Games 9: Clemson at South Carolina

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1 Games 9: Clemson at South Carolina Date Opponent (AP/USA) TV/W-L Time/Score Nov. 10 #Arkansas State W Nov. 11 #Monmouth W Nov. 12 #at Old Dominion W Nov. 15 FURMAN W Nov. 17 APPALACHIAN ST. W Nov. 21 MISSISSIPPI ST. W Nov. 24 CHARLESTON SO. W Nov. 29 at Minnesota W Dec. 2 at South Carolina FSNS 1:00 PM Dec. 5 WOFFORD 7:30 PM Dec. 19 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 7:30 PM Dec. 23 WESTERN CAROLINA Noon Dec. 28 GEORGIA 7:30 PM Dec. 31 GEORGIA STATE 2:00 PM Jan. 3 at Florida State 7:00 PM Jan. 6 GEORGIA TECH RSN 4:00 PM Jan. 9 at NC State RSN 7:00 PM Jan. 13 at Maryland ESPNU 2:00 PM Jan. 17 NORTH CAROLINA ESPN 7:00 PM Jan. 20 BOSTON COLLEGE R/LF Noon Jan. 25 at Duke ESPN 7:00 PM Jan. 28 VIRGINIA R/LF 1:00 PM Feb. 3 at Georgia Tech R/LF 1:00 PM Feb. 7 FLORIDA STATE 7:30 PM Feb. 14 at Wake Forest ESPNU 7:00 PM Feb. 18 MARYLAND R/LF 4:00 PM Feb. 22 DUKE ESPN 9:00 PM Feb. 24 at Boston College R/LF 1:00 PM Feb. 28 MIAMI (FL) 7:30 PM Mar. 4 at Virginia Tech R/LF 1:00 PM Mar at ACC Tour. (Tampa, FL) #Cox Communications Classic, Norfolk, VA Assistant AD/SID: Tim Bourret, Notre Dame, 1977 Asst. SID for Men s B-Ball: Phillip Sikes, Clemson 02 SID Office Phone: (864) SID Fax Machine: (864) Bourret Home: (864) Bourret btimoth@clemson.edu Sikes psikes@clemson.edu Press Row: (864) Phone Installation: (864) SID Address: P.O. Box 632, Clemson, SC TBA Overnight Mailing Address: 100 Perimeter Road, Clemson, SC Ticket Office: CLEMSON Site: Williams Arena (14,625) Date: Saturday, December 2, 2006 Tickets: Available City: Columbia, SC Time: 1:00 PM TV: Fox SportsNet South (Ron Thulin, Perry Clark) Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Properties (Pete Yanity, Tim Bourret) CLEMSON (8-0) South Carolina (4-1) 3 Vernon Hamilton Sr. G 1 Tre Kelley Sr. (11.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG) (16.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG) 25 Cliff Hammonds Jr. G 5 Brandis Raley-Ross Fr. (10.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG) (12.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG) 35 Trevor Booker Fr. C 33 Brandon Wallace Sr. (9.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG) (11.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG) 32 Sam Perry Jr. F/G 4 Bryce Sheldon Sr. (5.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG) (8.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG) 44 James Mays Jr. F 21 Dominique Archie Fr. (11.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG) (8.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG) Clemson point guard Vernon Hamilton will play his 100th game as a Clemson Tiger on Saturday afternoon against South Carolina. Hamilton is already Clemson s career leader in steals with 215 and is the only player in Clemson history with 800 points, 300 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals. K.C. Rivers established a Clemson record for consecutive double figure scoring games off the bench when he scored 22 points at Minnesota. It was his eighth straight double figure scoring game off the bench breaking the Clemson record of seven in a row by Dale Davis in Rivers 14.3 scoring average is on track to be the second best in Clemson history for a non-starter. Rivers has made 14 of his last 27 shots from threepoint land and 13 of his last 14 free throws. Clemson closed out the month of November with an 8-0 record. It is a school record for wins in the month of November and the first time Clemson has won eight games in any month since December of Clemson freshman Trevor Booker is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game, 11th in the ACC and third best among league freshmen. The Union High product also has 16 blocks in eight games to rank fourth in the ACC and first among freshmen. He has blocked at least one shot in every game this year. James Mays, at 6-9, is second in the ACC in steals Clemson Head Coach: Oliver Purnell (Old Dominion 75) Overall (19th season): At Clemson (4th season): vs. South Carolina: 3-1 (2-1 at Clemson).750 Clemson Assistant Coaches: Ron Bradley (Eastern Nazarene College, 74); Frank Smith (Old Dominion 88); Shaka Smart (Kenyon College 99) at South Carolina Overall vs. Clemson Assistant Coaches: SID for Basketball: SERIES NOTES Overall: S. Carolina leads at S. Carolina: S. Carolina leads at Colonial: Tied 1-1 at Clemson: Clemson leads at Neutral: tied 3-3 Last Meeting: Clemson won at Clemson last season per game with a 2.88 figure. He is also sixth in rebounding at 7.8. Clemson has won 19 consecutive games that he has played in over the last two years. His career high of 19 points was achieved against South Carolina last year. Clemson has won two consecutive games from South Carolina, including a 19-point victory last year at Clemson. The Tigers are looking to defeat the Gamecocks for the third straight time, which has not happened since Clemson won six in a row between era. So far this year Clemson has 81 steals compared to just 43 for the opposition and has had a positive turnover margin in seven of the eight games. Clemson is second in the ACC in steals per game at 10.13, just behind Georgia Tech s Cliff Hammonds has a 16/4 assist/turnover ratio over the last four games. Clemson is looking for a third straight victory over a Dave Odom coached team. Clemson has not defeated Odom three straight since it won all three games against his Wake Forest team in Clemson has won 28 of 42 games with South Carolina since the Gamecocks left the ACC. South Carolina had won each of the last 11 between the two schools when South Carolina was an ACC member. Dave Odom (Guilford 65) (6th year) (21st year) (3-2 as South Carolina head coach) Rick Duckett, Ken Potosnak, Barry Sanderson Michelle Schmitt mschmitt@gwm.sc.edu website: 1

2 President of NABC this year, first Clemson coach in any sport to serve as president of his national coaching organization. Assistant Coach on United States Olympic team for 2004 Olympic Games in Greece. Has 45-4 record, and five Gold medals as a USA Basketball coach. Took Clemson to the 2005 and 2006 NITs, first back to back postseason since era. Clemson has improved win total from 10 to 16 to 19 overall and in ACC wins from 3 to 5 to 7 over the last two years. Has taken eight teams to 20-win seasons, including each of his last four teams at Dayton. Left Dayton as the third winningest coach in school history. Finalist for the Naismith Award last year. Coached Dayton to a top four seed in when the Flyers were 24-6 and won the Atlantic 10 Tourney. Member of the NABC Board of Directors Has been a Division I conference Coach of the Year in three different conferences. Coach of the Year in the Big South at Radford, at Old Dominion (CAA) and the Atlantic 10 at Dayton. Won 57 games in three years and took Old Dominion to post season play each of his three seasons at his alma mater. Led Radford to a 22-7 record in , a 15-game improvement over the previous season. That is still the 7th greatest one season improvement in NCAA history. Led Old Dominion to the Division II NCAA Championship as a senior ( ). Inducted into the Old Dominion Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and named to all-time ODU team in Purnell Year by Year as a Head Coach Year School Record Post Radford Radford Radford Old Dominion NCAA, 1st rd Old Dominion 21-8 NIT, 2nd rd Old Dominion NIT, 2nd rd Dayton Dayton Dayton Dayton NIT, 2nd rd Dayton Dayton 22-9, NCAA, 1st rd Dayton NIT, 3rd rd Dayton NIT, 2nd rd Dayton 24-6 NCAA, 1st Rd Clemson Clemson NIT, 1st rd Clemson NIT, 2nd round Clemson 8-0 Totals 19th year (.564) Clemson vs. South Carolina Series South Carolina holds an lead in the series with Clemson. Clemson has the lead in games played at Clemson, 42-31, including 18-7 in Littlejohn Coliseum, but South Carolina has a lead in games played in Columbia. The two schools have split six neutral site games. Clemson has won each of the last two games after South Carolina had won four in a row. Clemson has won 28 of the 42 games played between the two schools since South Carolina left the ACC after the season. The two schools did not play from through (Tree Rollins never played against South Carolina). The series returned on a regular basis in South Carolina held a advantage in the series when the two schools were in the ACC ( ). That includes five seasons in which the two schools played three times each. South Carolina won each of the last 11 meetings while the two schools were in the ACC. South Carolina has beaten Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum just three times since 1973, including its last appearance, a South Carolina win in , Oliver Purnell s first year. Clemson won at Clemson last year by 19 points, South Carolina s largest margin of defeat all season. One Gamecock win at Clemson came in under first year head coach Eddie Fogler, a Gamecock victory. That game featured a three-point shooting game for South Carolina, then a school record for three-point goals made. South Carolina also defeated Clemson at Clemson five years ago under current head coach Dave Odom. Thus, Odom has two of South Carolina s three wins in Littlejohn since Clemson and South Carolina have met at least once a season since the season. The two schools did not play in the calendar year of The two teams met twice a year from through the season. The two teams played eight games decided by five points or less between 1990 and Clemson s overtime victory ended a streak of four straight double digit wins by the Gamecocks. Clemson has a 5-1 record against South Carolina in overtime, including victories each of the last five times the two teams have gone extra minutes. South Carolina s only overtime win over the Tigers took place in Columbia in Both teams have been ranked in the top 25 in the nation entering the game just once. That took place in when 25 th ranked Clemson faced sixth-ranked South Carolina at Clemson. Clemson came away with a victory at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was quite an upset that night for Clemson who was playing without star guard Terrell McIntrye, who had suffered a foot injury. The game was shown nationally by ESPN. The most unusual date for the basketball rivalry game came in and Both of those seasons the game was played on New Year s Eve as part of the Carrousel Classic in Charlotte. Clemson won both meetings, in and in Last year vs. South Carolina Clemson 82, South Carolina 63 at Clemson James Mays scored 19 points and Vernon Hamilton added 16 to lead Clemson to a victory over South Carolina. It was the largest margin of victory for the Tigers over the Gamecocks since a win in , a year Clemson advanced to the Final 16 of the NCAA Tournament. It proved to be the largest margin of defeat for South Carolina all season. South Carolina got the opening tip and forward Renaldo Balkman drove in for a dunk just five seconds into the game. Clemson then scored on a three-point goal by Vernon Hamilton on a desperate shot at the end of the shot clock to take a 3-2 lead. That 67- second time period was the only time Clemson trailed in the game. That is not to say the Tigers gaining victory was ever in doubt. Clemson held a lead at intermission, but South Carolina tied the game at with 16:58 left on a driving layup by Tarence Kinsey. That score ended a 15-3 South Carolina run. South Carolina apparently used a lot of energy to tie the game, as Clemson came right back and went on a 13-2 run to take a advantage. A steal and layup by Cliff Hammonds culminated the run. A highlight play by Hamilton at the 9:07 mark gave Clemson a 13-point lead. The Clemson point guard stole the ball, then hit Mays with a behind-the-back pass and Mays dunked the ball, much to the delight of the crowd. That play No Name Pos Hgt Wgt Cl. Exp Hometown High School/Last School 0 Travis Price F Jr. HS Sumter, SC Lakewood 1 K.C. Rivers G So. 1VL Charlotte, NC Oak Hill Academy (VA) 3 Vernon Hamilton G Sr. 3VL Richmond, VA Benedictine 5 Chris Poole G Sr. HS Raleigh, NC Broughton 11 A.J. Tyler F Fr. HS Palm Harbor, FL Palm Harbor University 12 Raymond Sykes F/C So. 1VL Jacksonville, FL Andrew Jackson 15 David Potter G/F Fr. HS Severn, MD IMG Academy (FL) 24 Matt Morris F Jr. 2VL Georgetown, SC Andrews 25 Cliff Hammonds G Jr. 2VL Cairo, GA Cairo 32 Sam Perry F Jr. 2VL Greenville, SC Woodmont 35 Trevor Booker C/F Fr. HS Whitmire, SC Union 40 James Mays F/C Jr. 2VL Garner, NC Garner 42 Julius Powell F So. 1VL Newton, NC Newton Conover 44 Jesse Yanutola F Jr. 1VL Tega Cay,SC Fort Mill 55 Karolis Petrukonis C Fr. HS Trakai, Lithuania Norfolk Collegiate (VA) 2

3 ACC Team ACC Over Clemson Maryland NC State Duke Georgia Tech Wake Forest North Carolina Virginia Florida State Miami (FL) Virginia Tech Boston College Through games of Monday, November 30 Upcoming Schedule Saturday, December 2 Kentucky at North Carolina CBS Noon Clemson at South Carolina FSNS 1:00 PM Georgia at Wake Forest 2:00 PM Georgetown at Duke ESPN2 7:00 PM Boston College at UMASS CSTV 7:30 PM Sunday, December 3 NC State at Virginia FSN 3:30 PM Virginia Tech vs. George Washington CSS 4:00 PM Maryland vs. Notre Dame CSS 6:30 PM Georgia Tech at Miami FSN 5:30 PM Florida at Florida State FSN 7:30 PM Tuesday, December 5 Florida State at Stetson Wofford at Clemson 7:00 Pm 7:30 PM Wednesday, December 6 Holy Cross at Duke ESPN2 7:00 PM Old Dominion at Virginia Tech 7:00 PM Fordham at Maryland 8:00 PM NC State at West Virginia Thursday, December 7 Florida State at Georgia State 7:00 PM ranked second on ESPN Sportscenter Plays of the Day. Clemson held the double digit lead the remainder of the game. The final score was actually the largest margin of the game. Rebounding and turnover margin were the keys for Clemson. The Tigers had 26 offensive rebounds, compared to just eight for South Carolina. It led to a 26-9 advantage in second chance points. The 26 offensive rebounds tied for the fifth most in a single game in Clemson history. Clemson had a advantage in turnovers forced. The Tigers had nine steals on the night, including three apiece or starting guards Vernon Hamilton and Cliff Hammonds. Last Meeting at Colonial Center Clemson 63, South Carolina 62 (OT) Shawan Robinson and Cliff Hammonds combined for 35 points and freshman Cheyenne Moore scored the game winner on a three-point goal with just 3.4 seconds remaining, giving Clemson a victory at South Carolina on December 4. The victory ended a four-game losing streak for Clemson against its state rival and it was the first win for Clemson in Columbia since December of Robinson led the way with 18 points to match his average entering the game, while Hammonds scored 17 to reach a season high at the time. Hammonds performance included 6-9 field goal shooting, including a 4-6 evening from three-point land. He also had six rebounds and three assists against just one turnover in 39 minutes of play. Tre Kelley, who led South Carolina with 22 points, was the only double figure scorer for the Gamecocks, who dropped to 4-1 with the defeat. South Carolina leading scorer Carlos Powell had eight points, 10 below his average, ending a streak of 19 straight double figure scoring games against non-conference opponents. Neither team shot the ball well as both teams failed to reach the 40 percent mark. Clemson did win the rebounding battle, 46-38, but committed 23 turnovers. There were 48 fouls called in the game, but Clemson won the free throw shooting aspect, 62 percent to 48 percent. South Carolina was 4-11 from the line in the second half and overtime. Clemson opened the game 1-9 from the field and South Carolina hit just one of its first 12. The score was Clemson 3-2 in favor of Clemson until the 13:31 mark of the first half. South Carolina still had just three points with 8:50 left in the first half as Clemson s defense on the perimeter was outstanding. Clemson held a nine-point lead at 16-7 with 6:15 left in the half. But, South Carolina started to score and cut the margin to at intermission. The Gamecocks were just 6-26 at the half, but Clemson had just a three-point lead. Both teams started the second half slowly on offense again, as Clemson made just 3-11 and South Carolina was South Carolina took a lead, its largest of the game with 6:24 left on a jumper by Powell. The Tigers still trailed by six points at with five minutes left. But, Purnell s club went on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 49 on a jumper by Robinson with 1:09 left. Tre Kelley, who scored 10 straight points for South Carolina during one stretch in the closing minutes of regulation and overtime, tied the game at 51 with six seconds left. He then scored the first four points of overtime for South Carolina, giving the Gamecocks a lead. South Carolina still led with 1:37 left. Robinson made a free throw, then missed a second attempt with 1:25 left. Akin Akingbala then tapped the rebound to Hammonds, who made a three-point goal to tie the game with 1:23 left, an unusual four-point trip down the court. South Carolina took a lead with 13 seconds left on two free throws by Powell. With one possession left, Clemson worked the ball up court. Moore had an open 22-footer from the left wing in front of the Clemson bench. He made the shot with 3.4 seconds left, giving the Tigers a lead. South Carolina then turned the ball over in the backcourt and Clemson in-bounded with one second left and ran out the clock. Both Coaches Successful vs. Opposition Both head coaches in Saturday s game have had success against the opposition. South Carolina head coach Dave Odom has a lifetime record against Clemson, including a 19-8 mark as head coach at Wake Forest from through The 22 wins are the most by Odom against any opponent over his coaching career. Including wins in his first three years at South Carolina against Clemson, Dave Odom had a nine-game winning streak against Clemson snapped when the Tigers won in Columbia in He won his last six meetings against Clemson as the Wake Forest head coach. Prior to that Clemson win, the Tigers had not defeated a Dave Odom coached team since the 1998 ACC Tournament when Rick Barnes s last Clemson team downed Wake Forest and Odom in the first round of the tournament. Clemson has now G-GS Min FG-A 3-A FT-A Off-Reb A-T B-S Pts. Avg. Vernon Hamilton Cliff Hammonds James Mays Sam Perry Julius Powell K.C. Rivers Raymond Sykes DNP 3

4 defeated Odom two straight, as Clemson won at Clemson last year, Clemson has not won three straight from a Dave Odom coached team since the season when Clemson swept Wake Forest three times in the school s only ACC regular season title season. Oliver Purnell has a 3-1 record against South Carolina. In addition to his two wins as Clemson coach against South Carolina, Purnell took his Old Dominion team to Columbia on November 27, 1993 and defeated the Gamecocks and Eddie Fogler in the season opener. Tigers from South Carolina Clemson has five players on its roster from South Carolina, but just two are scholarship players. However, both of those scholarship players are in the starting lineup. Clemson starters Sam Perry and Trevor Booker are both natives of the Palmetto State. Perry is from Greenville, SC and Woodmont High School, while Booker is from Whitmire, SC and Union High School. Perry has played in two games against the Gamecocks, both victories and has scored six points with nine rebounds in just 18 minutes. He had eight rebounds, including five offensive, in 16 minutes in last year s Clemson win as a starter. The other Tigers on the roster from South Carolina are walkons Travis Price (Sumter), Jesse Yanutola (Tega Cay), and Matt Morris (Georgetown). Tigers Defeat Gophers, K.C. Rivers led five Clemson players in double figures with 22 points, as the Tigers defeated Minnesota in the 8th annual ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge. It was Clemson s sixth victory in eight ACC vs. Big Ten Challenges, the third in four tries under Oliver Purnell. Clemson used outstanding shooting, especially during a stretch in the first half, to defeat Minnesota, who had a 4-1 series record against Clemson entering the contest. The Tigers made three-point shots, including by the starting five, in registering the victory. Williams Arena, the home of the Gophers, had been the site of Clemson s worst three-point shooting performance in a road game in history. Cliff Ellis s Tigers had been 1-22 at Minnesota in a 19-point loss in December of Supporting Rivers were point guard Vernon Hamilton, who had 13 points and seven assists, Cliff Hammonds, who had 12 points thanks t o5-9 shooting, five assists and no turnovers in a team high 31 minutes, James Mays, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Trevor Booker, who contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. Clemson made just one of its first 10 three-point shots, then made 6-7 over the last 6:22 of the first half. The Tigers then hit five more early in the second half, including the first career made three-pointer by Sam Perry. While shooting was important, the difference in the game was rebounding. Clemson won the rebounding battle 43-22, including a 23-8 margin in the first half. Even more impressive was Clemson s 18-1 margin in offensive rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Clemson finished the game with more offensive rebounds (24) than Minnesota had total rebounds (22). Clemson s press was also a big weapon as Clemson forced the Gophers into 24 turnovers, including 10 in the backcourt when the Tigers immediately turned the miscues into baskets. Clemson had 13 steals by eight different players. No one thought Clemson would get to 50 points, never mind 90 after the first five minutes as both teams struggled offensively. Minnesota held a 5-4 lead at the first media timeout, but when freshman David Potter hit a three-pointer at the 15:34 mark, that would be Minnesota s last lead. Clemson opened a lead at the 10:04 mark on a field goal by Booker.But, Minnesota then went on an 8-0 run to tie the score at 20 with 7:48 left. Spencer Tollackson was the key to that spurt. The 6-9 center who had been ill for most of the last three Minnesota contests, hit 5-5 from the field in the first half and had 10 points. Clemson then increased its advantage to six points by making three-point goals on five of six possessions. Hammonds made two, while Rivers, Julius Powell and Hamilton hit one each. Clemson led at intermission. It was an unusual box score at halftime because Minnesota had shot from the field, 73 percent to just 43 percent for the Tigers. But the rebounding advantage and forced turnovers made the difference. Clemson withstood a run by Minnesota to open the second half and still led by 10 with 14:10 left. The Tigers went on a 16-6 run over the next 3:30 to take a 20-point lead at on a free throw by Hamilton with 10:33 left. Minnesota never got the margin under 15 points the rest of the way and Clemson had a 25-point margin at with 1:53 left before winning by 22. Hamilton Will Play 100th Game vs. South Carolina Clemson point guard Vernon Hamilton, the only senior on the Clemson team, will play his 100th career game as a Tiger this Saturday when Clemson travels to South Carolina. He has missed just one game due to injury during his career, so he has appeared in 99 of the 100 games Oliver Purnell has coached so far. Hamilton has been a mainstay in the Clemson lineup since his freshman year. He has averaged 28 minutes per game over his career, and is the only player in Clemson history with over 800 points, 300 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals. That is an easy list to compile because he is the only player in Clemson history with over 200 steals. Hamilton is the record holder with 215 career steals, including 14 this year. He ranks in the top 25 in ACC history in total steals and the top 15 in steals per game. Along those lines, he is one of the few players in Clemson history with more career steals than fouls, a rare occurrence for any college player for that matter. A first-team All-ACC defensive player last year, he has shown improvement with his offensive game over his career. He averaged 12 points a game as a junior and is at 11 points a game this year. He scored 13 points and dealt out seven assists in the recent win over Minnesota. He now has 310 career assists to rank among the top 15 in Clemson history. Powell Wants to Schedule Big Ten Teams Tiger head coach Oliver Purnell might find Julius Powell in his office this summer when he is working on his schedule for He will probably ask the Tiger mentor if he can schedule all 11 Big Ten teams as non-conference opponents the next two years. Powell has played his best basketball in the two ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge games. Against Minnesota on November 29, the 6-7 wing player made 4-8 shots from the field and scored nine points and pulled down three rebounds in just 15 minutes. Last year as a freshman, he had a career high tying 16 points, including four three-point goals, in Clemson s win at Penn State. He did all that in just 19 minutes. So, he has scored 25 points in just 40 minutes on shooting from the field. Prior to the Minnesota game, Powell had averaged just 2.9 point per game in seven contests. He averaged 5.2 points per game as a freshman. He has a career average of 5.1 points per game, but is at 12.5 in two games against Big Ten foes. Tigers Hand Minnesota Rare Home Non-Conference Loss When Clemson defeated Minnesota at venerable Williams Arena it was just the ninth non-conference home loss for the Gophers under head coach Dan Monson. Minnesota is now 59-9 at home in nonconference games since Monson took over eight years ago. That will be his final number on that category, as Monson resigned the morning after the Gophers loss to the Tigers. Clemson completed the task with a strong pressing defense and rebound margin that led to points. The Tigers scored 90 points, 46 in the first half and 44 in the second half. It was just the third time in eight seasons under Monson that Minnesota had given up 90 points or more at home. The only other teams to do it were Michigan State, a winner at Minnesota in and Texas Tech, a winner at Williams Arena in overtime in Clemson Kicks Offense into High Gear Clemson has the reputation of a full court pressing, athletic team that turns teams over with its defense and with aggressive rebounding. And, that is an accurate analysis because Clemson is among the national leaders in steals and has rebound margin of +8.3 for the season. But, Clemson has been playing well on offense this year as well. That was especially the case at Minnesota where Clemson made 12 three-point goals, just the eighth time in Clemson history the Tigers had at least 12 three-point goals in a road game. Clemson made from long range in that game, but 10 of 22 from the starters. The 90 points were the most by a Clemson team this year and the third highest road total under Oliver Purnell. A look to the stats shows us that Clemson has had plenty of players in the action. Clemson has been outscored in terms of bench scoring just once all year (by Mississippi State, 21-11), and had a 40-5 margin in that area against Minnesota. 4

5 Clemson has shown its endurance on offense, shooting at least 50 percent from the field in the second half in six of the eight games so far this year, including 52 percent at Minnesota. The Tigers have been balanced on offense so far this year with four players averaging in double figures and a fifth at 9.4 points per game. Additionally, four players are over 20 assists for the season five different players have between field goals. Tigers Now 6-2 in ACC-Big Ten Challenge Clemson is now 6-2 in the ACC Challenge over the years. That includesthe win over Minnesota on November 29, Clemson s largest margin of victory in history over any Big Ten team. The previous best was a 13-point win on three occasions. Clemson is now tied for second in victories among the 23 ACC and Big Ten teams in that eight-year event. Only Duke, with an 8-0 record in the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge has more, while Wake Forest has a 6-1 mark. The Demon Deacons did not play in the event this year. Clemson s record is even more impressive when you consider that Clemson is the only school out of the 23 ACC and Big Ten teams to have played five games on an opponent s home court in the Challenge. Clemson has a 3-2 record in those games and is the only school among the 23 with three road wins. Clemson One of Three Remaining Unbeaten ACC Teams Entering this weekend, Clemson is one of three ACC teams still undefeated. The Tigers join Maryland with an 8-0 record, while NC State is 5-0. Both Virginia and Wake Forest fell from the unbeaten ranks over the past week. Clemson and Duke were the last remaining schools from the ACC undefeated last year when the Tigers got off to an 11-0 start. Men of Steal Back at it Again This Year Clemson had 13 steals in its victory over Minnesota, contributing to the Gophers 24 turnovers. Clemson forced 10 turnovers while Minnesota still had the ball in the backcourt. Once again, Clemson s full court pressure defense has been effective. Last year Clemson ranked second in the nation in steals, led by Vernon Hamilton, who had a Clemson record 83 thefts. This year, Clemson is again in the top 10 in the nation, but has been led by 6-9 forward James Mays, who has 23 thefts in eight games. He gets many of his steals at the head of the press. Mays is second in the ACC in steals at 2.88 per game, trailing only Virginia Tech s Jamon Gordon, who has a 3.0 average. Clemson set a record for games with double figures in steals last year and is on the way to breaking it this year. In eight games, Clemson has averaged 9.5 steals per game and has been in double figures in that category in seven of the eight games. The steals also contribute to a positive turnover margin. On average, Clemson is forcing 3.75 turnovers more per game than it is committing. Clemson forced 24 turnovers and committed 18 against Minnesota and has had the advantage in turnover margin in seven of the eight games so far this year. Only Old Dominion had the turnover advantage against Clemson so far this season. Rivers Sets Record Clemson guard/forward K.C. Rivers has averaged a team best 14.3 points per game so far this year. He has done that without starting a single game. The sophomore has scored in double figures in all eight games so far this year even though he has come off the bench in each game. With his 22-point performance against Minnesota, he broke a Clemson record for consecutive double figure scoring games off the bench. Dale Davis had the previous record with a seven-game double figure scoring streak off the bench during the season. Davis finished that year with a 13.3 average. Rivers is close to the record scoring pace for a season for a non-starter. That record is 14.4 points per game by Devin Gray in That year gray started 14 of Clemson s 34 games and was not considered a starter for the course of the season. In addition to Rivers outstanding scoring numbers, he has a 23/ 10 assist/turnover ratio, a 51.3 shooting percent from the field, 76 percent from the foul line, and a 44.4 percentage from three-point range. He now ranks fourth in the ACC in three-point percentage and is 17 th in scoring average. Rivers has two 20-point games off the bench this year, the 22- point effort at Minnesota and the 24 point game against Appalachian State when he scored his career high. In case you are wondering, the Clemson record for points scored in a game by a reserve is 34 by David Young against Wake Forest on January 12, Clemson Single Season Scoring Bests by Non Starters Rk Player Year Pos Yr. Avg 1. Devin Gray F Jr K.C. Rivers F/C So Dale Davis C So Colon Abraham F Jr Shawan Robinson G Sr Tony Stockman G Fr Stan Rome F So Tigers Off to 8-0 Start Clemson is off to a 8-0 start, the second consecutive year it has won at least its first eight games. Clemson actually won its first 11 games last year to tie for the second best start in school history. Clemson was 17-0 to open the season behind ACC Player of the Year Horace Grant, and that is the all-time Clemson record for best start to open a season. Clemson has had three 11-0 starts, all in years that end 5-6. Clemson was 11-0 in , and Clemson s Best Starts Year Start Final Record Post Season NCAA NIT NCAA NIT NIT none NIT NIT None None NCAA ?? NIT None Clemson Has won 11 Straight Regular Season Games Clemson has won 11 consecutive regular season games dating to last year. Clemson won its last three regular season games of , all against ACC opponents and now has won its first eight games this season. Clemson s 11-game regular season winning streak is tied for the fourth best in the nation entering this weekend. Nevada is first with a 17- game streak, followed by Washington at 14. Texas A&M is third with a 13-game streak and Clemson and San Diego State are tied for fourth with an 11-game streak. Clemson, Maryland, Oklahoma State and Missouri were all 8-0 for the month of November and currently lead the nation in wins entering this weekend s play. Clemson was ranked 19 th in the Sagarin computer rankings through games of Thursday, November 30. The Tigers were fourth among ACC teams trailing only Duke, Maryland and North Carolina. Clemson Downs Mississippi State, Cliff Hammonds scored 20 points and James Mays added 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead Clemson to a win over Mississippi State on November 21 at Littlejohn Coliseum. The victory was the sixth consecutive for the Tigers to open the season, while Mississippi State, who has won at least 20 games four of the last five years, fell to 2-2. Clemson ended the nation s longest road non-conference win streak with the victory. Mississippi State had won 15 consecutive road non-conference games dating to the season. K.C. Rivers added 11 points off the bench, while Vernon Hamilton had ninth points and three assists against just one turnover in 34 minutes against Mississippi State point guard Jamont Gordon. Charles Rhodes scored 20 points, all in the second half, to lead Mississippi State. Gordon had nine points, 11 rebounds and five assists to go with three blocked shots. Clemson shot 44 percent from the field and just 25 percent on three-point shots, but made 74 percent from the foul line, including 10 in a row to start the game. Clemson won the rebounding and had just 13 turnovers, including just four in the second half. Clemson raced to an 8-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game thanks to a pressure defense that created two turnovers that led to Clemson scores. Mississippi State eventually tied the game at 28 on a 5

6 three-point goal by Ben Hansbrough, the brother of North Carolina star center Tyler Hansbrough. Clemson led and had the ball with five seconds left, but James Mays threw the ball out of bounds on the in-bounds pass and Gordon made three free throws after he was fouled on a three-point attempt. That gave Mississippi State the momentum going into the half, even though Clemson had a two-point lead. The Bulldogs tied the score at 35 early in the second half, but Clemson got the lead back to four points at The score in the second half never got above a five-point margin for either team. Mississippi State had a two point lead at with 7:30 left and the score was tied at 57 with just over six minutes left. Vernon Hamilton made a three-point shot with 5:15 left that gave Clemson a lead. Mississippi State cut the lead to with 10 seconds left on a dunk by Charles Rhodes. Hamilton then stepped to the line for two free throws with 4.2 seconds left. He made one of the two and Mississippi State got the rebound. Gordon s 25-foot three-point attempt with 0.5 seconds left that glanced off the rim and Clemson had the victory. Hammonds Ninth in Career Three-point Goals Clemson junior guard Cliff Hammonds has made three point goals so far this year for a.410 percentage. He shot just 29 percent on three point goals last year, but finished strong, making 18 of his last 38 (.473). He has obviously continued that sharp shooting this season through the first seven games. Hammonds had 20 points to lead Clemson scorers in the win over Mississippi State, including 2-5 from three-point range. He has shown consistency shooting from the outside this year. He has made at least 40 percent of his three-point shots in six of the eight games thus far. His 20-point effort against the team from the SEC was the fifth of his career. Hammonds moved into ninth place on Clemson s career threepoint goal list with his two three-point goals at Minnesota. He is now tied with Merl Code who also had 125 career three-point goasl. Hammonds is also eighth in Clemson history in three-point goals per game with 1.72 for his 72 games played. Hammonds has been doing many other things well this year. He continues to be an outstanding defender, has a 10.6 scoring average and pulls in 3.0 rebounds per game from his backcourt spot. He has a 30/14 assist/turnover ratio, after a 5/0 performance at Minnesota. Clemson Career Three-Point Goal Leaders Rk Name Yrs Years GP Att Goals 1. Terrell McIntyre Will Solomon Shawan Robinson Chris Whitney Tony Stockman Andrius Jurkunas David Young Bruce Martin Merl Code Cliff Hammonds Edward Scott Clemson Wins Cox Communications Classic Clemson won the first game of the Cox Communications Classic by an score over Arkansas State, the 22 nd consecutive season opening win for the Clemson program. Twelve of the 15 Clemson players on the roster scored, led by K.C. Rivers, who had 15 points off the bench thanks to 6-9 field goal shooting. James Mays added 13 points in 21 minutes and freshman David Potter added 12 in 17 minutes in his first game as a Clemson Tiger. Clemson shot 51.5 percent from the field and held Arkansas State to 30.8 percent. Clemson won the second game of the event by a score over Monmouth. Monmouth played in the NCAA Tournament last year and they looked like a prime prospect for another berth this year when they took a 19-7 lead in the early minutes of the game. They held a lead at intermission. But, James Mays scored all 18 of his points in the second half to lead the Tigers. Mays also had nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and five steals in a productive 30 minutes. Trevor Booker had his first career double figure scoring game thanks to 6-8 shooting, and Cliff Hammonds made 4-7 three-point shots and also score 12. Clemson was 9-20 from three-point range. Clemson won the final game of the Classic over host school Old Dominion The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field overall, including 41.2 percent on three-point shots. Again the Tigers had five players in double figures, led by Virginia native Vernon Hamilton, who had 13 points. Mays had just nine points, but had 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes. Rivers again was in double figures off the bench for the Tigers who won the rebounding battle, It was a special victory for Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell who is a graduate of Old Dominion and served the school as an assistant coach and a head coach earlier in his career. For the three games, Clemson had a scoring margin, shot 50.3 percent from the field, including 41.4 percent on three-point shots, and won the rebounding by +7.0 rebounds per game. Starters James Mays (13.3), Vernon Hamilton (10.3) and Cliff Hammonds (10.0) and reserve K.C. Rivers (11.7) all scored in double figures for the event. Starter Sam Perry was 7-10 from the field. Freshman center Trevor Booker got off to a strong start, averaging 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and shot 63.6 percent from the field. Tigers Win Three Games in Three Days Clemson won three games in three days November to open the season on a bright note. Clemson defeated Arkansas State, Monmouth and Old Dominion in the Cox Communications Classic in Norfolk, VA. It marked just the fourth time in Clemson history that the Tigers had won games in three consecutive days. The other occurrences took place at the 1939 Southern Conference Tournament (actually four wins in four days), the 1980 Rainbow Classic, and last year at the San Juan Shootout. So, Clemson has won three games in three days just four times and Oliver Purnell has been the head coach for two of the four. The victory over Old Dominion took place on their home court. The Monarchs had a record of 30-2 over the last three seasons at home entering the contest with both losses coming to 2006 NCAA Tournament team Hofstra. Clemson Overcomes 12-Point Deficit vs. Monmouth In round two of the Cox Communications Classic, Clemson overcame a 19-7 deficit in the first half to gain a victory. That 12- point deficit was the largest deficit overcome to gain victory since Oliver Purnell has been Clemson s head coach. This is his fourth season. Clemson had overcome a 10-point deficit three times since Purnell came to Clemson. The most recent time was on December 1, 2004 when Clemson overcame a deficit in the first half to win over Ohio State in the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge. Clemson also overcame a 10-point deficit under Purnell in his first year against Wofford and East Tennessee State. The 12-point deficit overcome to gain victory against Monmouth was the largest deficit overcome since November 29, 2001 when Clemson trailed at Penn State by 14, 26-12, before winning, The school record for deficit overcome for victory is 20. Clemson trailed The Citadel, 26-6 on December 9, 1978 before winning Mays Has had an Impact Clemson forward James Mays has had an impact on the Clemson team since his return to the team. He helped the Tigers to an 11-0 record to open last season, and now has started every game in Clemson s 8-0 start. That is 19 straight victories for the Tigers with Mays in the lineup. No other Clemson basketball player has ever played in 19 consecutive victories. The Tigers won 17 straight to open the season and those players, led by Horace Grant, held the record. So far this season, Mays is second on the team in scoring with a 11.8 average and is the top rebounder at 7.8 He also leads he club in steals with 23 and is fourth in assists with 21. Mays is the leader of Clemson s press and sets the tempo on defense. His top scoring game so far this year came against Monmouth when he scored 18 points, all in the second half of Clemson s second round win at the Cox Communications Classic. He added a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Mississippi State and then had another double-double at Minnesota when he had 11 points and 10 rebounds. This is the first time in his career he has had back to back doubledoubles. Clemson in November Clemson finished is most successful November ever with an 8-0 record after a win at Minnesota on November 29. The Tigers have an all-time record of in November games, a.850 winning percentage. Clemson is 18-1 under Oliver Purnell in the month of November with the only loss at Boston College on November 26, The Eagles downed the Tigers

7 Clemson set a record for wins in the month of November with the victory over Charleston Southern. Clemson finished with eight wins in November, breaking the previous mark of six wins in November of This is the first time Clemson has had eight wins in a month since December of This year s November 10 season opener against Arkansas State was the earliest start to a season in Clemson history. The previous early start on the calendar was on November 13, 1998, a win over another school from Arkansas, Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Clemson will play a record eight games in the month of November this year. Clemson opened with three games in three days, the first time it has done that since when Clemson played on three consecutive days in Puerto Rico to open the season over Thanksgiving weekend. Clemson Regular Season Tournament History Clemson has now won 24 regular season tournaments over the years, 11 in Clemson (IPTAY Tournament) and 13 outside of Clemson. The Tigers are in regular season tournaments overall dating to the season when Clemson first played in the Carrousel Classic in Charlotte, NC. Clemson opened the season by winning the Cox Communications Classic in Norfolk, VA. The Tigers defeated Arkansas State, Monmouth and Old Dominion in the three-day event. Clemson won the San Juan Shootout in three consecutive days last year, Clemson s first regular season tournament title in 16 years and first championship in an eight-team event in 25 seasons. The victory last year broke a streak of nine consecutive regular season tournaments without a championship. Clemson won three tournaments in the same year in , Horace Grant s senior season. The Tigers won the IPTAY Tournament in Clemson, the TCBY Tournament in Little Rock, AR and the Hawaii Pacific Tournament in Honolulu on the way to a 17-0 start, the best start in Clemson history. Booker Started Opener Trevor Booker was the16th Clemson first-year freshman to start the season opener since the NCAA restored freshman eligibility for the season when he started the season opener against Arkansas State. He was just the third first-year freshman to start the opener since the season. All three have taken place under Oliver Purnell as he joins current teammates Vernon Hamilton and Cliff Hammonds to accomplish the feat. Booker was the first center to start the season opener as a first-year freshman since Tom Wideman in That year, Wideman and Harold Jamison both started in the frontcourt for the Tigers as firstyear freshmen against Charleston Southern. The other centers to start the season opener as a first-year freshmen are Sharone Wright ( ) and Tree Rollins ( ). Both of those former Tigers went on to become first-round NBA draft choices. Eight first-year freshmen have scored in double figures in the season opener as a starter. Hamilton and Hammonds both did in recent years. Hamilton had 12 points and eight assists to go with four steals in 31 minutes of the opener to the season. Hammonds had 12 points on 5-8 shooting in 24 minutes in his season opening starting assignment. The best all-around performance by a Clemson first-year freshman as a starter in the season opener was turned in by Stan Rome in Rome had 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Mississippi in just 26 minutes. That is the only double-double by a Clemson first-year freshman in the season opener. Tree Rollins had just six points and four rebounds in his first game in He had four fouls in 11 minutes in that contest. But, his second game he turned in the best all-around game in Clemson history by a first-year freshman. Rollins had 22 points, 20 rebounds and nine blocks shots against St. John s in the championship game of the IPTAY Tournament. Booker had six points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes in his first game as a Tiger. He trumped that with 12 points on 6-8 shooting in the second game against Monmouth. His top game offensively took place against Appalachian State when he had 15 points in 21 minutes on 7-9 shooting, including four dunks early in the game that got Clemson off to a good start. He averaged 9.3 points and six rebounds for the three games in the Cox Communications Classic. Bookier is shooting 64 percent from the field to lead the team. He has shot at least 50 percent in seven of his first eight games and has made at least two thirds of his shots in six of the eight games. He had a career high 11 rebounds in the win over Charleston Southern. Clemson First-Year Freshmen Starters in Opener Year Player Opponent Reb Pts Min Tree Rollins Auburn Stan Rome Mississippi Skip Wise Mississippi Derrick Johnson Harvard Greg Coles Harvard Clarke Bynum Cornell David Young Citadel Eric Burks MD-Balt County Sharone Wright Morehead State Merl Code Texas-Arlington Greg Buckner Charleston Sou Harold Jamison UNC-Asheville Tom Wideman UNC-Asheville Vernon Hamilton Gardner-Webb Cliff Hammonds Hampton Trevor Booker Arkansas State Hamilton and Hammonds Named Captains Head Coach Oliver Purnell named senior guard Vernon Hamilton and junior guard Cliff Hammonds as his co-captains for the season. Hamilton is the only senior on the Tigers team and Hammonds started 63 of his 64 games as a Tiger over his first two years. Hamilton has already played in 91 games at Clemson, 59 as a starter. He was named to the ACC s first-team All-Defense last year when he led the ACC in steals per game. Hamilton is now 11 th on the ACC s career steals list on a per game basis and is just three steals away from the top 25 list on a total steals basis. Hammonds has averaged in double figures in each of his first two seasons at Clemson, the first Tiger to do that since Terrell McIntyre in and He is studying architecture and is trying to become the first scholarship Clemson basketball player on record to earn a degree in that academic discipline. Buckner, Davis, on NBA Rosters Clemson had two former players on NBA opening day rosters this year. Dale Davis was a reserve center for the Detroit Pistons and Greg Buckner was a reserve forward for the Dallas Mavericks. Davis is in his 16 th season in the NBA, while Buckner is in his eighth year in the league. Davis was a rookie with the Indiana Pacers in after he was a first-round draft pick. He had helped the Tigers to the ACC regular season championship along with Elden Campbell in , the only ACC championship in Clemson history. He played nine years with the Pacers, including the season when he averaged a doubledouble (11.4 points and 11.0 rebounds). He is in his second year with the Pistons. Buckner was a second round draft choice by Dallas in He played three years for Dallas before signing a free agent contract with Philadelphia. He also played with the Denver Nuggets. He had his best year in the league with Denver last season when he averaged a career high 6.7 points per game. Hamilton Among ACC Career Steals Leaders Vernon Hamilton already holds the Clemson single season and career steals records at Clemson. He had 83 steals last year to establish the Clemson school record. Ironically, that is the same amount Frank Smith had at Old Dominion in , the year he established the Monarchs record in that category, a record that still stands today. Smith works with the Clemson guards on a daily basis. Hamilton entered his senior year with 201 career steals, already the Clemson record on a total steals basis, and his 2.22 steals per game figure is also best in Clemson history. Eight games in to the season, Hamilton is now 14 th in ACC history in steals per game on a career basis and 24th in total steals with 215. He recently went ahead of Bob Sura on the all-time list. Hamilton s average is fifth best in ACC history among players who played in at least 90 games. Hamilton is having another solid season. The native of Richmond is third on the team in scoring with an 11.0 average and he is first in assists with 33 and second in steals with 14. He had 13 points and seven assists in the win at Minnesota. Since he had a career high nine turnovers against Old Dominion, Hamilton has had a 22/8 assist/ turnover ratio in the last five games. 7