Fla St. meets Clemson in ACC quarters
Clemson (16-15, 10-11) vs. No. 1 seed Florida State (26-5, 16-4)
Atlantic Coast Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina; Thursday, 11:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the ACC semifinals is on the line as Clemson matches up against Florida State. The teams split the regular season series at one win apiece. The teams last played on Feb. 29, when the Tigers shot 48.2 percent from the field en route to a one-point victory.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: This game represents a North Carolina homecoming for Tigers sophomore John Newman III, who has averaged 9.5 points on the season. Aamir Simms, who’s recorded 12.6 points and seven rebounds per game, and Tevin Mack, who’s averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, have helped Newman with leadership duties this year. On the other bench, Trent Forrest has averaged 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and four assists while Devin Vassell has put up 12.3 points and 4.9 rebounds.ACCURATE AAMIR: Simms has connected on 40 percent of the 85 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 4 for 9 over the last three games. He’s also converted 70.5 percent of his free throws this season.
WINLESS WHEN: Clemson is 0-11 when scoring fewer than 60 points and 16-4 when scoring at least 60.
PERFECT WHEN: Clemson is a perfect 14-0 when it scores at least 69 points. The Tigers are 2-15 when scoring any fewer than 69.
DID YOU KNOW: Florida State is ranked second among ACC teams with an average of 75.4 points per game.