Tigers Face Georgia in Opener

MATCHUP

CLEMSON (0-0) vs. GEORGIA (0-0)Tipoff: 7:06 p.m. ETArena: Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)Radio: CTSN (Tony Castricone-pbp; Tim Bourret-color)TV: RSN (Bob Rathbun-pbp; Dominique Wilkins-color)• Clemson opens the newly renovated Littlejohn Coliseum on Friday against the Georgia Bulldogs; it is the first meeting between the two in Clemson since the 2006-07 season.• The Tigers return their top three scorers from the previous season for the first time since 1996-97. Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson’s leading scorer, was a first-team All-ACC selection last season.• Clemson announced its 2017 signing class Thursday: A.J. Oliver (G), Aamir Simms (F), Clyde Trapp Jr. (G) and Malik William (F).

SERIES HISTORY

CU Series W-L record: Georgia leads 57-24Streak: Georgia won the most recent meeting (2015-16)TIGER TRACKS

• Jaron Blossomgame earned numerous preseason accolades, including All-America projections from Athlon, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.• Blossomgame was named to the Naismith Trophy preseason watch list on Thursday, an honor presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate player.• Projected starting point guard Shelton Mitchell sustained a knee injury in practice on Monday, and is expected to miss a couple of weeks. In his place, junior Gabe DeVoe is expected to make his first career start.• Donte Grantham needs three long-range makes Friday to reach 100 for his career; he has led the Tigers in three-pointers each of the past two seasons.• Avry Holmes needs 82 points to reach 1,000 for his career. He scored 311 in his first season as a Tiger in 2015-16 after transferring from San Francisco.• Marcquise Reed is eligible to play for the Tigers on Friday after sitting out 2015-16 as a transfer from Robert Morris, where he was Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year after scoring 15.1 points per game as a freshman.