Clemson basketball: Five keys to victory against Rutgers

Clemson opens NCAA Tournament play Friday night at 9:20 against Rutgers. The game will be shown on TBS. The Tigers enter the matchup as 2-point underdogs against the Big Ten foe.

Clemson is back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2018. The Tigers made a run to the Sweet 16 that year, before falling to Kansas.

What will it take for the Tigers to go on a run again? Here are five keys to victory for Brad Brownell’s squad:

Take care of the ball

Clemson shot better than 50 percent from 3-point range in the ACC Tournament against Miami, but the Tigers turned the ball over 15 times in a close loss. Clemson can’t afford to be careless with the ball Friday night. Rutgers forces 13 turnovers per game.

“We were a little careless with the ball against Miami, and we definitely want to improve on that going into this game against Rutgers, just being strong with the ball,” senior forward Aamir Simms said. “They like to pressure and get up in you. Hopefully we can do our job and take care of the ball and value possessions more than we did against Miami.”

Handle the pressure

There’s a big difference between a regular season game and a tournament game, and it’s important for players to not get caught up in the moment. Clemson has only two players with NCAA Tournament experience — Simms and fellow senior Clyde Trapp.

“The key is just having fun and not letting the moment get ahead of you, letting it defeat you, getting too excited that you can’t play your own game,” Simms said. “Just play your own game, no matter who you’re playing.”

Embrace the underdog role

Despite Clemson being a 7-seed and Rutgers being a 10, the Scarlet Knights are favored to beat the Tigers in the first round of the tournament. Clemson is aware of oddsmakers, as well as national analysts, that are picking Rutgers.

Brownell said on the radio earlier this week that his team is using that as motivation. Simms confirmed as much during a zoom call with the media.

“It’s just another day being a Clemson Tiger, honestly,” Simms said. “Sometimes being an underdog is good, because the pressure’s not really on you. We’re definitely excited. This is nothing to us.”

Protect the paint

Clemson doesn’t have a true center as forward Aamir Simms often plays the 5. That could be problematic against Rutgers big man Myles Johnson. The 6-11 Johnson averages 8 points and 9 rebounds per game and is a load inside.

Simms, P.J. Hall and Clemson’s other bigs will have to battle in the paint.

Knock down shots

Sometimes winning games is as simple as knocking down open looks. Clemson has plenty of shooters capable of getting hot, including Nick Honor, Al-Amir Dawes, Aamir Simms and Hunter Tyson. If Clemson is able to create and make open looks there’s a good chance the Tigers come out on top.