Clemson Tigers Will Be Tested Against Elite Guard PJ Haggerty of Memphis

The Clemson Tigers will be tested against one of the best guards in the country on Saturday.

Memphis' PJ Haggerty (4) dribbles down the court during the game between Arkansas State University and the University of Memphis at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday, December 8, 2024. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a long week off, the Clemson Tigers will be back on the court facing the Memphis Tigers on Saturday. 

The Tigers are off to a great start on the court this season, as through 10 games, they hold a (9-1) record and have lost just their first road game of the season. The challenging early out of conference schedule is paying dividends for the team, as they are seeing a lot of different styles and top players from around the country. 

Within the ACC, Clemson is actually already (1-0) in conference play, as they were able to defeat the Miami Hurricanes on the road last week. However, the big victory for them was against the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats. 

Now, the Tigers are ranked 16th in the nation, and will be looking forward to another good out of conference game on Saturday against Memphis. 

Memphis has played some good basketball this season as well, as they hold a (7-2) record with wins against some strong teams like the Uconn Huskies and Michigan State Spartans. 

One of the reasons for the success of the program is that they have some excellent guard-play, led by PJ Haggerty. The sophomore guard is emerging as one of the best in the country, and Clemson head coach Brad Bownell recently spoke about the importance of trying to slow him down. 

“They’ve got really good guard play,” Brownell said to Jason Priester of The Clemson Insider. “Shooting, ability to drive it. Haggerty, he is tremendous. Might lead the country in guards that draw fouls. He gets in the paint, lives in the paint. He can make plays for himself, his teammates. Super dynamic in terms of one-on-one play, pick and rolls.”

So far this season, Haggerty is averaging 23.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. With the strengths for Clemson are down low with Ian Schieffelin, this will be a fun matchup of guards vs. bigs. 

If the Tigers are able to slow Haggerty and the Memphis offense, they could certainly pick up another statement win. 

After a low scoring game against the Hurricanes, that will likely not be the case against the talented Memphis team. With just one more out of conference game on the schedule against the South Carolina Gamecocks coming up, this game will be an excellent test against another strong team. 

It is a very odd start time of 11 a.m. EST with coverage on ESPN.