Clemson Tigers Men's Basketball: Travel Week Starts at Georgia Tech

Jaeden Zackery and the Tigers will get back on the road this week. (Photo Courtesy of: Clemson Athletics)

Clemson Tigers Men's Basketball starts out this week going on the road to McCamish Pavilion to play the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets currently sit at 8-9 (2-4) on the season in a position that they did not want to be in, especially after their disappointing season last year. Head Coach Damon Stoudamire led Georgia Tech to a 14-18 record last season that included a double overtime win over Coach Brownell and the Tigers on the road as the highlight of their season. Clemson will be looking for their revenge to start this week as they hope to avoid a stain on their resume. Coach Stoudamire's team is led by fifth-year senior Lance Terry who missed all of last season due to injury. Terry is a 6'3" guard that is having the best year of his career, averaging 15.4 points/g on a 46.2% field goal percentage and 39% three-point percentage. He has slowly worked his way back into his current role, and he has been on a tear during his last five games. Terry has averaged 17 points/g while shooting over 45% in 4 of those contests and over 40% from deep in 3 of those contests. Expect to see Clemson’s Jaeden Zackery on Terry to try and force him into some costly turnovers. The Yellow Jacket guard has turned it over 6 times in their last two games, and the Tigers are hoping for him to repeat that trend. Alongside Terry in the backcourt is fellow senior Javian McCollum. McCollum has missed 4 games this season and started only 5, but he has been a valuable contributor for Coach Stoudamire as of late. McCollum averages 12.5 points/g and 3.4 asts/g on the year, but he has reached at least 20 points in three out of their last four games. The dangerous senior lives and dies by the deep ball and the free throw line, so Clemson will have their hands full between McCollum and Terry if both of these experienced players get hot. Stoudamire’s potential future stars Baye Ndongo and Naithan George decided to return to Georgia Tech in the offseason, and both players are producing good sophomore campaigns. Baye Ndongo is a 6'9" forward who played a vital role in the upset Georgia Tech had over Clemson last season, but even though he is still producing at a good level, he has decreased his production from his freshman season. Ndongo averages almost 12 points/g and 6.9 rbs/g which leads the Yellow Jackets, but he has not been as successful on the glass this year compared to last as he averaged 9 rebounds per game. Naithan George is sort of a different story as he has steadily improved, and he is running Coach Stoudamire’s offense at an elite level. George put on 20 points on Clemson last season and was the major reason for their double overtime upset. This season George is averaging 10 points/g, 3.7 rbs/g, and 6.5 asts/g which leads the Yellow Jackets. He has produced three double-doubles this season, and he is hoping for a third against a very good Tiger defense. Naithan George was the x-factor last season during this game, and Coach Stoudamire hopes he gets the same kind of production from his point guard. As a team, Georgia Tech has struggled defensively and with turnovers. They allow over 73 points per game, but they are hoping Clemson’s shooting slumps on the road will give them an opportunity to take over. The Tigers will be eyeing the basketball very closely as they have been very efficient in creating turnovers with the additions of Jaeden Zackery and Viktor Lakhin.

Our Clemson Tigers are coming off a huge home win over Florida State in which the Tigers shot lights out. After that win, Coach Brownell has his team ranked 38th in the NET Rankings with a record of 13-4 (5-1). Chase Hunter continues to be on a tear after a 25-point performance with five three-pointers during his 150th career game. Outside of his terrific performance, Clemson’s defense continues to show out and put them in positions to win. The Tigers held Florida State to just 57 points, which is their season low, and they have scored over 70 in every game before that. Defense is the only guaranteed thing to travel to road games, and the Tigers need to carry that type of defense for this game and this week. Clemson’s fellow star Ian Schieffelin struggled throughout this past week and has been dealing with a couple of injuries. However, as he continues to play, he will break back out. Fellow big man Viktor Lakhin also had a quiet week, but just like Schieffelin, they are waiting for their bounce-back opportunity. Clemson needs to come in with a balanced offensive attack to settle in on the road, while on defense they take advantage of turnovers. This game against Georgia Tech will be a Quad 3 opportunity for Clemson, and the Tigers are currently 9-0 against opponents Quad 3 and 4 this season. The Yellow Jackets are on the fringe of being a Quad 2 opportunity for Coach Brownell and Co., and they could be a Quad 2 win if they are more successful down the stretch.