Clemson vs. Belmont Postgame Notes

TEAM

• Clemson advanced to the semifinals of the NIT on Tuesday with a 73-68 win over Belmont. It is the third time the Tiger program has advanced to play in Madison Square Garden, joining the 1998-99 and 2006-07 teams.
• The Tigers advance to face the winner of the quarterfinal game between California and SMU on Tuesday, April 1. It marks the latest calendar date Clemson will have played a game in its history.
• Tuesday’s win was Clemson’s 12^th straight at home in the NIT, the second-longest streak in history. Only Michigan owns a longer streak with 16 in a row at home since 1980.
• The Tigers earned their 23^rd win Tuesday, the program’s highest total since the 2008-09 team also won 23 games.
• Clemson has improved its win total by 10 games over the 2012-13 season (13-18), matching the school record set when the 1938-39 team won 16 games one season after winning just six.
• Tuesday’s win was Clemson’s sixth in the month of March, surpassing the previous school record of five set by the 2006-07 team.
• Clemson matched its single-season record for home wins with its 16^th victory in Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday.
• Head Coach Brad Brownell improved to 3-0 against Belmont. He was previously 2-0 as the head coach at Wright State, his most recent stop prior to Clemson.
• Clemson won a game on just one day of preparation for the third time this season, previously winning against Duke and Miami in that situation.
• The Tigers need one win to match the ACC record for wins following a losing season. Duke’s 1983-84 team and NC State’s 2011-12 won 24 games, most in league history after a losing season the year before.
• Clemson won its eighth game decided by five points or less Tuesday, the most since the 2006-07 team also won eight under that scenario.
• The Tigers improved to 11-1 on the season when scoring at least 70 points. Clemson scored 70 or more just six times in 2012-13.
• Clemson’s bench outscored Belmont 19-0, the biggest disparity in the Tigers’ favor since the VMI game on Dec. 30.
• Clemson’s 10 three-point goals matched a season-high, and matched the most by any Tiger team in 31 NIT games. The 2006-07 team made 10 in the championship game loss to West Virginia.

INDIVIDUAL

• K.J. McDaniels scored double figures Tuesday, the 32^nd time this season the Tiger junior has reached 10 or more points in a game.
• McDaniels scored 16 points and became just the sixth player in Clemson history to surpass 600 in a single season. He has 603 entering the semifinals.
• McDaniels blocked a pair of shots Tuesday. He extended his streak to 17 consecutive games with at least one block. He needs just three to become the third different Tiger to block at least 100 in a season.
• McDaniels had four dunks Tuesday and now has 56, third-most in school history for a single season. He needs six to match Harold Jamison’s 62 from the 1998-99 season.
• Damarcus Harrison scored 16 points Tuesday, the second time in three NIT games he has had at least 16. He has reached double figures in eight of the past 11 games.
• Jordan Roper reached double figures for the fourth time in five games, and for the second straight game he achieved 10 points within the first 12 minutes.
• Landry Nnoko posted four blocks and now has an eight-game streak of his own with at least one blocked shot. He has 67 for the season.
• Ibrahim Djambo and Adonis Filer both made a three-pointer in the opening half. It was the first for both since the Miami game on March 4.
• Djambo scored Clemson’s third four-point play of the season in the first half at the 2:21 mark. It is the first time the Tigers have had three four-point plays in the same season.
• Djambo’s seven points matched his second-highest total of the 2013-14 season.
• Filer grabbed six rebounds, a season-high for the sophomore.