Unsung Hero Ian Schieffelin Leaves it All on the Court

Sophomore post player played a big role in Tigers' win over No. 24 Duke

USA TODAY Sports Network

CLEMSON, S.C. — It was not always pretty in execution, but Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin used all of his body and then some to help the Tigers take down No. 24 Duke Saturday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Jon Rothstein currently has the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament as the automatic qualifier on The Duel.

The 6-foot-7 forward from Loganville, Georgia put his body on the line throughout the game, after drawing the unfortunate task of guarding Duke freshman Kyle Filipowski. The 7-foot, 230-pound center is a new star in the ACC and has made life difficult for anyone assigned to slow him down.

So, Schieffelin did the only thing he could in the Tigers’ 72-64 victory – he got physical.

“Well walking on the floor, I see Kyle and he’s a good bit taller than me,” Schieffelin said. “I know if I’m gonna have any chance of guarding him, I’m gonna have to be more physical than him and put my body on the line.”

Though Filipowski scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Schieffelin got him in foul trouble and eventually got him disqualified from the game.

Schieffelin, who had six points and eight rebounds to help the Tigers, used his body as a barrier for the Clemson defense and drew a couple of charges that led to Filipowski fouling out. He also made a couple of spectacular plays on the offensive end in the final crucial minutes of the game.

“Ian is a smart player in terms of he's an excellent passer and Filipowski is a great player and is a hard cover defensively,” Brownell said.

Speaking more on his success against Duke, Schieffelin said, “I just think I put myself in good position to be able to guard him and take some charges and it affected him.”

“Every night everyone has a different role, and today I think it was just my role to do all the dirty work,” Schieffelin continued. “I guarded probably one of their better scorers, so I feel like I had to step up and be more physical than him and not let him push me around.”

Right now, no one in the ACC is pushing Schieffelin and the undefeated Tigers around. Clemson has won its first seven games in ACC play for the first time in history and is on a seven-game winning streak.

The Tigers travel to Wake Forest for a 9 p.m. tip on Tuesday. Their current odds of winning the ACC are +450, according to Fanduel.

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