Scouting Clemson

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NC State hosts Clemson at 2 p.m. Saturday on Raycom television at PNC Arena in Raleigh. Here is a breakdown of the Tigers.

Season Overview

Clemson reached the Sweet 16 last year and had four key players back, but it has become a bumpy ride this winter.

The loss of wing Gabe DeVoe and his 14.2 points per game from last year has proven more costly than expected. Valparaiso transfer David Skara has filled in at the spot, but at 6-foot-8 and 213 pounds, he’s a different kind of small forward.

Clemson scheduled smartly with low- and- mid-major wins over Sam Houston State, Lipscomb, Radford and North Carolina Central, who are all competing for regular season league titles. However, the Tigers don’t have many high major victories, losing to Creighton, Nebraska and Mississippi State, and now 1-4 in the ACC. The lone good win is against a resurgent South Carolina (10-8 overall, 5-1 SEC) squad 78-68 on Dec. 22.

Rankings

In the newly established NET rankings done by the NCAA, through games of Jan. 21, the Tigers are ranked No. 59, which means as a road game it would qualify as a quad one contest for the Pack (road teams ranked 1-75 are quad one). ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has CU ranked at 45, and Kenpom.com has the Tigers at No. 49

In the old RPI formula used by the NCAA, according to RealTimeRPI.com, the Tigers would be No. 56.

For comparison, NC State is 19th in BPI, 27th in NET, 31st in Kenpom and 119th in RPI.

Shooting

The Tigers are struggling to score in ACC action, averaging a league-least 60.8 points per game. CU is 11th in the league at 40.2 percent from the field and 12th with a 29.9 three-point field-goal percentage.

On the season, Clemson is sixth in the ACC at 46.6 percent from the field, but 12th in the league at 31.9 percent on three-pointers. The Tigers rank eighth at 73.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Clemson has three players who have made 20 three-pointers, and a fourth, who has made 25. Sophomore power forward Aamir Sims leads the way, going 25 of 74 for 33.8 percent.

Senior forward David Skara is the lone Tigers’ player shooting well from deep at 45.5 percent on three-pointers (20 of 44).

Rebounding

The Tigers have an imposing frontcourt from a size perspective thanks to 6-9, 245-pound center Elijah Thomas, Simms at 6-7 and 248 pounds and Skara checking in at 6-8 and 213 pounds. There isn’t much depth behind them as senior graduate transfer center Javan White of Oral Roberts hasn’t panned out well.

Thomas leads the way at 7.9 rebounds per game and he has five double-doubles, including 17 points and 11 rebounds in the Tigers’ last game against Florida State, a 77-68 loss Tuesday. Surprisingly, shooting guard Marcquise Reed is second on the team at 5.5 a contest.

Despite all that size, the Tigers are 12th in the ACC with 35.3 rebounds per game, yet third in defensive rebounding at 31.1. The Tigers don’t hit the offensive boards hard at 9.0 per contest, which is 13th in the league.

Defense

Clemson’s defense is middle of the pack in the ACC through five league games in percentages, but is fourth in points allowed per game (69.6), which might be tied into slower-paced games.

CU is 10th in field-goal percentage (44.6) in the ACC. The Tigers have held ACC opponents to 35.2 percent on three-pointers, which is 11th in the league, one spot below NC State.

Through 18 overall games, the Tigers have allowed 66.9 points per game, which is tied with Duke for fifth place in the ACC. Clemson is sixth in field-goal percentage (46.4) and 15th in three-point field-goal percentage (37.4).

Depth

Lack of depth is a major issue for the Tigers. The aforementioned Javan White averaged 10.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game last year at Oral Roberts, but has just 28 points, 35 rebounds and 25 fouls this season at Clemson. Freshman center Trey Jemison has played in 10 games as the other post reserve.

Sophomore guard Clyde Trapp leads the bench crew with 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game. He is shooting 29.8 percent from three-point land and has scored in double figures in four contests, while playing both backcourt spots.

Freshmen wings John Newman and Hunter Tyson are both North Carolina natives. Newman played at Greensboro Day, and Tyson at Monroe Piedmont High. Both have struggled shooting the basketball, especially Tyson who is 9 of 40 on the season and 5 of 28 on three-pointers.

Reed was an unrated wing by Rivals.com coming out of Upper Marlboro (Md.) Capital Christian Academy in the class of 2014. He signed with Robert Morris and has proven how fast things can change for a player.

Reed transferred to Clemson after averaging 15.1 points per game his freshman year at Robert Morris, and has more than proven that the change in levels wasn’t that much of an adjustment. Three years later, he’s fourth in the ACC at 19.3 points per game, and he’s improved from last year in field-goal percentage (47.3 percent), rebounds (5.5 a game) and steals (2.1), and has equaled his assists per game. He is also an outstanding free-throw shooter at 84.3 percent.

Reed has scored at least 20 points in eight games, and exploded for 30 points in the 72-60 win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 16, the lone ACC win for the Tigers. Reed had a combined 35 points in the two games against NC State last year.

Reed near automatic at the line: Reed is the all-time leader in free-throw percentage at Clemson at 86.1 percent. He has missed six free throws in ACC games this season, going 29 of 35 in five games. The Robert Morris transfer shot 90.6 at the line his first season with the Tigers in 2016-2017.

Three-point shooting: Clemson ranks last in the ACC in three-point field-goal defense at 37.4 percent. Florida State went 10 of 22 from beyond the arc Tuesday, thanks in part to Albany graduate transfer David Nichols shooting 4 of 5 for 16 points off the bench. Virginia shot 10 of 23 on three-pointers, but Duke, Syracuse and Georgia Tech all made less than seven.

Win the first half: The Tigers are 10-1 when leading at halftime, with the lone loss against Florida State. CU led 41-35 at halftime, but got trounced by 15 in the second half by the Seminoles. Clemson is also 9-0 when leading with five minutes left.

Clemson fifth-year senior point guard Shelton Mitchell and NC State sophomore combo guard Braxton Beverly couldn’t be more different on the court, but share a similar path off it. Mitchell originally signed with Wake Forest and Beverly was headed to Miami (Ohio) coming out of high school.

WFU replaced its coach and Mitchell looked around and the Waxhaw, N.C., native considered NC State. ACC rules prevent players who signed with one school, to then sign with another unless a waiver is granted. Mitchell didn’t want to take that risk and subsequently signed with Vanderbilt, where he played for a year, and then transferred to Clemson.

Beverly elected to bypass Miami (Ohio) and went to Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy, eventually signing with Ohio State, where his head coach was fired (Thad Matta). Beverly transferred to NC State and had his appeal for immediate eligibility denied twice before it went through on a third time.

The lanky 6-4, 200-pound Mitchell is averaging 11.6 points and 3.3 assists per game, but is shooting just 37.4 percent from the field and 25.3 percent on three-pointers.

Beverly is a listed 6-foot and 180 pounds, but is likely a few inches shorter. His numbers have held steady from last year at 9.6 points per game and 3.0 assists a contest, and he’s shooting 39.8 percent on three-pointers.

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