Clemson vs. N.C. State This Saturday

Raycom/Jefferson Pilot

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Jan. 11, 2001

Clemson vs. NC State Series

Clemson has won four of the last five, and 12 of the last 16 meetings with NC State. Clemson has had the upper hand, but seven of the last 12 have been decided by five points or less. Clemson has won four of those seven close games.

Clemson has had more success against the Pack than any other ACC team since the 1992-93 season. The Tigers swept NC State last year, winning 59-42 at Clemson and 66-63 at NC State. It was Clemson’s first sweep of NC State since the 1994-95 season, Larry Shyatt’s first year (assistant) at Clemson.

Clemson and NC State split their season series four consecutive years prior to last season. It has not been a series dominated by the home team either. In fact, in five of the last 10 games the visiting team has had the upper hand.

In 1995-96 and 1997-98 the road team won each game, a “road win split”. Clemson had just three road win split season series with ACC teams in the 1990s and two of the three were against NC State. Both teams won on the road in 1995-96, splitting a pair of games decided by five points or less. then in 1997-98, NC State won a thriller at Clemson, 82-80. The Tigers responded with a 77-72 win in Raleigh in a game that clinched an NCAA spot for the Tigers.

The Tigers won at Clemson in 1998-99 behind two players with at least 20 points, while NC State won in Raleigh thanks to two different players with at least 20 points. Harold Jamison had 25 and Terrell McIntyre added 22 in the win at Clemson, Larry Shyatt’s first ACC win. Justin Gainey had 28 on a perfect shooting night (7-7 field goals and 10-10 free throws), while Kenny Inge added 23 in the Wolfpack win in Raleigh later in the season.

NC State has an 86-39 record against the Tigers overall. The Pack has a 26-24 lead in games at Clemson, but the Tigers have an 18-12 advantage in Littlejohn Coliseum, including victories in six of the last eight games. NC State has a 41-10 lead in games at Raleigh and a 19-5 lead in games on neutral sites.

Clemson vs. NC State in 1999-00:

Clemson 59, NC State 42 At Clemson, SC, Jan. 27, 2000

Four Tigers scored in double figures and the Clemson defense held NC State to 30 percent shooting, as Clemson broke a six-game losing streak with a 59-42 win over NC State in Littlejohn Coliseum on January 27th. Clemson had been 0-5 in the ACC prior to the game.

Will Solomon scored 15 points to lead the Tigers in scoring, but it was the play of freshman point guard Edward Scott that provided the spark for Clemson. Coming off the bench and seeing his first playing time in four games, Scott scored 10 points, had three rebounds and five assists. He also had two steals for his 34 minutes of play. Most importantly, he held Justin Gainey to no points and no assists in 27 minutes of play. Gainey had lit up Clemson for 28 points on 7-7 shooting the last time the two teams met during 1998-99.

Adam Allenspach added 12 points, while Andrius Jurkunas had 10. It was the second straight double figure scoring game for Jurkunas, the first time in 1999-00 he put back to back double figure scoring games together. Chucky Gilmore added 10 rebounds for the Tigers.

Clemson’s defense held NC State to just 42 points, its starters to just 15 points. Anthony Grundy scored nine, but Damien Wilkens, Damon Thornton and Kenny Inge all scored just two points apiece. Gainey was shut out. Only the three-point shooting of Archie Miller kept the Pack in the game. He was 5-9 on three-point goals.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. The Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to open the game in the first three minutes. Clemson held the Pack to five points in the first 12:30, as NC State made just two of its first 15 shots. Clemson did not take advantage as Clemson went 8:34 without scoring at one point. Clemson held a 23-17 lead at halftime. Clemson brought the lead to 34-21 at 13:31 left in the game on a layup by Adam Allenspach. But, Miller started hitting three-point goals and brought the Pack back to 42-38 with 7:36 left on the fourth three of the half by Miller. But, that was the last field goal he would make. Clemson then went on a 17-4 run to end the game. Solomon scored seven points down the stretch.

Clemson won the rebounding battle 40-36 and had 15 assists and 15 turnovers. It was the first time in eight games that Clemson had at least the same amount of assists as turnovers. NC State had a 5/19 assist/turnover ratio. The Tigers were 14-27 from the field in the second half.

Clemson 66, NC State 63 Feb. 27, 2000 at Raleigh, NC

Andrius Jurkunas scored a career high 23 points, including 17 in the second half, leading Clemson to a 66-63 victory at NC State on Sunday, Feb. 27th. Clemson overcame a 10-point deficit with just six minutes to play to gain the victory, and snapped a 14-game ACC road losing streak in the process. Jurkunas had a career high six three-point goals in the game in just seven attempts.

In addition to his scoring, Jurkunas made two free throws with 14.6 seconds left to give Clemson a 64-63 lead, then he defended Anthony Grundy on the Pack’s last possession. Jurkunas deflected Grundy’s shot, Will Solomon picked up the loose ball and sped for a clinching layup and 66-63 victory.

Solomon had a fine all-around game with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He also defended Grundy for much of the game and the Pack’s top scorer made just 3-16 shots from the field, 0-6 on three-point attempts. Freshman guard Edward Scott had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds. Chucky Gilmore added eight points and nine rebounds, while Adam Allenspach had six points and eight rebounds.

Clemson had 14 turnovers in the game, but just four in the second half. The Tigers shot 50 percent in the second half to 35.7 by NC State. Clemson made 11-19 three-point goals in the contest and scored on 71.4 from the foul line. Clemson also won the rebounding by seven, 38-31.

Clemson trailed most of the game. After the Pack had a 32-26 lead at intermission, Clemson cut the margin to one at 32-31 with a 5-0 burst to start the game. The margin stayed between one and three points for the next 10 minutes. NC State then took a 59-49 lead with 7:09 left on a second straight three-point goal by Damien Wilkins.

Clemson then went on a 13-0 run, its second longest run of the season, to take a 62-59 lead on a rebound goal by Chucky Gilmore. NC State shot just 1-12 from the field down the stretch, but State took the lead at 63-62 with just 33 seconds left on a free throw by Kenny Inge. On Clemson’s next possession, Jurkunas was fouled, and made two free throws to give Clemson the lead.

With Solomon’s final score, Clemson went on a 17-4 run to end the game. Clemson ended its 17-point win at Clemson earlier in the year with a 17-4 run.

Clemson Win at NC State Landmark

*Clemson’s trailed 31-26 at intermission. It marked the first time since 1964 that Clemson overcame a halftime deficit at NC State to win a game.

*Just the third time in 13 years that Clemson had overcome a halftime defict on the road to win an ACC game.

*Clemson broke a 14-game ACC road losing streak with the 66-63 victory.

*Clemson overcame a 10-point deficit with six minutes left to gain victory. It was the first time Clemson overcame a double digit second half deficit to gain victory since March 6, 1998 when Clemson overcame a 10-point second half deficit to beat Wake Forest.

*Just the 14th Clemson victory in the North Carolina Triangle (at NC State, Duke or UNC) in 47 years of ACC basketball.

*Won its first ACC road game decided by five points or less since the 1997-98 season, a five-point win at NC State.

*Gave Clemson its first sweep of NC State since the 1994-95 season.

Shyatt and Sendek Coached Together

This will be the fifth meeting between Larry Shyatt and Herb Sendek as head coaches. Larry Shyatt holds a 3-1 advantage in the four games played so far. The two mentors were assistant coaches together under Rick Barnes on Providence’s 1988-89 staff. That team finished with an 18-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Both coaches have had important wins against the other. In Herb Sendek’s first year at NC State, he gained his first ACC win against a seventh ranked Clemson team in Raleigh, 58-54. NC State was 0-7 in the league heading into that game. Rick Barnes was Clemson’s head coach, Larry Shyatt was in his last year as an assistant.

Shyatt earned his first ACC win as Clemson head coach against Sendek, an 80-72 victory at Clemson. Last year, Clemson got its first ACC win against the 21st ranked Pack, 59-42 at Clemson. Thus, each of his first two years as Clemson coach, Larry Shyatt earned his first ACC win against Sendek. Both teams are 0-2 in league play coming into this game, so someone will earn his first ACC win this afternoon.

Solomon Ranked in top 15 Nationally

Even though he scored just 13 points at Duke last Saturday, Will Solomon still leads the ACC in scoring with a 21.4 average. That figure is good enough for 14th in the nation, fifth among juniors. Solomon is also eighth in the nation in three-point goals per game with a 3.4 average. That figure is also first in the ACC.

Solomon is ahead of his national finishes of last year. As a sophomore, Solomon averaged 20.9 points a game, good enough for 16th in the nation. He was 17th in three-point goals per game last year with a 3.2 figure. Solomon’s scoring ranking of 16 last year was the best by a Clemson player since 1968-69 when Butch Zatezalo was 14th in the country with a 25.8 mark. The highest scoring ranking in history for a Clemson individual is fourth. The late Bill Yarborough was fourth in 1954-55 with a 28.3 figure.

Solomon’s three-point shooting is a big reason Clemson ranks 25th in the nation in three-point goals per game with an 8.46 figure. He has received considerable held from Tony Stockman, who has made 38 three-point goals in 15 games. Pasha Bains has added 21 and is shooting a team best .412 on three-point goals for the year.

Clemson with a Week to Prepare

Clemson has a week to prepare for its game with NC State on Saturday. Clemson has an “open date” in the schedule twice this year and both times it gives the Tigers a week to prepare for a game with the Wolfpack. Clemson has seven days to prepare for its Feb. 14th visit to NC State this year.

So far this year Clemson is 2-0 in games in which it has had a week to prepare. Clemson defeated Wofford and Charleston Southern with a week’s preparation. Having a week to prepare can help and it has helped during Larry Shyatt’s tenure at Clemson. In his first year he had a week to prepare for the home game with ninth ranked North Carolina. The Tigers defeated North Carolina, 79-63.

Clemson Could Break Record for Ranked Opponents

Clemson has played four top 20 opponents so far this year and Clemson is 0-4 in those games. But, the Tigers have played well in three of those games, having a chance to win each contest with under two minutes left. Clemson lost to 10th ranked Seton Hall 79-78 on November 21 in the second game of the season, then lost to 20th ranked Cincinnati by 88-80 on December 21 in San Juan. Maryland, ranked 17th at the time, downed the Tigers, 104-92 on January 2. Third ranked Duke defeated Clemson 115-74 on January 7.

Clemson had the ball for a final shot to beat Seton Hall. Clemson trailed by just two against Cincinnati with four minutes left, and by just six with two minutes left. Clemson trailed Maryland by just four (96-92) with two minutes remaining.

Playing against top flight competition will be the norm this year. The ACC is filled with top 20 teams and it appears Clemson will play at least 10 conference games against ranked teams. Combined with the two non-conference games against top 20 teams, Clemson should play 12 regular season games this year against top 20 teams. That would be a first in Clemson history if that happens.

Clemson has played 10 top 20 teams in a season four previous years. It first took place in 1979-80 when Clemson had a 6-4 record against top 20 teams on the way to a NCAA Final Eight finish. Clemson also played 10 top 20 teams in 1980-81, 1994-95 and 1996-97.

The record for most top 25 teams played in a season is 13, set in 1996-97. Clemson had a 5-8 record against ranked teams that year. That was Larry Shyatt’s last season as associate head coach at Clemson.

Clemson been known to upset ranked teams in the past. Clemson has 68 win over ranked teams (AP or USA Today/Coach’s), including at least one every year since 1986-87. Clemson had one win over a ranked team last year, a 59-42 win over 21st ranked NC State in a game played at Clemson.

The schedule does not get any easier for Clemson next week. The Tigers will be on the road to face two teams who will be in the top 10 at gametime. Clemson plays at North Carolina on Wednesday and at Wake Forest on Sunday.

Stockman Wins Paw Competition

Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt has created an individual competition within his team that is geared toward improving the team’s overall performance. He has devised a system for earning “Tiger Paws” throughout the year. He has divided the season into three parts, pre-ACC, ACC regular season, and postseason.

Players can earn Tiger Paws by individual hustle plays, deflections, taking charges, reaching a minimum amount of rebounds, field goal shooting, three-point and free throw percentage minimums or making a game-winning play. Each member of the team receives a paw when certain team goals are reached within a game.

For the pre-ACC part of the schedule, the champion was Tony Stockman with 21 Tiger Paws. Will Solomon was second with 20, while Edward Scott had 18 and Adam Allenspach had 17. Everyone started fresh with the ACC regular season schedule.

Individual Goals in earning a Paw 1. Hustle Plays–must accumulate a total of 10 of the following in a game: first to the floor, charges taken, ball pressure deflection, steal or blocked shot. 2. Rebounding–Must have 8 rebounds for a forward or center, 4 rebounds for a wing or guard. 3. Assist/turnover ratio–Must have a 2/1 ratio for a forward or center, 3/1 for a guard or wing. 4. Shooting Percentages–Must shoot 50 percent field the field (min 4 attempts), 40 percent on three-point shots (min 3 attempts), 80 percent from the foul line (min of 3 attempts). 5. Cluch performance–Making a game winning play on offense or defense.

Three-Point Shooting on Display Saturday

Three-point shooting could be a key to success in Saturday’s game between Clemson and NC State. Both teams have been solid in that area so far this season. Clemson guard Will Solomon leads the ACC in three-point goals per game and is ranked eighth in the nation in that area. NC State guard Archie Miller leads the nation in three-point goal percentage with a 62 percent mark. In fact, Miller is on an ACC record pace in that area.

Clemson averages 8.5 made three-point goals per game, third in the ACC and 25th best in the nation. NC State is first in the ACC in 3-point goal percentage, hitting .425 for the season. Clemson is fifth in the ACC in that area with a .364 mark.

As stated above, Miller leads the ACC in three-point percentage, but Clemson’s Will Solomon is eighth, followed by freshman Tony Stockman, who is ninth in the league. Stockman is sixth in the ACC in three-point goals made per game, even though he comes off the bench.

Clemson is a ahead of its school record pace for three-point goals made per game. The record is 7.06 per game made during the 1993-94 season. Clemson stands at 8.47 so far this season.

Freshmen of Influence

Clemson’s freshman class for the 2000-01 season was ranked among the best in the nation. It has certainly had an impact on this year’s team. Tony Stockman is second on the club in scoring with a 13.3 average and is coming off a 22-point outing at Duke, his fourth game of at least 20 points this year. Stockman’s 13.3 average is best among freshmen in the ACC. Florida State’s Michael Joiner is second at 10.9 and Marvin Lewis of Georgia Tech is third at 10.5. Stockman has 38 three-point goals so far this season, already third best in history by a Clemson freshman. Terrell McIntyre has the Clemson freshman record with 51 set in 1995-96.

Chris Hobbs has three double-doubles so far this year tied for fifth in the ACC in that area. The freshman from Chapel Hill has averaged 5.5 rebounds per game, third among freshmen in the ACC. Joiner has a 6.5 figure, followed by Lewis with a 5.6 mark. Hobbs has averaged 5.9 points a game and his rebound average is second best on the Clemson team behind Adam Allenspach. His .522 field goal percentage is also second on the team. He had a double-double in his first ACC game, 11 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland on January 2. His 15 rebounds in the win over The Citadel were the most by a Clemson freshman since Tom Wideman had 17 at NC State in 1995-96.

Finally, Dwon Clifton, a freshman from Louisburg, NC, has moved into the starting lineup. He is averaging 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He had six points and 12 rebounds against Washington earlier this year.

Tigers From North Carolina

Clemson is in the middle of a four-game stretch in which it plays all four ACC teams from the state of North Carolina. Next week Clemson will travel to Chapel Hill to meet North Carolina, then on Sunday will play at Wake Forest. That means Clemson will play three of the North Carolina “Big Four” on the road within its first five league games.

This Clemson team does not mind going to the Tar Heel state because six of Clemson’s 16 roster players are from North Carolina. The list includes five scholarship players and one walk-on. Starters Dwon Clifton (Louisburg), and Ray Henderson (Charlotte) are from North Carolina, while key reserve Chris Hobbs (Chapel Hill) is also from the Tar Heel state. Chucky Gilmore, a starter last year who is out for the year with a torn ACL injury, is from Fayetteville. Walker Holt is a guard from Greensboro, while walk-on guard Wes Long is from Charlotte.

This is the largest contingent of North Carolina residents on the Clemson roster in history.

Free Throw Shooting at a 14-year High

One area of improvement for Clemson this year is free throw shooting. The Tigers have made 70.9 percent from the foul line this year, 73.3 percent in the two ACC games. Clemson has not been a good free throw shooting team over the years. In fact, no Clemson team has bettered 70 percent over a season since 1986-87 when Horace Grant was a senior, helping the Tigers to a 71.6 percentage. The closest Clemson has come to a 70 percent season from the line was 1994-95 when the Tigers finished at .696. Clemson has made at least two thirds of its free throws just four of the last 13 seasons.

If the season ended today, Clemson’s .709 figure would be the best since the 1986-87 season and the eighth best in history. The Clemson record for free throw shooting took place in 1981-82 when Bill Foster’s Tigers made .734 of their free throws.

Clemson has had balance from the line this year. Tony Stockman leads the way with an 84 percent mark, while Will Solomon is at .805. Freshman center Chris Hobbs, who gets to the line often, has made .778 from the line. Edward Scott is at 73.3 percent. Center Adam Allenspach, a 74 percent shooter from the line last year, is a 66.1 so far this year.

Clemson ranks third in the ACC in free throw shooting. No Clemson team in history has ever led the ACC in free throw shooting.

Last Outing

Duke 115, Clemson 74 Jan. 7 at Durham, NC

Duke’s starting front line of Carlos Boozer (25), Nate James (21) and Shane Battier (21) all scored at least 20 points in leading Duke to a 115-74 win over Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 7. It was the 50th win in 54 tries for Duke over Clemson in Durham. The Duke point total was the most against Clemson in 31 years.

Duke shot 54.5 percent from the field and had 27 assists on 36 baskets as the Blue Devils ran their offense to perfection. They made just 1 of their first 8 three-point attempts, but finished by making 10 of their last 22. Duke had 14 steals, leading to 22 Clemson turnovers.

Clemson was led in scoring by Tony Stockman, who scored 22 points off the bench. The freshman had a season best six three-point goals in 12 attempts. Will Solomon was held to 13 points, he got just 12 shots in the contest, making five. It broke his streak of six straight games of at least 20 points, but it gave him 44 consecutive games of scoring in double figures. Dustin Braddick had his first double figure scoring game of the year with 10 points, while Edward Scott added 10 points and four assists against just two turnovers.

Clemson had 7-5 lead early, but the Blue Devils went on a 11-0 run to take a 16-7 lead at the 15:22 mark. Duke had an 18-0 run from the 11:23 mark to the 5:48 mark to take a commanding 42-12 lead. It was 56-27 at intermission.

Duke expanded the lead to 44 points at 75-31 by the 15:47 mark of the second half. Boozer was outstanding on the inside for the Blue Devils. Clemson actually went on a 24-7 run to cut the advantage to 27 with 9:21 mark. But, that was as close as Clemson got as the Blue Devils continued to hit three-point shots down the stretch.

Clemson Faces Another Wilkins

One of the top sophomores in the ACC this year is NC State’s Damien Wilkins. This is the second time Clemson has faced an opponent named Wilkins. Damien’s father, Gerald Wilkins, longtime NBA player with various, played against Clemson with distinction in 1985.

Gerald Wilkins was the star player for UT Chattanooga that year and Clemson traveled to Tennessee to face his team in the first round of the NIT. Wilkins responded with a game high 26 points on 12-18 shooting to lead the Mocs to a 67-65 victory. He also had five rebounds and two blocks for his 38 minutes of play. Clemson was led by Vincent Hamilton and sophomore forward Horace Grant, who had 16 points apiece. Grant is still playing in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers. The game was the final contest of the 1984-85 season for the Tigers, the first year of the Cliff Ellis era.

Last year, Clemson defeated NC State twice. Wilkins struggled in the first game as he scored just two points and shot 0-4 from the field. He had 11 points on 4-11 shooting in Clemson’s win at NC State at the end of the regular season.

Clemson Offensive Numbers Up

The Tigers are trying to run a more up-tempo offense this season, and are averaging 79.1 points per game this year, up from the 64.4 scoring average of last year. Clemson has not averaged at least 79 points a game since the 1989-90 season when Clemson’s only ACC championship team in history averaged 79.3 a game.

The 94 points Clemson posted against Florida Atlantic were the most scored in the Larry Shyatt era at Clemson, besting the 92 points the team scored against Georgia Tech in 1999. The 94 points against Florida Atlantic were the most scored by the Tigers since Clemson won 102-67 against Western Carolina in 1998. Clemson added a 92-point outing against Maryland in the first ACC game.

Clemson has scored at least 80 points in eight games this year, including three in a row at one point. Clemson reached the 80 point mark just twice all of last year and just eight times in 35 games Shyatt’s first season at Clemson.

So far this year Clemson has three players averaging in double figures. Clemson had just two games all of last year in which they had four players score in double figures. Will Solomon and Adam Allenspach were Clemson’s only two players to average in double figures last year.

Solomon and Allenspach are joined by freshman Tony Stockman in double figures this season. The Tigers had at least three players score in double digits in every game this season up until the Washington game when only Solomon and Allenspach scored more than 10 points. The Tigers got back on track vs. Charleston Southern with four players in double figures. Clemson has had seven games in which four players have scored in double figures. That happened just twice all of last year.

Clemson’s shooting percentage is 44.1 percent, up from 40.4 last year. What is most impressive is the team’s free throw shooting. The Tigers have made 70.9 percent so far this year, up from 67.1 last year.

Solomon Moving up Career Lists

Will Solomon needs just one three-point goals to move into second place on Clemson’s career list. The Tiger junior has 167 for his career, including a league best 48 this year. His first three against NC State will move him ahead of Chris Whitney for second place on the Clemson career list. Terrell McIntyre is the leader with 259.

Solomon has made 48-118 three-point goals this year, 40.7 percent. He is now hitting 37 percent for his Clemson career in that area and has made at least three three-point goals in 11 of his 14 games so far this season. He had a season high seven three-point goals against Maryland in the ACC opener, one off the Clemson single game record. That is a record is he co-holds with Terrell McIntyre, Chris Whitney and David Young.

Solomon now has 1140 career points, 19th best in school history. He needs 32 points to move into 18th place ahead of Randy Mahaffey, the highest scoring of the four Mahaffey brothers to play for Clemson. If Solomon averages 20 points a game over the course of the rest of the regular season he will move into the top 10 in Clemson history. With his recent streak of 20-point games, he now has 24 for his career, tied for ninth in Clemson history with all-time great Dale Davis. Seven of those 24 games he has scored at least 30, including three times this year. His career high is 43 against Virginia at Littlejohn Coliseum last year.