Recent Lineup Shift Has Paid Dividends for Clemson Tigers During Solid Stretch

It has been a great campaign so far for the Clemson Tigers who are firmly in the Top 25 of the AP Poll with March Madness approaching.

With a (21-5) record overall, the Tigers have been one of the best teams in the ACC and have high hopes once again this season.

After a tough loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Clemson was able to have their most important win of the year against the Duke Blue Devils. The Blue Devils were undefeated in the ACC at the time and one of the top teams in the country.

Beating one of the best teams in the country was a statement that the Tigers are once again going to have lofty goals heading into the NCAA tournament.

With a lot of talent on the team, the lineup for Clemson has been fairly consistent for most of the year. Fortunately, they have been able to avoid players getting injured.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com recently spoke about a recent lineup change for the Tigers that has paid dividends.

“Brad Brownell made a change before the Feb. 8 game against Duke. He moved Chauncey Wiggins, who had just played 47 minutes against Georgia Tech, to the bench, and replaced him with Dillon Hunter, who had started one game all season.”

The decision to move Hunter into the starting lineup helped contribute to the win against Duke. Making such a major shift before the biggest game of the year was a significant leap of faith for the program.

However, it has paid off in the last three games. During that span, they defeated one of the best teams in the country, a blue blood in the North Carolina Tar Heels, and then blew the doors off of the Florida State Seminoles.

This shift seems to be something that will be sticking around moving forward with both Hunter and Wiggins performing well.

With Hunter moving into the starting lineup, it has given them another player who can handle the ball, which is always key for a team. For Wiggins, he has done better coming off the bench for one of the big men, proving to be a strong rebounder.

With five games left in the regular season, Clemson will be looking to finish the season strong. As one of the best teams in the conference and with some impressive wins against top teams in the country, the Tigers have the potential to be a true contender come March.

Overall, it has been a great season for the program, but the team might have taken another step forward with the recent lineup change.

After reaching the Elite 8 last year, expectations will be high for the program. However, they have the potential to reach and maybe even exceed them.