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Devin Hutchinson

Men's Basketball

RADFORD TRAVELS TO CLEMSON FOR ANOTHER ACC MATCHUP


 
RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team will look to take down its second ACC opponent of the season when it goes up against Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Clemson Tigers (6-3, 0-0 ACC)
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m.
Location: Littlejohn Coliseum (Clemson, S.C.)
Watch (ACC Network Extra)
Listen (WRAD 101.7)
Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Radford men's basketball team never let up in its comeback effort, but couldn't overcome an early deficit and continuous foul trouble in a 78-69 defeat against Ohio at The Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
In a game that felt like the Highlanders were playing against more than just the other team, Radford was whistled for 21 fouls compared to just 13 for the Bobcats. As a result, Ohio went 20-for-25 from the free throw line while Radford finished 7-for-12.
 
Senior guard Caleb Tanner went off for 16 points, going 5-for-6 from deep, and junior guard Travis Fields Jr. was nearly as good, going 4-for-6 on 3-pointers to match his career high and finish with 14 points. Playing in his home state, redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones made just one of his first six shots before going 5-for-7 over the final 12 minutes and scoring 16 points.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The first meeting between the two programs came on Dec. 9, 1989 when the Tigers earned a 114-76 victory on their home floor.
 
Then, in their next meeting on Nov. 30, 1998, the Highlanders were held to a program record-low 37 points in a 70-37 defeat. The most recent matchup between Radford and Clemson came on Dec. 22, 2003 when the Tigers got away with a 74-58 win in a much more competitive contest.
 
RADFORD VS. THE ACC
The Highlanders have three wins against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Two of those wins came against Virginia Tech, including one victory that occurred while the Hokies were in the Big East, and one came earlier this season at Notre Dame.
 
On Nov. 14, Radford made history by going into South Bend and coming out with a 63-60 victory over the Fighting Irish. Senior guard Caleb Tanner poured in 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting on 3-pointers while fellow senior forward Ed Polite Jr. finished with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double.
 
COACHING CONNECTION
Long-time fans of the Radford men's basketball program will see a familiar face on the opposing bench this Saturday. Clemson assistant coach Dick Bender has been with the Tigers for seven years now, but from 1991-97, he was an assistant coach under Ron Bradley at Radford.
 
In Bender's six seasons with the Highlanders, Radford posted the best non-conference and conference records of any team in the Big South.
 
NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Out of 351 Division I men's basketball programs in the nation Radford ranks in the top-100 in several categories.
 
Three-point field goal percentage: 14th, 40.8%
Turnovers per game: 29th, 11.1
Fewest turnovers: 46th, 100 in nine games
Assist/Turnover ratio: 47th, 1.34
Personal fouls per game: 61st, 16.4
Three-point field goals per game: 66th, 9.1
Fewest fouls: 67th, 148 in nine games
Turnover margin: 86th, 2.4
Total three-point field goals made: 99th, 82
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Clemson is widely regarded as one of the top contenders in a stacked ACC this season. The league's preseason poll picked the Tigers to finish sixth, but they did receive one first-place vote, joining Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Syracuse as the only teams to get at least one.
 
The Tigers were undefeated through five games this season and rose to as high as No. 16 in the AP Poll before dropping three of their last four contests. They dropped a pair of close contests to Creighton and Nebraska by a combined seven points, bounced back with a 65-60 win over Saint Peter's and then fell to No. 22 Mississippi State.
 
Graduate guard Marcquise Reed leads his squad in scoring (19.4 ppg) and assists (3.4 apg) while senior forward Elijah Thomas (7.3 rpg) carries the load on the boards. As a team, the Tigers are shooting 47.9-percent from the field while holding opponents to 43.3-percent. They own a +5.3 rebounding margin and +1.6 turnover margin as well.
 
NEXT HOME GAME
The Highlanders continue their five-game road trip before returning to the Dedmon Center on Friday, Dec. 21 to take on Georgia Southern at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased on RadfordTickets.com or by calling the Radford Ticket Office at (540) 831-7889 during business hours.
 
FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMBB on Twitter, 'radfordmbb' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.
 
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Players Mentioned

Carlik Jones

#1 Carlik Jones

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Caleb Tanner

#10 Caleb Tanner

G
6' 1"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Carlik Jones

#1 Carlik Jones

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Caleb Tanner

#10 Caleb Tanner

6' 1"
Senior
G