assists and connected on 5-12 three-point shots. Stockman scored 4-9 three-point goals
in tallying his 16 points. He had just one turnover in 35 minutes of play. Point guard
Edward Scott had nine points, four assists and no turnovers in 34 minutes. Freshman Chris Hobbs added six points and a team best eight
rebounds. North Carolina was led by Jason Capel, Brendan Haywood
and Joseph Forte, who all scored 16 points apiece. Forte entered the game second in the ACC in scoring behind Will Solomon by just two
total points (489-487). But, the gifted North Carolina guard made just 6-19 shots from the field, 0-4 on three-point attempts.
The much smaller Tigers won the rebounding battle, 44-41. Both teams committed just seven turnovers. It was the lowest turnover
total all year for the Tigers. North Carolina made just 38.5 percent of its field goal attempts, its low figure for the year. That included just 1-14
three-point shots in the second half. The Tar Heels made just 7-15 from the foul line.
North Carolina held a 35-30 lead at intermission behind 13 points from Jason Capel. Clemson held Forte to just one point in the first
half. Clemson was led by Stockman and Solomon with eight points apiece.
The Tar Heels expanded the margin to seven at 37-30 to open the second half. But, Will Solomon scored 10 consecutive points in a
3: 04 time span to tie the score at 42. A reverse layup by Jamar McKnight at the 15: 11 mark, put Clemson up 44-42. North Carolina
never regained the lead. Clemson went on a 7-0 run, five of the points by Nagys, to take a 54-45 lead at the 9: 11 mark.
Forte finally got going at this point. He scored eight straight points at one stretch, then a Brendan Haywood dunk brought North
Carolina to within 61-60 with 3: 48 left. He was called for a technical on the play for grabbing the rim. Will Solomon made the free throw, then
Clemson missed a shot. On the next possession, freshman Tony Stockman stole the ball and scored to give Clemson a 64-60 lead.
Chris Hobbs's baseline drive gave Clemson a 66-62 lead, then Tony Stockman made a three-point shot with 44 seconds left to give
Clemson a seven-point lead. The Tigers made 7-7 free throws in the last minute to ice the game. Clemson went on an 11-3 run to finish off
the Tar Heels.
How Shocking an Upset?
Here are some facts on Clemson's upset of #1 North Carolina
on Feb. 18, 2001
*Clemson had lost eight straight games, while North Carolina,
ranked number-one in the nation, had won 18 in a row. North Carolina was first in the ACC standings with a perfect 11-0 record, while Clemson
was last with a 1-10 mark.
*Clemson was coming off a 34-point loss at NC State, its
largest margin of defeat against the Pack since 1955. North Carolina had eight days to prepare for the game.
*Clemson entered in the game with an eight-game losing streak, its longest since 1971-72 when it had a nine-game losing streak.
North Carolina's 18-game winning streak was the longest in the nation and the Tar Heels longest since 1986-87.
*Clemson had lost 19 in a row to the nation's number-one ranked team dating to January 9, 1980, an 87-82 overtime victory against
#1 Duke. Clemson was 1-22 lifetime against the number-one team in the nation heading into the contest.
*Clemson had been 0-10 when playing a #1 ranked North Carolina team.
*Clemson had been 0-9 against top 25 teams in 2000-01 and had lost 12 in a row over ranked teams dating to last year's win over 21st
ranked North Carolina State.
*Clemson had been 1-12 in 2000-01 when trailing at halftime.
The Tigers trailed 35-30 at halftime of this game. It was just the third time since the 1952-53 season that Clemson had trailed at the half
against North Carolina, then came back to gain victory.
*Clemson had been 8-20 all-time in games played on February
18th, Clemson's worst winning percentage of the 29 days in the month of February.
*Matt Doherty had never lost as a player or coach to Clemson, 10-0 as a player, 1-0 as a coach.
*You can make a case that Clemson's 75-65 win over #1 North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2001 was the biggest upset in college basketball in
23 years. Clemson's victory marked the first time since the 1978-79 season that a team with a losing record after January 15 defeated the
number-one team in the nation.
Doherty Returns to Littlejohn
North Carolina coach Matt Doherty had a perfect 4-0 record as
a player in Littlejohn Coliseum between 1980-84. In fact, Doherty never
lost any game to Clemson in his career (10-0). Clemson gave the Tar Heels a good game each time at Littlejohn, losing by an average of 8.5
points a game. For the four games at Littlejohn, Doherty shot 10-25 from the field, 7-8 from the line, had 17 rebounds and 27 points (6.8 per
game). He had an outstanding 12/ 2 assist/ turnover ratio on the four games combined and averaged 35.5 minutes per game. He had one
double figure scoring game, 11 points and six assists as a senior in a 82-71 North Carolina win.
Doherty had 28 points against Clemson in the 1983 ACC Tournament as a junior. He connected on 5-6 three-point goals in the
game. Michael Jordan matched his point total in North Carolina's victory at The Omni in Atlanta.
Clemson in Chapel Hill Streak Not Longest in NCAA History
North Carolina's 49-game winning streak over Clemson in Chapel Hill is not the longest in NCAA history. It is not even the longest
active streak. Brown has lost 53 straight games at Princeton dating to 1929. That includes Princeton's win this past Friday night (Feb. 14).
The third longest active home court winning streak is UCLA over Washington State.Washington State has lost 46 straight at UCLA.
Those teams play on March 6 in Pauley Pavilion. Mississippi had a 41-game losing streak at Kentucky between 1929 and 1996.
Last Year vs. UNC at Clemson North Carolina Downs Tigers, 87-69
Jan. 26, 2002 at Littlejohn Coliseum
North Carolina made 11-24 three-point goals, including 7-14
from its starting backcourt, and the Tar Heels went on to an 87-69 win over Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum. North Carolina entered the game
on a six-game losing streak, its longest since the 1950-51 season. It was the fifth straight defeat for Clemson, who made just 5-22 three-point
goals as a team. Jamar McKnight led Clemson with 21 points and four
rebounds. He did not commit a turnover in his 32 minutes. Ray Henderson scored just four points, but he had 12 rebounds in just 27
minutes. Tomas Nagys had a double-nine with nine points and nine rebounds, while Edward Scott added seven points and eight assists.
Chris Hobbs had seven points, but played just 19 minutes due to a foot injury.
Starting backcourt of Adam Boone and Melvin Scott combined for 40 points to lead North Carolina. They entered the game averaging
just nine points a game. Boone scored 23 and Scott added 17. Kris Lang had 12 points and Jawad Williams added 10. Jason Capel was
back in the lineup for North Carolina after missing three games with a concussion.
North Carolina hit consistently from the outside in the first half, especially Boone, who made four three-point goals in the first half. North
Carolina opened up a 10-point lead at 37-27, but Clemson cut the margin to 41-37 and had the ball with two minutes left. But, North Carolina went
on a 4-1 run to end the half, then started the second half with a 16-8 run and led 61-46 with 11: 24 left.
Tigers From North Carolina
Four Clemson players, including post players Chris Hobbs and
Ray Henderson, are natives of the state of North Carolina. Playing games against teams from the Tar Heel state are usually special to them.
The other two Tigers from the Tar Heel state are freshman Shawan Robinson and senior walk-on Walker Holt.
Hobbs is from Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill High. Both his parents are North Carolina graduates. Henderson is from Charlotte and
East Mecklenberg High School. Holt is from Grimsley High in Greensboro, while Robinson is from Leesville Road High in Raleigh. This is the second largest contingent of players from the Tar Heel state on the Clemson roster. Two years ago six Tigers from North Carolina
were on the 14-man roster. This year it is four of 15.
Last Weekend Duke Downs Clemson, 65-55
Feb. 9, 2003 at Durham, NC
Duke forced Clemson into 26 turnovers and pulled down 20
offensive rebounds in defeating Clemson 65-55 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 9. The 10-point margin was the closest Clemson has
come to victory in the facility since the 1997-98 season when the Tigers lost by just 81-80. Overall, it was the 50 th loss for Clemson in Cameron
Indoor Stadium against just four victories.
Clemson placed three players in double figures, while Duke had just one. It was also an unusual loss for Clemson in that the Tigers
outshot Duke in terms of field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage, yet lost.
Chey Christie led the Tigers for the second straight game with 17 points on 4-8 shooting. He was a perfect 6-6 from the foul line, the
best perfect game from the line by a Clemson player this year. Edward Scott added 11 points and five assists, while Chris Hobbs had his first
double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Duke was led by Dahntay Jones with 15 points. Senior center
Casey Sanders had a career high 14 rebounds and added eight points. Freshmen J. J. Redick and Shelden Williams added nine points apiece for
Duke, who was ranked ninth in the nation in both polls entering the game.
The contest was a defensive struggle throughout. Clemson held Duke to but 65 points, fewest by the Blue Devils all year and just the
third time in the last three years that Duke had scored in the 60s. Clemson also held Duke to .339 field goal shooting, the best field goal
percentage defense against the Blue Devils in at least three years. Clemson scored just three points over the first six and half
minutes of the game and trailed 13-3 at the 13: 43 mark. The Tigers had nine turnovers in the first seven minutes. The Duke lead reached 21-9
at the 7: 51 mark on a three-point goal by Lee Melchionni. But Clemson battled back to cut the margin to 25-21 on a free throw by Sharrod Ford
with 3: 27 left. It was 34-25 in favor of Duke at intermission.
Clemson then cut the margin to one point at 35-34 with 17: 04
left on a jumper by Edward Scott. But, another drought ensued. Clemson did not score until the 10: 36 mark, that ended a 13-0 Duke run.
The lead remained in double digits the rest of the game.
Christie on a Hot Streak
Since the calendar turned to February, Clemson guard Chey
Christie has seen his production improve at a strong rate. The sophomore has scored 56 points in four games, an average of 14 points
per game. He connected on at least 50 percent of his field goal attempts for the first three games of the month, the first time in his career
he has had at least three straight games of 50 percent shooting. For the four games combined in February he is 19-39 from the field (. 487), has
made 7-17 three-point shots and has scored on 11-14 free throws. He also has six steals during that time period.
Christie started the month with a 4-7 shooting performance against NC State in Raleigh. He followed that with a career high 25
points in the victory over Georgia Tech on Feb. 5. He connected on 9-15 shots from the field, including 3-6 three-point shots. Showing that was
no fluke, Christie scored 17 on 4-8 shooting at Cameron Indoor Stadium against #9 Duke. He also made 3-4 three-point goals in the game.
Christie has enjoyed playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium in his career. In two games in the facility he has made 6-7 three-point goals,
scored 38 points on 11-16 shooting overall and has made 10-11 free throws. He is a 91 percent free throw shooter for his career in Cameron
and a 63 percent free throw shooter away from the home of the Blue Devils.
For the season, Christie is averaging 11.7 points per game, second on the Clemson team behind Edward Scott. He is hitting on 70
percent from the free throw line, much improved over his 61 percent of last year, and his 32.4 percent three-point accuracy is also well above
the 18 percent he posted last year. He leads the Clemson team in steals for the year with 33, and has committed just 37 fouls.
Hobbs Native of Chapel Hill
Junior forward Chris Hobbs will face the team from his
hometown of Chapel Hill, NC when North Carolina comes to Clemson this Saturday. This will be his seventh career start against the Tar Heels.
He has scored 37 points and pulled down 35 rebounds in the previous six games and has shot 16-30 from the field, 53.3 percent.
Hobbs had his first double-double of the season in Clemson's 10-point loss at Duke on Feb. 9. The native of Chapel Hill had 10 points
and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes against the Blue Devils. It was Hobbs's first double-double since Feb. 13, 2002 when he had 24 points and a
career high 17 rebounds in a 118-115 double overtime victory over Wake Forest.
It was Hobbs 10 th career double-double. He had six as a freshman, three as a sophomore and one so far this year. Hobbs is now
fourth among active ACC players in career double-doubles, trailing only Travis Watson of Virginia, Josh Howard of Wake Forest and teammate
Ray Henderson, who has 11.
For his career, Hobbs now has 716 career points and 562 career rebounds. He has made .550 of his field goal percentage for his
career, sixth best in Clemson history. For his career he has averaged 9.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over his career.
Hobbs has shown improvement in recent games, especially in rebounding. He has had at least nine rebounds in three of the last five
games. From the foul line he has made 19 of his last 26, a .731 mark. He made his first career three-point goal at South Carolina on Feb. 12.
He had gone 79 consecutive games without attempting a three-point goal. Now he is a perfect 1-1.
Scott To Make 102nd Career Start
Clemson senior point guard Edward Scott became just the
sixth player in Clemson history to start 100 games in a career when he started at Duke on Feb. 9. He will make his 102nd when the Tigers take
on North Carolina at Clemson on Feb. 15. Scott, who came to Clemson after an outstanding career at
Lower Richland High in Columbia, SC, joined Greg Buckner (122), Terrell McIntyre (112), Tree Rollins (110), Tom Wideman (109), and
Vincent Hamilton (105) as the only Tigers in history with at least 100 starts. Saturday's game will be Scott's 105th career game overall, as he
has come off the bench just three times in his career, all as a freshman in 1999-00.
Entering the game on Saturday, Scott has started and played in 62 consecutive games dating to January 24, 2001 when he missed a
game against Georgia Tech due to the flu. He has started each of the last 91 games that he has played in. The last time he came off the bench
was at NC State in 1999-00, a game Clemson won in Raleigh. Scott is one of the ironmen of Clemson basketball and the
ACC. He leads the conference in minutes per game with 38.3 this year, as he has played the complete game eight times this year, more than any
other ACC player. For his career he has played the complete game 15 times and averages 35.2 minutes per game and a total of 3661 minutes.
He is now fifth in Clemson history in total minutes played trailing only Terrell McIntyre (4200), Grayson Marshall (4064), Greg Buckner (3954)
and Vincent Hamilton (3906).
Clemson Defense Improved
Since its worst defensive performance of the year at NC State,
Clemson has come back strong on that end of the court against Georgia Tech and Duke. The Tigers allowed NC State to shoot 57 percent from
the field, including 68 percent in the second half of its 22-point loss in Raleigh. The Tigers used a zone defense much of that game and the
Pack hit 14-31 three-point goals. In the last three games Clemson has been predominantly a
man-to-man team. As a result, the opposition has made just 13 of 56 three-point attempts, a 23.2 percentage. The opposition is 69-167
overall, .413. Duke scored its lowest output of the season (65) and Tech made just 2-15 three-point shots. Duke's .339 field goal percentage
against Clemson was its worst in at least three seasons. For the season, Clemson opponents have made just 42.7
percent from the field and 33.8 percent on three-point shots. This is much improved over last year's overall percentage on defense of 43.6
percent from the field and 37 percent on three-point attempts.
Scott Chasing 1000-500-400 Club
Only eight players in the 50-year history of the Atlantic Coast
Conference have reached 1000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds in a career. Reaching this level in all three categories is certainly a
statistical documentation of a player's all-around abilities and contribution to his team in many areas.
Clemson's Edward Scott has reached two of those levels as he has 552 assists and 1063 points for his 104 games as a Clemson player.
He went over the 1000-point mark against Wake Forest in January. He went over 500 assists earlier in the year and now needs just 10 rebounds
to reach 400. Maryland guard Steve Blake reached the club in his team's
loss to Virginia at home. The non-active players who have reached this club are Johnny Dawkins and Danny Ferry of Duke, two members of the
ACC's 50-year Anniversary team, Delvon Arrington of Florida State, Ed Cota of North Carolina and three Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Tony
Akins, Drew Barry and Brian Oliver.
ACC's 1000-point, 500 Assist, 400 Rebound Club Player School Years Pts Ast Reb
Johnny Dawkins Duke 1982-86 2556 555 536 Danny Ferry Duke 1985-89 2155 506 1003
Delvon Arrington Florida St. 1998-02 1173 688 443 Tony Akins Georgia Tech 1998-02 1658 561 435
Drew Barry Georgia Tech 1992-96 1253 724 482 Brian Oliver Georgia Tech 1986-90 1848 538 613
Ed Cota North Carolina 1996-00 1261 1030 517 Steve Blake Maryland 1999-03 1026 893 422
Robinson Continues Production
One of Clemson's most productive players has been freshman
guard Shawan Robinson. The native of Raleigh has shot 52.4 percent from the field and 51.4 percent on three-point goals this year. He has
also made 7-10 free throws for 70 percent. He has averaged 4.6 points per game in his 12.2 minutes per game. Only Edward Scott has a better
points-per-minute figure than Robinson. Robinson is trying to become the first Clemson freshman to
shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from the foul line since 1986-87 when Elden Campbell did it. Clemson's single season
three-point goal percentage record is .515 by Michael Tait in 1986-87. Clemson uses a minimum of 20 made three-point goals to qualify.
Robinson has made 18-35 so he needs just two more made three-point goals to qualify for the list. His .514 percentage is just below Tait's
record Robinson has been consistent throughout the year. He has
made 7 of his last 12 field goal attempts and 3 of his last six three-pointers. He has made 55 percent from the field against ACC teams,
including 9-19 three-point shots. If the season ended today, he would be the first perimeter
player (given a minimum of 50 field goal attempts) to shoot at least 50 percent from the field since Greg Buckner shot .537in 1997-98.
Scott Moves to Third on Clemson Assist List
Clemson senior guard Edward Scott now has 552 assists for
his career, third best in Clemson history. He went over the 500 mark against Morris Brown when he had six assists and just one turnover. He
moved to the third spot in the win over Liberty when he had 11 assists. He moved ahead of Derrick Johnson, who had 476 between 1975-79.
Next on the list is Terrell McIntyre who had 577 between 1995-99. Scott has had more assists than turnovers in all but two games
this year. Maryland forced Scott into five turnovers and allowed him to make only three assists. He had a 3/ 4 ratio against South Carolina in
Columbia. Scott has had more assists than turnovers in 45 of his last 50 games. For his career he has had more turnovers than assists in just 16
of his 104 games. Scott had seven games of double figures in assists and 18 with
eight or more as a junior, including nine of the last 13. That included the win over Wake Forest when he had a career-high 16 assists. That was
one of the top five single game performances in the nation last year. That set a Clemson record for an ACC game and ranked in a tie for third best
in Clemson history for a single game. It was the high total by a Tiger since the 1985-86 season when Grayson Marshall had a record 20
assists against Maryland-Eastern Shore. It marked just the second game in ACC history a player had at
least 30 points and 15 assists in the same game. Kenny Anderson had 32 points and 18 assists against Pittsburgh on Dec. 28, 1989.
Scott was improved in a number of areas last year, including scoring. He averaged 11.9 points a game for the year and had seven 20-point scoring
nights, the first seven of his career. He has added four more this year, including 28 against Duke during the game at Clemson. His career high
is 36 points against Florida State last year. Scott's rebound average of 4.9 last year was the best for a
Clemson point guard since Choppy Patterson had a 5.0 average as the point guard in 1959-60.
Scott ranked 19th in the ACC in rebounding, second best among guards behind NC State's Anthony
Grundy. He has continued to hit the boards this year and has a 4.1 average.
Eight times in 2001-02, Scott 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.
Sophomore Class Has Made Improvement
One reason for Clemson's team improvement this year has
been the improvement of Larry Shyatt's sophomore class. Sharrod Ford, Chey Christie and Olu Babalola have all at least doubled their
scoring and rebounding averages from a year ago. As shown by the chart below they are all significantly improved in just about every area.
As a group, the threesome combined to average 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last year. Christie is second on the team in
scoring with a 11.7 average, while Ford is the team's top rebounder at 7.2 per game and is third in scoring at 8.8 per game. He also leads the
team in field goal percentage (. 578) given a minimum of 50 attempts. Babalola is second on the team in steals and fourth in scoring.
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