Frontcourt of Clemson Tigers Emerging as Major Strength Early This Season

The veteran frontcourt for the Clemson Tigers has been impressive this season.

Oct 10, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson player Ian Schieffelin answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers were able to keep their perfect season alive with a win over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Tuesday night. 

To start the season, the Tigers are playing some good basketball as the team starts to gel, with new players coming in and roles expanding. While the competition to start the year hasn’t been the most challenging, Clemson is handling their business early on. 

The win over the Colonels was the third of the season for the Tigers, and the team is starting to get a bit of an identity. In their first two games of the season, Clemson was really shooting the ball well from beyond the arc, as they scored 90 points and 88 points to kick of the year. However, they didn’t shoot the ball nearly as well on Tuesday, but they were able to adapt and still win by a comfortable margin. 

In the victory, the front court really shined for the Tigers, as the combination of Viktor Lahkin and Ian Schieffelin both had excellent performances. Lahkin had arguably his best game of the young season, as he totaled 19 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in 29 minutes of play. It was by far the most minutes the senior has played this season, and he was really efficient for Clemson. 

For Schieffelin, he was able to follow up his great game against the St. Francis Red Flash with another strong performance. After a double-double in his last game, the senior forward followed it up by totaling 13 points and nine rebounds. 

The play of the front court was really encouraging, as the two big men get used to playing alongside one another. As two seniors, there is a lot of reason to believe that this combination with their size and ability can emerge as one of the best front courts in the ACC. 

Front court play was obviously a strength for the Tigers last year with PJ Hall in the middle, and so far, Schieffelin seems to be taking a step forward from his junior season to his senior campaign. 

It was very impressive for Clemson to be able to pull off a victory despite shooting 28 percent from three-point range, as the efficiency of their veteran front court helped make up for their struggles from deep. 

Next up for the Tigers will be an interesting matchup on the road against the Boise State Broncos over the weekend.