Basketball to Host Rival Gamecocks Saturday at 4:00 PM

Dec. 2, 2005

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Clemson is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since the2002-03 season and just the second time since 1995-96. Clemson hasa +24.2 scoring margin so far this year, the sixth best in Clemsonhistory through the first five games of the season. Clemsonaverages 14.4 steals per game through five games and five differentplayers have at least as many steals as fouls so far this year.Clemson has a +35 turnover margin through five games. Clemson iscoming off a 96-88 victory at Penn State in the ACC vs. Big TenChallenge. Clemson improved to 5-2 all-time in the event. Clemson,Duke and Illinois were the only three of the 22 teams in the eventto register a road win. Clemson has been very balanced so far thisyear. Seven players have scored between 45 and 62 points/ Fivedifferent players have been involved in the scoring leadership andthree have led the Tigers in rebounding over the first five games.Shawan Robinson has 151 career three point goals and needs justfive to move past Tony Stockman into fourth place in Clemsonhistory. Robinson, who has made 19 consecutive free throws over twoyears, is shooting .796 from the line for his career, 10th best inClemson history. Clemson defeated South Carolina in Columbia lastyear on a three-point goal by Cheyenne Moore with 3.4 seconds leftin overtime. It broke a four-game winning streak in the series forSouth Carolina. Clemson has struggled against Dave Odom coachedteams over the years, especially offensively. Even with the victorylast year, Clemson has not scored over 63 points against a DaveOdom coached team in the last 10 contests. Clemson averages 85points per game this year entering Saturday’s game. Odom has morewins over Clemson (22) than any other team he has faced in hiscareer. Clemson Coach Oliver Purnell is 2-1 against South Carolinain his career. He is 1-1 as Clemson’s head coach and was 1-0against the Gamecocks as the head coach at Old Dominion. Clemsoncompleted the month of November with a 5-0 record, the first timeClemson has had a perfect record entering December (given a minimumof five November games). Clemson connected on a season best 10three-point goals in the victory over Penn State. It gave Clemsonvictories in its first two road games of the year, the first timeClemson has done that since 1996-97. Clemson freshman Julius Powellscored 16 points at Penn State in 19 minutes. He had scored just 12points in the first four games combined.