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Sept. 18, 2007
Clemson, SC - The Clemson men's basketball team has been ranked in the preseason top 25 by Blue Ribbon Yearbook. The Tigers are listed #21 by the publication and are one of four schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference ranked among the nation's top 25. North Carolina is ranked #1 overall, with UCLA, Georgetown, Tennessee, and Memphis rounding out the top five.
Clemson returns four starters and 11 lettermen from last season's school record-tying 25-win team. The Tigers advanced to the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament in 2006-07. In addition to four starters coming back, part-time starter and leading scorer K.C. Rivers also returns for Oliver Purnell's squad.
Four players return for 2007-08 that averaged double figures a season ago, including seniors Cliff Hammonds and James Mays. A three-year starter, Hammonds has averaged double figures each of his three years and ranked second in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio last season. Mays withdrew his name from the NBA Draft this summer and returns after averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2006-07. Trevor Booker averaged 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a standout freshman last year, while Rivers led the team in scoring at 14.0 points per outing. Sam Perry, who has not missed a game in his three years with the program, is the squad's fourth returning starter.
The regular season gets underway for the Tigers on November 12 with a home game against Furman, followed three days later with a road trip to SEC foe Mississippi State.
Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook - Preseason Top 25
1. North Carolina
2. UCLA
3. Georgetown
4. Tennessee
5. Memphis
6. Michigan State
7. Kansas
8. Louisville
9. Indiana
10. Marquette
11. Kentucky
12. Washington State
13. Oregon
14. Duke
15. Arizona
16. USC
17. NC State
18. Wisconsin
19. Texas
20. Stanford
21. Clemson
22. Gonzaga
23. Syracuse
24. Arkansas
25. Villanova
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