Clemson Basketball: Three Takeaways from Clemson's win over Queens
Clemson experienced its first loss of the season a week ago at Memphis in a closely contested battle. Their next matchup came against Queens University of Charlotte, a team in the midst of transitioning to Division 1 basketball.
While facing an opponent that Clemson is heavily favored over, it's still important for the Tigers to show how they respond to adversity considering the tough competition they have coming up over the next few months. Here are three takeaways from Clemson's bounce-back win:
Clemson earned their 10th win of the season, taking down Queens.
1. RJ Godfrey is big off the bench
- One of the big advantages Memphis had last week against Clemson was the production provided off the bench. Godfrey didn't play his usual minutes and wasn't able to contribute in a way that made a difference. That changed against Queens. The forward came off the bench to shoot 8 of 9 from the field for 19 points, tied for second-most amongst both teams in the game. It should be noted that Josh Beadle and Dillon Hunter contributed a combined 15 points as well with the Tiger bench accounting for 37 total. The competition is noted here but that's the type of production that turns Clemson into a March team if it continues.
2. PJ Hall finding star form again
- It's not that Hall's numbers were terrible against Memphis but struggling to make an impact down the stretch and more turnovers than he's accustomed to can shake a guy's confidence a little. Hall responded in this one by going 11 for 13 from the field and was perfect from both the three-point line and the free-throw line to finish with 27 points in only 19 minutes. Combine that with 4 blocks and only 1 turnover and the big man is back to exactly where he needs to be heading into their last non-conference game against Radford.
3. Sharing the basketball is fun
- The Tigers accounted for 24 assists as a team, the 2nd most this season, only the game against Alcorn State had more (26). This team is at their most dangerous when defenses can't just focus on Hall or Joe Girard and know that everyone has an equal opportunity to get a shot up on each possession. When a team like Clemson can't blow you away with speed or athleticism it needs to rely on the chemistry of its core to keep defenses on their toes. That's exactly what happened in this game as they hit the triple-digit mark with a season-high 109 points. We'll see if they choose to continue that movement once ACC play starts.
The Tigers next take on Radford on Friday the 29th. It will be Clemson's last non-conference game of the regular season.
