Towson Tigers (8-1) vs Clemson Tigers (7-2, 1-0 ACC)

Wednesday, December 7th - 9 PM

Clemson, South Carolina - Littlejohn Coliseum

T.V. - Bally Sports South (a channel many of us don’t have, great work ACC)

Clemson Roster

Towson Roster

Clemson Stats

Clemson on Offense

Clemson’s balanced offense has been a pleasant surprise. All 5 starters are scoring in double digits, with Chase and Hunter leading the way with 14 points. Now the P.J. looks to be close to 100%, I expect him to bump his numbers up to 15-16 points a game. Towson is not a good defensive team, they’re ranked 202nd in defensive efficiency, despite not playing a single team ranked in the KenPom top 100 (. They try and cover this up by playing at a snails pace on offense.

The Tigers need to stick with the plan tonight. Towson is going to try and slow this thing way down, break up the game, and try to keep it close. That worked against their best opponent to date (UMass 131 in KP) in a 67-55 win, but Clemson ranked 47th in offensive efficiency has far and away the best offense they’ve faced this season. Look for P.J. Hall to dominate the low block, over an undersized Towson front line, and then punish them for double teams by kicking out to open shooters.

It’s an easy formula for Clemson tonight. Value the basketball, get it inside to P.J. and hit open 3’s.

Clemson on Defense

Guards Cam Holden, Nicolas Timberlake, and center Charles Thompson spearhead the Towson attack. Holden and Timberlake both average a little over 15 points, while Thompson chips in 13. They’re not a good 3 point shooting team, which helps the Tigers (this means some unknown dude is hitting 6 3’s tonight).

They’re a scrappy, inside the arc team that finds different ways to put the ball in the basket. Clemson will need to keep their dribble penetration to a minimum, and Hunter and P.J. need to dominate the glass because Towson is a good offensive rebounding team.

X-Factor

I just mentioned it, but rebounding will be crucial tonight. Towson is 24th in the nation, rebounding their own misses at 36.1%. When they pull down an offensive board, if a quick put back isn’t available, they cycle the ball out to the perimeter and chew up more clock. Their only way forward in this game is to play keep away from Clemson. The Tiger’s front line can’t let that happen.

Prediction

KenPom

Clemson - 70

Towson - 62

75% Confidence

Drew

Clemson - 77

Towson - 65

Towson keeps this game uncomfortably close until the Tigers front line wears them out. The Tigers finish strong, with a margin of victory not indicative of the competitive nature of the game.