With March Madness approaching, Clemson has positioned itself in a rather envious position compared to most of the rest of its ACC brethren.
The Tigers sit at 21-9 overall and are fourth in conference standings. They are 24th in the NCAA’s NET rankings and a projected No. 5 seed in various bracketology predictions in terms of NCAA Tournament seeding.
The team is hoping to end the regular season on a high note when it travels to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest Saturday. A win against the Demon Deacons would give Clemson a double bye in the ACC Tournament.
Part of the reason for the Tigers’ successful season, which includes Quadrant 1 wins over Alabama, TCU and ACC leader North Carolina, has been the play of junior Ian Schieffelin.
Schieffelin had 16 points to go with 16 rebounds in the Tigers’ 90-75 victory over Syracuse Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. He’s averaging almost 10 rebounds a night and 10 points per game as one of Clemson’s premier anchors around the basket with senior PJ Hall.
For his efforts this season, Tigers coach Brad Brownell said that he believes Schieffelin should be the ACC’s 2024 Comeback Player of the Year.
“The guy has been unbelievable,” Brownell said of Schieffelin. “Obviously he’s playing with other elite players so it’s not like he’s getting overshadowed. People notice, but that performance — those 16 rebounds — unbelievable. What that equates to in terms of extra points for us, I think he’s certainly the most improved player.”
Brownell also spoke to Schieffelin’s size (he’s listed as 6’8″, 238 pounds) and said that he was a better athlete than people might think.
“He’s a remarkable rebounder who does an unbelievable job of pursuing the ball,” Brownell said. “He’s not always great running, but… he’s got strength in his hands, strength in his legs, the whole position. He’s just a powerful player. What a breakout year he’s had. I’m hopeful that he’s going to get Most Improved Player in the ACC.”
Schieffelin and the Tigers will close out the regular season Saturday with a scheduled 5 p.m. EST tipoff in Winston-Salem. The game will be televised by ACC Network.