Tigers Gear Up For 48th Annual ACC Tournament

March 5, 2001

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48th Annual ACC TournamentMarch 8-11 at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

Thursday, March 8 #8 Florida State vs. #9 Clemson, 7:00 PM ESPN

Friday, March 9 #1 North Carolina vs. #8 vs. #9 winner, noon, RJ-ESPN #4 Virginia vs. #5 Georgia Tech, 2:30 PM, RJ-ESPN #2 Duke vs. #7 NC State, 7:00 PM, RJ-ESPN-2 #3 Maryland vs. #6 Wake Forest, 9:30 PM, RJ

Saturday, March 10 Semifinals at 1:30 Pm and 4:00 PM, RJ-ESPN

Sunday, March 11 Finals, 1:00 PM, RJ-ESPN

Clemson’s ACC Tournament History *Clemson has a 12-47 record in the ACC Tournament with just one appearance in the finals (1962) and no tournament championships. Clemson is the only original member of the ACC that has never won the ACC Tournament.

*While Clemson has struggled in the ACC Tournament over the years, the Tigers won five games in the 1990s. Clemson was 5-10 in the 1990s, 1-10 in the 1980s, 3-10 in the 1970s, 3-10 in the 1960s and 0-6 in the 1950s. Clemson is 0-1 in the 21st century.

*Clemson has won its opening round game of the tournament four of the last eight years. The Tigers last win in the ACC Tournament took place in Greensboro in 1998, a 75-56 victory over Wake Forest. Clemson actually trailed by eight at intermission in that game.

*Clemson has lost three straight ACC Tournament games. The Tigers lost by two to #1 ranked (entire country) Duke by a 66-64 score in 1998, by two in overtime to Florida State in 1999 and by 31 last year to Duke. The Florida State game was a 7 vs. 8 contest, while the game with Duke was a 1 vs. 9 contest.

*Clemson has a 3-9 record in Charlotte in the ACC Tournament. One of the victories was a stunning 87-75 win over Florida State in the 1993 event. Florida State was seeded second and Clemson seventh. The Seminoles were ranked 12th in the nation and Clemson had lost 27 straight ACC Tournament games as a lower seed. Florida State went on to the NCAA Regional finals that year.

*Clemson’s most exciting victory in recent years took place in the 1996 tournament when Clemson downed North Carolina, 75-73. It is Clemson’s only win over North Carolina in the ACC Tournament and it was Clemson’s first win over the Tar Heels in the state in 29 years. Greg Buckner’s dunk with 0.6 seconds left won the game for Clemson.

*Clemson is 3-13 in Raleigh, 5-18 in Greensboro, 0-3 in Atlanta and 1-3 in Landover, MD over the years in ACC Tournament play.

*Clemson has a record of 1-3 in the first round, 10-34 in the quarterfinals, 1-9 in the semifinals and 0-1 in the finals for an overall 12-47 record in ACC tournament play.

*Clemson has been seeded in the top four of the ACC Tournament just 11 times in the 47 tournaments. Clemson is 6-11 as a top four seed. The year Clemson reached the finals of the event (1962), Clemson was seeded sixth.

*Clemson has reached the tournament semifinals 10 times, including four times in the 1990s (1990, 1993, 1996 and 1998). Clemson did not reach the semifinals any year between 1981-89.

*Clemson has been to the ACC Tournament Championship game just once, in 1962. That year, Clemson was seeded sixth in the tournament in Raleigh and upset #3 NC State and #2 Duke before losing to #1 seed Wake Forest, who was led by point guard Billy Packer.

*Clemson’s only postseason tournament championship in history took place in 1939 when the Tigers won four games in four days at the Southern Conference Tournament in Raleigh. The Tigers defeated North Carolina, Wake Forest, Davidson and Maryland to win the event. Clemson did not lead at the half in any of those games. Banks McFadden, who plans on being at this year’s tournament, was the star of the Clemson team.

Clemson vs. Florida State in the ACC Tournament This will be the third meeting between Clemson and Florida State in the ACC Tournament. The two teams have split the first two meetings. Clemson, as the #7 seed, upset #2 seed Florida State by a 87-75 score in 1993 in Charlotte. The Seminoles won two years ago 87-85 in overtime in Charlotte.

There are some similarities between the game two years ago and the upcoming contest on Thursday night. At least the Tigers hope there are similaries. That year Clemson had beaten Florida State 78-45 near the end of the season in a game at Littlejohn Coliseum, the second largest margin of victory in an ACC game in Clemson history. Florida State entered the ACC Tournament having lost eight straight ACC games.

This year, Clemson enters the ACC Tournament having lost 13 of its last 14 games and must face a Florida State team that defeated the Tigers by 12 points in the season finale. The Tigers hope they can come back in the ACC Tournament to gain victory as Florida State did in 1998.

Clemson and Florida State Faceoff for 2nd Time in Five Days Clemson and Florida State met in the final regular season game at Clemson on March 3. Now the two teams will meet in the first game of the ACC Tournament on Thursday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. This will be just the third time in Clemson history that the Tigers have played their final regular season game against their first-round ACC Tournament opponent.

The previous two occasions took place in 1961 and 1986. Clemson lost to Maryland 82-80 in its final regular season game of 1960-61, then lost to Maryland in the first round of the ACC Tournament, 91-75. In 1986, Clemson lost the regular season finale to Georgia Tech, 74-63, then lost to the Yellow Jackets 79-61 in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Clemson in Domes When Clemson meets Florida State in the Georgia Dome it will be just the fourth time Clemson has played a basketball game in a domed stadium (or a facility that is also used for football). Clemson has a 1-2 record in the previous three dome games. Each of the last two games have been overtime thrillers.

Clemson first played in a dome at Syracuse in the 1990-91 season. The first game of a doubleheader in the ACC/Big East Challenge, Seton Hall downed Clemson 78-62. The facility was only a quarter filled for that contest.

One of Clemson’s most impressive wins in history took place in a dome. In the season opener of the 1996-97 season, Clemson upset third ranked Kentucky 79-71 in overtime. The win over Rick Pitino’s team is still the highest ranked non-conference victory in Clemson history. Clemson also played in the Alamo Dome that year in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson lost to Minnesota in double overtime, 90-84 in the Sweet 16 contest.

Earlier This Year Florida State 88, Clemson 84 Jan. 31, 2001 at Tallahassee, FL Florida State made 12-16 free throws in overtime and scored 20 points overall in the extra session and defeated Clemson 88-84 in overtime at Tallahassee, FL on January 31, 2001. It was the first conference win of the season for the Seminoles, who have now won five games by six points or less over the Tigers in Tallahassee since 1994.

Will Solomon led the Tigers with perhaps his finest all-around game of the year. The junior scored 25 points, had six rebounds and six assists in his 40 minutes of play. He made 6-13 three-point shots and held Florida State’s Adrian Crawford to 4-14 shooting for the night. Freshman Chris Hobbs added 17 points and11 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season. He made 6-12 shots from the field and had eight offensive rebounds.

Ray Henderson added nine points, including a short jumper with four seconds left to send the game into overtime. Edward Scott had nine of his 11 points in the last five minutes of regulation and the overtime period, while Tony Stockman added 10 points. Five players scored in double figures for Florida State, led by senior guard Delvon Arrington, who had 16 points and seven assists.

Clemson was without the services of Adam Allenspach, who was out with a back ailment. Still, the smaller Tigers won the rebounding battle, 43-42. Clemson showed a much improved defense over its game with Virginia, holding the Seminoles to 41 percent shooting, 36 percent on three-point shots.

Clemson got off to a difficult start offensively, hitting just 4-19 from the field to open the game. Florida State had a 34-20 lead with three minutes left in the half. But, Clemson closed with a 10-4 run and trailed by just eight at the half. Florida State stretched the lead again to double figures, holding a 58-45 lead with 8:35 left. Clemson was still down 60-50 at the 6:30 mark, but mounted a comeback. Clemson took a 64-63 lead on a jumper by Tony Stockman with just 3:08 left.

The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way until Henderson’s jumper tied the score. But Florida State went on a 13-4 run to open the overtime. Clemson trailed by nine with 38 seconds left, then cut the margin to two with five seconds remaining, but that was as close as the Tigers got.

Florida State 75, Clemson 63 March 3, 2001 at Clemson, SC Florida State went on a 30-9 run over the last 8:43 of the first half and went on to a 75-63 win over Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum on March 3. It was the final game of the regular season for the Tigers who fell to Florida State for the second time in 2000-01.

Will Solomon had 11 points, but all 11 came in the first half. Ray Henderson scored all nine of his points in the second half.

Clemson shot 37.5 percent from the field for the game. The Tigers committed just nine turnovers, their second lowest single game total of the season. Florida State had a balanced attack led by freshman Michael Joiner, who scored 14 points. Mike Mathews added 13 points off the bench, while Antwuan Dixon added 10 points and eight rebounds. Florida State made 84 percent of its free throws and hit 7-19 three-point shots. State won the rebound battle 36-32.

Clemson had a 22-20 lead at the 9:48 mark of the first half. Clemson made 7 of13 shots from the field to open the game and Solomon had 11 of those 22 points. But, Florida State hit 10 of its last 12 shots of the half and had a 50-31 lead at intermission.

Behind freshmen Chris Hobbs, the Tigers cut the margin to 10 points by the 12:19 mark of the second half. Freshmen scored 11 of the 13 points. Florida State made just 1 of its first 10 shots of the second half.

But, Florida State would not allow the Tigers to get closer than nine points (61-52) the rest of the way.a seven point flurry highlighted by a three-point goal and drive for a layup by Delvon Arrington gave Florida State a 71-55 lead with three minutes left.

Clemson vs. Florida State Series *This is the 34th meeting between Clemson and Florida State in men’s basketball. The Seminoles hold an 19-14 lead. The Seminoles have won four of the last five meetings, including both contests this year and an ACC Tournament game in 1999.

oOver the last three years Clemson has won two of three games at Clemson by 33 and 26 points, respectively. Florida State has won the three games in Tallahassee by six, three and four points, respectively. Clemson’s 78-45 win over Florida State at Littlejohn Coliseum in 1998-99 was the second largest margin of victory in Clemson history in an ACC game. The Tigers led by 22 at the half.

*Over the last 10 meetings, Florida State has won six games and Clemson has won four. Clemson’s average margin of victory in those three wins is 27 points a game. Florida State’s average margin in its five victories in that time is 5 points per game.

*Clemson swept Florida State with two of its most impressive games of the 1997-98 season. Clemson won the game at Clemson, 86-65, its highest scoring ACC game of the season. Florida State was ranked 17th in the nation entering the contest. Clemson won at Tallahassee 78-49, the largest margin of victory in an ACC road game in school history.

*Clemson and FSU first met in the 1952 Gator Bowl Tournament in Jacksonville, FL. The Tigers won 62-56 and in fact won the first three games of the series, one in Jacksonville, one in Charlotte and one in Clemson.

*Since Florida State joined the ACC in 1991-92, the Seminoles have won 15 of the 22 meetings. Clemson’s top victory in that time came in the 1993 ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Clemson defeated a 10th ranked Florida State team, 87-75. That victory, led by Clemson future NBA players Sharone Wright, Chris Whitney and Devin Gray, broke a 27-game Clemson losing streak in the Tournament as a lower seeded team.

*The last time the two teams met in the ACC Tournament, three current Tigers played in a reserve role for the Tigers. Will Solomon scored nine points on 3-6 shooting, while Dustin Braddick had eight points and six rebounds, including five offensive. Terrell McIntyre led the Tigers with 28 in that game. Adrian Crawford, now a senior on the Seminole team, had 20 points off the bench to help Florida State to that victory.

Kennedy and Maravich Coached at Midcourt One of the more unique games of the series took place before Florida State was in the ACC. On January 8, 1962, Clemson defeated FSU 75-69. In that game, both coaches, Bud Kennedy of Florida State, and Press Maravich of Clemson, sat side-by-side at midcourt while the game was in progress.

Both coaches, who were good friends, had dinner together the night before the game at Sports Information Director Bob Bradley’s home in Clemson and decided to watch the game together. During timeouts they huddled with their team, then returned to their chairs at midcourt. Clemson defeated a 15-8 Florida State team twice that season.

Scott Outstanding in Turnover Ratio Clemson point guard Edward Scott has committed just 72 turnovers in 926 minutes over his 28 games this year. The rookie from Eastover, SC has had a turnover once every 12.86 minutes, the sixth best figure in Clemson history for that category by a point guard. His one turnover every 14.89 minutes as a freshman is second best. Only Terrell McIntyre’s one turnover for every 16.74 minutes is better than his freshman figure dating back to the 1975-76 season, the first year when minutes were recorded as an official stat. Scott and Terrell McIntyre are the only Clemson points guards in history with two seasons at 12.8 or better in that statistical category.

Scott has been consistent this year. Only four times has he had more turnovers than assists this season.

Clemson’s Top Point Guard Minutes Per Turnover Figures (Since 1975-76)

Clemson Veterans in ACC Tournament Clemson is a young team, but it does have eight players on its roster who have played in an ACC Tournament game. The veterans are led by Adam Allenspach, who has played in four games, three as a starter. He has made a strong 10-18 shots from the field and has 20 points and 12 rebounds, including eight off the offensive boards. He had six rebounds, all offensive, against Florida State in the 1999 ACC Tournament.

Will Solomon has made just 8-24 overall shots in his two ACC Tournament games, but he has made 7-14 on three-point shots, 50 percent. Ray Henderson and Edward Scott had outstanding games last year as freshmen against Duke in the first round game. Henderson had 10 points and six rebounds in just 23 minutes, while Scott had nine points, four rebounds, five assists and six steals. The steals total is a Clemson single game record for an ACC Tournament contest.

Tiger Veterans In ACC Tournament Play

Allenspach Closes Out Career Adam Allenspach will be the only senior in the Clemson lineup when the Tigers play in the ACC Tournament. Allenspach has been a part of an NCAA tournament team (1997-98), an NIT Finalist (1998-99) and just the second team in Clemson history to upset the nation’s top ranked team (2000-01).

For his career, Allenspach has played in 116 games, 54 as a starter. He has averaged 18 minutes a game during that time and has averaged 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He has scored 730 pounds and collected 486 career rebounds. He is a 70 percent free throw shooter, one of the best in Clemson history for a center, and has made 47 percent from the field.

This season, despite being troubled by back ailments, Allenspach has averaged 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He is third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding. His injuries have allowed him to play in just nine ACC games for a total of 119 minutes. He played just three minutes in his Senior Day game. Just three minutes in to the contest he fell awkwardly after a collision with Florida State center Nigel Dixon. He went to the locker room and never came back to the court as he was undergoing treatment for the back pain the rest of the afternoon.

His high scoring game took place against Appalachian State on January 19, 1990 when he scored 24 points. His rebound high is 15 against South Carolina on December 9, 2000. His finest ACC performance took place against Maryland last year when he had 20 points and 10 rebounds in a head to head battle with Terps center Lonny Baxter. Allenspach has 12 career double-doubles, six as a junior and six as a senior. All six this year came in the first nine games of the season.

Loss of Allenspach Had Impact The loss of Adam Allenspach for most of the ACC season had a big impact on Clemson, especially in terms of post defense. The comparison was never so obvious as in the two games with Georgia Tech. With Allenspach on the bench in street clothes due to a back ailment, Georgia Tech center Alvin Jones scored a season high 26 points in a Tech victory. With Allenspach back in the lineup last Sunday, Jones scored just two points and was 0-6 from the field.

The game at Tech was Allenspach’s top performance since January 2 when he had nine points and seven rebounds against Maryland. Allenspach had eight points against Tech on Feb. 25th and more importantly challenged Jones on the inside.

Clemson’s only senior on the roster has played just 119 minutes in nine conference games this year. The 7-1 center, who has played 116 games in his Clemson career, missed time due to inflammation of the Sacroilliac Joint (where hip meets the spine). The problem caused back spasms and a loss of motion and mobility. He did not play at all from Jan. 18 to Feb. 13.

Allenspach had six double-doubles within the first nine games of the season and was leading the ACC in that category as the Tigers ran to a 7-2 start. He was still in the top five in the ACC in double-doubles last week, even though he has missed seven games completely. He was averaging 13 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the first nine games. But, he started to have back trouble in the tournament in Puerto Rico. He then missed Clemson’s first game after Christmas against Charleston Southern.

In addition to scoring and rebounding, Allenspach has an impact on the defensive end. Although he is not a big shot blocker, he plays strong post defense and the proof is in the statistics of the opposition. Last year, with Allenspach playing all but one game, opposing starting centers shot just 45.5 percent from the field, averaged just 5.4 rebounds and 6.3 points per game. Only six games did an opposing starting center score in double figures, only once (Lonny Baxter) did an opposing starting center score more than 15 points.

For the first 13 games this year the trend continued. With Allenspach in the lineup, opposing centers connected on just 43.8 percent from the field and averaged just 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds.

But, in the next 10 games, with Allenspach playing just 48 total minutes, opposing starting centers connected on 61.3 percent of their field goals (46-75), averaged 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Three times the opposing starting center reached 24 points or more. Only twice in the first 13 games this year did the opposing starting center score in double figures.

Allenspach Achieved Triple Leadership at South Carolina Adam Allenspach pulled off a rare achievement in Clemson’s loss to South Carolina in December. The 7-1 center led the Tigers in scoring (15), assists (4) and rebounding (15). Leading Clemson in scoring and rebounding is not an earth shattering accomplishment for Allenspach, but adding in assists makes it an unusual accomplishment. In fact, he also led Clemson in blocked shots in the game, meaning he led the Tigers in four important categories.

Leading Clemson in all three areas in the same game is rare. Below is a list of Clemson players who have done it in the last 31 years (since assists were kept as an official stat). Terrell McIntyre did it twice in his career. Allenspach was the first to do it as a center since Sharone Wright against UT Arlington in 1993-94. David Angel is the only other center to do it and he did it twice.

Tigers Upset #1 Clemson 75, #1 North Carolina 65 Clemson rode a 26-point performance from Will Solomon, plus 16 from freshman guard Tony Stockman and upset number-one ranked North Carolina 75-65 at a sold out Littlejohn Coliseum on Feb. 18, 2001. It was just the second time in Clemson history and the first time in 21 years that the Tigers upset the nation’s top ranked team.

Clemson also had outstanding play off the bench from Jamar McKnight and Tomas Nagys. McKnight, who had scored just 27 points in ACC play all year, had eight points in 17 minutes off the bench. He made 4-7 shots, had five rebounds and did not commit a turnover. Nagys had five points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. His two field goals were spectacular and were scored in the clutch. One was a three-pointer, just the second of his career, and another was a diving shot from 10 feet out over Julius Peppers. They were scored on consecutive Clemson possessions that gave the Tigers a nine-point lead with nine minutes left.

Solomon scored his 26 points in just 25 minutes. He also had four rebounds and three assists and connected on 5-12 three-point shots. Stockman scored 4-9 three-point goals in tallying his 16 points. He had just one turnover in 35 minutes of play. Point guard Chris Hobbs added six points and a team best eight rebounds.

North Carolina was led by Jason Capel, Brendan Haywood and Joseph Forte, who all scored 16 points apiece. Forte entered the game second in the ACC in scoring behind Will Solomon by just two total points (489-487). But, the gifted North Carolina guard made just 6-19 shots from the field, 0-4 on three-point attempts.

The much smaller Tigers won the rebounding battle, 44-41. Both teams committed just seven turnovers. It was the lowest turnover total all year for the Tigers. North Carolina made just 38.5 percent of its field goal attempts, its low figure for the year. That included just 1-14 three-point shots in the second half. The Tar Heels made just 7-15 from the foul line.

North Carolina held a 35-30 lead at intermission behind 13 points from Jason Capel. Clemson held Forte to just one point in the first half. Clemson was led by Stockman and Solomon with eight points apiece.

The Tar Heels expanded the margin to seven at 37-30 to open the second half. But, Will Solomon scored 10 consecutive points in a 3:04 time span to tie the score at 42. A reverse layup by Jamar McKnight at the 15:11 mark, put Clemson up 44-42. North Carolina never regained the lead. Clemson went on a 7-0 run, five of the points by Nagys, to take a 54-45 lead at the 9:11 mark.

Forte finally got going at this point. He scored eight straight points at one stretch, then a Brendan Haywood dunk brought North Carolina to within 61-60 with 3:48 left. He was called for a technical on the play for grabbing the rim. Will Solomon made the free throw, then Clemson missed a shot. On the next possession, freshman Tony Stockman stole the ball and scored to give Clemson a 64-60 lead.

Chris Hobbs baseline drive gave Clemson a 66-62 lead, then Tony Stockman made a three-point shot with 44 seconds left to give Clemson a seven point lead. The Tigers made 7-7 free throws in the last minute to ice the game. Clemson went on an 11-3 run to finish off the Tar Heels.

How Shocking an Upset? Here are some facts on Clemson’s upset of #1 North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2001

oClemson had lost eight straight games, while North Carolina, ranked number-one in the nation, had won 18 in a row. North Carolina was first in the ACC standings with a perfect 11-0 record, while Clemson was last with a 1-10 mark.

oClemson has just one victory since January 13th, that 10-point win over the nation’s top team.

oClemson was coming off a 34-point loss at NC State, its largest margin of defeat against the Pack since 1955. North Carolina had eight days to prepare for the game.

oClemson entered in the game with an eight-game losing streak, its longest since 1971-72 when it had a nine-game losing streak. North Carolina’s 18-game winning streak was the longest in the nation and the Tar Heels longest since 1986-87.

oClemson had lost 19 in a row to the nation’s number-one ranked team dating to January 9, 1980, an 87-82 overtime victory against #1 Duke. Clemson was 1-22 lifetime against the number-one team in the nation heading into the contest.

oClemson had been 0-10 when playing a #1 ranked North Carolina team.

oClemson had been 0-9 against top 25 teams in 2000-01 and had lost 12 in a row over ranked teams dating to last year’s win over 21st ranked North Carolina State.

oClemson had been 1-12 this year when trailing at halftime. The Tigers trailed 35-30 at halftime of this game. t was just the third time since the 1952-53 season that Clemson had trailed at the half against North Carolina, then came back to gain victory.

oClemson had been 8-20 all-time in games played on February 18th, Clemson’s worst winning percentage of the 29 days in the month of February.

oClemson had lost 12 straight games over two years when it had just two or fewer players in double figures. Clemson had just two, Will Solomon and Tony Stockman, in the win over North Carolina.

oMatt Doherty had never lost as a player or coach to Clemson, 10-0 as a player, 1-0 as a coach.

oNorth Carolina shot 38.5 percent from the field against Clemson, the Tar Heels’ worst field goal percentage of the season. Clemson entered the game allowing 47 percent field goal accuracy in ACC play, seventh best in the league. North Carolina made just 8-26 three-point goals, including just 1-14 in the second half. Clemson entered the game eighth in the ACC in three-point goal percentage defense in league play (.393).

Biggest Upset in College Basketball in 23 Years You can make a case that Clemson’s 75-65 win over #1 North Carolina on Feb. 18 was the biggest upset in college basketball in 23 years. What do we use for a basis? Clemson’s victory marked the first time since the 1978-79 season that a team with a losing record after January 15 defeated the number-one team in the nation. Clemson’s 14 losses at the time is the most in history by a team to defeat the nation’s top ranked team.

You have to go back to Feb. 22, 1979 to find the last time a team with a losing record after January 15 defeated the number-one team in the nation. That day a 10-13 Washington team defeated UCLA 69-68. There have been four other occasions over the last 23 years that a team with a losing record has defeated the number-one team in the country. Two of the times the upsetting team was 0-1. One of the instances took place this year when an 0-1 Purdue team defeated #1 Arizona on November 25 in Indianapolis. The other took place on December 4, 1993 when an 0-1 Indiana team upset #1 Kentucky, 96-84.

On December 22, 1995 a 2-4 Temple team defeated #1 Kansas in the Meadowlands, 74-66. Finally, on January 8, 1994 a 3-5 Alabama team defeated #1 Arkansas, 66-64 at Alabama.

It is interesting to note that four of the five times this year the number-one team has been upset, the team doing the upsetting was coming off a loss. Two teams, Clemson and UCLA, were coming off a loss of at least 30 points. Clemson’s 10-point victory was the largest margin over the #1 team since Florida defeated #1 Duke in the NCAA Tournament last year, 78-65.

Tigers Have 2 Wins over #1 Tar Heel Teams this Year Clemson’s victory over North Carolina on the hardcourt on Feb. 18 was not the first time Clemson has beaten a number-one ranked Tar Heel team this year. Back in September, Clemson’s women’s soccer program upset a number-one ranked North Carolina team 2-1 at Clemson’s Riggs Field. That was the first time Clemson has beaten the number-one team in women’s soccer.

The win over North Carolina on the hardcourt marked the 21st time in the school’s sports history that the Tigers had gained a win over the #1 ranked team in the nation. Clemson has beaten the number-one team in the nation in six different sports: baseball (9 times), men’s soccer (5 times), men’s tennis (twice), women’s basketball (twice), men’s basketball (twice) and women’s soccer (once).

This is the first time Clemson has beaten the number-one team in two different sports in the same academic year since 1993-94 when the men’s soccer team defeated a number-one ranked Virginia team in the fall and the baseball team followed with two wins over a #1 Georgia Tech team in the spring.

Both of the wins over number-one this year took place on the Clemson campus, a rarity. These were just the fifth and sixth times Clemson has upset number-one at Clemson. Ten times Clemson has pulled off the upset on the number-one team’s home facility, while the other five have taken place at a neutral site.

Academic Excellence Five members of the Clemson men’s basketball team made the academic honor roll for the fall semester this year, tied for the highest total in Clemson history. The total tied the record of five set for the spring semester last year. Since Adam Allenspach, Pasha Bains, Walker Holt, Beau Shay and Wes Long.

Clemson had five selections to the ACC Academic honor roll for the 1999-00 academic year, most in history. That team is composed of players who have had a 3.0 GPA or better for the academic year. Allenspach, Holt and Bains were also on that list along with J.D. Powell and Jeremy Shyatt. Bains now has a 3.38 career GPA and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District nominee for this year.

Allenspach and Bains were recently honored at Clemson’s Student-Athlete Academic Awards banquet on Feb. 20th at the Madren Center on the Clemson campus. Bains was named to the Clemson All-Academic team, one of 17 people named from all sports at Clemson. He was also honored as one of two recipients of The Arthur Ashe Award, an honor given to minority student-athletes for outstanding academic and athletic achievement. The football team’s Jackie Robinson was the other recipient.

Allenspach was a recipient of a Top Six Award, which is presented by the ACC for outstanding participation in community service. Erin Batth, from the Lady Tigers basketball team was also one of the six recipients.

Hobbs, Stockman Two of ACC’s top Rookies Clemson currently has the top freshman scorer and top freshman rebounder in the ACC. Tiger reserve guard Chris Hobbs is the top freshman rebounder in the league with a 6.5 figure.

Both figured prominently in Clemson’s win over #1 North Carolina on Feb. 18. Stockman scored 16 points, including five in the last two minutes of the game, helping the Tigers to the 10-point Clemson win. He made four three-point goals in the contest, including one with 44 seconds left that iced the game. Hobbs was Clemson’s top rebounder in the game with eight and he scored six points on 3-4 shooting. Hobbs and Stockman scored seven of Clemson’s final 16 points.

Both played well in Clemson’s recent game at Georgia Tech. Stockman was Clemson’s top scorer with 14 points, while Hobbs had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes of play. Stockman scored 20 points in the loss to Florida State on March 3, including a career high tying six made three point goals.

The only Clemson freshman in history to lead ACC rookies in scoring is Skip Wise, who averaged 18.5 points a game in 1974-75. Only twice has Clemson had the top freshman rebounder in the league. Dale Davis did it in 1987-88 (7.7) and Tree Rollins did it in 1973-74 (12.2). Clemson has never had the top freshman scorer and rebounder in the ACC in the same year.

Only once in ACC history have two different freshmen from the same ACC team led the league’s rookies in scoring and rebounding. In 1989-90 Kenny Anderson led the ACC freshman in scoring with a 20.6 figure, while Malcom Mackey led the rookie rebounders with a 7.5 figure.

Both Hobbs and Stockman are among the league leaders in other areas as well. Stockman stands sixth in the league in three-point goal percentage and is sixth in three-point goals per game. He now has 71 for the season, a Clemson freshman record. In fact, he has 20 more three-point goals than any other freshman in Clemson history.

Hobbs stands 11th in the ACC in rebounds overall, but is sixth in ACC games. He is the only freshman in the ACC shooting at least 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from the foul line. He is shooting 55 percent from the field and 70.8 percent from the line through 26 games played.

Hobbs and Stockman Chasing Freshman Records Clemson freshmen Chris Hobbs and Chris Hobbs .550 field goal percentage just below the record pace of .554 by Elden Campbell.