Clemson vs. Illinois Postgame Notes

TEAM

• Clemson won its 22^nd game Sunday, matching the 2010-11 team’s total from Brad Brownell‘s first season.
• Sunday’s win was Clemson’s 11^th straight at home in the NIT, dating to 1986.
• Clemson’s win was its 15^th home win of the 2013-14 season. The only other team in school history to win 16 in Littlejohn was the 2006-07 team that advanced to the NIT championship game.
• Sunday’s game was officially a sellout, Clemson’s first since a Feb. 14, 2012 game against the University of Virginia.
• Clemson won by a one-point margin Sunday, its seventh win by five or less. That is the most by a Tiger team since the 2006-07 squad had eight wins by five or less.
• Sunday’s win was Clemson’s first by a single point since 2009, when the Tigers defeated Butler 70-69 in Anaheim in the 76 Classic.
• Clemson’s 50 points were its fewest in an NIT win. The previous low point total in a Clemson win in the NIT was 64 in a 2007 win over East Tennessee State.
• Illinois’ 49 points were the fewest allowed in an NIT game by Clemson.
• Clemson improved to 28-2 all-time under Head Coach Brad Brownell when holding the opposition to 50 points or less. The Tigers are 9-0 this season under that scenario.
• As a team, the Tigers had nine blocked shots Sunday to tie their NIT high (31 games) from the opening game against Georgia State.
• For the first time in 130 games under Brad Brownell, the Tigers did not record a steal in Sunday’s game.
• Clemson matched its season-high with 16 assists in Sunday’s game. It was the second straight game the Tigers posted 16 assists.
• Tuesday’s game against Belmont is the first in the series between the two programs.

INDIVIDUAL

• K.J. McDaniels posted his 31^st double figure scoring effort of the season against Illinois and finished with 12 points.
• He became the 37^th player in Clemson history to join the 1,000-point career club.
• McDaniels posted four dunks Sunday and has 52, seventh-most in Clemson history for a single season.
• McDaniels blocked four shots and now has 95 on the season. He needs five to become only the third different player to post 100 blocks in a season in Clemson history.
• McDaniels needs five blocks to pass Sharrod Ford (2001-05) for seventh place among Clemson’s all-time leaders.
• McDaniels hit two free throws Sunday and is one of only two Clemson players in the shot clock era (Sharone Wright, 1993-94) to make 150 over the course of a single season.
• Landry Nnoko scored double figures for the second time in the last three games, and for the ninth time in 2013-14.
• Nnoko added three blocks Sunday to push his season total to 63, tying Trevor Booker for the fourth-best sophomore year total by a Clemson player.
• Jordan Roper reached double figures before the under-8 media timeout in the first half. He finished with 10 points and made 3-of-6 shots and 3-of-3 free throws with four assists in a 20-minute effort.
• Austin Ajukwa played a season-high 23 minutes for the Tigers on Sunday. His previous high was 18 in the regular season finale against Pittsburgh.