This former ACC and NBA star is very high on the Clemson men’s basketball team.
Two-time NBA champion Kenny “The Jet” Smith, now a studio analyst, weighed in on Brad Brownell’s team at halftime during truTV’s broadcast of the Tigers’ eventual 77-56 win over New Mexico on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Smith – who played at North Carolina before going on to win NBA titles with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995 during his 11-year NBA career – believes Clemson “could be top 10 in the NCAA in terms of talent.”
“Tigers have a lot of talent,” Smith said. “Interiorly, they’re able to score the basketball with (Ian) Schieffelin, along with (PJ) Hall. Those two guys are very skilled inside. But Hall also can step out and knock down the 3, put in on the floor. Their guard play is tough.”
Smith added that he thinks Clemson — which entered the tournament with a 21-11 record, including an 11-9 mark in regular-season ACC games — is a “sleeper” team.
“I think this is a sleeper. I always thought that their record in the regular season didn’t indicate how well they played, or well they could play,” Smith said. “At times they had lulls.. I just think that they are probably, in terms of talent, they could be top 10 in the NCAA in terms of talent.”
Clemson dominated the Mountain West champion New Mexico, leading for all but 30 seconds of game time and leading by as many as 23 points in the second half.
After earning its first NCAA Tournament victory since the Sweet 16 run in 2018, No. 6 seed Clemson will now face third-seeded Baylor on Sunday in the second round of the West Regional in Memphis, Tenn., with another trip to the Sweet 16 at stake.