Clemson Hosts Ga. State Tuesday in NIT

CLEMSON, S.C. (CU SID) — After a two-year absence, Clemson returns to postseason play Tuesday by hosting Georgia State in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Tigers and Panthers meet in a 9 p.m. game, the fifth contest held in the series between the two programs. GAME SETUP CLEMSON (20-12) vs. GEORGIA STATE (25-8) Tipoff: Tuesday, March 18 (9:05 p.m.) Tickets: 1-800-CLEMSON Radio: CTSN (Pete Yanity-pbp; Tim Bourret-color) TV: ESPNU (Tom Hart-pbp; Bob Valvano-color) “¢ Clemson returns to the NIT for the first time since 2007 and for the 15th time in its history, more than any other ACC team. “¢ The Tigers and Panthers last met in the 2006-07 season, a 67-57 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum. “¢ Clemson has won its last nine home NIT games dating to a 99-81 win over Middle Tennessee behind a 33-point effort from Horace Grant in the 1986 event. SERIES HISTORY CU Series W-L record: Clemson leads 4-0 Streak: Clemson has won all four meetings QUICK HITS “¢ Tuesday’s winner advances to face the winner of Illinois and Boston University. “¢ Clemson has advanced to the championship game of the postseason NIT on two occasions, 1999 and 2007. The Tiger program has an overall mark of 15-14 in the NIT over the years. “¢ Tuesday’s contest features the nation’s No. 1 three-point percentage defense (.282) of Clemson against a Georgia State team that shoots .376 from behind the arc, 54th nationally. “¢ Damarcus Harrison is the only player on Clemson’s roster with any postseason experience. He was a freshman on BYU’s NCAA Tournament team in 2012. “¢ Two members of Georgia State’s team have played and started games in Littlejohn Coliseum, both in 2010-11. Ryan Harrow scored nine for NC State, while Manny Atkins also posted nine for Virginia Tech, both Clemson wins. “¢ K.J. McDaniels enters the NIT with 545 points on the season, currently the 12th-best single season total in Clemson history. He needs just 12 points to move into the top 10 all-time for single season scoring.