Brad Browell’s Tigers look to continue their hot start on Wednesday as they welcome former ACC foe Maryland to town for a 5pm tipoff.
Both teams come in unbeaten but Clemson has played the far tougher schedule, already owning wins over Ole Miss and Purdue. The Terps wins have come over Old Dominion, Navy, Mount St Mary’s, and St Peter’s.
The Terps have one of the more efficient offenses in the country while Clemson is Top-10 in defense, so this one should be fun.
This Maryland team does not have the size that Ole Miss and Purdue has but what they do have is a couple of big guards that can shoot the ball. The Tigers perimeter defense will certainly be tested in this game.
PG Eric Ayala is the Terps best player and at 6-foot-5 will pose some matchup problems. He is averaging 15.3 PPG and shoots 42% from three. As a team Maryland shoots 43% from beyond the arc.
Clemson must also be better on the glass than they have been so far. Hopefully PJ Hall is available after missing the last game in concussion protocol. He, along with Aamir Simms, Jonathan Baehre, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper must crash the glass, particularly on the offensive end, seeing as the Tigers love to shoot the three-ball. Although in this one, the Tigers are not at a size disadvantage.
Speaking of Simms, this is a team he should be able to have success against. His size, athleticism, and versatility should cause the Terps some real issues when trying to defend him.
However, unlike previous years, there is a ton of depth on this Clemson team and there are more options outside of relying on Simms. If the Tigers can hit some shots from the outside, and not get killed on the boards, they should have a great shot at winning this game.
