Pittsburgh Basketball: 3 keys to beating Clemson in battle for 1st place

Dec 30, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guards Nike Sibande (22) and Nelly Cummings (0) react after Cummings made a three point basket against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 76-74. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

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Clemson junior guard Chase Hunter (1) congratulates Clemson guard Brevin Galloway Clemson Basketball Vs Penn State University Acc Big 10 Challenge /

2. Clemson’s new-look backcourt will be difficult to deal with

When the entire starting backcourt left last offseason, all Clemson did was add reserve Boston College guard Brevin Galloway to the roster, essentially hoping that the perimeter players still around would take the next step in their respective developments. To Coach Brad Brownell’s credit, that decision paved off, with a solid backcourt this season.

Chase Hunter is the breakout star of the group, second on the team with 14.5 ppg while leading Clemson with 4.6 apg. The 6’3 guard is also shooting 44% from three-point range on over four attempts. The other two starting guards, Galloway and Alex Hemenway, are around double figures as well. Rounding out the rotation in the backcourt are Joshua Beadle and Dillon Hunter, who plays double-figure minutes off the bench.

These are guards that aren’t explosive like the UNC guys or elite defenders such as Virginia’s. But these are efficient scorers that don’t need the ball a ton to be effective. As a team, Clemson is in the top 20 in three-point shooting and with both Hall and Tyson also 40+% from deep, that creates lineups with maximum spacing opportunities.

It creates a different problem for Pittsburgh, who’ll have to be in sync on defense or risk a barrage of threes coming at them on Saturday.

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