Memphis vs Clemson: 2024-25 College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Clemson welcomes Memphis to town for an intriguing nonconference tilt; which of these Tigers get a big win to keep their solid starts to the season on track?

TV schedule: Saturday, December 14, 11:00 am ET. ESPN2

Arena: Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina

A trip to the Maui Invitational greatly changed how Memphis (7-2) was seen early on this season. The Tigers shocked many by upsetting UConn in overtime before beating Michigan State, eventually finishing in 2nd place in the tournament. Much of that goodwill was unfortunately thrown away last weekend with a 13-point home loss against Arkansas State, but this is a chance for the Tigers to get back on track.

Tulsa transfer PJ Haggerty (23.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) continues to be the story for the Tigers and his contributions are a big part of those seven wins to start the year. Another major get from this past offseason was Tyrese Hunter (15.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.3 apg), who is proving just as productive in Memphis as with Texas and Iowa State in the past. Among the other veteran talent on this roster, former Illinois big man Dain Dainja (10.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is settling into a prominent role in the frontcourt.

Memphis fell out of the national rankings with that loss to Arkansas State and find themselves down to 39th in KenPom and 46th in the most recent NET rankings. This offense really got the job done in Maui, especially in scoring 99 against the Huskies in that overtime upset, but the defense has work ahead. This team gave up 85 points to Arkansas State and shot really poorly and are in desperate need to make a statement here on Saturday.

Holding down the homecourt, Clemson (9-1) is certainly a team on the rise this season. Riding high after last season’s run to the Elite Eight, the Tigers had an early road bump against Boise State but have played inspired ball over the last three weeks, scoring wins over San Francisco, Penn State, and most impressively against Kentucky last week. They can cement this phenomenal winning streak with another nice showing at home.

After his great work last season, senior Chase Hunter (15.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) remains a major factor for Clemson, establishing himself as the leader in the backcourt and the team’s high scorer through ten games. Ian Schieffelin (12.6 ppg, 12.6 rpg) unquestionably is having a major campaign in this frontcourt with those insane rebounding figures. Among this season’s new faces, Cincinnati transfer forward Viktor Lakhin (11.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg) has fit nicely into this system.

The win over Kentucky earned these Tigers #16 in the AP Top 25. Clemson also sits 11th in NET and 19th in KenPom, with their defense sitting in the top 10 in the efficiency metrics. After all, they allowed just 66 points to an elite Kentucky offense and have significantly limited long-range opportunities for all of their opponents this season.

With the way things are currently trending, you’d think that Clemson would get the job done at home, extending their winning streak to seven games. Memphis seems to have peaked in Maui, especially after that rough showing last weekend, but that doesn’t mean we can write off those Tigers. Any day that Haggerty and Hunter play smart, efficient basketball is a day that Memphis can win their game.

Realistically, we expect that elite Clemson defense to have an answer for those two, while their frontcourt has a significant advantage over the pieces in place at Memphis. Expect a Clemson victory, especially in front of their home crowd, which really impacted their win over the Wildcats. It shouldn’t be a high scoring affair, though Haggerty will likely be the leading scorer regardless of the result.

Prediction: Clemson 72, Memphis 65