What We Learned From Clemson's Dominant Win Over Alabama A&M

The Clemson Tigers dominant win revealed which players and aspects of their play are the backbone of the team

Clemson wins another to stay hot | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers (7-1) continued their strong run on Friday at Littlejohn Coliseum, dominating Alabama A&M (3-2) in a lopsided 92-56 victory to extend their win streak to four games.

After Clemson’s ninth straight home victory, here’s what we learned from the contest.

Starting Lineup Shuffle

Brad Brownell started the night by rolling out a different starting lineup for the third straight game. Jestin Porter, Dillon Hunter, and Jake Wahlin made their customary starts at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions.

As for the other two frontcourt spots, Clemson opted to utilise seniors RJ Godfrey and Nick Davidson. In the Tigers’ 97-94 overtime win over Georgia in the Charleston Classic’s championship game, junior big man Carter Welling got the nod over Davidson and notched 11 points and five rebounds in the win.

Against Alabama A&M, the trio combined for 28 points, 21 rebounds, and six assists. As Clemson cycled through the rotation with the game at hand, all three players saw the floor with different combinations of role players. With blockbuster matchups against Alabama and BYU looming, it will be intriguing to see how Brownell deploys the members of his frontcourt.

Jestin Porter Stays Hot

After five non-conference games in which Porter, the Middle Tennessee transfer, scored in single digits, expectations for him to be a scoring mainstay somewhat dissipated.

Since then, the graduate student from Houston has reminded Clemson fans why Brownell has shown faith in him. Back-to-back games in double figures at the Charleston Classic earned him the Palmetto Bracket’s MVP award, and he continued that form into Friday’s game.

Porter scored 14 points against the Bulldogs, knocking down a pair of threes to keep the defense honest. He was one of seven different Tigers to make a triple.

“He's a shot-maker,” Brownell said postgame when asked about Porter. “We want him to be aggressive. We’re trying to find him when he’s open. I think he’s getting more comfortable playing in our system and style. You’re seeing a guy who’s finding ways to make baskets.”

Paint Points are a Clemson Staple

Coming off a weekend where it attacked the TD Arena painted area time and time again, Clemson did the same at Littlejohn Arena on Friday. The Tigers piled up 42 points inside, dominating the smaller Bulldogs, whose tallest starter was just 6-foot-9. Through one half of play, Clemson had scored 22 paint points. At that time, Alabama A&M had just 22 total points.

“I thought we did a good job, especially in the first half, of our ‘miss offense’,” Brownell said. “Our ball movement was good, so we got them in rotation a little bit. Guys made some pretty good decisions. Drive, kick, swing is something we talk about, and I thought our guys did a good job of that.”

Next up

Clemson travels to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for another matchup with a premier opponent. The Tigers will battle the No. 8-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC-ACC Challenge at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3. 

ESPN U will televise the game from Coleman Coliseum. A participant in last season’s Elite Eight, the Tide are 5-2 on the season, including a pair of wins in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas this past week.