Tag: Ian Schieffelin

How Clemson has thrived as the underdog in the NCAA Tournament

Clemson is 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament, with all games being played as the underdog.

CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 16/16 Clemson Tigers scored at least one run in four consecutive innings, including five in the fourth and three in the fifth, to run-rule Boston College, 10-0, in five innings to clinch the series victory on Saturday. This is the second run-rule for the Tigers during the series and ninth of the season, while also marking the eighth shutout of 2024.

The Tigers offense exploded for 14 hits in the five-inning performance. This is the seventh time in 2024 Clemson has tallied double-digit hits, marking the second-most hits in a game this season trailing only the series finale against NC State where the Tigers finished with 15. Redshirt senior Arielle Oda led the team going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Junior Maddie Moore followed going 3-for-4 with one RBI. In total, seven Tigers produced at least one hit, with Valerie Cagle, Alex Brown and Alia Logoleo adding two each. Cagle finished the game with four RBIs, including three off a walkoff home run, and two runs.

In the bottom of the second inning, Clemson took a 1-0 lead after Oda bunted a two-out single for a base hit. Brown tripled down the right field line to plate Oda and give the Tigers the lead. Clemson added another run in the third inning after McKenzie Clark singled and advanced to second as Valerie Cagle was hit by a pitch. Logoleo tallied an RBI single to left field that allowed Clark to score to put Clemson up 2-0 after three.

Boston College looked to get on the board in the fourth getting its leadoff runners on with no outs. Clemson made a pitching change from starter Brooke McCubbin to Regan Spencer, who made three-quick outs to force the Eagles to leave them stranded.

Clemson picked up steam in the bottom of the fourth after Oda and Brown clocked back-to-back singles to open the frame. Moore notched her RBI with a single up the middle that plated Oda from second. Cagle followed with her first RBI hit of the day with a shot into right field to score Brown, and Logoleo executed a squeeze bunt to score Clark in the next at bat. With two on and two out, Lindsey Garcia ripped a single up the middle that had both Cagle and Logoleo scoring to make it 7-0 after four.

Oda kept things rolling in the fifth with a leadoff single. Moore tallied her third hit of the day with a single through the left side. In an attempt to steal, Moore was ruled out on the play but it was overturned after review due to obstruction by BC’s shortstop. Clark joined her on the basepath following a walk to put two on with two out. Cagle stepped to the plate and drove an 0-2 pitch 268 feet out of left field to secure the 10-0 run-rule win. This was Cagle’s sixth home run of 2024 and 65th of her career.

McCubbin got the start in the circle this afternoon and pitched three innings before Spencer closed out the game and picked up her first save of the season. Spencer pitched two innings as she faced eight hitters, tallied three strikeouts and only allowed one hit.

Up Next

Clemson concludes its homestand with a midweek against Furman on Tuesday, April 2. The midweek game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and was picked up for broadcast on ACC Network. Tickets for every home game are still available for purchase this season. Fans can grab theirs either online or by visiting the ticket table outside the main gate of McWhorter Stadium on the day of the game. For more information on how to manage your tickets, including transferring them if you aren’t able to make it, visit ClemsonTigers.com today.

– Via Clemson Athletic Communications 

Clemson’s Brad Brownell prevented Ian Schieffelin from comparing himself to Kobe Bryant after Sweet 16 win

Nice save, Coach Brownell.

Six-seed Clemson upsetting two-seed Arizona got the 2024 men’s Sweet 16 started off with a bang, as the Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight in style on Thursday night.

Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin was part of the offensive excellence that powered the Tigers past the Wildcats to the tune of 14 points on the night.

After the game, someone reportedly asked Schieffelin about his Kobe Bryant-themed game shoes and if he felt like he was playing like the Los Angeles Lakers legend while wearing them.

Well, Clemson coach Brad Brownell saved Schieffelin from accidentally making too lofty of a comparison for himself with a very funny quip once the question was asked.

“Let’s please not compare yourself to Kobe Bryant,” Brownell joked, per The Post and Courier‘s Jon Blau, You’re playing well, but…”

Later, Brownell tried to compare Schieffelin to former NBA player and WNBA coach Bill Laimbeer, who Schieffelin said he didn’t know, per SportsTalk Media Network.

Schieffelin and his Clemson teammates are going to get plenty of spotlight on them as they continue to push for a spot in the Final Four, but it sure sounds like Brownell is going to keep his guys grounded on the way up… and show them some Laimbeer highlights for good measure.

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Ian Schieffelin named ACC’s Most Improved Player

Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player as part of the league’s annual all-conference awards Monday. Schieffelin has been a big part of the Tigers’ quest for March Madness glory. He helped Clemson to a 21-10 regular season …

Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player as part of the league’s annual all-conference awards Monday.

Schieffelin has been a big part of the Tigers’ quest for March Madness glory. He helped Clemson to a 21-10 regular season by averaging 9.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game..

Schieffelin had one of his best performances of the year in last Tuesday’s 90-75 victory over Syracuse when he scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

After that game, Clemson coach Brad Brownell made his pitch for why he believed Schieffelin deserved the award for Most Improved Player.

“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.”

Schieffelin more than doubled his rebound totals from last season when he averaged four rebounds per night. He’s also raised his scoring average from 5.5 points per game as a sophomore to 9.7 in his junior season.

In addition, Schieffelin has connected on 19 of 36 3-pointers this season (52.8 percent). That’s up from 33 percent a year ago.

“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.”

Schieffelin and the Tigers return to the court Wednesday night for the ACC Tournament at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena. Clemson will face the winner of Tuesday’s first-round contest between Miami and Boston College. The game will be broadcast on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Is Ian Schieffelin ACC’s most improved player? Brad Brownell thinks so

Clemson coach Brad Brownell said that he believes Ian Schieffelin should be the ACC’s 2024 Comeback Player of the Year.

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.

Everything Brad Brownell said after Clemson defeated Syracuse

Here’s everything Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Clemson defeated Syracuse, 90-75, Tuesday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

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.

Clemson gets season-high 14 3-pointers to drop Georgia Tech, 81-57

Clemson built a big lead in the first half over Georgia Tech by way of an array of 3-pointers and cruised to an 81-57 victory over the Yellow Jackets in ACC play Wednesday at the McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.

Clemson built a big lead in the first half over Georgia Tech by using an array of 3-pointers and cruised to an 81-57 victory over the Yellow Jackets in ACC play Wednesday at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.

The Tigers (18-8 overall, 8-7 ACC) finished with a season-high 14 3-pointers and were 14-of-29 from behind the arc in Wednesday’s contest.

A pair of Peach State natives led the Tigers in scoring. Clemson got 19 points from Ian Schieffelin and 18 from Atlanta native Chase Hunter.

The Tigers used a 14-0 run in the first half to race out to a 23-9 lead after PJ Hall and Joe Girard nailed 3-pointers. Clemson made nine of its first 10 shots from the field, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range.

When Georgia Tech (11-16, 4-12) cut the lead to six at 28-22 with 7:04 remaining in the half, it would be the closet the Yellow Jackets would get the rest of the night.

By halftime, Hall and Schieffelin had combined for 24 points and Clemson led, 43-31.

In the second half, Clemson held Georgia Tech to just 26 points. The Tigers’ biggest lead of the night came with 3:06 left when Hunter made a layup to stretch the Clemson advantage to 26 at 77-51.

Hunter, who attended Atlanta’s Westlake High School before beginning his Clemson career, finished with 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Girard added 14 points. Hall, who celebrated his 22nd birthday Wednesday, had 11.

The 19 points from Schieffelin, who grew up in the Atlanta metro area in nearby Loganville, Ga., were the most he’d scored in regulation this season.

The win was also the largest of the ACC schedule for a Tigers team that suffered an embarrassing home loss to Georgia Tech in the schools’ previous meeting at Littlejohn Coliseum just over a month earlier.

In Wednesday’s contest, the Yellow Jackets made only 16-of-53 shots including 6-of-25 from the floor in the second half. Kyle Sturdivant led Georgia Tech with 14 points.

UP NEXT: Clemson will host Florida State Saturday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. EST. The game will be the second meeting between the two schools this season after the Tigers defeated the Seminoles, 78-67, in Tallahassee last month. Saturday’s game will be televised regionally by the CW Network.

Clemson blown out by Virginia Tech in latest setback

A look at the Tigers’ Wednesday night loss to Virginia Tech.

Sean Pedulla had a career-high 32 points, and Virginia Tech became the latest team to find a hot shooting touch against Clemson as the Tigers dropped their third straight ACC contest, 87-72, at Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday night.

The Tigers (11-4 overall, 1-3 conference) fell behind early again and trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half before Chauncey Wiggins made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the halftime deficit to 53-44 .

The Hokies (10-5 overall, 2-2 conference) shot 61.9 percent from the floor in the first half against a Clemson team that hasn’t won since Dec. 29 and has been a disaster on defense since ACC play resumed a week ago.

In the second half, the Tigers threatened to stay close and crawled to within four points on five separate occasions but never managed to get to within one possession.

When Tyler Nickel made a 3-pointer with 5:32 to play, it pushed Virginia Tech’s lead to 75-66 and forced a Clemson timeout. Robbie Beran sank a 3-pointer with 2:48 left to make it a double-digit affair at 81-70.

All told, Virginia Tech closed the game on a 12-2 run. Their 15-point margin of victory was also their biggest lead of the night.

The Hokies made 13 3-pointers on the night and were 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the first half. They started the game by making 12 of their first 19 shots from the floor.

Ian Schieffelin led Clemson with 15 points and eight rebounds in only 24 minutes. PJ Hall was held to 11 points and made only 4-of-13 shots. Wiggins had 12 points and made 5 of 7 shots.

Nickel had a career-high 24 points for Virginia Tech.

UP NEXT: Clemson will host Boston College (10-4 overall, 1-2 conference) at Littlejohn Coliseum at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday. The game can be seen on ACC Network.

What Brad Brownell Said After Clemson’s Loss to North Carolina

Everything Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after the Tigers fell to North Carolina on Saturday.

No. 16 Clemson fell to No. 8 North Carolina, 65-55, on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The loss marked the first time this season the Tigers have dropped back to back games. Here’s what coach Brad Brownell said afterwards.

On his team’s 1-for-18 shooting from three-point range:

“It was a tough night for us shooting. I’m proud of our team. Quick turnaround, I thought we really guarded hard and expended a tremendous amount of energy physically in the game. Guarding their guys and keeping them off the glass as well as we did, we did an unbelievable job in the first half. They did a little better job in the second half against us. But for whatever reason, we just didn’t make many shots.

“PJ (Hall) and Joe (Girard) had a tough day from (three-point distance). Those are our two main guys. They can really stroke it. You have those games. It’s disappointing. A lot of times when one of those guys has a (bad) night, the other two play well and the guys kind of mix it in and you’re fine. But when you’re playing a team as good as North Carolina, their defense is good.

“They’re tough, too. We talked about it in the pregame. Their defense in the last three or four games, you could see an uptick there. It was hard-fought. We only turned it over five times so we got plenty of shots. It was just one of those nights where we can’t make them. We just couldn’t get enough shots to go down.”

On the goal of playing better defense after Wednesday’s loss to Miami and Ian Schieffelin’s defensive effort:

“He was terrific. Obviously, if you tell me we’re going to hold them to 65, I think we’re going to have a great chance to win the game. Again, I thought our guys really competed and fought. They guarded a lot of their action really well. They did a really good job on RJ Davis. He still had 14 points. They did a solid job on (Armando) Bacot. He also had 14. But this is a game where you’ve got to make baskets.

“This one is pretty simple. I think I’ll be pleased when I watch the film of what our guys did on the defensive end. I’ve got to evaluate and make sure we’re getting some quality shots. I thought we got a lot of good looks. We had a few possessions that didn’t go our way. I thought we hurried on a couple and had a bad couple of possessions that really hurt us.

“One of the big plays in the game was when we tied it at 45-45. We’d been down a bit and made a couple of buckets and the building started to erupt a little bit.  Then they pushed it down the floor quick and we kind of got late getting matched up. Paxson (Wojcik) makes a 3 with PJ guarding him.

“That’s a tough shot with 8:20 to go and the building alive. So give him some credit because when you go back and look, if we get the stop there and now we’re coming down in transition, and we take the lead, things can change. But we didn’t get it. Got to go back to the drawing board and be a little bit better.”

Clemson returns to the floor Wednesday night when they take on Virginia Tech (9-4 overall, 1-1 conference) at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on ESPN.

Clemson cruises past the Citadel 80-69 in season opener

Despite missing a key starter in center PJ Hall, the Tigers were still able to get the job done on Monday night with a more than convincing win over the Bulldogs.

Via Clemson Athletic Communications:

Clemson University men’s basketball cruised past The Citadel 80-69 on Monday night as four Tigers scored in double figures in the 2022-23 season opener.

The Tigers’ (1-0) offensive explosion was spearheaded by redshirt junior Chase Hunter (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) and sophomore Ian Schieffelin (Loganville, Ga./Grayson). Hunter tied his career high in points with 23 while tallying a career-high in assists with seven. Hunter notched 13th career double-digit scoring effort.

Schieffelin ignited the Tiger offense off the bench by scoring his career high of 20 points off an efficient 9-of-13 from the floor while also snatching a career-best 14 rebounds – nine of which came on the offensive glass.

The Tigers shot 54.8 percent from the field in the first half and connected on five threes. Clemson’s offense was propelled by a 23-5 run to close the first half and went into the break up 45-31. Clemson held the high-flying offense of The Citadel to 44.0 percent shooting while forcing nine turnovers that turned into 12 points on the other end.

In the second half, graduate Hunter Tyson (Monroe, N.C./Piedmont) led the way for The Tigers, scoring 13 of his 19 points in the final 20 minutes. The Tigers kept The Citadel at bay as the Bulldogs were held to 42.9 percent shooting in the second half.

Clemson will travel to Columbia, S.C. to play in-state rival South Carolina on Friday at 7 pm. The game will be aired on SECN+.

Clemson starts important hoops season with win

The totality of Clemson’s latest basketball season will be revealed over the next four months or so. But the Tigers began an important one under their veteran coach in the win column, though getting there wasn’t always comfortable. Clemson opened …

The totality of Clemson’s latest basketball season will be revealed over the next four months or so.

But the Tigers began an important one under their veteran coach in the win column, though getting there wasn’t always comfortable.

Clemson opened the new season Monday by knocking off The Citadel at Littlejohn Coliseum. Even without the services of star big PJ Hall (knee), the Tigers still had four players score in double figures in their 80-69 win. Chase Hunter led the way with 23 points, tying a career high.

Ian Schieffelin had the first 20-point game of his Clemson career as part of a double-double. Hunter Tyson and Boston College transfer Brevin Galloway added 19 and 11 points, respectively, for the Tigers.

A recent exhibition romp over an overmatched Division II program not withstanding, Monday marked the Tigers’ competitive return to the court after a disappointing 17-16 season plagued by injuries and inconsistency. Clemson wasn’t part of college basketball’s postseason in any capacity last season, the first time that’s happened since 2017.

The Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 – their second appearance in the last three tournaments – but Clemson’s showing last season, which included a 10th-place finish in the 15-team ACC, prompted Graham Neff to publicly express his disappointment of the Tigers failing to dance for the ninth time in Brad Brownell’s 12-year tenure. Clemson’s first-year athletic director made clear his expectations for the program in a letter penned to season-ticket holders.

Preseason projections weren’t high on the Tigers this season either as Clemson was picked by league media to finish 11th in the conference. But with five newcomers, including Boston College guard transfer Brevin Galloway, joining seven holdovers from last season’s team, Brownell touted the Tigers’ depth and versatility coming into it.

A Citadel team that lost all of its double-figure scorers off a 13-18 squad last season wasn’t the most accurate barometer when it comes to the chemistry and cohesion of Clemson’s retooled roster, though the Bulldogs didn’t go quietly. Behind Austin Ash’s 19, The Citadel cut the deficit to single digits a handful of times in the second half, the last coming at 78-69 with less than 2 minutes remaining. But Chase Hunter found Schieffelin for a dunk on Clemson’s next possession, and the Bulldogs didn’t get any closer.

The lineup tinkering for Clemson started early with nine players getting some run within the first 6 minutes and change, but it was a familiar face that helped the Tigers overcome a sluggish start for some early breathing room.

The Citadel led by a couple of possessions 13 minutes into the game before the Tigers ended the first half on a 23-5 run. Chase Hunter made seven of his first 10 shots to finish with 19 first-half points. The junior point guard had 11 points during that surge, including his third 3-pointer just before the buzzer to send the Tigers to the locker room with a 45-31 advantage.

Middlebrooks got the start at center in the absence of Hall, one of the most improved players in the ACC last season at 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. But Schieffelin ended up logging the most minutes at the position (31) and was highly productive with them. The sophomore forward, who also plucked 14 rebounds, went inside and out to make his first six shots en route to a career night, easily surpassing his previous career-high of 12 points that he scored against North Carolina in February.

What figures to be a much better gauge of where this Clemson team is early in the season comes Friday when the Tigers hit the road for the first time to take on rival South Carolina.

This story will be updated.