NC State Wolfpack vs. Clemson Tigers
Gametime: 4:00 pm
Streaming: Watch ESPN App (ACC Network Extra)
Location: Littlejohn Coliseum (Clemson,SC)
Get to know Clemson…
The Tigers enter this matchup with an impressive 11-1 record. This is a group that is ranked 27th in the AP Poll and 26th in the coaches poll. They are 25th in the RPI and 22nd in the Power Index. They have beaten #22 Florida by 2, Ohio State by 14 and South Carolina by 16.
You can really dig into their stats by checking out our ‘by the numbers’ article, but the gist of it is that Clemson plays at a very slow pace, doesn’t take many bad shots, can shoot it from the outside, and have a group of bigs who play physical and aren’t afraid to mix it up in the middle.
They come in with 5 guys averaging in double figures, so there really isn’t a single scorer they can key on. However, Marcquise Reed (6’3, G) and Donte Grantham (6’8, F) are both leading this team at about 15ppg.
Marcquise Reed is more of your prototypical guard. He is super quick and loves to get into the teeth of the defense. He has a nice floater when he gets in there, but also does a great job of making the defense shift and then finding the open man. State can live with Reed shooting from 3 (as long as they have a hand in his face) , because although he’s hitting 40% of those, most have been clean, open looks. Reed does the most damage when he gets into the paint and creates havoc.
Donte Grantham is a senior, so you’ve seen him before, however this year he looks a lot better. He’s a tough matchup at 6’8 because he’s so versatile. He likes to catch is on the perimeter or on the wing and face you up. He can shoot and can score at the rim. He’s also very active on the glass and already has 3 double-doubles this season.
Elijah Thomas is probably their best true big man. He’s 6’9, 237lbs, so he’s a big boy, but he’s struggled against Clemson’s better competition. He only had 4pts vs Florida, 6 vs Temple (their only loss) and 8 vs South Carolina. He’s leading their team with 8 boards per game.
After Thomas, Clemson is real thin in the middle. This is an area that NC State can really take advantage. If Yurt, Abu and Freeman can get touches, they will make it very hard on Thomas and their other bigs. If State gets Thomas into foul trouble early, then game over.
What to watch for from NC State
Take advantage inside
State has the advantage inside for sure. They need to go down low early and often. Clemson will either get punished inside or they’ll have to double down. If they do that, then it’s up to the Pack to knock down those open 3s. Playing inside out vs Clemson is going to be the key. The Tigers have a thin frontcourt that isn’t all that talented. Get them in foul trouble and the advantage widens. They just haven’t faced a frontcourt as big or as talented as NC State’s all season long.
Speed them up
Clemson wants to play slow. They want to get into the half court and allow Reed to create havoc. They want to run their sets and play possession basketball. This is not a team that is built for speed. NC State needs to force them to increase their tempo. This is the second key to the game. Make them take quick, tough shots. Fluster them with the press and create turnovers. Temple was able to do this to them and they walked away with the win. When Clemson plays fast, they play careless, and that is what NC State needs to make happen.
Al Freeman keep it rolling
Freeman finally found his touch last game, scoring a career-high 25 points on 8-15 shooting and 7-11 from beyond the arc. He’s not going to do that from long distance every night, but the 8-15 from the floor was more in line with what he has done throughout his career at Baylor. With the bigs playing at a dominant level, all the Pack needs is one or two guys to play well on the perimeter. We are predicting Freeman has another solid outing in this one.
Batts is big
Freshman Levar Batts is starting to earn more and more minutes, and this is the type of game where NC State desperately needs him. Clemson has quick guards, but as a team, they like to play at a slow, half-court pace. Batts is one guy that really can bring the defensive pressure for the Wolfpack. his defense can really bother guys like Reed or DeVoe and make them play more uptempo then they’d like. A great game from Batts will go a long way in getting NC State a win today.
