Countdown to tipoff: Clemson at No. 11 Louisville
By: will-vandervort January 19, 2017

Clemson faces a top-25 team in Louisville, the fourth ranked opponent the Tigers have competed against in the last five games. The Tigers beat a top-20 Louisville team in Greenville last season.

The Tigers will try to snap a four-game losing streak.

CLEMSON (11-6, 1-4 ACC) at Louisville (15-3, 3-2 ACC)

Date: Today

Tipoff: 9 p.m. ET

Arena: KFC Yum! Center (22,000)

Radio: CTSN (Tony Castricone-pbp; Tim Bourret-color)

TV: ESPN (Jason Benetti-pbp; Dan Dakich-color)

  • The Tiger program last defeated a ranked ACC team on its home court on March 4, 2007 in Blacksburg, Va., a 75-74 win at Virginia Tech.
  • Clemson is 28th in the latest KenPom national rating. According to the site, the Tigers have faced the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule. The Tigers were No. 42 in the RPI on Wednesday as well.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Clemson

G             Shelton Mitchell

G             Avry Holmes

F              Donte Grantham

F              Jaron Blossomgame

C             Sidy Djitte

Louisville

G             TBA (Quentin Snider is out with strained hip flexor)

G             Donovan Mitchell

F              Deng Adel

F              Ray Spalding

C             Anas Mahmoud

SERIES HISTORY

CU Series W-L record: Louisville leads 4-1

Streak: Clemson won the most recent meeting

TIGER TRACKS

  • The Tigers are in search of their biggest win of the season Thursday. The Cardinals are No. 8 in the latest RPI and No. 9 according to KenPom, while holding top-12 rankings in both national polls as well.
  • Jaron Blossomgame enters Thursday’s contest with four straight 20-point games. Last season, he set a personal best by posting 20+ in five straight ACC games, the longest such streak by a Tiger since Horace Grant in 1986-87.
  • Blossomgame ranks second in the ACC in conference games with a 60 percent shooting mark, making 42 of 70 attempts from the field.
  • Blossomgame needs just three rebounds to pass Devin Booker (728) for 10th place in Clemson history.
  • Gabe DeVoe has already set career highs for assists (44) and steals (28) as a junior, leading the Tigers in both statistical categories. He also tied his sophomore high of 31 three-point goals in Clemson’s most recent game.
  • Avry Holmes has made at least one three-point goal in 13 straight games, and needs one to match his career-long streak of 14 set on two occasions.

–Staff Reports

—Photo  Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports