Clemson Basketball: Tigers open tournament play with New Mexico State

Clemson basketball is on upset alert right out of the gate as they open NCAA tournament play with a tough matchup against the New Mexico State Aggies.

TV Schedule: 9:57 p.m. ET, TRUTV

Location: Viejas Arena in San Diego, California

It has been a pleasantly surprising season for the Clemson Tigers and their fans. Coming off of a disappointing 6-12 conference campaign a year ago, the school known for just about everything but basketball finished fourth in the ACC, arguably the best conference in the country.

Their efforts have earned them a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament and a first-round matchup with New Mexico State in which they are favored substantially. The only problem for the Tigers is that they have no tournament experience. The Aggies are definitely a threat to end the party prematurely for Clemson.

The Aggies are led by Jemerrio Jones, a forward who averages 13.2 rebounds a game. With a strong interior, New Mexico State will be able to exploit Clemson on the glass and use possible second chance opportunities to their advantage.

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Clemson has the advantage in guard play, but their shooting has been questionable as of late. Virginia held the Tigers to 36 points earlier in the season and Clemson has never been known to light up the scoreboard.

With all of this in mind, this matchup sets up well for New Mexico State. With a win over formerly sixth-ranked Miami, the Aggies have a quality ACC win already in their only game against a ranked opponent this season. This game is much different, of course, being on the NCAA tournament stage rather than in the non-conference regular season schedule. Still, the Aggies can take their 28-5 season and use it as motivation and a major confidence boost for first-year head coach Chris Jans.

As the last game on the schedule for the first round, this game will give Friday’s action a thrilling finale. Both teams will fight hard as they are hungry for a tournament victory, but only one will come out on top. Looking at this matchup on paper, there are legitimate reasons to believe that either could pull it off.

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The difference in this game will ultimately be turnovers, as Clemson is strong defensively, and the Aggies have yet to deal with a defense of this caliber. The game will be extremely tight, but down the stretch, the guard play of the Tigers will prevail despite the Aggies having the advantage on the glass.

Prediction: Clemson 64, New Mexico State 59