PC Men’s Basketball To Face Clemson In 2007-08 Season

CLINTON, S.C. – Preparing to enter its first season of NCAA Division I action, Presbyterian College men’s basketball and head coach Gregg Nibert announced on Monday that they will play in-state rival Clemson University in the 2007-08 season.

The contest will be a Thanksgiving treat for PC fans as the Blue Hose and Tigers will face off one day before the holiday on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at Littlejohn Coliseum on the Clemson campus.

“We are thrilled to add Clemson to our 2007-08 basketball schedule,” remarked Nibert. “I would like to thank Coach Oliver Purnell for giving our basketball team this opportunity in our inaugural season at the NCAA Division I level.

“The entire PC community is excited about playing a great Clemson team that is on the rise in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference. Laurens County boasts numerous Tiger and Blue Hose fans who will undoubtedly enjoy this match-up. This game will be a great challenge as we prepare to begin play in the Big South Conference in the 2008-09 season.”

The contest will not be the first time that the two schools have met on the hardwood as they have squared off against each other 69 times. Clemson owns the overall advantage in the series at 50-17-2 and a 29-7-1 series lead in its home gymnasium.

The two teams first played in the 1914-15 season and last played in the 1982-83 season. The Tigers picked up a 95-69 victory in that game over PC and head coach Butch Estes, who was assisted that season by Nibert.

Clemson will enter the 2007-08 campaign coming off one of its best seasons in recent history. The Tigers, who began the year at 17-0 and were the last team in the nation to lose from the outset of the 2006-07 season, finished the year 25-11 and advanced to the 2007 Mastercard National Invitation Tournament championship game where they fell to West Virginia, 78-73.

Presbyterian is coming off a 2006-07 season in which they posted a 20-9 record to finish with two consecutive 20-win seasons after posting a 25-9 mark in the 2005-06 campaign.

PC has not yet released its full basketball schedule for the 2007-08 season. Please visit www.presby.edu/bluehose to learn more about PC’s first NCAA Division I basketball schedule in the upcoming weeks.

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