Painter’s Preview: Tiger Basketball Week 11

After an up and down contests last week, the Tigers established some consistency on the road during this week as they finished 2-0. Clemson was able to go to Georgia Tech on Tuesday and to Pittsburgh on Saturday and win at both places. Coach Brownell has his Tigers sitting at 15-4 (7-1), and they looked primed to have a chance at an ACC Championship if they can stay untouched until the Blue Devils come to Clemson, SC.

Key Tiger Takeaways from this Past Week:

Changing the Narrative: Coming into this week, there were concerns that Clemson had an inability to go on the road and win with consistency. Coach Brownell and his squad has temporarily silenced those haters as they went undefeated throughout this whole week of travel. These two performances put the Tigers road record at 3-3, and they will have to fight to continue to improve that number as ACC play yearns on. The Tigers were also able to win their first overtime game this season after losing two other affairs in extra minutes. Those other two losses came back-back to Memphis and South Carolina. Coach Brownell’s team continues to improve in front of our eyes, and they are eyeing back-back NCAA Tournament appearances as the narrative of Clemson Men’s Basketball is changing in the upstate.

Future 1st-Team All-ACC: It is hard to not mention Chase Hunter in every article, but the sixth-year Senior is playing out of his mind this season. Hunter may have struggled to start the week in his home state, but he managed to regroup on the road as he made a career high in three-pointer in a game with five. That fifth made deep ball was the eventual dagger with 12 seconds remaining in overtime as the shot clock was expiring. Hunter finished the game with 20 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 55% from the field and 56% from downtown. He is now shooting 45% from deep on the year which is ten percentages higher than any other season in his college career and ranks at the top of the ACC. Tiger Fans have themselves their third straight 1st-Team All ACC player, and Chase Hunter may be playing his way into a draft slot for the NBA.

Unbalanced Offense: Clemson was not pressed as heavily against the Yellow Jackets, but against Pittsburgh, Clemson was unable to find any consistent rhythm on offense despite scoring 78 points. The Tigers hit a season-high 14 three-pointers, but outside of that, they had no sort of offense. Pittsburgh outscored Clemson within the paint by 14 points, and the Tigers were unable to find any success until the last few minutes of the game hit. It is good that the team was able to find it when needed, but it is concerning that as of the past two weeks, Clemson has been very dependent on the three-point shot. The Tigers almost blew a 14-point second half lead to the Panthers because of their inconsistency’s on offense, and against they lost on the road to the Cardinals because of a lack of presence within the paint. As they continue through ACC play, Coach Brownell needs to get his offense more balanced to ensure the Tigers do not lose a game they should not.

Taking Care of Business: While the unbalanced offense is concerning, Clemson has taken care of their business so far this season. Clemson is 5-4 in games against Quad 1 and 2 opponents which marks a good resume with a win over Kentucky. However, it is Clemson’s undefeated record (10-0) against Quad 3 and 4 competition that truly rounds out their resume. Since the ACC is having an all-around down year, it is crucial for the Tigers to ensure they do not lose any of these Quad 3 or 4 games to finish out the season. Bad losses like these kept out the Tigers from the NCAA Tournament in 22-23 despite some huge wins and finishing third in the ACC. Coach Brownell has seen the bad sides of these losses, and I don’t expect for him to not have his squad ready for every game the rest of the way.

Clemson’s Upcoming Match-ups this Week

At Home vs. the Syracuse Orange, Wednesday, January 22,2025

The Clemson Tigers return home on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 to welcome in the Syracuse Orange to Littlejohn Coliseum. The Orange have been struggling to start this season under second year Head Coach Adrian Autry. Autry replaced the great Jim Boeheim after his last season in 22-23 , and has been underwhelming in his second season with Syracuse. Last season, the Orange finished the year 20-12 and fifth in the ACC; however, this season, they are 9-9 (3-4) which ranks ninth in the ACC. After losing their star player to the NBA, Junior J.J. Starling has stepped up and began to lead this Syracuse roster. The 6’4 Guard missed the entirety of December due to injury, but they are currently 7-4 as a team when their star player takes the court. He is averaging 18.5 pts/g, 3.9 rbs/g, and 2.7 asts/g while shooting 44.6% from the field. So far this season, Starling has only struggled from behind the arc and with turnovers, shooting just 26.8% and turning it over 2.5 times per game which both mark career lows. Expect Clemson’s Jaeden Zackery and Dillon Hunter to guard the Junior frequently to take advantage of that high turnover number. Outside of Starling, Syracuse does not have a lot of production from the backcourt and they attempt to play through their big men. Leading these big men are Freshman Donnie Freeman and Senior Eddie Lampkin Jr. Freeman is a former 5-star recruit and former top player in the nation, and he is averaging 13.4 pts/g with 8 rbs/g. However, the 6’9 Freshman has missed their last four outings as he has struggled with a foot injury. He current status is day-day, and it is very possible for the star Freshman to make his return on the road at a must win game for the Orange. Lampkin Jr. is a former TCU Horned Frog and Colorado Buffalo that decided to finish his college career in Syracuse, and he has produced so far this season. He is averaging 10.2 pts/g with 8 rbs/g, and his big 6’11 frame makes him a struggle for opposing teams within the paint. Expect Syracuse to attempt to control the rectangle as the Tigers have struggled to have a balanced offensive attack as of late because of a lack of a presence within the paint. The Oranges inconsistent x-factor is 6’7 Forward Chris Bell. Bell has had up and down games this season, and after an emotional outbreak, it is unclear if he will play against the Tigers. He was a top scorer for this squad last season, but his production has slumped a little in his Junior season. The Forward has the ability to stretch the floor and take shoots from downtown which has helped balance their offensive attack. It will be crucial for Clemson to ensure Bell does not get going on Wednesday if he plays or it could lead to a sneaky upset win for Syracuse. Overall as a team, the Orange have struggled to protect the ball and defend effectively enough to win consistently. They average 12.5 turnovers per game as a roster while letting up over 77 points per contest. Expect the Tigers to take advantage of that high turnover number at home as they should cruise a victory. Currently the Syracuse Orange are a Quad 3 opponent for the Tigers as they are ranked 155th, but if they string together some losses they could fall to Quad 4 before the end of the year. Clemson will win 81-66 because of an excessive amount of Syracuse turnovers and inconsistent offense.

On the Road at Virginia Tech, Saturday, January 25, 2025

The Tigers return to the road this weekend as they travel to play the struggling Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies are currently 8-10 (3-4) which ties for ninth in the ACC, and they are not in a position they wanted to find themselves in. They have a game at Georgia Tech before Saturday which could go either way. Sixth-year Head Coach Mike Young won the ACC once and made the NCAA Tournament twice in his first three season, but the Hokies have yet to reach 20 wins during the past two seasons, and they do not look very likely to reach it this season either. Coach Young lost his top five players in the off-season to the portal and graduation, and Virginia Tech has struggled mightily because of it. Leading this Hokie team in points and rebounds is 6’8 Junior Tobi Lawal with 12.4 points and 6.5 rebounds. Lawal is a former VCU Ram who has expanded his game past the three point line, but the Hokies have lacked the talent around him to be successful. The only other Hokie averaging over 10 points per game is Senior Forward Mylyjael Poteat. Poteat is a third-year Virginia Tech Hokie who is averaging 10.6 pts/g and 4 rbs/s in his final College Basketball season. Before this season, Poteat only started 4 games in his career and this year, he has started all 18 for Mike Young’s team. This squad turnovers it over more than the Syracuse Orange as they almost turn it over 14 times per game, and Clemson’s unforgiving defensive style will take advantage of that on the road. This team has also allowed more points per game than they score, giving up 73 points per contest. Coach Young’s team is currently ranked 184th in the NET with a record of 2-9 against Quads 1, 2, and 3. This makes this contest a Quad 3 opportunity for Coach Brownell since it is on the road, and the Hokies are hoping to play spoil to Clemson’s good resume. Expect Clemson to roll on the road even if they hit some struggles. The Tigers will win 74-60 because of their good defensive ability against a Virginia Tech team with no star players.