Clemson Men's Basketball: Stanford Preview

Ian Schieffelin in action vs Memphis on Dec. 14, 2024. (Photo: Charles Mays)

The Clemson Men’s Basketball team returns to action on January 1st to attempt to start the New Year out right with a potential home win over the Stanford Cardinal. The Tigers enter this

contest 10-3 (2-0) after a big home win over Wake Forest on December 21st. Clemson currently ranks 36th in the NET Rankings after a rough two-loss stretch to Memphis and South Carolina in overtime. Clemson does not have a huge opportunity to regain their high rank against the Quad 3 Cardinal (85th); however, a loss would be detrimental (“DI Men’s Basketball Rankings - NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings | NCAA.com”).

The Stanford Cardinal enter this contest 9-3 (1-0) coming off a 15-point loss to No. 10 Oregon.

Stanford’s first-year Head Coach Kyle Smith has them in a much better spot through 12 games

compared to their previous season as they sat at 5-7 and finished the year 14-18 (“Sports

Reference | Sports Stats, Fast, Easy, and Up-To-Date | Sports-Reference.com”). The 2024 Pac-12 Coach of the Year went to work in the Portal to ensure that the Cardinal would not have another disappointing season in their first ACC season. Stanford is led by their 7'1" Forward, Maxime Raynaud. Raynaud is a fourth-year Cardinal averaging a double-double in his final season. He has averaged 21.4 points/g and 11.8 rebounds/g while shooting 38% from behind the arc (ESPN). His development has been vital to the early success of this Stanford squad, and he has become one of the most impressive players within the NCAA. Filling out the Stanford backcourt are two new faces to the program, Senior Guard Jaylen Blakes and Junior Guard Oziyah Sellers. Blakes is a former Duke Blue Devil who has fully taken advantage of his opportunity in California. Before this season, he never averaged over 3.4 points/g, but this season Blakes has averaged 15.3 points/g and 5.3 assists/g (ESPN). Beside Blakes, fellow transfer Oziyah Sellers has also taken advantage of this opportunity. Sellers is a former four-star recruit and USC Trojan that has averaged 13.8 points/g for the Cardinal (ESPN). Both Sellers and Blakes shoot the three-ball; however, they have yet to consistently hit from behind the arc at a good rate. The Tigers have a lot on their hands coming up on New Year because if Stanford starts to hit their shots behind the arc, this game will get interesting real fast. Behind these top three players, the Cardinal do not have another guy that will put a lot of stress on Clemson; however, Sophomore Guard Ryan Agarwal’s hustle allows for him to get a lot of rebounds for his 6'6" size.

The Clemson Tigers enter this match-up with a lot of untapped potential still on their roster.

Tiger Fans have seen the great performances from Senior Guard Chase Hunter and Senior

Forward Ian Schieffelin, but behind them it’s a question on who will step up consistently.

Coming into the season, Junior Forward Chauncey Wiggins was expected to help score the basketball from the starting line-up; however, he has failed to rise up to the challenge. Wiggins has averaged just 7.8 points/g while going scoreless in 2 of the last 3 games. Senior Guard Jaeden Zackery has brought a huge defensive spark to the Tigers, but his three-point percentage has been far below his career average. These two guys still have a lot to live up to offensively; however, they will have consistent help from the bench thanks to Junior Guards Dillon Hunter and Jake Heidbreder. Hunter has been a pleasant surprise so far this year, greatly improving his offensive ability. Jake Heidbreder missed all of last season due to a back injury, and the more playing time he receives the better he looks. Heidbreder put up his career high in a Clemson jersey against the Demon Deacons with 15, and I expect his role to continue to rise as a former good scorer for the Air Force Falcons. While the Tigers have looked good to start the season so far, there is still a ton on the table for this team. Coach Brownell has a lot to live up to after an Elite Eight appearance last season; however, he needs to tap into the potential of his current squad to return. With all that said, I do not expect the Tigers to lose to the Stanford Cardinal to start the New Year because of the experience of Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin. Clemson will win 78-66.

Sources:

“DI Men’s Basketball Rankings - NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings | NCAA.com.”

www.ncaa.com,

www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-mens-basketball-net-rankings.

“Sports Reference | Sports Stats, Fast, Easy, and Up-To-Date | Sports-Reference.com.”

Sports-Reference.com, 2019, www.sports-reference.com/.

ESPN. “ESPN.” ESPN.com, 2019, www.espn.com/.