Clemson tries to build on past

Clemson was one of the ACC's biggest surprises last year, finishing third in the regular season and advancing to the conference tournament championship game for the first time since 1962.

Despite shooting an ACC-worst 62.3 percent from the foul line last season, Clemson posted an overall record of 24-10 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years, only to be upset by No. 12-seed Villanova in the first round.

For the Tigers to improve upon their winning percentage for the fifth consecutive year, they will need to find a way to fill the void left by the departure of Cliff Hammonds. The dynamic guard led the team in assists and steals per game last season and was second in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per contest. The four-year starter was also known as a lock-down defender who would usually guard the opposing team's best player.

Clemson will call upon senior guard K.C. Rivers, who earned second-team All-ACC honors last season, to pick up Hammonds' scoring and improve upon the team-high 14.7 points per game he posted last season. The Tigers' captain has the ability to take over a game, evidenced by his 32-point performance in a win over Virginia last year.

Sophomore Demontez Stitt will join Rivers in the backcourt at point guard. Another returning starter, Stitt averaged 8.8 points per game as a freshman and was a major contributor in Clemson's first-round NCAA Tournament loss, going 4-for-4 from 3-point range.

Sophomore guard Terrence Oglesby, the Tigers' 3-point specialist, may take on a starting role this year after a freshman campaign in which he established himself as one of the ACC's best coming off the bench. He averaged 10.5 points per game and shot 40.8 percent from beyond the arc as the team's sixth man.

In the frontcourt, Clemson will miss forward James Mays, an integral part of the squad's full court press. The Tigers' primary threat down low will be senior Trevor Booker, a returning starter who, at 6-foot-7, is the shortest center in the conference. Despite his lack of size, Booker leads all returning ACC players with 142 career blocked shots and posted seven double-doubles last season.

But it's not all Booker or Rivers. The Tigers have had five players average double figures over the past two seasons-and in order for them to continue their rise to the top tier of the ACC, they might need five legitimate scorers for a third year.