The Clemson Tigers failed to make the NCAA Tournament and will instead participate in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Tigers are one of the better teams in the NIT, earning a spot as a No. 2 seed and matching up with No. 7 seeded Wright State. The winner of the matchup will move on play the winner of Furman vs Wichita State.

The meeting is a reunion of sorts for Clemson head coach Brad Brownell, who coached the Raiders from 2006-2010 and went 84-45 during his tenure there, including one NCAA Tournament appearance.

The matchup will certainly be a defensive-minded one, as the Tigers and the Raiders both tout units that excel at contesting and denying shots. Clemson is the 23rd ranked team in the country in fewest points allowed, while the Raiders are ranked 67th in the same category.

Cementing the idea that this will likely be a low-scoring game is the fact that both teams seem to struggle at the offensive end of the court. Both teams have shot poorly from the field this year, though Wright State does have a slight advantage in terms of their three-point shooting accuracy.

The Raiders will look to play through their big men, center Loudon Love and forward Billy Wampler. Love leads Wright State in points and rebounds, with 15.1 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game while Wampler sits just behind love in points per game with 14.9. As a result, Elijah Thomas and David Skara will be called on early and often to try to impede the progress of the Wright State frontcourt.

For Clemson, Marcquise Reed will shoulder the bulk of the offense. In his last 10 games, Reed has averaged just under 20 points per game, almost 7 rebounds per game, and 2.6 steals per game while shooting an outstanding 45.1% from beyond the three-point arc. His contributions on both sides of the ball will be key for Clemson to pick up the win against the Raiders.

The game will begin at 7 p.m. in Littlejohn Arena and be broadcast live on ESPNU.