Of the eight remaining charter members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson has to be one of the Wolfpack nation’s favorite teams to see on the schedule.
Men’s basketball has won 68 percent of its 139 meetings with the Tigers while Clemson has routinely finished near the bottom of arguably the nation’s toughest basketball conference.
But this year’s match-up in Death Valley is different — the Wolfpack has struggled in clutch situations, dropping its three losses by a combined ten points due to turnovers and a lack of consistency in the backcourt, something senior center Ben McCauley said is vital for State’s success.
“Point guard play in the ACC is crucial,” McCauley said. “There are some great guards and you have to be ready to match them and surpass their energy.”
But as important as guardplay is in college hoops, the Pack has drawn a team somewhat similar to itself in makeup for its ACC opener, as big men Trevor Booker and K.C. Rivers have keyed the Tigers this season, especially in a decisive win over Alabama when Clemson went on a 14-0 run to go up big in the second half.
And as if the match-up didn’t already contrast enough with ACC basketball status quo, Clemson is one of the nation’s three unbeaten teams remaining and enters Saturday’s contest 15-0. Pair that with State’s inability to win close games and most would be concerned the Pack will start ACC play with a loss, but redshirt junior Farnold Degand says the team is better prepared because of the recent close losses.
“We’re still set up pretty well confidence-wise,” McCauley said. “Everyone’s kind of getting the feeling that we’re going to win one of those [close] games and I think going down to Clemson against a ranked, undefetaed team is our best chance [at getting a win after] coming off the Florida game that we had and let slip away.”
And focusing on not letting the big ones get away has been what coach Sidney Lowe has been stressing, according to redshirt junior Farnold Degand.
“One of the things coach [Lowe] has been stressing is finishing games,” Degand said. “We watch those games and learn from it and just try to apply it to the next game.”
Also not having the pressure of intensive classes and exams at this point in the season has the team rejuvenated, according to McCauley.
“Anytime finals come around its tough to cram all the studying with basketball,” McCauley said. “This semester guys are relaxed and ready to go.”
The time off has also helped the team get focused again after close losses over winter break to Marquette and Florida.
“[The week off] has been helpful for us,” McCauley said. “We’ve been able to concentrate on what we need to do and that’s win some games in the ACC and I think alot of guys are focused more than ever right now.”
While playing in front of a hostile crowd against an undefeated and confident Clemson team could still be a daunting task for the Wolfpack, McCauley said if State sticks to its game plan and get’s going early in the game, the team should be able to finish.
“A hostile crowd isn’t anything if you’re winning and putting a beatdown on the home team,” McCauley said. “That’s one thing we did well down in Florida was to put them down and get their crowd out of it.We have to make our prescence known early.”
And with Saturday’s match-up, State can still make its prescence as an ACC contender known early in the season, especially with a refocused team and a clean slate, according to McCauley.
“This is where it matters most,” McCauley said. “ACC play.”