Clemson Men’s Basketball to Play Host to Western Carolina Tuesday Evening

Dec. 21, 2009

Game Setup Site: Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000) Date: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 City: Clemson, SC Time: 7:30 PM TV: None Web: TigerCast (ClemsonTigers.com) (Roy Philpott – play-by-play, Alex Welp – color) Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Properties (Pete Yanity – play-by-play, Philip Sikes – color) Rankings: Clemson: #24 AP, #23 ESPN/USA Today

Series Notes Overall: Clemson leads 9-0 at Clemson: Clemson leads 8-0 at Littlejohn: Clemson leads 8-0 at Western Carolina: Clemson leads 1-0 at Neutral: None played First Meeting: Clemson, 71-56, in 1978-79 Last Meeting: Clemson, 103-60, in 2006-07 Streak: Clemson has won nine straight

Quick Facts

Clemson and Western Carolina have played nine previous times, with the Tigers winning each game. Eight of the nine meetings have taken place at Littlejohn Coliseum, and all nine have occurred since the 1978-79 season.
The Tigers enter Tuesday’s game with a 10-2 overall record, fresh off a 94-55 victory on Saturday, Dec. 19 over the College of Charleston. It was the first meeting between the two schools in over 80 years, and the Tigers ran away with it after shooting 60 percent for the game and outscoring the Cougars 60-18 in the paint.
The Catamounts are coming off nine days of rest following a stunning 91-83 win at Louisville on Dec. 12. The Catamounts boast an impressive 10-1 record, with their lone loss coming at No. 2 Texas the second game of the season.
Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell is 22nd on the all-time victory list among ACC coaches. He has 127 total wins, one more than the late Skip Prosser had at Wake Forest.
Clemson’s 60 percent shooting effort against the College of Charleston was the first for the Tiger program since a 2005 win over Division II Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
The Tigers are ranked fourth in the NCAA with 11.7 steals per game. Clemson’s top thief this season has been sophomore guard Andre Young, who is third in the ACC with 2.1 per game.
Trevor Booker surpassed the 900-rebound mark in the game against College of Charleston. He needs just 98 boards to reach 1,000 for his career, joining former Clemson standouts Tree Rollins and Dale Davis as the only Tigers to reach 1,000 career rebounds.
Booker has scored double figures in 11 of the 12 games this season for Clemson, and in 77 total over the course of his career. That figure ranks among the top 10 in school history.
Over the last seven games, Demontez Stitt has converted on 11-of-24 three-point shots, 41.7 percent. He needs just seven makes to pass his single-season best.
Over his last five games, starting center Jerai Grant has averaged 8.2 points per game and shot 66 percent (19-for-29) from the field during that stretch.
Sophomore guard Tanner Smith ranks among the top players in the ACC in terms of scoring average improvement. He averaged 3.6 points per game as a freshman, but is up to 10.8 so far this season.
Andre Young has more steals (25) than turnovers (18) so far this season. He had more steals than turnovers last season as well, and is also Clemson’s leader with a 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Clemson’s four freshmen combined for 34 points in the win over the College of Charleston. The 34 points were the most by a freshman class since the 2007-08 group had 38 at East Carolina. Donte Hill posted his first-ever double figure game with 11, while Noel Johnson scored seven.