Clemson Basketball Schedule Announced

CLEMSON, S.C. – The men’s basketball schedule for the 2009-10 season was announced Tuesday by Head Coach Oliver Purnell and the Atlantic Coast Conference. For only the third time in school history, each of Clemson’s 16 regular season ACC games will be televised. Nine of the 16 regular season league games will be broadcast to a national television audience, including the Jan. 23 tilt with Duke which will be showcased following ESPN College GameDay from Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers, who are coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, will have 11 guaranteed games overall on national television.

“We are looking forward to playing our most challenging schedule to date,” Purnell said. “It gives us an opportunity to get better and for our program to receive unprecedented exposure.”

The non-conference schedule is highlighted by a trip to Anaheim, Calif. for the 76 Classic over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 26-29). The Tigers will square off against Texas A&M in the first round of the event, which features six schools that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, including the Aggies. The winner of the Nov. 26 game (4:30 p.m.) will advance to face the winner of the West Virginia/Long Beach State matchup on Nov. 27. The other side of the bracket includes Butler, Minnesota, Portland and UCLA.

Clemson returns home after the 76 Classic with a pair of tough games. The Tigers host Illinois on Dec. 2 for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The two teams met last season in the event, with Clemson claiming a hard-fought, come-from-behind 76-74 victory in Champaign, Ill. The game is set for ESPN at 7:15. The Tigers then take on archrival South Carolina at Littlejohn Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1:00 p.m. The game will be televised regionally by Fox Sports South.

Also on the non-conference slate are road games against Liberty (Nov. 17), UNC Greensboro (Nov. 20) and East Carolina (Dec. 16). The Tigers defeated the Flames last season, 80-75, at home. This will be Clemson’s first-ever game at Liberty. The game against UNC Greensboro will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum, the same site as the 2010 ACC Tournament. Clemson played at East Carolina two years ago and won 82-67 behind a 12-for-24 three-point shooting display at Minges Coliseum.

For the first time in over 84 years, Clemson will take on College of Charleston this season. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19, and will be televised by Fox Sports South. The Cougars are coached by Bobby Cremins, who led Georgia Tech to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances from 1981-2000. Cremins is in his fourth year as the Cougars’ head coach. Clemson holds a 7-1 advantage in the series against College of Charleston, with all eight games taking place between 1913 and 1925.

Clemson’s ACC schedule features a pair of national television games against the Duke Blue Devils. The Tigers begin conference play Jan. 3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Clemson is looking for its first win on Duke’s home court since the 1994-95 team scored a 75-70 upset. The Blue Devils then come to Clemson three weeks later for a Saturday, Jan. 23 primetime showdown at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN. The popular ESPN show College GameDay will originate live from Littlejohn Coliseum at 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. the same day.

The Tigers will also play two games apiece against Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Maryland. Three of those four teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Clemson plays just one game against the defending national champions, North Carolina. The Tigers and Tar Heels will compete at Littlejohn Coliseum on Jan. 13 in front of a national TV audience on ESPN at 9:00 p.m.

Clemson will conclude the regular season portion of the ACC schedule with three road trips in its final four games. All three teams (Maryland, Florida State and Wake Forest) were NCAA Tournament participants a season ago. Two of the games will be featured on Fox Sports as part of the network’s “Sunday Night Hoops” package. Clemson will have a total of four games on “Sunday Night Hoops” this upcoming season.

The ACC Tournament will return to Greensboro, N.C. in 2010 from March 11-14. The last time the tournament was held in Greensboro was in 2006.


Clemson Men’s Basketball 2009-10 Schedule

Date Day Opponent Time TV
Nov. 6 Fri. FRANCIS MARION (exhibition) 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 13 Fri. PRESBYTERIAN 8:00 p.m.
Nov. 17 Tue. at Liberty TBA TBA
Nov. 20 Fri. at UNC Greensboro 7:00 p.m. FSS
Nov. 23 Mon. WINTHROP 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 26 Thu. #Texas A&M 4:30 p.m. ESPN2
Nov. 27 Fri. #West Virginia/Long Beach St. 2:30/5:00 p.m. ESPN/ESPNU
Nov. 29 Sun. #TBA TBA ESPN2/ESPNU
Dec. 2 Wed. ILLINOIS (Big Ten/ACC Challenge) 7:15 p.m. ESPN
Dec. 6 Sun. SOUTH CAROLINA 1:00 p.m. FSS
Dec. 13 Sun. FURMAN 4:00 p.m.
Dec. 16 Wed. at East Carolina 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 19 Sat. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON TBA FSS
Dec. 22 Tue. WESTERN CAROLINA 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 29 Tue. SC STATE 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 3 Sun. at Duke 7:45 p.m. FSN
Jan. 9 Sat. BOSTON COLLEGE 4:00 p.m. Raycom
Jan. 13 Wed. NORTH CAROLINA 9:00 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 16 Sat. at NC State 12:00/1:30 p.m. Raycom
Jan. 19 Tue. at Georgia Tech 7:00 p.m. ESPN2
Jan. 23 Sat. DUKE 9:00 p.m. ESPN
Jan. 26 Tue. at Boston College 7:00 p.m. ESPN2
Jan. 31 Sun. MARYLAND 5:30 p.m. FSN
Feb. 6 Sat. at Virginia Tech 4:00 p.m. Raycom split
Feb. 10 Wed. FLORIDA STATE 7:00 p.m. ESPN2
Feb. 13 Sat. MIAMI (FL) 12:00 p.m. RSN
Feb. 20 Sat. VIRGINIA 7:00 p.m. RSN
Feb. 24 Wed. at Maryland 9:00 p.m. Raycom
Feb. 28 Sun. at Florida State 5:30 p.m. FSN
Mar. 2 Tue. GEORGIA TECH 8:00 p.m. Raycom split
Mar. 7 Sun. at Wake Forest 6:00 p.m. FSN
Mar. 11-14 Thu-Sun. ACC Tournament TBA TBA
(Greensboro, N.C.)

# - 76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.)
Note: All times are Eastern; FSN – Fox Sports National; FSS – Fox Sports South; RSN – Regional Sports Network