The Tigers started conference play last Saturday against Miami, winning 65-55. While it was a 10-point win, the game was all but a blowout. Clemson and Miami were neck-and-neck with two minutes left when the Tigers went on a 9-2 run, mainly abetted by free throws from desperation fouls.
There were a few key aspects of Clemson's game that helped push the Tigers over the finish line. The usual suspects lead the team in almost every category. Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin, and Viktor Lakhin led in scoring. Schieffelin, in particular, was dynamic with his fifth double-double of the season.
Only two stats were dominated by someone other than those three. Jaeden Zackery did his part as the point guard, creating a game-leading four assists and two steals.
Although Clemson's biggest contributors played great, it was still a highly-contested game against a Miami team that's struggled out of the gate. To understand why, we took a deep dive into the box score.
Beyond the Box Score: Clemson basketball vs Miami
Three-point defense
The three-point line has been one of the keys for the Tigers' early success, but Saturday was not their best game.
Clemson finished the game shooting 33 percent from the arc, around five percent lower than its season average. The Tigers' best three-point shooter, Chase Hunter, had a tough time, going 1-7 from the three-point line. Ian Schieffelin picked up the slack with team-leading three makes, but overall, it wasn't a great game from downtown for the Tigers.
Thankfully, Hurricanes just couldn't get it going from deep today. Miami finished with a horrendous 16 percent from the three-point line. Its sharpshooter, Nijel Pack, was a nonfactor. This season, Pack knocked down 43.9 percent of his attempts, but today, he was 0-7 against the Tigers.
Bench points
In fact, the only Hurricane to land more than one three-point shot was Jalil Bethea, who came off the bench averaging 28.6 percent before Saturday's game. That was the trend for Miami. When it came to best-on-best, Clemson outclassed the Hurricanes.
Its bench outscored its starters 31 to 24. In the first half, the starting five only put up seven of their 24 points. Only one starter broke double-digits for the game.
On the other hand, all but seven points of Clemson's 65 came from the starters. Viktor Lakhin, Chase Hunter, and Ian Schieffelin all had double-digit performances.
Assist-to-turnovers ratio
The assist-to-turnover ratio isn't a stat in which Clemson's offense is elite, but its defense was outstanding at keeping Miami in check.
The Tigers forced 13 turnovers while holding Miami to only five assists. What that shows is Clemson was a menace in the passing lanes, either knocking the ball out of bounds or intercepting it on one of the Tigers' four steals.