Tonight, the Clemson basketball team takes the court for the second time in the 2023-24 season. Coming off of an easy 91-64 win over Charleston Southern in the opener on Monday, the Tigers have another chance to improve and gel tonight against a team from a low-major conference in Saint Francis.
Certainly there are going to be some areas that head coach Brad Brownell will be monitoring tonight as he looks to see his team take a step forward in game two. First has to be the free-throw line. Monday, the Tigers were just 16-24 (66.7%) as a team. That's an area that will need to be better when the competition ramps up later in the season.
Guarding the 3-point line is another area where Clemson can show improvement. Against Charleston Southern, the Tigers gave up 44% shooting (11-25) from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, rebounding needs to be a focus. Though the Tigers allowed the Buccaneers only 23 rebounds in game one, 11 of those were on the offensive glass. Clemson needs to clean that up against St. Francis.
It would also be nice to see Clemson defend without fouling tonight. In the opener, the Tigers were whistled for 20 fouls. While that's to be exepected in game one of a season, its still a place where progress can be shown in game two.
While there is room for improvement, the Tigers are still expected to handle their business with relative ease tonight. And fans will be tuning in to catch all the action. So here's a look at everything Clemson fans need to know ahead of tonight's contest.
Clemson vs. Saint Francis broadcast info
Tip: 7 p.m. Eastern
TV: ACCNX (William Qualkinbush and JD Powell)
Radio: Clemson Athletic Network (Tony Ciuffo and Richmond Weaver)
SiriusXM: Ch. 384, and on the SiriusXM App
Clemson vs. Saint Francis series history
This is the first meeting between these two programs.
Clemson vs. Saint Francis odds
All odds courtesy of FanDuel.com.
Spread | Clemson Point Total | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|
Clemson -31.5 | O/U 88.5 | 146.5 |
Clemson vs. Saint Francis game notes
All game notes courtesy of ClemsonTigers.com.
- The Tigers are just 2-0 all-time against current members of the Northeast Conference (2-0 vs. Wagner).
- Of Division I teams that boast the most players with at least 50 or more starts in their careers, the Tigers tied for fourth nationally with six.
- Per Stats Perform research, blended with the returners to the roster, Clemson has 437 career starts amongst its team's top six most experienced players – the ninth-most starts in the country.
- Myles Foster had a huge night in his Tiger debut off the bench against Charleston Southern on Nov. 4. Foster scored 17 points and finished 6-for-8 from the floor, adding four rebounds and two blocked shots. It was the most points scored off the bench in a Clemson debut since Marcquise Reed on Nov. 11, 2016. Reed scored 19 points in 28 minutes in a 74-64 win over Georgia.
- Clemson has won 39-out-of-40 games (39-1) to open a season, which dates back to the 1985-86 season. Head coach Brad Brownell is 14-1 in season openers at Clemson.