Tigers Open ACC Tournament Play With Blue Devils

March 6, 2000

CLEMSON, S.C. – Will Solomon was Clemson’s leading scorer against Duke this year with 45 points in the two games. He also led the Tigers in assists with 10 and tied for the team lead in rebounding with 12. Clemson shot just 40.5 percent from the field in the two games against Duke, but did hit 14-35 three-point shots, 40 percent. Clemson had a 78-70 rebound edge in the two games combined, but Duke forced Clemson into 44 turnovers and committed just 14.

Will Solomon needs 39 points against Duke to set the Clemson single season record. He has an ACC best 613, fifth best in Clemson history.

Duke has a 4-3 lead in ACC Tournament games against Clemson. The last time the two teams met, William Avery made a driving shot with under a second left to defeat the Tigers 66-64.

Clemson has an all-time record of 12-46 in the ACC Tournament, but Clemson won five games in the 1990s, more than any other decade.

Andrius Jurkunas, the only senior on the Clemson team, has made 26 of his last 56 three-point goals and is now third in school history in that area (144). Jurkunas owns the Clemson record for three-point shooting percentage in an ACC game with a 4-5 night in Clemson’s win over North Carolina in the 1996 Tournament.

Edward Scott has committed a turnover every 14.8 minutes this year, second best figure in Clemson history for a Tiger point guard.

Clemson’s ACC Tournament History Clemson has a 12-46 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 have won five games in the last decade, more than any other decade. 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 has won its opening round game of the tournament four of the last seven 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 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 1-2 in the first round, 10-34 in the quarterfinals, 1-9 in the semifinals and 0-1 in the finals for an overall 12-46 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. Duke Charlotte Coliseum Thursday, March 9, 2000 (9:00 PM (Approx.)

Series Record: Duke leads 86-27at Clemson: Duke leads 30-20at Duke: Duke leads 49-4at ACC Trn: Duke leads 4-3In 1999-00: Duke won at Duke (1-29-00), 93-59, Duke won at Clemson (3-1-00), 92-78Last ACC TRN: Duke 66, Clemson 64 in 1998 Trn.Television: JP

2000 ACC Tournament Pairings

Clemson vs. Duke in the ACC Tournament Duke has a 4-3 lead in the ACC Tournament series with Clemson. That is the best winning percentage for the Tigers against any other ACC team in the tournament and tied for the most wins. Clemson is 3-7 against Wake Forest.

This is the first meeting in the ACC Tournament between the two teams since the 1998 event. That game was a thriller, as William Avery drove the length of the floor to score on a diving shot with a second left. It gave Duke a 66-64 victory. Duke was ranked #1 in the nation entering the event.

Clemson won three of the first four meetings. Clemson downed Duke 77-72 in the semifinals in 1962, Clemson’s only semifinal victory in the tournament’s history. Duke was ranked eighth in the nation going into the game and second seeded in the tournament. Jim Brennan scored 34 points to lead Clemson and that is still tied for the most points in an ACC Tournament game by a Tiger.

Clemson also won in 1975 and 1977. Wayne Croft scored 20 points in the 78-76 Clemson win in Greensboro. Stan Rome scored 19 in Clemson’s win in Landover (82-74) in 1977.

Clemson vs. Duke in ACC Tournament (3-4)

First Meeting with Duke Duke 93, Clemson 59 Duke exploded for a 58-16 lead at intermission and went on to a 34-point victory over Clemson on January 29th in Durham. The Blue Devils fullcourt pressure forced 19 Clemson turnovers in the first half and held the Tigers to 7-28 shooting. Duke hit 8-18 three-point shots in scoring the most points in a half against a Larry Shyatt coached team.

Clemson executed much better in the second half and outscored the Blue Devils 43-35 in the second 20 minutes. Will Solomon scored 19 points in the second half and made 4-6 three-point goals. He was Clemson’s only double figure scorer for the afternoon, but four other Tigers had eight points apiece. Andrius Jurkunas was one of the those players and the senior also added five rebounds. Chucky Gilmore added eight rebounds. Freshman Tomas Nagys had eight rebounds and eight points. Walk-on Walker Holt had eight points in just 14 minutes.

Duke was led by Chris Carrawell with 20 points, while Shane Battier added 17. Jason Williams ha 17 points, six assists and foir steals. Duke shot 52.4 percent from the field for the game, highest against Clemson all year. The Blue Devil defense had eight blocked shots and 14 steals.

Turnovers were the story. The Tigers committed 30, while Duke committed just 10. Points off turnovers just about equalled the scoring differential. Duke outscored Clemson 36-4 in terms of points off turnovers. Clemson won the rebound battle 42-30, the 10th time this year Clemson has had a double digit rebound margin.

Clemson was forced to play all but six minutes of the game without Adam Allenspach, who collapsed six minutes into the game with a bulging disk problem. He did not return to the contest.

Second Meeting Duke 92, Clemson 78 Shane Battier scored 26 points, including 20 in the first half thanks to six three-point goals, leading Duke to a 92-78 victory over Clemson on March 1. Duke, ranked fourth in the nation in both polls coming in, ran its recrd to 23-4 with the win. The Blue Devils outrebounded Clemson 40-36, just the fifth time Clemson has been outrebounded this year.

Will Solomon led Clemson with 26 points, six rebounds and a career high nine assists. He played all 40 minutes. Solomon got support as three Tigers scored in double figures. Freshman Edward Scott had 11 points on 4-5 shooting, while Adam Allenspach added 11 points and six rebounds. Freshman Ray Henderson scored 10 and led the Tigers in rebounding with seven in a productive 19 minutes.

Clemson was much improved in many areas since the 34-point loss at Duke earlier in the year. Clemson shot 46 percent from the field for the game, including 18-36 in the second half. The Tigers shot 9-22 from three-point range, 40.9 percent. Clemson’s 9-19 free throw shooting was a disappointment.

Battier was on fire in the first half. The junior made six consecutive three-point shots at one juncture and scored all 20 of his first half points in an 11 minute span. He led Duke to a 45-29 lead at halftime.

The Blue Devils advanced the lead to 20 points in the second half and still had an 18-point lead with 5 minutes to go. But, Clemson shot the ball well down the stretch and cut the lead to eight points four times. But, Duke made its last 11 free throws of the game, and Andre Buckner made a key steal with a minute left as the Tigers were striving to cut the margin to six points.

Solomon Plays Well vs. Duke Last year Clemson guard Will Solomon played his best basketball against Duke, the best team in the nation for 99 percent of the season. Solomon had 19 points in 36 minutes against Duke on January 20, his first career start. Duke was ranked #2 in the nation entering the game. He hit 8-15 shots from the field and made a pair of three-point goals in the game at Littlejohn Coliseum.

In the game at Clemson he was even more efficient on a per minute basis. Solomon scored 17 points in 23 minutes on 7-12 shooting against Duke, ranked #1 in the nation at the time. He made 3-5 three-point goals, had three rebounds and a season high tying four steals.

For his freshman season, Solomon scored 36 points in 59 minutes against the Blue Devils, hit 5-13 threepoint goals, had seven rebounds and six steals. Solomon scored more points against Duke than any other ACC team last year.

In two games this year against the Blue Devils, Solomon scored 45 points. He had 19 points, all in the second half at Duke, then had 26 in the game at Clemson. He also added a career high nine assists and six rebounds against the #4 ranked Blue Devils. Thus, Solomon has scored 81 points in four games against Duke, a 20.3 average.

Clemson vs. Duke

Tigers Face Buckner For 122 consecutive games between 1994-98 Greg Buckner was in the Clemson starting lineup, the longest streak in Clemson history. Buckner finished his career fourth in school history in scoring with 1754 points. He tied the school record for double figure scoring games with 97 and also finished third in playing time, third in steals and second in field goal made.

This Thursday, his brother, Andre, will be playing against the Tigers. Andre Buckner is a reserve guard for Duke and the freshman has played 61 minutes in 16 games so far this year. He has scored 12 points and has seven assists and just two turnovers as a point guard. He made a key steal for Duke late in the game at Clemson and converted two free throws. Duke was up just eight points at the time of the steal.

Older brother Greg is doing well with the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. His playing time has dropped a bit lately with the addition of Dennis Rodman, but he has averaged three points and three rebounds a game in 16 contests for Dallas this year.

Clemson vs. Duke Series Duke has beaten Clemson eight consecutive games, four of the eight have been by seven points or less. The Blue Devils swept Clemson this year, in 1998-99 and for three games in 1997-98. The three losses were by a combined seven points three years ago, including the ACC Tournament. Clemson nearly overcame a 24-point deficit in the second half before falling at Duke in 1997-98, 81-80. Clemson had a pair of shots to win inside the last five seconds against the #2 ranked Blue Devils.

Duke has an 86-28 lead in the series, including a 49-4 margin in Durham. Coach K has a 18-2 record against Clemson in games at Duke, but just 12-8 in Littlejohn Coliseum. He is 32-10 overall against the Tigers. Larry Shyatt is 0-4 against Duke, but was an associate head coach for four Clemson wins over Duke between 1994-95 and 1996-97.

Clemson Has 11 Wins over Ranked Duke Teams Clemson has defeated a top 20 Duke team 11 times in its history, more than any other school. Clemson has 10 ranked wins over Maryland and nine apiece over NC State and North Carolina. The list includes a win over 21st ranked NC State this year.

Clemson has upset a top 20 Duke team six times in the last 12 years, with the last victory coming in 1996-97 at Clemson, an 86-82 overtime win over a 10th ranked Duke team. That was the third year in a row that Clemson defeated a top 20 Duke team. Clemson also defeated a top 10 Duke team three years in a row between 1988-90. Dale Davis and Elden Campbell were common denominators on those teams. The 1990 victory clinched the ACC regular season championship for the Tigers.

Clemson’s first ever win over a top 20 Duke team took place in the 1962 ACC Tournament. Duke was ranked 8th in the nation entering the game and Clemson had 10-14 record and had lost to Duke twice in the regular season by a total of 31 points. But, Clemson won the ACC Tournament game in Raleigh 77-72 behind 34 points by Jim Brennan.

Duke enters this game ranked in the top five in the nation. Clemson has 14 wins over top 5 ranked teams in its history with the last coming in 1996-97 against third-ranked Kentucky in a game played in the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. Clemson’s top victory in history was an 87-82 win over Duke on January 9, 1980. Duke was ranked number-one in the nation at the time and it remains Clemson’s only men’s basketball victory over the number-one ranked team.

With the win over NC State this year, Clemson has now defeated at least one top 25 teams 14 consecutive years.

Clemson Wins over Ranked Duke Teams

* in ACC Tournament

Here is a Chronological list of Clemson’s top five wins In History

Scott Outstanding in Turnover Ratio Clemson point guard Edward Scott has committed just 51 turnovers in 755 minutes over 23 games this year. The rookie from Eastover, SC has had a turnover once every 14.8 minutes, the second best figure in Clemson history for that category by a point guard. Only Terrell McIntyre’s one turnover for every 16.74 minutes is better dating back to the 1975-76 season, the first year when minutes were recorded as an official stat.

Scott is even better in ACC play, committing 29 turnovers in 467 minutes, or one every 16.1 minutes of play. The freshman got off to a rough start due to a broken foot, then missed three games at midseason with a cartilage problem in his chest. He has averaged 6.3 points, three assists and 3.3 rebounds a game for the season. Over the last three games he has averaged 9.0 points 4.3 assists and 5 rebounds per game. He had 10 points and six assists in Clemson’s win at NC State. He collected nine rebounds to lead all rebounders in Clemsn’s regular season finale at Georgia Tech.

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

Clemson Rankings in ACC Stats Clemson has three players ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in various categories heading into the ACC Tournament. Sophomore guard Will Solomon ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring, three-point percentage, assists and three-point goals per game. Andrius Jurkunas is in the top 10 in three-point percentage, while Adam Allenspach is ranked in rebounding and free throw shooting, an unusual combination for a center.

Clemson Individuals in ACC stat rankings

Clemson Veterans in ACC Tournament Clemson is a young team, and thus has just four players who have ever played in an ACC Tournament game. The veterans are led by Andrius Jurkunas, the only senior on the team. He has started four tournament games, including both in the 1996 tournament as a freshman. He was on the court when Clemson upset 19th ranked North Carolina, 75-73. He had four three-point goals in that game for 12 points, still his high game in an ACC Tournament contest. That 4-5 three-point shooting effort is tied for the best in Clemson history in an ACC Tournament game.

Adam Allenspach will be playing in his third tournament. He played very well in Clemson’s two-point overtime loss to Florida State last year in the opening round. The 7-1 junior had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. He shot 6-12 from the field and all six of his rebounds were offensive.

The other two Tigers to play in the ACC Tournament are Will Solomon. Braddick had eight points and six rebounds in 12 minutes last year. Five of his six rebounds were offensive. Solomon scored nine points in just 11 minutes against the Seminoles. He had 3-5 three-point shooting in the uptempo game.

Tiger Veterans in ACC Tournament Play

High Percentage of Scoring, Rebounding Will Return Clemson has just one senior on this year’s club, Andrius Jurkunas. That means all but one player will return for next year’s 2000-01 season. Clemson will have back players who accounted for 85.6 percent of the points, 86.3 percent of the field goals, 82.2 percent of the rebounds and 81 percent of the assists.

As you can see by the chart below, a high percentage of Clemson’s statistics were achieved by freshmen and sophomores. Adam Allenspach and walkon Michael Crocker are the only juniors on the Clemson roster this year. That means 68 percent of the points, 63 percent of the rebounds and 78 percent of the three-point goals were achieved by players who still have at least two more years of eligibility.

Future Looking Brighter The play of Clemson’s freshmen against fourth-ranked Duke gives reason for optimism about the program’s future. Rookies Edward Scott, Ray Henderson and Pash Bains were a combined 10-13 from the field against the Blue Devils and scored 27 points. Scott was 4-5 from the field, including a season best 3-3 on three-point shots. Henderson also was 4-5 from the field and his seven rebounds in just 19 minutes left the Tigers. Bains made 2-3 shots from the field and also had a pair of rebounds in his 11 minutes.

Clemson underclassmen scored 72 of the 78 points against the Blue Devils and had 33 of the 36 rebounds. In fact, sophomores and freshmen had 61 of the 78 points and 27 of the 36 rebounds.

Tigers Have Made Improvement Clemson has made significant improvement since the end of January. After losing its first five ACC games, plus a loss to NCAA Tournament bound Appalachian State, Clemson has won four of its last 11 games, all against the ACC. The improvement coincides with the return to health of a number of players. Clemson had at least one scholarship player out due to injury in the first 21 games of the season and did not have all of them healthy for one practice until February 1.

Over the last 11 games Clemson improved its scoring from 61.6 to 66.6 points a game, improved its shooting from 37.2 percent to 42.1 percent, and improved its three-point percentage from 30.9 to 39.1 percent. Clemson also dropped its turnovers from 15.8 to 14.4.

Clemson’s Improvement

Solomon Three-Time ACC Player of the Week Clemson guard Will Solomon and Maryland guard Juan Dixon were named ACC Co-Players of the Week by the Atlantic Coast Conference Sports Writers Association on February 14.

This was the third time this year Solomon won at least a part of the award. His selection breaks the Clemson record for most ACC Player of the Week selections in a season. Terrell McIntyre (1998-99), Dale Davis (1988-89) and Horace Grant (1986-87) were also two-time selections.

Solomon scored 62 points in two games between Feb. 6-12 to win the honor. He had 29 in a loss at Wake Forest and 33 in a victory over Florida State. Solomon was an impressive 22-38 from the field overall that week, 10-20 on three-point shots and 8-11 from the foul line. He also had nine total rebounds and five assists.

Solomon played all 40 minutes in the game at Wake Forest and also held Robert O’Kelley to 3-9 shooting from the field. In the 26-point win over Florida State, Solomon scored 15 consecutive points at one stretch late in the game, the longest stretch of its kind on record. He made 6-6 shots from the field in the four-minute outburst.

Clemson 66, NC State 63 Feb. 27 at Raleigh 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 andsix 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 reboinds. 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 this 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.

First time Clemson has overcome a double digit deficit with under 10 minutes left since March 3, 1996 when Clemson trailed Duke 41-30 with nine minutes left, then won 51-48.

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.

Busy Time for Jurkunas This is quite a time for Clemson senior forward Andrius Jurkunas. His Tiger career is concluding after five years with the program. He will receive his degree in May. A couple of weeks ago he learned his wife, Jill, was pregnant, an item he kept secret from Head Coach Larry Shyatt and his teammates until this past Sunday. She is due in October.

After his career high 23 points and career high six three-point goals led the Tigers to victory at NC State, he told Shyatt and his teammates the good news. Jurkunas was married last summer and in the wedding party were Shyatt and his wife Pam. Shyatt has a picture with Jurkunas, both in tuxedo, behind his desk in his office in the Jervey Athletic Center.

Jurkunas first came to Clemson in August of 1995 and was a member of the same recruiting class with Terrell McIntyre, Tom Wideman, Harold Jamison and Tony Christie. Entering the ACC Tournament he ranks third in Clemson history in career three point goals with 144, trailing only Chris Whitney and Terrell McIntyre. He has 780 career points and 442 career rebounds. He is one of just three ACC players with over 100 career three-point goals and 75 career blockedshots. He scored 19 points in the second half of Clemson’s NCAA tournament game against Georgia in 1996, still a school record for points scored in a half of an NCAA Tournament game.

Solomon Chosen to NABC All-District Team Clemson guard Will Solomon has been named first-team All-District 5 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The team is composed of Division I teams from North Carolina and South Carolina, plus ACC teams Virginia, Maryland and Georgia Tech. Florida State is the only ACC team not included in the District.

Solomon leads the ACC in scoring this year with a 21.1 average, a figure that ranks 18th in the nation (as of March 1). He has scored in double figures in every game this year, the only ACC player to do that, and he also leads the league in three-point goals per game. His 21.1 average is the highest by a Clemson player since 1969-70 when Butch Zatezalo led the Tigers with a 21.7 average.

The native of East Hartford, CT has scored 32.78 percent of Clemson’s points this year and is attempting to become the first ACC player in 30 years to score a third of his team’s points. He has scored at least 25 points in a game 12 times this year, including a career high 43-point performance against Virginia on January 15.

Solomon was joined on the first team by Chris Carrawell and Shane Battier of Duke, Terence Morris of Maryland, and Ed Cota of North Carolina. The second team was composed of Jason Collier of Georgia Tech, Robert O’Kelley of Wake Forest, Juan Dixon of Maryland, Lonny Baxter of Maryland and Jody Lumpkin of College of Charleston.

Solomon Scoring Most Improved in ACC History Clemson guard Will Solomon has improved his scoring average by 14.8 points per game this year, an improvement that is the largest jump in ACC history. The research, done by Brian Morrison of the ACC office, takes into account players who played 75 percent of his team’s games over the course of each season.

Solomon averaged 6.3 points a game last year and is now at 21.1 a game this season. The previous best improvement is +14.5 points a game by Tate Armstrong, who went from 9.7 points a game in 1975-76 to 24.2 in 1976-77.

ACC’s Top Scoring Improvements

Solomon Chasing Scoring Marks Will Solomon set a Clemson record for points scored by a sophomore when he had 13 against NC State in Raleigh. He now has 613 for the season, breaking the mark of 552 by Butch Zatezalo in 1967-68.

Solomon is chasing an overall single season Clemson record. He has averaged 3.1 three-point goals per game this year, ahead of the Clemson record of 2.90 per game by Chris Whitney in 1992-93. Solomon has 613 points this season, fifth best in Clemson history for a single season. He needs 39 points in the ACC Tournament to break the record co-hold by Bill Yarborough and Horace Grant.

Solomon’s average of 21.1 would be fifth best in Clemson history if the season ended today. The record is 28.3 by Bill Yarborough in 1954-55. Butch Zatezalo (3 seasons), Vince Yockel and Horace Grant are the other Tigers to average at least 20 points a game over the course of a season.

Clemson Single Season Scoring Leaders

Clemson Single Season Points/Game Leaders

Clemson Single Season Three-Point Goals

Clemson Single Season 3Pt Goal/Game Leaders

Solomon Has All-Around Stats Clemson guard Will Solomon has received much notority for his scoring this year. The sophomore has a 21.1 average and 12 games of at least 25 points, including the 26-point performance against fourth ranked Duke and a 30-point effort at Georgia Tech. Solomon also had nine assists and six rebounds in that Duke game.

For the year, Solomon has 613 points, 120 rebounds and 91 assists. He obviously needs just 9 assists to reach the 600 point, 100 rebounds and 100 assist mark for the year. If he does that he will be just the eight ACC player in the last 10 years to record 600 points, 100 assists and 100 rebounds in the same year. No ACC player did it last year. North Carolina’s Shammond Williams did it in 1997-98, but it took hims 38 games to do it. Walt Williams turned the feat in 1991-92 in just 29 games, while Kenny Anderson of Georgia Tech did it in 1990-91 in just 30 games.

It is interesting to note that all seven of the players to accomplish this in the last 10 years are in the NBA with the exception of Childress.

ACC Players with 600 Points, 100 Assists, 100 Rebounds (In Last 10 Years)

Turnovers on the Decline One of the reasons for Clemson’s improved play over the last month (in addition to having a healthy team), has been the reduction in turnovers. Since committing a season high 30 turnovers at Duke in late January, Clemson has had 114 turnovers in the last nine games, an average of 12.8 per game. That includes three of the top 20 turnover games in Clemson history. The Tigers had just six against North Carolina, seven against Florida State and five against Maryland in recent home games. The Tigers had just 14 in the second meeting with Duke, more than a 50 percent reduction.

The health of guard Edward Scott has a lot to do with the improvement in this area. Scott, a freshman who averages 32.5 minutes a game, has 51 turnovers in 23 games this year, including just 29 in 14 ACC games. Clemson has averaged 18 turnovers a game in the games Scott has missed due to injury (6) and 14.5 in the games he has played. That includes 12.8 in games he would be terms healthy, or the last eight games.

Fewest Turnovers in Game, Clemson History

Assist/Turnover Ratio Among the Best vs. FSU Clemson had its best ball handling game of the year in the win over Florida State. Clemson had 24 assists and just seven turnovers in the 26-point victory. That was the high assist mark of the season for a single game by Clemson and the second lowest turnover total. Those two extremes led to a 3.43 assist/turnover ratio, the third best single game ACC mark in Clemson history.

The only two games better in league play both took place against NC State. In 1992-93 season, Clemson had 25 assists and just five turnovers for a 5.0 figure in an ACC Tournament victory over NC State. In 1983-84 in a game at Clemson, the Tigers had 23 assist and just six turnovers (3.83) in a win over the Pack.

Overall, Clemson’s 3.43 assist/turnover ratio against Florida State was the 10th best in school history, best since the 1997-98 season when Clemson had 29 assists and just eight turnovers in a win over Western Carolina. Clemson had a 15/5 ratio in the loss to Maryland.

Jurkunas Key to Clemson ACC Wins As Andrius Jurkunas goes, so go the Clemson Tigers, at least that has been the case in ACC play this year. Jurkunas has averaged 17.8 points a game in Clemson’s ACC wins this year and just 6.8 in Clemson’s 12 league losses. With his 6-7 three-point performance at NC State on Feb. 27, he is now 17-26 on three-point shots in Clemson’s ACC wins this year, a .653 figure. He is also shooting 24-38 from the field overall in Clemson’s four ACC wins this year.

Jurkunas was outstanding in Clemson’s win over Florida State on Feb. 12. He had 16 points, including 5-7 on three-point goals. He also had six assists and no turnovers and held Ron Hale to 1-12 shooting from the field.

Jurkunas vs. the ACC

Allenspach Chasing Free Throw Record Clemson starting center Adam Allenspach has made 77 of 104 free throws this year, including 21 of his last 25. That .740 free throw percentage would be the third best in Clemson history by a center if the season ended today. The .778 mark by Ed Brinkley in 1958-59 is the all-time Clemson standard for a Tiger center (minimum of 30 attempts). Allenspach’s mark is the best since Brinkley’s 77.8.

Allenspach has made 144-202 for his career .713, also one of the best figures in Clemson history for a center. Allenspach is shooting .750 in league play this year, contributing to Clemson’s 68 percent figure as a team in league play.

Clemson’s Center Best Season Free Throw Marks

Allenspach Has Six Double-Doubles Clemson center Adam Allenspach had consecutive double doubles in losses to Virginia and Maryland. This was the first time in his career that the 7-1 center has had consecutive double-doubles. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland and scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds in Clemson’s loss to Virginia on Feb. 15. The performance against Maryland was Allenspach’s sixth double-double of the season, more than any other Tiger. It was his first double-double since he suffered a back injury at Duke on January 29.

He scored 24 points in Clemson’s loss to Appalachian State on January 19. That was his career high scoring effort and it was in fact the highest scoring game for a Clemson center since Sharone Wright scored 25 points at Wake Forest on Feb. 22, 1994. Allenspach connected on 7-11 field goals and 10-12 free throws.

Allenspach had five straight double figure scoring games and was averaging 16 points a contest prior to the Duke game in Durham when he went down with a bulging disk in his back. He had his first double figure scoring game in the win over Florida State since he hurt his back at Duke. Allenspach scored 12 points in the win over the Seminoles.

Season of Improvement by Adam Allenspach

Clemson With More Field Goals Despite a 10-19 record overall and 4-12 mark in ACC play, Clemson has scored 9 more field goals than the opposition in overall games and has three field goals more in ACC games. Clemson has shot better than the opposition (40.5 to 40.4 ) overall. Clemson is second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense.

In the 16 league games Clemson had 376 field goals to 373 for the opposition. The big difference comes at the foul line. Clemson’s ACC opponents have made 278 free throws in the 16 games, and Clemson has attempted just 268.

There is also a big difference in three-point goals for the season. Opponents have made 53 more three-point goals overall for the season than Clemson and that represents 159 more points. Clemson has been outscored by 136 points for the season.

Henderson Coming on Strong Ray Henderson has not played more than 21 minutes in any of the last eight games, yet he has led Clemson in rebounding four of those contests. The freshman who has suffered from various injuries this year, has scored 49 points and had 45 rebounds over the last eight games. He had 10 points, his season high, and seven rebounds, including five offensive, against 4th ranked Duke. He played just 19 minutes. Henderson had eight rebounds, his second highest total of the season, in the win over Florida State. He did that in just 18 minutes and added seven points.

On a per minute basis, Ray Henderson has been Clemson’s most productive rebounder this year. He has averaged a rebound every 3.24 minutes this year, best on the Clemson team. He had five rebounds in just six minutes against North Carolina on Feb. 6, then had six rebounds in 15 minutes at Wake Forest. The burly freshman has been hampered by injury all year and thus his stamina is not at a high rate.

The native of Charlotte, NC, had a productive 22 minutes of play at North Carolina in January and it was the first game in which he opened the eyes of the ACC media. Henderson had a season best and team high nine rebounds in those 22 minutes, including four off the offensive boards. He also made 3-5 shots from the field and did not have a turnover in 22 minutes. He also had an effect on the production of Brendan Haywood. The 7-1 North Carolina center had just 10 points and got just four field goal attempts in the game.

Jurkunas Trails only Whitney, McIntyre Clemson senior Andrius Jurkunas recorded a career high six three-point goals at NC State to lead the Tigers to a 66-63 victory on Feb. 27. With that performance he moved ahead of David Young into third place on Clemson’s career three-point goals list. Now with 144 career three-point goals, the 6-9 forward trails only former All-ACC point guards Chris Whitney and Terrell McIntyre in that category.

Jurkunas became Clemson’s career three-point goal leader among forwards when he made a pair of three-point goals against Wofford on November 21. Tony Christie had the previous record at 106.

Jurkunas had 51 three-point goals as a freshman and as a junior. Injury problems on 1996-97 gave him shooting problems all year and he made just 3-38 from long range. He made just 14 of his first 60 (.233) to start the season when he had the broken thumb on his shooting hand. Now healthy, Jurkunas has made 38 percent of his three-point attempts in ACC play this year, sixth best in the ACC. He has made 25 of his last 56 three-point attempts, a .446 shooting mark.

Clemson Career Three-Point Goal Leaders

Jurkunas stands 6-9 and is an unusual player in that he is capable of defending on the inside, but he is also a capable scorer on the outside. Jurkunas is one of just four players in ACC history standing 6-9 or taller to make over 100 three-point goals in a career. The others to do it are Tom Gugliotta of NC St, Michael Maddox of Georgia Tech, and Danny Ferry of Duke.

Jurkunas has 77 blocked shots to go with his 144 career three-point goals. He entered 1999-2000 as one of just 10 players in ACC history with at least 100 three-point goals and at least 50 blocked shots. No player in ACC history has had at least 100 three-point goals and 100 blocked shots. Michael Maddox, who played at Georgia Tech, came the closest with 133 three-point goals and 93 blocks.

ACC Players with 100 Career 3s and 50 Blocked Shots

Head Coach Larry Shyatt Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt had a 20-15 record in his first year as Clemson Head Coach. He guided Clemson to the Championship of the NIT, a 61-60 loss to California. The 20 victories were a record for a Clemson coach in his first year and he was just the fourth coach in ACC history to win at least 20 in his rookie year with an ACC program.

Shyatt was the head coach at Wyoming in 1997-98 and posted a 19-9 ledger and berth in the NIT. Thus, he had a 39-24 record as a head coach entering this year. This is his 25th year in college coaching, his third as a head coach. In 15 of his last 16 years the team he has coached (head or assistant) has gone to the NIT of the NCAA.

Shyatt has also had assistant coaching stints at Utah, Cleveland State, New Mexico and Providence in addition to his three years as associate head coach at Clemson under Rick Barnes. Shyatt enters this game with a record of 30-34 at Clemson and he is 49-43 overall.

Clemson Has Young Roster Clemson has one of the youngest teams in the nation with only one senior and one junior with previous Division I experience listed on its roster. This is the youngest Clemson team since the 1987-88 season when Grayson Marshall was the only senior and Jerry Pryor was the only junior among scholarship players. That Clemson team finished 14-15, but did qualify for the NIT.

This year’s Clemson team has one senior, Andrius Jurkunas, and one junior, Adam Allenspach among scholarship players. Walk-on Michael Crocker is a junior, but is in his first year with the program.

The young veteran Clemson players have been asked to step up their play considerably from last year. The five players returning from last year have made large jumps in terms of playing time and scoring. Will Solomon scoring average is triple what it was last year, from 6.3 points to 21.1 and is the largest increase in the ACC.

Eighty-nine percent of Clemson’s scoring and 88 percent of its rebounds have come from underclassmen this year.

Clemson 3-Pt Streak at 307 Consecutive Games Clemson has a streak of 307 consecutive games with at least a three-point goal. The streak dates to the 1990-91 season when the Tigers were 0-7 from long range in an 81-55 loss at Wake Forest. Clemson was also 0-17 that year in a home loss to UNC Charlotte.

Clemson has made at least two three-point goals this year in every game. Clemson had its best three-point shooting game of the year against Florida State on Feb. 12, hitting 12-20 contributing to a 26-point win. In the first meeting against Virginia, Clemson hit 11-20, for 55 percent. Will Solomon made 8-12 from long range in that game.

Clemson has made 30 of its last 63 three-point attempts over three games, .476 pace. Will Solomon leads the team with 89 and is on a record pace in terms of three-point goals per game (3.1). Solomon has made 29 of his last 68 three-point goals, and his .372 percent from long range is fourth in the ACC. He is shooting 40 percent on three-point goals in ACC play.

Tigers Have 10 Healthy Scholarship Players College basketball teams begin practice on October 15, but it took until February 4 for Clemson to have its full roster of scholarship players available for a practice. On that Friday, Adam Allenspach returned to practice after missing the Georgia Tech game with a bulging disk.

Clemson had played 21 games with at least one scholarship player injured and unable to play. The North Carolina game on Feb. 6 was the first time Clemson had all 10 scholarship players healthy. The Tigers looked like it also, taking the Tar Heels to the wire before losing. Clemson has now had 10 healthy scholarship players the last seven games.

The absence of healthy scholarship players has hurt Clemson’s preparation in games this year. Many practices prior to games Clemson has had just six healthy scholarship players. Clemson played at Maryland with just six scholarship players.

Clemson Defense Still Strong Clemson has struggled on offense, but the defense has been outstanding so far this season. So far this year, Clemson opponents are shooting just 40.4 percent from the field overall and are averaging just 69.2 points per game. The 40 percent is second best in the ACC and would be the third best by a Clemson team in the last 40 years if the season ended today.

Duke, North Carolina and Maryland are the only Clemson opponent to shoot over 48 percent against Clemson. Duke hit 52.4 against the Tigers on January 29 in Durham and North Carolina shot 52.2 against Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum. NC State shot just 30 percent against Clemson in the Tigers victory in January.

Defense has been a hallmark of Larry Shyatt coached teams. Clemson opponents scored just 64.7 points a game last year and shot just 41.1 percent from the field. The Tigers led the ACC and ranked in the top 20 in the nation in scoring defense last year.

Clemson top Field Goal % Defense Seasons (Last 40 Years)

Seven Tigers in the NBA For the first time in history, Clemson has seven former players in the NBA in the same season. The list includes four former Clemson centers, a point guard, a two guard and a small forward. The previous high for former Tigers in the NBA was six.

Leading the way has been Dale Davis, who is in his ninth year with the Indiana Pacers, his seventh year as a starter. He was chosen to the NBA All-Star team for the first time.

Through 57 games, Davis was averaging 10.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He was seventh in the NBA in field goal percentage through games of March 5 with a .504 figure. He was also eight in the league in rebounding and 20th in double-doubles with 16. What is most impressive is his much improved free throw percentage (.696).

Elden Campbell is the highest scorer among former Clemson players in the NBA. Campbell was averaging 12.7 points a game in 32 minutes a game for the Charlotte Hornets. He was also pulling in 7.5 rebounds a game and was 17th in the league in blocked shots. He had a season high 27 points against Washington Wizards on Feb. 5, including 15-18 Ft.

The veteran of Clemson’s group in the NBA is Horace Grant. A rookie with the Chicago Bulls in 1987-88, he played on three World Championship teams with that franchise. After a four-year stint with the Orlando Magic, he is now with the Seattle Supersonics. He has started all 56 games this year and averaged 35 minutes per game. He is averaging 7.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Chris Whitney is in his sixth year with the Washington Wizzards as a backup point guard. He had 17 points in his third game of the season and also had a double-double this year against Seattle. Whitney is a career 80 percent free throw shooter. He had 13 vs. Charlotte on Feb. 5.

Devin Gray replaced Charles Barkley on the Houston Rockets when the future Hall of Famer was injured in December. He has played in 13 games for the team. Greg Buckner joined the Dallas Mavericks after the first of the year. He was averaging 20 minutes a game before Dennis Rodman joined the team. Harold Jamison has played in two games for the Miami Heat. The 1998-99 Clemson senior is back on the active roster.

Clemson Players in the NBA (Through Games of Mar. 5, 2000)

*Denotes Assist Average

Allenspach, Gilmore Strong Defender in Middle Clemson 7-1 center Adam Allenspach and 265-pound forward Chucky Gilmore have proven to be large obstacles for opposing centers so far this season. A look to the stats shows us that opposing starting centers have averaged just 6.3 points and 5.4 rebounds a game against the Tigers this year. They have shot just over 45 percent from the field and have just 45 offensive rebounds. Lonnie Baxter had a 25-point game against Clemson on Feb. 22 and that is the only game over 14 points by an opposing center this year.

Allenspach has averaged 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the first 29 games, all as a starter, so he is obviously winning the war at his position. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds against Baxter. Gilmore has contributed 6.2 rebounds per game. Allenspach has 14 double figure scoring games and six double-doubles. No opposing starting center has a double-double against the Tigers, in fact, only six opposing centers have scored in double figures, and only two have had double figures in rebounds.

Opposing Centers vs. Clemson

Clemson Near Record Pace in Rebound Margin Clemson Leads ACC in Rebound Margin If the season ended today, this would be the third highest rebound margin by a Clemson team in school history. The Tigers are +4.9 in overall games so far this year. Clemson has been out-rebounded just seven times all year, a sign of the hustle and drive of Larry Shyatt team.

Clemson has won the battle of theboards in 22 of its 29 games this year and has had a double figure advantage in 10 of the 29 games, including at Duke on January 29 by +12. Clemson was +18 on the boards against Virginia on Jan. 15. Clemson had a positive rebound margin in its last seven games last year, so the Tigers have outrebounded the opposition in 29 of their last 36 games. Larry Shyatt has been Clemson’s head coach for 64 games and the Tigers have been beaten on the glass just 13 times.

The Clemson record for rebound margin in a season is +7.4 rebounds per game set by last year’s team. That team broke the record of +5.8 set by the 1975-76 Clemson team that was led by Tree Rollins. Three other Clemson teams have been at +4.9 rebounds per game for a season. The Clemson team of 1989-90 led by Dale Davis and Elden Campbell had a +4.5 rebound margin per game.

Clemson’s Top Rebound Margin Teams

Six Tigers Have Missed 26 Games due to Injury Clemson had not had a full compliment of scholarship players for a single practice, never mind a game until Friday February 4th. That certainly has hindered Clemson’s preparation for games, as walk-ons, managers and even graduate student manager Bruce Martin have helped out in practice. When Adam Allenspach missed the Georgia Tech game he was the sixth different player to miss action this year due to injury. Clemson players have missed a combined 26 games this year and at least one player missed each of the first 21 games this year. That does not include the seven games Pasha Bains missed at the start of the season due to the NCAA transfer rule.

Here is the injury rundown so far this year:

Edward Scott missed the first three games of the season with abroken foot, an injury he suffered in preseason. He missed threemore games with a cartilage tear in his chest, but returned for theNC State game in January. Andrius Jurkunas missed four games fromNov. 27 to December 4 with a broken right (shooting) thumb. He worea soft cast for the next six games, the injury affected hisshooting ability. Adam Allenspach suffered pain from a bulging diskat Duke and played just six minutes. Missed the Georgia Tech game.Questionable for North Carolina. He had played 55 straight gamesprior to the Tech game. Chucky Gilmore missed three games with aconcussion suffered in practice prior to the South Carolina Stategame. Dustin Braddick, who started the first eight games of theseason, had surgery to repair tendon and other problems with hisright ankle. He had surgery on December 19 and January 3 and missedsix games in a row. He returned to the lineup for eight minutesagainst Appalachian State and had a productive 17 minutes (9points) against Maryland. Ray Henderson missed three games due toknee problems and a pulled groin muscle in November. He missed thelast three games with that injury, but returned for the GeorgiaTech game and mae 3-4 shots. He has been bothered by a cartilageinjury in his chest. It forced him to miss the second half againstFurman and the second half against Virginia. He had knee surgery inOctober.

Clemson Downs Florida State by 26 Will Solomon scored 33 points, including 15 consecutive points at one stretch late in the game, leading Clemson to a 84-58 win over Florida State on Feb. 12 at Littlejohn Coliseum. Andrius Jurkunas added 17 points, six assists and no turnovers, while Adam Allenspach added 12 points.

It was Clemson’s top game of the season in terms of ball handling. The Tigers had 24 assists and jsut seven turnovers and that 3.43 assist/turnover ratio is the third best in Clemson history in an ACC game. Adam Allenspach had a carer high four assists, while Solomon had four assists and just one turnover in his 36 minutes.

Damous Anderson scored 28 to lead Florida State, but he was the only Seminole in double figures. Ron Hale, who came into the game fourth in the ACC in scoring with a 17.4 average, had just six points and made just 1-12 shots from the field. Jurkunas gets the credit for stopping Hale as he guarded the 6-8 Florida State guard for 32 minutes.

Clemson also got strong efforts from Chucky Gilmore and Ray Henderson. Gilmore, playing on his 20th birthday, was 3-4 from the field and scored six points. Henderson was Clemson’s leading rebounder for the third straight game and finished with eight in just 18 minutes. He also scored seven points.

Clemson jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, 35-23, then started the second half with a 18-6 run to take a 24-point lead with 13 minutes left. Clemson led by as many as 30 points late in the game. Solomon made 6-6 from the field, including three-three-point goals to score 15 straight points from the 6:01 mark to the 2:07 mark. Clemson shot 63.3 percent in the second half on 19-30 and that included 0-3 by walk-ons who played the last two minutes.

Clemson had a 56.4 percent shooting for the game, best in an ACC game and best since the Tigers made 57 percent in the season opener against East Tennessee State. Clemson also shot a season high 12-20 on three-point goals and also made 83 percent from the foul line.

Shyatt ACC Wins Have been Routs Clemson gained its eighth ACC win under Larry Shyatt with the 84-58 triumph over Florida State on Feb. 12. The 26-point margin was Clemson’s high water mark in an ACC game this year, but just the third best under Shyatt. Clemson defeated Florida State by 33 at Clemson last year and also stopped Georgia Tech by 28 at home a year ago.

When Clemson gains victory in ACC play over the last two years it has been by a large margin. The average victory margin in Clemson’s nine ACC wins the last two years have been by 18.33 points. The losses have come by 14 points.

Clemson won a close ACC game at NC State on Feb. 27th. The Tigers have played well in close games this year and are now 5-3 in games decided by six points or less.