Clemson Basketball: Three takeaways from huge victory over Alabama
As the football regular season has come to a close it appears there's a real reason for optimism to hang around in Clemson. The Tigers moved to 6-0 with a win over the 23rd-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 85-77, which raised some eyebrows around the college basketball landscape.
Here are our three biggest takeaways from the victory on Tuesday night:
Clemson downed No. 23 Alabama on Tuesday night.
1. Finally getting an opportunity against a ranked opponent
6-0 is a great start, and while the first five teams were fine opponents, this was the first opponent the Tigers had a chance to compete against with real postseason aspirations. The fact that they passed the test on the road, their first true road game by the way, has to do wonders for the team's confidence as we continue to creep closer to conference play.
2. A senior trio is leading the way
A veteran roster can be a boon to any team, especially when you look at who typically has success come March. Clemson has that experience in spades and three seniors, specifically, PJ Hall, Joe Girard III, and Chase Hunter, led the way on Tuesday. Hall is continuing his breakout year that has him looking like one of the best big men in the ACC, if not the country. His 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks were the foundation of Clemson's game plan. Girard continues to show why the Tiger brought him in as he poured in another four threes on just seven attempts while leading the offense with 4 assists. Hunter has become the steady wing scorer that Clemson needed with his 15 points becoming the 5th out of 6 games that he's reached double digits so far this season.
3. This is a deep team
10 different Tigers received at least 12 minutes on the floor and there wasn't any garbage time during the game. This is also without senior guard Alex Hemenway who didn't play with a lower body injury. Head coach Brad Brownell is certainly going to utilize this depth and try to keep his guys fresh while other teams with shorter benches might wear down. Every player who stepped on the floor scored with the exception of starter Jack Clark who only took one shot.
Clemson next plays on Sunday, December 3rd as they take on Pittsburgh in their first ACC conference game of the season.
