2019–20 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team

2019–20 Clemson Tigers men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record16–15 (9–11 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaLittlejohn Coliseum
Seasons
2019–20 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Florida State 16 – 4   .800 26 – 5   .839
No. 16 Virginia 15 – 5   .750 23 – 7   .767
No. 14 Louisville 15 – 5   .750 24 – 7   .774
No. 11 Duke 15 – 5   .750 25 – 6   .806
Georgia Tech* 11 – 9   .550 17 – 14   .548
NC State 10 – 10   .500 20 – 12   .625
Syracuse 10 – 10   .500 18 – 14   .563
Notre Dame 10 – 10   .500 20 – 12   .625
Clemson 9 – 11   .450 16 – 15   .516
Miami (FL) 7 – 13   .350 15 – 16   .484
Boston College 7 – 13   .350 13 – 18   .419
Virginia Tech 7 – 13   .350 16 – 16   .500
Wake Forest 6 – 14   .300 13 – 18   .419
Pittsburgh 6 – 14   .300 16 – 17   .485
North Carolina 6 – 14   .300 14 – 19   .424
*Ineligible for postseason due to NCAA violations.
Note: The 2020 ACC tournament was cancelled before the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

The 2019–20 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team represented Clemson University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by tenth-year head coach Brad Brownell and played their home games at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

On January 11, 2020, Clemson defeated North Carolina 79–76 in overtime to win their first ever game in Chapel Hill in program history. Entering the game, the Tar Heels had been 59–0 at home against the Tigers, which was an NCAA record for longest win streak by one team at home versus one opponent.[1]

The Tigers finished the season 16–15, and 9–11 in ACC play. The team was scheduled to play Florida State in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The NCAA tournament and NIT were also cancelled due to the pandemic.[3]

Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2018–19 season 20–14, 9–9 in ACC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to NC State. They received an at-large bid to the NIT where they defeated Wright State before losing to Wichita State in the second round.

Offseason

Coaching changes

Clemson fired assistant coach Steve Smith, for comments made on FBI wire tap in relation to the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal.[4] As a replacement, Clemson hired Anthony Goins.[5]

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Marcquise Reed 2 G 6'3" 189 Redshirt Senior Landover, MD Graduated
Lyles Davis 3 G 5'11" 160 Senior Charleston, SC Walk-on; graduated
Shelton Mitchell 4 G 6'3" 194 Redshirt Senior Waxhaw, NC Graduated
Elijah Thomas 14 F 6'9" 237 Senior Lancaster, TX Graduated
Malik William 20 F 6'8" 226 Sophomore Orlando, FL Transferred to Southern Illinois
Anthony Oliver II 21 G 6'5" 180 Redshirt Sophomore Clemson, SC Mid season transferred to Old Dominion
Javan White 35 F 6'10" 230 GS Senior Ames, IA Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Nick Honor 4 G 5'10" 190 Sophomore Orlando, FL Transferred from Fordham. Under NCAA transfer rules, Honor will have to sit out the 2019–20 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Curran Scott 10 G 6'4" 208 Redshirt Senior Edmond, OK Transferred from Tulsa. Will be eligible to play immediately since Scott graduated from Tulsa.
Tevin Mack 13 G/F 6'7" 223 Redshirt Senior Columbia, SC Transferred from Alabama. Will be eligible to play immediately since Mack graduated from Alabama.
Khavon Moore 21 F 6'7" 215 Sophomore Macon, GA Transferred from Texas Tech. Under NCAA transfer rules, Moore will have to sit out the 2019–20 season, but was granted a waiver to play immediately.[6]

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Al-Amir Dawes
PG 		Newark, NJ The Patrick School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Oct 11, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Chase Hunter
SG 		Atlanta, GA Westlake High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 22, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Alex Hemenway
SG 		Newburgh, IN Castle High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 4, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 43   Rivals: 70  ESPN: NA
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Clemson Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  • "2019 Clemson Basketball Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  • "Clemson Tigers". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2019.

World University Games

Main article: Basketball at the 2019 Summer Universiade

On August 15, 2018 it was announced that Clemson would represent Team USA in men's basketball at the 2019 Summer Universiade (World University Games) in Naples, Italy.[7] The Tigers competed from July 3–11, 2019 in a 16 team, 4 pool qualification followed by two 8 team brackets - one to determine 1st-8th place, the second determining 9th-16th place.

Clemson, as Team USA, was placed in Pool C with China, Finland, and Ukraine. The Tigers would go 3–0 in pool play to qualify for the 1st-8th classification bracket. Clemson would then proceed to go 3–0 in the main bracket to go undefeated for the tournament and capture the gold medal, giving the United States its 15th gold medal in men's basketball at the event.[8]

  • July 4 - USA 69, Finland 65 (pool C)
  • July 5 - USA 58, Ukraine 57 (pool C)
  • July 6 - USA 99, China 70 (pool C)
  • July 8 - USA 76, Germany 74 (quarterfinal)
  • July 9 - USA 75, Israel 73 (semifinal)
  • July 11 - USA 85, Ukraine 63 (gold-medal game)

Roster

2019–20 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 0 Clyde Trapp 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Jr Columbia, South Carolina
F 1 Jonathan Baehre 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 209 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Hessen, Germany
G 2 Al-Amir Dawes 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Trenton, New Jersey
G 3 Chase Hunter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Atlanta, Georgia
G 4 Nick Honor Current redshirt 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Orlando, Florida
F 5 Hunter Tyson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 211 lb (96 kg) So Monroe, North Carolina
G 10 Curran Scott 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Edmond, Oklahoma
G 11 Parker Fox (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 202 lb (92 kg) So Watkinsville, Georgia
G 12 Alex Hemenway 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Newburgh, Indiana
G/F 13 Tevin Mack 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 227 lb (103 kg) RS Sr Columbia, South Carolina
G 15 John Newman III 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) So Greensboro, North Carolina
F 20 O'Neil McBride (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
F 21 Khavon Moore 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 217 lb (98 kg) So Macon, Georgia
F 25 Aamir Simms 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Palmyra, Virginia
F 30 Paul Grinde (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 300 lb (136 kg) RS Sr Virginia Beach, Virginia
C 55 Trey Jemison 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 256 lb (116 kg) So Birmingham, Alabama
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Source:[9]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2019*
7:00 pm 		Anderson W 75–48  –
  16 – Simms   10 – Simms   3 – Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
Regular season
November 5, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		Virginia Tech L 60–67  0–1
(0–1) 		 15 – Newman III   15 – Simms   2 – Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (7,500)
Clemson, SC
November 7, 2019*
7:00 pm, ACCN 		Presbyterian W 79–45  1–1
  16 – Newman III   8 – Simms   4 – Hunter  Littlejohn Coliseum (5,713)
Clemson, SC
November 10, 2019*
3:00 pm, ACCNX 		Colgate W 81–68  2–1
  17 – Mack   9 – Mack   4 – Dawes  Littlejohn Coliseum (5,673)
Clemson, SC
November 17, 2019*
3:00 pm, ACCNX 		Detroit Mercy
MGM Resorts Main Event Campus Site Game 		W 87–65  3–1
  20 – Tyson   8 – Simms   6 – Dawes  Littlejohn Coliseum (5,804)
Clemson, SC
November 21, 2019*
7:00 pm, ACCNX 		Alabama A&M W 87–51  4–1
  19 – Dawes   9 – Tyson   4 – Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (5,616)
Clemson, SC
November 24, 2019*
10:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. TCU
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight semifinals 		W 62–60 OT 5–1
  22 – Mack   12 – Simms   7 – Simms  T-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 26, 2019*
11:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. No. 21 Colorado
MGM Resorts Main Event Heavyweight championship game 		L 67–71  5–2
  23 – Simms   9 – Mack   6 – Dawes  T-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
December 2, 2019*
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Minnesota
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		L 60–78  5–3
  12 – Tyson   6 – Tied   2 – Tied  Williams Arena (10,148)
Minneapolis, MN
December 8, 2019
2:00 pm, ACCN 		at No. 17 Florida State L 53–72  5–4
(0–2) 		 14 – Mack   4 – 3 tied   3 – Dawes  Donald L. Tucker Center (7,834)
Tallahassee, FL
December 15, 2019*
5:00 pm, ESPN2 		South Carolina
Rivalry 		L 54–67  5–5
  21 – Simms   8 – Simms   5 – Dawes  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,394)
Clemson, SC
December 20, 2019*
9:00 pm, ACCN 		Jacksonville W 68–39  6–5
  18 – Simms   11 – Mack   4 – Dawes  Littlejohn Coliseum (5,632)
Clemson, SC
December 22, 2019*
4:00 pm, ACCN 		Yale L 45–54  6–6
  11 – Tyson   7 – Simms   1 – 4 tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (5,632)
Clemson, SC
December 31, 2019
4:00 pm, ACCN 		Miami (FL) L 68–73 OT 6–7
(0–3) 		 21 – Simms   8 – Simms   4 – Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (5,549)
Clemson, SC
January 4, 2020
12:00 pm, ACCN 		NC State W 81–70  7–7
(1–3) 		 17 – Simms   7 – Mack   5 – Simms  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,908)
Clemson, SC
January 11, 2020
4:30 pm, ACCRSN 		at North Carolina W 79–76 OT 8–7
(2–3) 		 20 – Simms   8 – Simms   6 – Simms  Dean Smith Center (21,077)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 14, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 3 Duke W 79–72  9–7
(3–3) 		 25 – Simms   9 – Simms   5 – Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (8,494)
Clemson, SC
January 18, 2020
2:00 pm, ACCRSN 		at NC State L 54–60  9–8
(3–4) 		 18 – Simms   11 – Simms   4 – Scott  PNC Arena (16,553)
Raleigh, NC
January 21, 2020
8:00 pm, ACCN 		Wake Forest W 71–68  10–8
(4–4) 		 21 – Tyson   8 – Trapp   4 – Trapp  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,951)
Clemson, SC
January 25, 2020
2:00 pm, ACCRSN 		at No. 6 Louisville L 62–80  10–9
(4–5) 		 11 – Trapp   8 – Mack   5 – Simms  KFC Yum! Center (17,654)
Louisville, KY
January 28, 2020
7:00 pm, ACCRSN 		Syracuse W 71–70  11–9
(5–5) 		 32 – Mack   10 – Mack   6 – Trapp  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,402)
Clemson, SC
February 1, 2020
8:00 pm, ACCN 		at Wake Forest L 44–56  11–10
(5–6) 		 14 – Simms   8 – Simms   4 – Newman III  LJVM Coliseum (7,113)
Winston-Salem, NC
February 5, 2020
7:00 pm, ACCRSN 		at Virginia L 44–51  11–11
(5–7) 		 16 – Simms   8 – Dawes   3 – Newman III  John Paul Jones Arena (13,580)
Charlottesville, VA
February 9, 2020
6:00 pm, ACCN 		Notre Dame L 57–61  11–12
(5–8) 		 16 – Tied   7 – Jemison   4 – Trapp  Littlejohn Coliseum (7,472)
Clemson, SC
February 12, 2020
9:00 pm, ACCRSN 		at Pittsburgh W 72–52  12–12
(6–8) 		 18 – Dawes   9 – Mack   5 – 3 tied  Petersen Events Center (7,530)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 15, 2020
4:00 pm, ACCN 		No. 5 Louisville W 77–62  13–12
(7–8) 		 23 – Newman III   9 – Trapp   6 – Simms  Littlejohn Coliseum (9,146)
Clemson, SC
February 22, 2020
6:00 pm, ACCN 		at Boston College W 82–64  14–12
(8–8) 		 22 – Dawes   11 – Simms   4 – Tied  Conte Forum (6,431)
Chestnut Hill, MA
February 25, 2020
9:00 pm, ACCN 		at Georgia Tech L 59–68  14–13
(8–9) 		 23 – Simms   5 – Tied   4 – Tied  McCamish Pavilion (4,763)
Atlanta, GA
February 29, 2019
2:00 pm, ACCRSN 		No. 6 Florida State W 70–69  15–13
(9–9) 		 18 – Newman III   8 – Simms   4 – Dawes  Littlejohn Coliseum (9,095)
Clemson, SC
March 4, 2020
7:00 pm, ACCN 		at Virginia Tech L 58–70  15–14
(9–10) 		 12 – Mack   6 – Mack   4 – Newman III  Cassell Coliseum (8,901)
Blacksburg, VA
March 6, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		Georgia Tech L 62–65  15–15
(9–11) 		 19 – Mack   8 – Simms   4 – Trapp  Littlejohn Coliseum (8,188)
Clemson, SC
ACC Men's tournament
March 11, 2020
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		(8) vs. (9) Miami (FL)
Second round 		W 69–64  16–15
  18 – Dawes   10 – Simms   4 – Simms  Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
March 12, 2020
12:30 p.m., ESPN 		(8) vs. (1) No. 4 Florida State
Quarterfinals 		ACC Tournament Canceled[10] Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APNot released
Coaches

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

See also

References

  1. ^ "North Carolina vs. Clemson score: Tigers win at UNC for first time in 60 game series dating back to 1926". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  2. ^ "Statement from ACC on Men's Basketball Tournament". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  3. ^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". Archived from the original on March 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Sapakoff, Gene (May 3, 2019). "Clemson fires Steve Smith, the basketball coach who tarnished football program". postandcourier.com. The Post and Courier. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "Brownell Hires Anthony Goins as Assistant Coach". clemsontigers.com. Clemson University. June 11, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  6. ^ Connolly, Matt (October 30, 2019). "Clemson receives waiver for former top 60 hoops recruit to play this season". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  7. ^ "Clemson basketball to play for US in World University Games". USA Today. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "U.S. Captures World University Games Gold Medal". Clemson University Athletics. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  9. ^ "2019-20 Men's Basketball Schedule". Clemson Athletic Department. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  10. ^ "Statement from ACC on men's basketball tournament". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.