Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Clemson’s 90-75 victory over Syracuse on Tuesday that he had hoped to get the ball inside to the Tigers’ big men, PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin.
The Tigers (21-9 overall, 11-8 ACC) were able to do that in a big way as Hall finished with 25 points and Schieffelin scored 16 points to go with 16 rebounds in a Senior Night victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.
“Part of it is the way they guard,” Brownell said of his game plan and Syracuse’s defensive approach. “They try to make it hard on Joe (Girard), which opens up space for other guys. We knew that with the way they guarded, there were going to be some shots for PJ. PJ has such a quick release that he’s going to be able to get some shots off any time.”
Along with Hall and Schieffelin, seniors Girard and Chase Hunter had big nights for Clemson. Girard finished with 21 points, including four 3-pointers. Hunter added 17 points as the Tigers had four players in double figures.
Tuesday’s win moved Clemson one step closer to securing a double bye in this month’s ACC Tournament, which begins March 12 at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena. The Tigers can clinch the double bye with a win at Wake Forest Saturday.
Here’s everything Brownell said after Clemson defeated Syracuse.