Clemson Basketball: Three Takeaways from Victory over Boise State
The Tigers remain undefeated with a Sunday win over the Broncos
This is exactly the kind of start that Clemson needed to get off to in 2023. They moved to 4-0 on the year after beating Boise State by 17 with a final of 85-68.
Here are three main takeaways from their latest victory:
- 1. Joe Girard is starting to heat up - The veteran transfer from Syracuse had struggled in the first couple of games with his new team. He only managed 9 total points in the first two contests and, despite him helping the team win in other ways, the Tigers are going to need him to score if they want to reach their goals. He showed signs of life against Davidson with 17 and then really broke against Boise State with 23, including 17 in the second half, on a solid 9-17 from the field and 3-6 from 3. Looks like he's starting to feel more comfortable with his new teammates.
Clemson outscored Boise State by 14 in the second half of Sunday's victory.
- 2. Clemson continues their trend of winning the second half - Like most of the Tigers' games so far this year, it was a close score at halftime. While the team would prefer to get off to better starts it's very encouraging that they're quickly learning how to close games out. In the second half, when it matters, Clemson has outscored their opponents in all four games. Against Boise State, the margin was only three at the half and ended at 17. You can do the math there on how well they finished. Look for this veteran team to continue playing better when the moments matter.
- 3. Dominant performance on the boards - Clemson had a terrific rebounding game and it provided the ability for them to pull away in the second half. Ian Schieffelin led the way with 9 rebounds but 6 different players had at least 4. The overall rebounding disparity was 40-25 in Clemson's favor. They also lead 13-7 in offensive boards and 27-18 on the defensive side. All of that equals multiple chances for the Tigers but more one-shot possessions for the Broncos. Really good effort shown by the team there.
