Clemson Represents Good Test for Stanford Basketball

Jason Burke | Jan 1, 2025

Dec 7, 2024; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell talks to guard Chase Hunter (1) during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers and Stanford Cardinal are set to tip off in a few hours, and this will be a nice early test in ACC play for the newcomers to the conference. Stanford enters this game with a 9-3 record, which includes a 1-0 mark in conference play with their win coming on the road against the California Golden Bears in early December.

Clemson comes in with a 10-3 record, which includes a 2-0 mark against ACC teams. Two of those losses have come in overtime to Memphis and South Carolina, so when they drop one, it's still a tight game. They'll be looking to keep that conference record perfect, but only one team will avoid a blemish on Wednesday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.

In the AP rankings released earlier this week, neither team showed up in the top-25, but Clemson received eight votes, which placed them as the No. 42 team in the country. Stanford already dropped one game to No. 9 Oregon, 78-61 on December 21, and a win or a better showing on New Year's Day will show everyone that they belong.

Even though Clemson isn't ranked, they're still in the conversation. Stanford is hoping to insert themselves into that conversation as well, and this will be the time of year that will either make or break their season.

7-foot-1 Frenchman, Maxime Raynaud, is averaging a double-double this season at 21.4 points per game, along with 11.8 rebounds. He is the heartbeat of this team, and the Cardinal will go as far as he can carry them. He currently ranks first in the ACC in both points and rebounds, as well as ninth nationally in points, and third nationally in rebounds. He is a stud and will have NBA teams looking at his performance the rest of the year.

He's not alone, however. Duke transfer Jaylen Blakes has been the team's second-leading scorer with 15.3 points per game, followed by Oziyah Sellers' 13.8. Blakes has been the team's biggest facilitator, collecting 5.3 assists per game, making him one of two Stanford players to average more than two per game, with Ryan Agarwal and his 2.1 being the other.

For the Tigers, Chase Hunter leads the squad in points per game with 16.8, while senior Ian Schieffelin leads the way in rebounds with 11.6 a game, while also being tied for the team lead in assists this season with 40. Senior Jaeden Zackery is the other 40 assist Tiger, and he has also been averaging 9.1 points per game, making him the team's fourth leading scorer.

This game could come down to how well Stanford is able to limit Hunter's three-point game, with the senior knocking down 42.1% from behind the arc. If the Cardinal can bring that percentage down a bit while having one of their own sharp shooters like Benny Gealer get hot, then they could be in business for an upset.

This will be Stanford basketball's first trip to the east coast this season, and it will be a good test for them moving forward the rest of the way. They'll get some travel under their belts, face a tough opponent, and we'll see where they stand when the dust settles.

Tip-off is at 1 p.m. PT and the game will air on the ACC Network.