Know Your Opponent: Clemson

By Bobby Hundley

Clemson (ClemsonTigers.com)
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Rankings: CU - No. 15 KenPom, No. 20 AP; UNC - No. 9 KenPom, No. 15 AP
Records: CU - 15-2, 4-1 ACC; UNC - 14-4, 3-2 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 131-20 (UNC 89, CU 86 (OT), Jan. 3, 2017, Littlejohn Coliseum)

At 11-2 entering the new year, a return to the NCAA tournament for Clemson seemed like a foregone conclusion in 2017. But an 89-86 overtime loss to Carolina on Jan. 3 started an incredible run of bad luck in close games that doomed the Tigers. Brad Brownell's club went 6-12 in the ACC with nine losses by six or fewer points, extending Clemson's NCAA drought to six years.

After a week of speculation about Brownell's future, AD Dan Radakovich announced that Brownell would return in 2017-18 for an eighth season in charge.

That decision has been rewarded with a flying start to 2017-18. Clemson is 15-2 with road wins over Ohio State, Florida and Boston College and is only a 1-point loss at NC State from a perfect 5-0 in the ACC. And at No. 6 in the latest official NCAA RPI rankings, the Tigers are in position to put last year's disappointment in the rearview mirror.

Clemson starts five upperclassmen, an oddity in the modern college basketball world that is even more amazing when you consider that the Tigers lost three key seniors from 2017 in Jaron Blossomgame, Sidy Djitte and Avry Holmes. While Blossomgame was the unquestioned top option for most of his time at Clemson, the 2018 Tigers are incredibly balanced, with all five starters currently averaging double figures in points.

Junior Marcquise Reed leads the way at 15.9 points per contest, while stretch-4 Donte Grantham is close behind at 14.9. Grantham is also Clemson's best 3-point shooter at 42.6 percent, though Reed (41.2), Gabe DeVoe (36.8) and Shelton Mitchell (30.9) all have attempted more from behind the arc. Grantham and Elijah Thomas are also dangerous inside, with both men converting at least 62 percent of their 2s on the year.

While the 2018 Tigers are shooting better than any team in the Brownell era, their KenPom offensive efficiency has actually taken a slight dip due to the loss of Djitte. Djitte led the nation in offensive rebounding percentage last season - without him, Clemson is 234th in the country in offensive rebounding.

But the Tigers are defending at an elite level, thanks in large part to the work of Thomas. A transfer from Texas A&M who was unable to play until the second semester last season, Thomas has blossomed into a standout shot-blocker and defensive rebounder in his first full season at Littlejohn. His block rate of 11.6 percent is 18th-best in the country according to KenPom, and that rate has improved to 14.1% in league play.

At +0.10 PPP against ACC foes, Clemson is firmly in the top half of the conference as we head into the meat of the schedule. For the Tigers, that includes a 14-day home-and-home with Carolina, a pair of games that could be crucial in determining seeding for both the ACC and NCAA tournaments.

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