Guard Ace Buckner is off to a great start, and that’s great news for Clemson as it takes the first steps toward what it hopes will be a fourth consecutive season of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
Buckner will lead the Tigers (2-0) into their third consecutive home game to open the season when they meet North Dakota (1-1) on Monday night.
Buckner is the centerpiece of Clemson’s guard-centric offense this season and is averaging 23 points per game after wins against Stetson and American University.
Buckner’s 26 points against the latter was a career high, and he is the first Clemson guard since the 2004-05 season to record back-to-back 20-point games to open a season.
Tigers coach Brad Brownell said he’d like to see improvement in other areas from Buckner, who had six assists against American but also three turnovers.
“I’m not worried about him scoring. I didn’t think he did some of the other things as well,” Brownell said. “Defensively, he wasn’t as good as he is. But when the game was on the line, he made the plays to win, and he’s got that in him. That’s what big-time players do, and he certainly is one.”
Clemson’s Liutauras Lelevicius (15 points per game), Dylan Faulkner (14) and Cole Certa (11.5) are averaging in double figures in scoring through two games.
North Dakota will play its second power-conference opponent in three games to open the season. The Fighting Hawks lost at Minnesota 85-50 last Monday to open the season before winning 93-90 at Winthrop on Saturday.
Samuel Hincapie had 24 points and seven rebounds against Winthrop, and Luke Winkel had 16 points and six assists.
Hincapie bounced back after being held to five points against Minnesota and is averaging a team-best 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks after two games. Winkel (10 ppg, 4 rpg) and Andrija Radojevic (12.5 ppg) are off to positive starts as well.
“It’s the process. It’s the growth and learning how to play against good teams that stress you in so many ways,” North Dakota coach Paul Sather said last week.