Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame has been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, while Florida State’s Malik Beasley earned the league’s Rookie of the Week recognition.
Both of this week’s honorees hail from Alpharetta, Georgia. ACC weekly honors are determined by a vote of a select media panel.
The Tigers’ Blossomgame averaged 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks as Clemson posted wins over No. 9/6 Duke and No. 8/9 Miami. With Blossomgame leading the way, the Tigers are the first ACC team since Wake Forest in 2002-03 and the first Clemson team in school history to post three consecutive regular-season wins over opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Blossomgame, a redshirt junior, went 13-for-13 from the foul line in last week’s two wins while playing 77 of a possible 80 minutes.
Blossomgame scored a game-high 25 points – also his season high and ACC career high – in the 76-65 win over the Hurricanes on Saturday. Seventeen of his points came in the second half. Earlier in the week, he scored 17 points against Duke in a performance that included an 8-for-8 showing from the foul line and a one-handed slam that helped seal the win with 13 second remaining. Blossomgame helped Clemson rally from halftime deficits in both games, including a 12-point deficit in the first half of the 68-63 win over Duke.
Florida State’s Beasley averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and one steal while shooting .545 (12-for-22) from the field, .833 (5-for-7) from the 3-point line and .909 (10-for-11) from the free-throw line in leading the Seminoles to two ACC wins – at NC State and at home against No. 13/11 Virginia. He averaged 12.5 second-half points – including 14 after halftime in Florida State’s come-from-behind win over Virginia.
Beasley scored 22 points in the 85-78 win over NC State, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the line in the final 18 seconds. His four free throws came after the Wolfpack had whittled Florida State’s lead to three points. Beasley was a perfect 3-for-3 from the 3-point line in scoring 17 points as the Seminoles upended Virginia, 69-62, for their first win over a ranked team this season. His most important 3-point shot came at the first-half buzzer and allowed Florida State to pull to within 28-25 at intermission after trailing by as many as eight in the first half. He connected on another from beyond the arc early in the second half to ignite the surge that pushed the Seminoles ahead.
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