College basketball fans will be treated to an early-season rivalry matchup when South Carolina hosts Clemson at Colonial Life Arena on Friday night. The Tigers opened their season with an 80-69 win over The Citadel, while the Gamecocks snuck past South Carolina State in an 80-77 final. Clemson notched a win and covered the 9.5-point spread in a 70-56 win at home when these teams met last season.
Clemson is hoping to take a step forward this season after going 17-16 (8-12 ACC) last year under head coach Brad Brownell. It is not going to be easy for the Tigers to achieve that goal early in the campaign, as they are playing without All-ACC center P.J. Hall. He is still recovering from a knee injury that he suffered as he was coming back from foot surgery, so he will miss at least the first few weeks of the season. Hall was voted to the All-ACC second team during the summer, and the Tigers were picked to finish No. 11 of 15 in the conference. They had to grind out their season-opening win over The Citadel down the stretch, eventually notching an 80-69 win.
First road trip of the season ???? pic.twitter.com/pE66VWruQt
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) November 10, 2022
Junior guard Chase Hunter led the team with 23 points and seven assists, while Ian Schieffelin had 20 points and 14 rebounds down low. The Tigers need Schieffelin, a sophomore, to step up in place of Hall early in the year. Hall averaged 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season. Schieffelin was a monster on the offensive glass against the Bulldogs, pulling down nine offensive rebounds. Senior forward Hunter Tyson had a big game as well, scoring 19 points and completing his double-double with 13 rebounds. Senior guard Brevin Galloway rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and four assists.