March 23, 2007
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70th Annual Mastercard NIT
Site: Madison Square Garden (19,594)
Date: Tuesday, March 27
Tickets: Ticketmaster (212) 307-7171
City: New York, NY
Time: 9:00 PM (20 min. after 1st game)
TV: ESPN-Ron Franklin, Bill Raftery,
Frank Fraschilla
Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Properties
(Pete Yanity, Tim Bourret)
SERIES NOTES
Overall: First Meeting
Clemson History in the NIT
Overall: 14-13
at MSG: 1-2
at Clemson: 8-3
Semifinal Record: 1-0 (1999)
Finals Record: 0-1 (1999)
Best Finish: 2nd in 1999
Clemson has advanced to the NIT Semifinals for
just the second time in its history. The previous
occurrence took place in 1999 when the Tigers lost
in the championship game to California, 61-60.
Clemson has 24 wins so far this year. A win over Air
Force would give the Tigers 25, tying the school
record set in 1986-87. Obviously an NIT championship
would give this team the school record 26
wins for the season.
While one more win will tie a Clemson record for
wins in a season, one win would establish a personal
high for Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell.
He also won 24 games at Dayton in 2002-03, his
final season with that program.
Overall, this will be just the third time Clemson has
traveled to New York to play in Madison Square
Garden. Clemson is 1-2 in the MSG, a loss to Providence
in the 1975 NIT, a win over Xavier in the 1999
semifinals and the loss to Calfornia in 1999 finals.
Clemson has had a signficant advantage in threepoint
shooting in the NIT. Clemson has made 36.7
percent (22-60) from long range, while holding the
opposition to 20.8 percent (10-48). Clemson made
9-19 three-point shots in the win over Syracuse, and
the .474 percentage was the second best against
the Orangemen all year.
K.C. Rivers scored a career high 29 points in the
win over Syracuse, including 21 in the first half. That
was the third most points in a postseason game (NIT
or NCAA) in school history. Rivers has averaged
19.3 points per game in the three NIT games.
Clemson and Air Force have never met on the basketball
court, but the two teams have three common
opponents this year in Duke, Georgia and Wake
Forest. Air Force is 2-1 against those teams and
Clemson is 1-3.
Clemson and Air Force are the two highest ranked
teams left in the NIT according to the RPI. Air Force
was ranked 25th through games of March 21, while
Clemson was ranked 35th.
Clemson has 24 victories, more wins this year than
all-time top 10 winningest programs Duke, Kentucky
and Indiana. It marks the first time since 1937-38
that Clemson has recorded more wins than those
three programs in the same year.
Cliff Hammonds has made at least one three-point
goal in 25 consecutive games and 33 of the 34 this
year. He has made 15 of his last 34 3pt shots (.441).
Tuesday's game will be his 99th at Clemson.
Clemson is 12-1 this season when K.C. Rivers
scores at least 16 points, 23-4 with 10 or more.
Point guard Vernon Hamilton has scored in double
figures in 16 of his last 18 games. Tuesday's game
will be his 126th at Clemson.
