On Saturday afternoon, the Clemson men’s basketball team (12-5, 2-4 ACC) will face the Florida State Seminoles (11-6, 5-1 ACC) at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
Clemson has seen better days in the ACC. After leading for a majority of their last contest at home against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, they suffered a heartbreaking loss in double overtime, losing their chance to go .500 in conference play. The Tigers will need to bounce back quickly, facing a tough Florida State Seminoles team that is difficult to beat stylistically.
If there is one great takeaway to take from the Tigers’ loss, it is the game that center PJ Hall had. The senior recorded career highs in points and rebounds, scoring 31 points and 17 rebounds in the double-overtime loss.
After the game on Tuesday, Hall spoke to the media about how important it was to regroup and get ready for this upcoming game against the Seminoles.
“It’s just as important as the last,” Hall said about preparation for these games.”These guys, we want to win so bad, myself included. Our coaches, our staff, our managers, our GAs, everybody’s pouring everything they have into it. It’s not just ‘win this next game’, but we are focused on ourselves and getting better every single day.”
The last time the Tigers faced Florida State in Tallahassee, there were some late-game heroics to help guide Clemson to a huge win. With help from Chase Hunter, the Tigers eliminated a two-point deficit from an and-1 by the guard, sinking the extra free throw shot to give Clemson their tenth win in ACC play.
With another game like that on Saturday, the game could be a kickstarter in terms of momentum for the ACC, which has been speculated to be wide open this year with so many different teams at the top. Florida State, coincidentally, is tied for second with the best record in the conference, winning when they need to.
The Seminoles have five straight wins, all in ACC play. Their only loss came at North Carolina earlier this season, where an eight-point loss at the Dean Smith Center marks the only reason why Florida State does not have the best record in the conference. Coming off of an incredible win at Miami earlier this week, the Seminoles are one of the hottest teams in basketball that Clemson has played this season.
This game will be important in terms of coaching for head coach Brad Brownell, who has, arguably, begun to warm his seat as the head coach of the Clemson basketball program for the future. He faces a Seminoles squad that ranks third in the turnover ratio, a positive 3.00 in their favor, which is used to score points in transition and spoil their opponent’s offensive rhythm. Brownell will need to utilize his guards, whether Joe Girard or Chase and Dillon Hunter, to get the ball in the post and feed guys like Hall and Ian Schieffelin, who scored 20 points in the Georgia Tech loss.
Three-point shooting is another factor of the game that the Tigers have struggled in, especially in ACC play. Clemson shot 14.3% from downtown in their loss to Georgia Tech, and it has not been the only time where deep shooting affected scores of a game. Another example is North Carolina, where the Tigers suffered a ten-point loss after only making one three-point shot. Especially with their early success from beyond the arc that guided them to an 11-1 start, Brownell will hope that his team is on the road back to being one of the most dangerous three-point shooting squads in the country.
Despite a standout player not entirely evident for Florida State, they use their incredible bench depth to make up for it. Eight players on the squad average six points or more, which is important, especially in stages in the game where the bench plays.
Forward Jamir Watkins leads the team in points, averaging 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in his first season with the Seminoles. The junior played two seasons at VCU before joining Florida State this past offseason.
The guard play of Darin Green Jr. has been great as well. The senior is averaging 12.3 points and 1.6 steals per game, showing off the defensive guard play that has allowed Florida State to flourish. Off the bench, Primo Spears averages 11.3 points per game and adds 1.2 steals of his own. A transfer from Georgetown, Spears scored 16 points off the bench in their win against Miami earlier this week. The junior could play a huge role in bench play in this contest, which could have a bigger impact than other games for Clemson this weekend.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
