NCAA Previews: Recognize James Mays and the Clemson Tigers

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Record: 24-9, 10-6 in conference
RPI: 22
How They Got In: at-large.
Seed/Bracket: #5/Midwest

Mascot: Tigers. Nothing special ... except for the trademarked "hook" in the logo of the tiger's paw.

Big Wins: Purdue, Mississippi State and Miami.

Notable Loss: They lost at home to Charlotte just days after taking UNC to overtime. They also had bad losses to Florida State and Georgia Tech late in the season.

Player You Should Know: To me, the most important player is James Mays. When he is active in the paint ... on both ends ... he causes so much trouble. He can defend with the best of them (just ask Tyler Hansbrough) and stays active on the boards. Bookend him with bruiser Terrence Booker and the Tigers put up quite the physical front.

Outlook: With their pressing defense, it will be tough for opponents to prepare on short notice. It can be beaten by smart guard play and patience. Speaking of guard play, that will be the deciding factor on how Clemson will play in this tournament. Cliff Hammonds is playing through a broken wrist while you never know how freshman Terrence Oglesby will play from game to game.

What may bite them in the rear is their poor free throw shooting. If they could have hit their FTs, they would have beaten Carolina twice this season.