Men's Basketball To Face Florida St |
Clemson vs. Florida State Series
*This is the 32nd meeting between Clemson and Florida State in men's basketball. The Seminoles hold a 17-14 lead. The two teams have split regular season competition each of the last two years with each team winning on its homecourt. Florida State won an 87-85 overtime game in the 1999 ACC Tournament and thus has a 3-2 lead in games played over the last two years. *Over the last two years Clemson has won the two games at Clemson by 33 and 26 points, respectively. Florida State has won the two games in Tallahassee by six and three 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. *Clemson has won each of the last three, and four of the last five meetings with Florida State in Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson has won each of the last three games at Littlejohn by at least 20 points, an 86-65 victory in 1997-98, the 33-point win in 1998-99 and the 26-point win last year. *Over the last eight meetings, Florida State has won four games and Clemson has won four. Clemson's average margin of victory in those three wins is 27 points a game. Florida State's average margin in its four victories in that time is 3.3 points. *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 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 13 of the 20 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. 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 January 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 midcourt 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 midcourt. Clemson defeated a 15-8 Florida State team twice that season. Last Year vs. Florida State Florida State 60, Clemson 57 Jan. 12, 2000 at Tallahassee, FL Clemson made just 6-33 shots from the field in the second half, leading to the dissolving of an 11-point halftime lead and a 60-57 loss at Florida State on January 12, 2000. It was the third straight ACC loss for the Tigers, who shot 50 percent in the first half and 18 percent in the second half for a 34 percent marksmenship for the game. Will Solomon led the Tigers with 13 points, while Andrius Jurkunas had 12, his first double figure scoring game since the season opener. Adam Allenspach had his fourth double-double of the season with 11 of each, but he made just 1-11 shots from the field in the second half. Nine Tigers played for Clemson and all nine scored at least on field goal, a first in that season. Florida State was led by two seniors, Ron Hale and Damous Anderson, who both scored 18 points. FSU hit just 31.6 percent from the field for the game, including 7-21 on three-point shots. But, the Seminoles were 17-22 from the line. FSU had just eight turnovers to 13 for Clemson, but the Tigers were +10 in rebound margin. Clemson played its best first half of the year at Florida State. The Tigers made 16-32 shots from the field, had just five turnovers and won the rebound margin in addition to hitting 4-9 on three-point shots. Clemson held a 39-28 lead at intermission and it was achieved with just five points from Will Solomon. The ACC's leading scorer had two fouls early and played just seven minutes in the first half. Walker Holt did an outstanding job holding the fort and the lead. The freshman hit his first three-point goal of the year, pulled in two rebounds and had an assist and no turnovers in eight minutes. Florida State went on an 18-2 run to open the second half to take an immediate 46-41 lead at the 14 minute mark. But, Clemson's defense stood up and held Florida State scoreless for eight minutes, and scored 12 points themselves. Clemson led 53-46 with 6:36 left. But, Clemson missed its last 11 shots from the field and scored just four points the rest of the way. Still, Clemson had Edward Scott on the line with 15 seconds left and a chance to take the lead. But, the freshman missed the front end of a one-and-one. The Tigers had five more shots at the basket, but none would fall. Ron Hale, who had hit a fall-away three-point shot to give FSU the lead, then made a pair of free throws. Will Solomon's final three-point shot at a tie was blocked. Clemson 84, Florida State 58 Feb. 12, 2000 at Clemson, SC Will Solomon scored 33 points, including 15 consecutive points at one stretch late in the game, leading Clemson to a 84-58 win over Florida State on Feb. 12, 2000 at Littlejohn Coliseum. Andrius Jurkunas added 17 points, six assists and no turnovers, while Adam Allenspach added 12 points. It was Clemson's top game of the season in terms of ball handling. The Tigers had 24 assists and just seven turnovers and that 3.43 assist/turnover ratio is the third best in Clemson history in an ACC game. Adam Allenspach had a carer high four assists, while Solomon had four assists and just one turnover in his 36 minutes. Damous Anderson scored 28 to lead Florida State, but he was the only Seminole in double figures. Ron Hale, who came into the game fourth in the ACC in scoring with a 17.4 average, had just six points and made just 1-12 shots from the field. Jurkunas gets the credit for stopping Hale as he guarded the 6-8 Florida State guard for 32 minutes. Clemson also got strong efforts from Chucky Gilmore and Ray Henderson. Gilmore, playing on his 20th birthday, was 3-4 from the field and scored six points. Henderson was Clemson's leading rebounder for the third straight game and finished with eight in just 18 minutes. He also scored seven points. Clemson jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, 35-23, then started the second half with a 18-6 run to take a 24-point lead with 13 minutes left. Clemson led by as many as 30 points late in the game. Solomon made 6-6 from the field, including three-three-point goals to score 15 straight points from the 6:01 mark to the 2:07 mark. Clemson shot 63.3 percent in the second half on 19-30 and that included 0-3 by walk-ons who played the last two minutes. Clemson had a 56.4 percent shooting for the game, best in a game and best since the Tigers made 57 percent in the season opener against East Tennessee State. Clemson also shot a season high 12-20 on three-point goals and also made 83 percent from the foul line. Clemson Veterans vs. Florida State
G-GS Min FG-A 3-A FT-A Reb A-T B-S Pts. Avg.
Solomon's 41-Point Game, 5th best in the Nation
Will Solomon's 41-point scoring game against Georgia Tech on
January 24 ranks in a tie for the fifth highest scoring game in the
nation this year. The top figure is the 44-point outing by Okechi
Egbe of Tennessee-Martin against Bethel on November 20th. There
have been two 43-point games and one 42-point outing across the
country this year at the Division I level.
Four other players have had a 41-point outing this season.
It was the highest scoring game by an ACC player this year, the
second year in a row Solomon can make that claim. He had a 43-point
game against Virginia last year on January 15th.
Highest Scoring Games in Division I 2000-01 Player, Team Opponent Date Pts Okechi Egbe, UT-Martin Bethel 11-20-00 44 Clarence Gilbert, Missouri Iowa State 1-13-01 43 Cory Schwab, Northern Ariz. Cal-Poly 12-2-00 43 Thomas Terrell, Georgia St. Jacksonville 1-8-01 42 Will Solomon, Clemson Georgia Tech 1-24-01 41 Tarise Bryson, Illinois St. Cen Michigan 12-3-00 41 Ron Williamson, Howard Georgetown 12-16-00 41 Willie Taylor, VCU Evansville 12-20-00 41 Brandon Armstrong, Pepperdine Charlotte 12-29-00 41
Solomon's 41-point Outing Sixth Best in Clemson History
Will Solomon's 41-point scoring game against Georgia Tech was
the sixth highest scoring performance in Clemson history. It was
just the seventh game of 40 points or more by a Tiger player dating
to 1912, the first year of Clemson basketball. Solomon, Bill
Yarborough and Butch Zatezalo now each have two 40-point scoring
games apiece.
Solomon is the only Clemson player since 1970 to have a
40-point scoring game. Butch Zatezalo was the last player before
Solomon to do it.
Solomon made 13-22 shots from the field, 7-12 three-point
attempts and 8-9 from the foul line in his 41-point game against
Tech. He played all 40 minutes. The native of East Hartford, CT
scored 26 points in the first half when he made 8-12 from the field,
including 6 of his first 7.
J.O. Erwin has the Clemson single game scoring record with 58
points in just the second game in Clemson basketball history. Erwin
had 29 field goals for 58 total points in Clemson's 78-6 win that
afternoon. It was actually the second game of the day for Erwin and
the Tigers. Earlier at Furman, Erwin had 22 points in a win over
Furman. Thus, he scored 80 points that day, the reason Clemson has a
single day scoring record that is different from its single game
scoring record in the Clemson basketball press guide.
Clemson Single Game Scoring Bests Pt Player Site-Opponent Date 58 J.O. Erwin N2-Butler Guards 2-9-12 46 Bill Yarborough H-South Carolina 1-18-55 46 Butch Zatezalo A-Wake Forest 2-18-69 43 Butch Zatezalo N1-NC State 2-14-70 43 Will Solomon H-Virginia 1-15-00 41 Will Solomon H-Georgia Tech 1-24-01 40 Bill Yarborough H-Virginia 12-17-54 N2--at Greenville, SC, N1--at Charlotte, NC
Solomon Career Scoring Average 8th in Clemson History
With his recent scoring burst, Will Solomon has moved to
eighth in Clemson history on the points per game chart. Solomon has
averaged at least 20 points a game over the last two years to raise
his average to 15.27 for his 83-game career. He is jsut .01 behind
Elden Campbell, who is Clemson's overall leader in points scored in
Clemson history.
Solomon now ranks third among players who played during an
era of freshman eligibility. Bill Yarborough is the only player who
played four years that is above Campbell and Solomon. All the
others were not eligible until their sophomore years under NCAA rules
during the 1953-73 period. (Note that Randy Mahaffey played part of
a fourth season, but red-shirted due to injury).
Solomon has moved to 16th in Clemson history in total points
scored (1267), second in career three-point goals (184), third in
three-point goals per game (2.23), eighth in three-point percentage
(.369), eighth in 20-point games (27), and eighth in scoring
average.
Clemson Career Scoring Average Leaders Rk Name Yrs Years GP Pts Avg 1. Butch Zatezalo 3 1967-70 75 1761 23.48 2. Bill Yarborough 5 1952-57 85 1553 18.27 3. Vince Yockel 3 1955-58 74 1350 18.24 4. Jim Brennan 3 1961-64 76 1317 17.33 5. Jim Sutherland 3 1964-67 71 1230 17.32 6. Randy Mahaffey 4 1966-70 73 1171 16.04 7. Elden Campbell 4 1986-90 123 1883 15.28 8. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 83 1267 15.27 9. Choppy Patterson 4 1959-63 76 1131 14.88 10. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 1839 14.60
Solomon Outstanding vs. Ranked Teams
Will Solomon has been outstanding against top flight
competition this year. In seven games against top 20 teams he has
scored 165 points, a 23.6 average. In those seven games he has shot
45 percent from the field, 43.3 percent on three-point attempts and
82.5 percent from the foul line. All those figures are better than
his stats against unranked teams. Solomon has five games of at least
30 points this year and four of them have come against Top 20 teams.
In a recent outing against a ranked Wake Forest team,
Solomon scored 30 points, made 9-17 shots from the field, 5-11 on
three-point shots and 7-9 from the foul line. He also added three
rebounds and three steals. Earlier this year he scored 31 against a
10th ranked Seton Hall team, 32 against a 20th ranked Cincinnati team
and 32 against a 17th ranked Maryland team. In the Seton Hall game
he scored those 31 points in just 30 minutes.
Solomon against Ranked Teams in 2000-01 Opponent (Rk) Min FG-A 3FG-A FT-A Reb Ast Pts Seton Hall (10) 30 11-19 5-7 4-4 4 0 31 Cincinnati (20) 33 9-21 5-10 9-11 1 3 32 Maryland (17) 37 10-18 7-11 5-7 5 3 32 at Duke (3) 29 5-12 1-6 2-2 1 3 13 at NC (6) 33 7-17 3-10 0-0 3 5 17 at Wake (10) 34 9-17 5-11 7-9 3 1 30 Virginia (12) 30 2-14 0-5 6-7 3 3 10 Totals 226 53-118 26-60 33-40 20 18 165 Averages (32.3) (.450) (.433) (.825) (2.7) (2.6) (23.6)
Solomon Improved over Last Year
Clemson guard Will Solomon was named first-team All-ACC last
year as a sophomore, the first Clemson guard to be named first team
in 20 years, the first sophomore or freshman to earn first-team
honors from Clemson in 25 years. Based on his production so far this
year, he will again be a strong candidate for the honor. No
Clemson player in history has ever been first-team All-ACC in two
different seasons.
Solomon has shown improvement in just about every area this
year, including scoring and all three of the shooting percentages.
He has done it while playing less time (36 minutes a game last year
to 34.3 minutes a game this year). Additionally, his assist/turnover
ratio is improved. As he did last year, his stats in ACC games are
better than in non-conference games.
Category 1999-00 2000-01 Scoring Average 20.9 22.5 Field Goal % .401 .431 3pt Shooting .375 .492 Free Throw % .684 .810 Assist/Turnover 0.76 0.81 Steals/Game 1.27 1.68 Minutes/Game 36.0 34.3 Scoring in ACC Games 21.3 24.6 FG % ACC Games .422 .454
Solomon Had 6 Straight 20-point Games
Clemson guard Will Solomon scored at least 20 points in six
consecutive games between December 20 to January 2. The junior from
East Hartford, CT averaged 26.2 points a game during the six games.
The streak was stopped at Duke when he was held to 13 points by 6-6
Blue Devil forward Nate James.
Solomon talled 32 points in two of the games in the streak,
both against ranked opponents. He had 32 in an eight-point loss to
20th ranked Cincinnati and also had 32 in Clemson's 12-point loss to
17th-ranked Maryland. Playing well against top opposition is
nothing new for Solomon. Last year he had a higher scoring average
in ACC games than in non-conference contests.
Solomon's streak of six consecutive 20-point games was the
longest since Horace Grant had six straight during the 1986-87
season, the year he became Clemson's only ACC MVP. Grant's streak
was stopped by North Carolina when he scored 19. The Clemson
record for consecutive 20-point games is 19, held by the late Bill
Yarborough. He scored at least 20 in the last three games of 1953-54
and the first 16 of the 1954-55 season. Yarborough averaged 28.3
points a game in 1954-55 and scored at least 20 in every game. His
only non-20 point game was an 18-point outing.
Solomon has already established one Clemson streak record
this year. He has scored in double figures in 49 straight games,
every game last year and all 19 games he has played so far this
season. He has a streak of 24 straight ACC games in double
figures.The previous mark was by Vince Yockel, who had 36 in a row
over two seasons in the 1950s. Solomon's current 48-game streak is
the longest active streak in the ACC. The ACC record book does not
have a listing for consecutive games of double figure scoring. North
Carolina's Larry Miller had a 64-game streak in the 1960s.
An Incredible Game!
Georgia Tech 111, Clemson 108
Jan. 24, 2000 at Clemson, SC
Will Solomon scored 41 points, the sixth highest single game
and just the seventh 40-point scoring game in school history, but it
was not enough as Georgia Tech outlasted Clemson 111-108 on January
24 at Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson was playing without starting center Adam Allenspach,
who missed his second straight game with a back ailment, and starting
point guard Edward Scott, who missed the game with a case of the flu.
Alvin Jones had perhaps his finest all-around game at Tech as
the senior had 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 30
minutes. Jones, a 61.5 percent free throw shooter entering the game,
made 14-19 from the foul line for Tech. He was supported by Shaun
Fein, who made 7-9 three-point shots and scored 23 in just 25
minutes. Halston Lane scored 17 points in just 21 minutes off the
bench to provide support.
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field overall and
from three-point land. Both teams scored at least 50 points in each
half. Tech made 17-31 three-point shots, a school record for
three-point goals in a game, while Clemson made 14-28, the third most
made three-point goals in Clemson history. The Tigers made 34-42
from the foul line, including 14 in a row to open the game, and 81
percent for the game. It was just the second time since 1969 that
Clemson made 34 free throws, yet lost the game.
Tony Stockman supported Solomon with 20 points and six
assists. He scored 18 points in the second half. Pasha Bains scored
12 points, all in the second half, on a perfect 4-4 shooting night.
Starting center Ray Henderson added 12 points, including a career
best 6-6 from the foul line.
Both teams scored in bunches. Tech scored 36 points in the
first 10 minutes and had a 14-point lead. It was a 16-point lead at
48-32 at the 6:12 mark on a three-point shot by Lane. Tech made 13
of 20 three-point goals in the first half alone, but the Tigers
scored 23 points in the last 7:21 to get within six at intermission.
Solomon scored 26 points in the first half for the Tigers, but he
could not counteract the three-point shooting by Tech. The Yellow
Jackets had five different players made at least two three-point
goals in the first half alone.
Clemson again fell behind by 16 in the second half, first at
92-76, then by a 97-81 score with 6:49 left. But, Clemson scored 27
points in the last 6:42 of the game. A Pasha Bains three-point goal
with 1:23 left cut the margin to 105-104. It was 110-108 with 25
seconds left when Clemson got the ball back with a chance to tie, but
Will Solomon's jumper missed. Solomon had a three-pointer to tie
with five seconds left, but the shot missed and Tech held on.
Clemson saw both of its top big men, Ray Henderson and Chris
Hobbs, foul out, but Clemson still won the rebound battle, 36-27.
Dustin Braddick had six rebounds to lead Clemson, four offensive.
Tech scored 111 points, but starting point guard Tony Akins did not
score before he fouled out.
Hobbs Pulling in the Rebounds
Clemson freshman Chris Hobbs has taken over the team lead in
total rebounds this year with 119. He had 13 at Wake Forest, his
second highest total of the year. He had 15 in a game against The
Citadel earlier this year, most by a Clemson freshman in five years.
He has jumped ahead of Adam Allenspach in terms of total rebounds,
but Allenspach, limited by a back injury, still has the per game lead.
Hobbs has been on a rebounding surge of late, he has led
Clemson in that area in five of the last seven games, all against ACC
competition. He is now averaging 7.6 rebounds per league game, one
of the top seven averages in league play.
How productive has Hobbs been when it comes to carom
collecting? When comparing Hobbs against the great Clemson
rebounders in history his freshman rebounds per minute figure stands
second only to Tree Rollins. Rollins grabbed a rebound every 2.52
minutes his freshman season (1973-74), while Hobbs gets one every
2.85 minutes. Hobbs is ahead of the freshman pace set by such greats
as Dale Davis, Elden Campbell, Horace Grant, Sharone Wright and
Larry Nance.
His father, Greg Hobbs, is a videographer for Duke Medical
Center. In his spare time, he has served as a videographer for
Coach Mike Krzyzewski's television show. Many times Chris tagged a
long to watch the game. Both of his parents are North Carolina
graduates.
Clemson's Best Rebounds/Minute by Freshmen Player Year Min Reb Min/R Tree Rollins 1973-74 795 316 2.52 Chris Hobbs 2000-01 310 110 2.85 Dale Davis 1987-88 714 223 3.20 Sharone Wright 1991-92 747 227 3.29 Larry Nance 1977-78 273 78 3.50 Elden Campbell 1986-87 534 126 4.24 Horace Grant 1983-84 551 129 4.27
Hobbs Scores 28 vs. Virginia
While Chris Hobbs has been a strong rebounder, he has also
been a solid inside scorer at times this year. That was never as
obvious as the Virginia game of January 27th. In that contest,
Hobbs scored a season high 28 points on 10-13 shooting from the field
and 8-9 shooting from the foul line. That was the most points in a
game by a Clemson freshman since 1995-96 when Terrell McIntyre scored
29. It was the most points by a Clemson freshman frontcourt player
since the 1982-83 season when Anthony Jenkins scored 30 against Duke.
Hobbs is now averaging 8.6 points in conference games, 6.8
overall. He is now in a tie for fourth on the Clemson team in
scoring and his field goal percentage is second. He is now
shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 73.8 percent from the foul
line. No Clemson freshman in history has ever shot over 53 percent
from the field and 70 percent from the foul line in the same season.
Hobbs is obviously on pace to do that.
Last Game
Virginia 104, Clemson 76
Virginia had four different players score at least 17 points
to offset a 28-point effort by Chris Hobbs in a 104-76 Cavalier win
at Clemson on January 27. Virginia connected on 57.4 percent of its
field goal attempts overall, 50 percent from three-point land and
72.4 percent from the foul line. The Cavs also outrebounded Clemson
43-32 and committed just 10 turnovers in its finest all-around
performance of the season for the 12th ranked team.
Clemson shot 39 percent for the game, but hit just 4-23 from
the field to open the game. Clemson went nearly seven minutes
without a point at one stretch. That poor Clemson shooting led to a
36-12 Virginia advantage to open the game. Clemson trailed 47-28 at
intermission. The Tigers cut the lead to 15 in the second half, but
that was as close as the Tigers could get. Virginia made 22-33 shots
from the field in the second half, 66.7 percent.
Chris Hobbs scored 28 points and had a team best nine
rebounds to lead the Tigers. Hobbs hit 10-13 from the field and 8-9
free throws in scoring the most points by a Clemson freshman since
the 1995-96 season. Virginia held Clemson scoring leader Will
Solomon to just 10 points on 2-14 shooting. It was season low for
Solomon, who had scored a season high 41 in the previous contest with
Georgia Tech.
Chris Williams scored 22 and Donald Hand added 20 points and
nine assists to lead the Cavs. Adam Hall had 17 points and 12
rebounds and led the defense against Solomon.
Clemson made 71.4 percent from the foul line. The Tigers
made more free throws than Virginia attempted, an unusual
accomplishment for the losing team. The Tigers also committed just
10 turnovers, its low total for an ACC game. Tony Stockman scored
13 points and had five assists with no turnovers.
Clemson Three-Point Shooting Improved
Clemson is much improved this year when it comes to the
perimeter aspect of the game. The Tigers are shooting 36.9 percent
on three-point shots and averaging 8.35 three-point made goals per
game, above the previous record rate of 7.06 per game set in
1993-94. They are shooting and making more threes and doing it at
the third best percentage in school history.
Clemson's 1986-87 team made 203 of 453 three-point attempts,
a .448 figure, still by far the Clemson record and still the ACC mark
for that category. Clemson's 1991-92 team made 38.2 percent and the
current 36.5 figure is third.
Leading the way in terms of three-point shooting is Will
Solomon, who has made 65 three-point goals in 19 games, 3.42 per
game. Solomon's 3.42 per game figure is ahead of the 3.34 per game
by Clemson's entire team in 1989-90, the Tiger squad that won the
school's only ACC regular season championship.
Clemson's Top Three-Point Goal/Game Teams Season Made GP 3FG/G 2000-01 167 20 8.35 1993-94 240 34 7.06 1994-95 197 28 7.04 1998-99 233 35 6.66 1986-87 203 31 6.55 1992-93 192 30 6.40 1999-00 189 30 6.30 Clemson's top 3-Point Percentage Seasons Season Made Att Pct 1986-87 203 453 .448 1991-92 161 422 .382 2000-01 167 452 .369 1994-95 197 554 .356 1998-99 233 665 .350
Group Tickets on Sale
The Clemson University Athletic Department Ticket Office is
offering a limited number of group tickets for the following Men's
ACC Basketball games at $5.00 each. The minimum amount to order is
twenty (20) per game. All group tickets are located in the Upper
Arena of Littlejohn Coliseum.
The special offer will be available for the following games: Jan. 27, 2001 Virginia 4:00 PM Feb. 21, 2001 Wake Forest 7:00 PM March 3, 2001 Florida State 12:00 Noon
You may contact Lynn Sparks at 864-656-4288 for group ticket information.
What Clemson has Done Well
*Three-point Shooting--Clemson has averaged 8.35 three-point
goals a game, a record pace for the program, and is hitting .369 on a
percentage basis. Clemson has three players hitting at least 39
percent on three-point shots. Clemson is actually shooting 39
percent on three-point shots in ACC games, ahead of its overall
figure.
*Free Throw Shooting--Clemson has made 71.5 percent of its
free throws this year. No Clemson team has made 70 percent for a
season since the 1986-87 season, Horace Grant's senior season.
Leading the way are guards Will Solomon and Tony Stockman. Clemson
made 17-20 on the road at Wake Forest, then made 34 of 42 against
Georgia Tech. Thus, Clemson is 71 of its last 90 from the foul line
over three games, .789.
Where Clemson has Struggled
*Rebounding--We say this in the comparative sense because
Clemson has been so strong in rebounding for many years. Clemson
has been first or second in the ACC in rebounding each of the last
two years. The Tigers are outrebounding the opposition for the
season, by six total rebounds, but the opposition has 26 more
offensive rebounds. The Tigers are limited in terms of post players
due to the season ending injury to Chucky Gilmore and Adam
Allenspach's back problems. Clemson did outrebound Georgia Tech by
nine in its latest game.
*Assist/turnover ratio--Clemson has 290 assists and 324
turnovers so far this season. That includes a 87/120 assist/turnover
ratio in seven ACC games. Clemson committed 20 turnovers at North
Carolina and 21 more in an eight-point loss at Wake Forest The
Tigers are averaging 16.2 turnovers per game and only NC State is
committing more per game (16.8).
*Defending Three-Point Shooting--Clemson has allowed the
opposition to make 41.2 percent of its three-point attempts in ACC
play, including 29-55 over the last two games by Georgia Tech and
Virginia.
Clifton Showing Improvement
After scoring just seven points in the first six games of the
season, freshman forward Dwon Clifton has scored 77 in the last 13
games. That includes consecutive games of nine points. He had nine
on 4-6 shooting in the win over NC State, then had nine points on 3-4
shooting at North Carolina. The native of Louisburg, NC has made 13
of his last 26 shots from the field, including 7-11 three-points.
Clifton has just four turnovers in his last 133 minutes of play.
Clifton had a highlight at the end of the North Carolina
game when he had a rebound dunk after a running start from the foul
line. The play was listed as the sixth best highlight of the day on
ESPN's SportsCenter.
Henderson Productive Rebounder
Ray Henderson has stepped up his game of late,
especially when it comes to rebounding. His playing time has
increased due to the back problems that Adam Allenspach is dealing
with at this time. The native of Charlotte, NC has collected 46
rebounds in his last seven games, 6.6 per outing and all have come
against ACC opponents.Henderson had a career high 13 rebounds at Duke
in just 19 minutes, he followed that with 10 rebounds in the win over
NC State. He added eight rebounds in just 23 minutes at North
Carolina and seven in 29 minutes at Wake Forest. For the year,
Henderson has 101 points and 92 rebounds.
For the season, Henderson is shooting a team best 55
percent from the field. He has made 8 of his last 10 free throws,
including 6-6 against Georgia Tech when he scored 12 points in 22
minutes.
Allenspach Questionable for Florida State
Clemson's only senior on the roster, Adam Allenspach, did not
play in Clemson's win over NC State. He played just seven minutes
and did not score at North Carolina, then has missed the last three
games altogether. Clemson has lost all three. The 7-1 center, who
has played 110 games in his Clemson career, has missed time due to
inflammation of the Sacroilliac Joint (where hip meeds the spine).
The problem caused back spasms and a loss of motion and mobility.
He is day to day and would be classified as questionable for the
Florida State game.
Allenspach had surgery this past summer to repair a herniated
disk. He has been troubled by the back problems off and on since
last year. He first went down due to the injury last year at Duke
when he collapsed just six minutes into the game due to the pain.
Allenspach has had many highlight moments this year. He was
still tied for first in the league in double-doubles with six
heading into the Wake Forest game. He had four in succession until
the streak came to an end against Cincinnati during a game in Puerto
Rico.
Allenspach had scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs.
Wofford Dec. 16 and had 15 points and15 rebounds at South Carolina,
then 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Winthrop. The last Tiger to post
four consecutive double-doubles was Sharone Wright, who last did it
his sophomore year in 1992-93.
For the season, Allenspach is still third on the club
in scoring and first in rebounding per game. He has averaged 10.1
points and 7.1 rebounds per contest and leads the team in blocked
shots with 12. The rebounding average is still eighth in the league.
For his career, he has averaged 6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and has shot
70.1 percent from the foul line, one of the top percentages in
history for a Clemson center.
Allenspach Achieved Triple Leadership at South Carolina
Adam Allenspach pulled off a rare achievement in Clemson's
loss to South Carolina in December. The 7-1 center led the Tigers
in scoring (15), assists (4) and rebounding (15). Leading Clemson
in scoring and rebounding is not an earth shattering accomplishment
for Allenspach, but adding in assists makes it an unusual
accomplishment. In fact, he also led Clemson in blocked shots in the
game, meaning he led the Tigers in four important categories.
Leading Clemson in all three areas in the same game is rare.
Below is a list of Clemson players who have done it in the last 31
years (since assists were kept as an official stat). Terrell
McIntyre did it twice in his career. Allenspach was the first to do
it as a center since Sharone Wright against UT Arlington in 1993-94.
David Angel is the only other center to do it and he did it twice.
Scott Running the Offense
Clemson point guard Edward Scott has scored in double figures
in three of his last five games and four of his last seven. He has
averaged 9 points a game during the seven-game stretch. He has a 6.7
career average. Scott has improved his offensive production of
late, hitting 12 of his last 34 three-point goals (.353) after
hitting just one of his first 19 threes to open the season.
Scott has done a good job running the Clemson offense. He
has 84 assists and 47 turnovers. He has already surpassed his assist
total for all of last year when he had 69 assists in 789 minutes.
This year he has 84 assists in 592 minutes. Overall, Scott has six
double figure scoring games this year, he had five all of last year.
The native of Eastover, SC (near Columbia) has improved his
assist/turnover ratio from 1.30 to 1.87 so far this year. He has
had more assists than turnovers in 16 of the 19 games. He has
averaged a turnover every 13.2 minutes of play so far this year, a
solid figure for a point guard who plays 32 minutes per game.
Scott missed the Georgia Tech game on January 24 with a case
of the flu. He returned for the Virginia game and had four assists
without a turnover in 28 minutes.
Clemson Could Break Record for Ranked Opponents
Clemson has played six top 20 opponents so far this year and
Clemson is 0-7 in those games. But, the Tigers have played well in
four of those games, having a chance to win each contest with under
two minutes left. Clemson lost to 10th ranked Seton Hall 79-78 on
November 21 in the second game of the season, then lost to 20th
ranked Cincinnati by 88-80 on December 21 in San Juan. Maryland,
ranked 17th at the time, downed the Tigers, 104-92 on January 2.
Third ranked Duke defeated Clemson 115-74 on January 7. Clemson lost
to sixth ranked North Carolina on January 17, by a 92-65 score.
Clemson trailed Wake Forest by just five points with two minutes left
before losing by eight.
Clemson had the ball for a final shot to beat Seton Hall.
Clemson trailed by just two against Cincinnati with four minutes
left, and by just six with two minutes left. Clemson trailed
Maryland by just four (96-92) with two minutes remaining.
Playing against top flight competition will be the norm this
year. The ACC is filled with top 20 teams and it appears Clemson
will play at least 10 conference games against ranked teams.
Combined with the two non-conference games against top 20 teams,
Clemson should play 12 regular season games this year against top 20
teams. That would be a first in Clemson history if that happens.
Clemson has played 10 top 20 teams in a season four previous
years. It first took place in 1979-80 when Clemson had a 6-4
record against top 20 teams on the way to a NCAA Final Eight finish.
Clemson also played 10 top 20 teams in 1980-81, 1994-95 and 1996-97.
The record for most top 25 teams played in a season is 13,
set in 1996-97. Clemson had a 5-8 record against ranked teams that
year. That was Larry Shyatt's last season as associate head coach at
Clemson.
Clemson been known to upset ranked teams in the past.
Clemson has 68 win over ranked teams (AP or USA Today/Coach's),
including at least one every year since 1986-87. Clemson had one win
over a ranked team last year, a 59-42 win over 21st ranked NC State
in a game played at Clemson.
Freshmen of Influence
Clemson's freshman class for the 2000-01 season was ranked
among the best in the nation. It has certainly had an impact on
this year's team. Tony Stockman is second on the club in scoring
with a 12.4 average, including a 22-point outing at Duke on January
7. He had 20 points against Georgia Tech, his fifth 20-point game of
the season. Stockman's 12.4 average is best among freshmen in the
ACC. Stockman has 46 three-point goals so far this season, already
second best in history by a Clemson freshman. Andrius Jurkunas has
the record with 51 in 1995-96.
Chris Hobbs has four double-doubles so far this year fifth
in the ACC in that area. The freshman from Chapel Hill has averaged
6.4 rebounds per game, second in the league among freshmen. His
.547 field goal percentage is also second on the team. He had a
double-double in his first ACC game, 11 points and 10 rebounds
against Maryland on January 2. He had another against an ACC
opponent in the win over NC State on January 13. His 15 rebounds in
the win over The Citadel were the most by a Clemson freshman since
Tom Wideman had 17 at NC State in 1995-96. His 28 points against
Virginia were the most by a Clemson frontcourt player since 1982-83.
Finally, Dwon Clifton, a freshman from Louisburg, NC, has
moved into the starting lineup. He is averaging 4.2 points and 2.7
rebounds per game. He is a capable rebounder, as his 12 rebounds
against Washington showed this year. He had a season high nine
pointson 4-6 shooting in the win over NC State. He added nine points
in the game at North Carolina.
All three freshmen started against Georgia Tech, the first
time since the 1995-96 season that Clemson has started that many
freshmen in a game. Clemson started four freshmen in the 1996 NCAA
Tournament game against Georgia.
Free Throw Shooting at a 14-year High
One area of improvement for Clemson this year is free throw
shooting. The Tigers have made 71.5 percent from the foul line this
year. Clemson has not been a good free throw shooting team over
the years. In fact, no Clemson team has bettered 70 percent over a
season since 1986-87 when Horace Grant was a senior, helping the
Tigers to a 71.6 percentage. The closest Clemson has come to a 70
percent season from the line was 1994-95 when the Tigers finished at
.696. Clemson has made at least two thirds of its free throws just
four of the last 13 seasons.
If the season ended today, Clemson's .715 figure would be the
best since the 1986-87 season and the ninth best in history. The
Clemson record for free throw shooting took place in 1981-82 when
Bill Foster's Tigers made .734 of their free throws.
Clemson has had balance from the line this year. Tony
Stockman leads the way with an 83 percent mark, while Will Solomon is
at 81. Freshman center Chris Hobbs, who gets to the line often, has
made .738 from the line. Edward Scott is at 79 percent. Center Adam
Allenspach, a 74 percent shooter from the line last year, is a 66.1
so far this year.
No Clemson team in history has ever led the ACC in free
throw shooting. Clemson has made at least 79 percent from the line
in each of its last two games, making 71 of 90.
Clemson Offensive Numbers Up
The Tigers are trying to run a more up-tempo offense this
season, and are averaging 79 points per game this year, up from the
64.4 scoring average of last year. Clemson has not averaged at
least 79 points a game since the 1989-90 season when Clemson's only
ACC championship team in history averaged 79.3 a game.
The 108 points Clemson scored against Georgia Tech was the
most points scored by a Clemson team since December 1, 1993 when the
Tigers scored 120 in the 120-103 win over Charleston Southern. The
108 points scored in the loss to Tech was the most points in history
in a Clemson loss.
Clemson has scored at least 80 points in nine games this
year, including three in a row at one point. Clemson reached the 80
point mark just twice all of last year and just eight times in 35
games Shyatt's first season at Clemson.
So far this year Clemson has three players averaging in
double figures. Clemson had just two games all of last year in which
they had four players score in double figures. Will Solomon and Adam
Allenspach were Clemson's only two players to average in double
figures last year. Solomon and Allenspach are joined by freshman
Tony Stockman in double figures this season. The Tigers had at least
three players score in double digits in every game this season up
until the Washington game when only Solomon and Allenspach scored
more than 10 points. The Tigers got back on track vs. Charleston
Southern with four players in double figures. Clemson has had eight
games in which four players have scored in double figures. That
happened just twice all of last year.
Clemson's shooting percentage is 43.6 percent, up from 40.4
last year.
Clemson Offensive Stat Comparison Category 1999-00 2000-01 Scoring 64.4 78.6 Field Goal Percentage .404 .436 3-Point Percentage .332 .369 Free Throw Shooting .671 .715 Double Figure Scorers 2 3 80-Point Scoring Games 2 9
Clemson has Shown Comeback Ability
Clemson has shown an ability to comeback from large deficits
so far this year. In fact, in consecutive victories on December
28-30, Clemson overcame deficits of at least 15 points to gain
victory. That is the first time in history Clemson has been down 15
at some point, then gained victory in consecutive games.
The Tigers trailed Charleston Southern 24-9 on December 28,
then rallied for an 87-77 win. Two days later at Coastal Carolina,
Clemson trailed 37-19 in the first half, and 41-28 at intermission.
Clemson won that contest 81-68. Clemson has play-by-plays on a
consistent basis back to the 1977-78 season. That was the third best
Clemson comeback on record, topped only by a 20-point comeback
against The Citadel in 1978-79 and a 19-point comeback in the NCAA
Tournament against LaSalle in 1990.
Seven times since the 1977-78 season Clemson has overcome a
15-point deficit to gain victory. Two of the seven have taken place
this season, and they were executed just 48 hours apart.
In four other games this year Clemson has trailed by double
digits, then rallied to take the lead or come within two points late
in the game before losing.
*In the second game of the year Clemson trailed a top 10
Seton Hall team 61-50 with 11:18 left, then took a 76-74 lead
with3:04 remaining before losing 79-78.
*Clemson trailed a 20th ranked Cincinnati team 58-40 with
13:08 left, then cut the margin to 71-69 with 4:38 left.
*Clemson trailed Washington by 13 points, 56-43 with 13:00
left, then rallied to take a 68-64 lead before losing in overtime.
*Clemson trailed 17th ranked Maryland 24-14 in the first
seven minutes, rallied to take a 73-71 lead in the second half before
losing 104-92.
Clemson was six points down in the second half against NC
State, then came back to win by three points.
Largest Deficits Overcome for Clemson Victory since 1978 Date Opponent Site Deficit Won Result 12-29-78 Citadel H 6-26 -20 71-58 3-17-90 LaSalle N1 22-41 -19 79-75 12-30-00 Coastal Car. A 19-37 -18 81-68 2-12-90 NC State H 15-30 -15 89-81 1-3-96 Duke H 26-41 -15 51-48 11-22-97 SW Mo. St. N2 16-31 -15 71-67 12-28-00 Charleston So. H 9-24 -15 87-77
Former Tiger Saves Nearly 400 Lives
Former Clemson forward Clarke Bynum was in the national news
on December 30. The native of Sumter, SC saved the lives of 379
passengers on a British Airways flight from London to Nairobi, Kenya.
Bynum, asleep two rows from the cockpit, was jolted awake when the
plane went into a nosedive. The pilots were screaming for help and
Bynum came to the rescue.
He wrestled a madman to the floor, allowing the pilots to
straighten out the plane. The man apparently wanted to kill himself
and everyone in the plane. Later, the pilots told Bynum the plane
was just three seconds from crashing. Bynum, 39, is an insurance
agent and was traveling to Uganda with a small interdenominational
organization called the African Christian Trust Service.
Bynum's heroics were documented in USA Today and other
national news agencies and he was interviewed by Good Morning America
and the Today Show.
Bynum lettered four seasons for the Tigers from 1980-84. He
started 23 games and played in 92 games overall for his career. He
averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds, shot 73 percent from the foul
line and 45 percent from the field. He started the first nine games
of the 1980-81 season, a Clemson team that finished the year with 20
wins and an NIT bid. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the
last week of the regular season that year, then scored 14 points in
the NIT game against Temple. He had his best game as a Tiger
against Austin Peay on December 2, 1981 when he had 18 points, eight
rebounds and eight assists.
Bynum played his best basketball for Clemson during the
team's eight-games in the FIBA International World Cup in Spain in
the summer of 1981. He averaged a team best 20 points per game and
shot 58 percent from the field for the tournament. He scored 30
points against tournament champion Real Madrid.
Bynum was honored by Clemson on Saturday, January 27, prior
to the Clemson vs. Virginia gam
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