Clemson coach Brad Brownell said the Tigers’ ability to stick to the defensive plan tends to be a huge factor in the trajectory of games.
That figures to be even more crucial on Wednesday when Stanford arrives in Clemson, S.C., with the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer to kick off 2025.
Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud is the ACC leader in points (21.4) and rebounds (11.8) per game, while leading the country with 10 double-doubles in 12 games. The 7-footer is bound to give Clemson concerns with his versatility as he also tops the Cardinal with 21 baskets from 3-point range.
Both Clemson (10-3, 2-0 ACC) and Stanford (9-3, 1-0) have been off since Dec. 21, when Clemson defeated visiting Wake Forest 73-62 and Stanford fell 76-61 to former Pac-12 foe Oregon in a neutral-site game.
Clemson has widespread options on offense, with four players averaging more than nine points per game.
“Every game is different,” Brownell said. “Some of it is based on how the other team guards you.”
Jake Heidbreder provided Clemson with 15 points off the bench in the Wake Forest game, though he ranks seventh in team scoring this season with 5.1 points per game.
“It’s good to see Jake getting more comfortable and knocking a few shots down,” Brownell said.
Stanford coach Kyle Smith said the Cardinal are adjusting with some roster fluctuations. There has been progress for Stanford, even in defeats.
“We had some guys that made some positive steps,” Smith said. “… I think we are going to be good.”
Clemson has the fourth-most ACC victories (74) since the 2017-18 season. Stanford is a first-year ACC member.
The Cardinal’s only ACC game thus far came against Cal, so this will be the program’s first outing of the season against a traditional ACC team. Stanford guard Jaylen Blakes is familiar with Clemson from his three seasons at Duke. He’s the second-leading scorer for the Cardinal with 15.3 points per game.
Clemson’s only two losses since mid-November have come in overtime. Brownell said with the campus on holiday break there’s the likelihood that the home crowd might not be as amped up as normal for an ACC game.
–Field Level Media
