Clemson Basketball Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Tuesday, Dec 16
Tip Time: 7:00 PM
Game Location: Clemson, SC – Littlejohn Coliseum
TV: ESPN2

Gauging Clemson So Far

I predicted Clemson to finish 22-8 (12-6) and make the NCAA tournament. With the loss to BYU, Clemson is now one game behind my projected pace. Thankfully it is just one game, because on Saturday it was near catastrophe against Mercer. The Mercer Bears are a decent offensive squad that ranked 159th overall in KenPom, but the Tigers have no business trailing them by six points at home.

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Coach Brownell is not one to make excuses, but he acknowledged it was bad scheduling to have this game sandwiched between the Madison Square Garden game vs. BYU and the U of SC game right in the middle of final exams. He said his team looked tired and heavy-legged. A loss to Mercer would have put the Tigers well-outside the bubble and in a major hole entering the last two games of non-conference play before the 18-game ACC schedule begins.

Clemson has not had complete games lately as they put forth one fantastic half and one dreadful half. Against Alabama, the Tigers were down 15 at halftime and came all the way back to briefly hold a lead before losing. The reverse happened against BYU where Clemson took at 22-point lead before blowing it, then briefly tying the game before the Cougars made the game-winner. Even against Alabama A&M, the Tigers won by 36, but only outscored them by 5-points in the second half.

If Clemson puts together a complete game, they will beat South Carolina. If not, they’ll be in danger of loss that could age very poorly as the Gamecocks get into SEC play. Non-conference games always get weighed a little more heavily when the committee gets together. Clemson must finish with wins over South Carolina and Cincinnati for their non-conference slate to be neutral to positive on the resume.

What Threats South Carolina Presents

The better team often doesn’t win this rivalry game. In December of 2016, Jaron Blossomgame scored 15 as the Tigers…

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Publish date : 2025-12-15 12:05:00

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