NC State opens up ACC tournament play against Clemson

NC State finished the regular season 11-20, and 4-16 in ACC play. The Wolfpack struggled mightily as of late, losing ten of their last 11 games. In order for them to get to any postseason play, they will need to win the ACC tournament. If this was a typical ACC basketball season, that task would seem insurmountable for a 15 seed team. The ACC is very down this year, and when the roster has multiple guards who can score on anyone, going on a run is within reach. Just last year, lackluster teams like Oregon State and Georgetown were able to take advantage of down conferences to win a conference tournament. At this point in the season, you do not have to be the best team, you just have to be the best team for five days in a row.

Clemson comes into the ACC tournament as a 10 seed at 16-15 overall, and 8-12 in the conference. Clemson is one of the hotter ACC teams entering the tournament, winning four games in a row. The Tigers faced off against NC State back on January 8th when they beat the Wolfpack 70-65 in Raleigh. Clemson has more postseason options since they have a record over .500, and are looking for more wins to increase their chances at a consolation tournament like the NIT or CBI.

NC State vs Clemson Statistical Overview

Pace: Clemson averages 68 possessions per game, ranking 287th nationally.

Baseline Out of Bounds Offense: In possessions starting with a baseline out of bounds, Clemson is one of the worst nationally, scoring 0.55 points per possession (PPP). This ranks 347th in the country.

Offense After Time-Outs: Clemson does well in after timeout situations, scoring 0.975 PPP which ranks 25th in the country.

Team Offensive Efficiency: Clemson scores 1.054 PPP, ranking 59th nationally. (NC State allows 1.068 PPP, ranking 315th nationally)

Team Defensive Efficiency: Clemson allows 1.005 PPP, ranking 204th in the country. (NC State scores 1.033 PPP, ranking 107th nationally)

Clemson Main Backcourt Personnel

#2 Al-Amir Dawes: Dawes is a 6’2″ 180 pound guard out of New Jersey. He is averaging 11.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 40% shooting from the 3pt line on high volume. Over 71% of his field goal attempts come from long range, offering spacing for the Clemson offense. Dawes is averaging 11.4 points on the year but in the last six games he has been playing more aggressive by putting up 14.3 points during that stretch. He has hit 21 3pt shots in the last six games as well while going 16/17 from the FT line. (Last Game vs NC State: 16 points 6/10 FG, 2/2 3FG, five rebounds, two assists, three steals)

#13 David Collins: Collins is a 6’4″ 215 pound guard out of Ohio, a super senior transfer out of South Florida. He is averaging 10.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 steals on 51.7% shooting from the floor and 40.4% from 3pt range. Collins is a big guard, a swiss army knife who is relied upon to do a bit of everything for the Tigers. He is one of the best rebounding guards in the conference, and he has to be kept off the boards and out of the paint. (Last Game vs NC State: Five points 2/6 FG, 0/1 3FG, 11 rebounds, two assists, three steals)

Main Frontcourt Personnel

#24 PJ Hall: Hall is a 6’10” 240 pound forward from South Carolina. The former top 50 recruit is averaging 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds on 49.1% shooting from the floor, and 30.6% shooting from the 3pt line. Hall is the team’s leading scorer but has been hobbled by a recent injury, only playing 14 total minutes since February 15th. His most recent outing against Virginia Tech, he played 13 minutes and scored 12 points on 5/9 shooting from the floor while grabbing four rebounds and two steals. (Last Game vs NC State: 20 points 10/16 FG, 0/1 3FG, five rebounds, four blocks, one steal)

#5 Hunter Tyson: Tyson is a 6’8″ 215 pound forward out of North Carolina. He is averaging 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds on 46.9% shooting from the floor, shooting 37.3% from the 3pt line. Tyson is a balanced scorer, getting his shot attempts in multiple ways. He has struggled in his two games since coming back from injury. In those games he has averaged 6.5 points and three rebounds in that span. (Last Game vs NC State: Six points 3/7 FG, 0/1 3FG, seven rebounds, two assists)