Technik » conference as equal to our peer group.? Revenue alone does

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Clemson enjoyed every bit of its highest-scoring game in seven years.Avry Holmes scored 22 points, Jaron Blossomgame added 17 and Clemson defeated Davidson 95-78 on Thursday in the opening game of the Tire Pros Invitational.It was Clemsons best point total since scoring 102 against Winthrop on Nov. 23, 2009. Gabe DeVoe added 16 for the Tigers (2-0), who shot 52 percent.I think we have a good team, Tigers coach Brad Brownell said. I think we have more balance than weve had in several years. ... Because of that, I think were a little tougher matchup and that was evident today by five guys in double figures.Donte Grantham and Sidy Djitte each scored 12 for the Tigers.Peyton Aldridge scored 22 points for Davidson (1-1), which went 11 for 40 from 3-point range. Jack Gibbs, who was sixth nationally in scoring at 23.7 points per game last season, scored 18 for the Wildcats.Gibbs didnt play in Davidsons opener because of a shoulder issue, and wore a protective sleeve on his left shoulder Thursday.I dont feel limited, Gibbs said. I just have to go out there, be a leader and do a better job of getting our team to do the things we do in practice. If it doesnt start with me and Peyton, theres no one else on the team thats going to start it.Davidson started off hot from 3-point range, making 6 of its first 10. But the Wildcats missed their next 16 from beyond the arc, and fell into a double-digit-sized hole that they couldnt escape the rest of the way.You start out making 3s, all of a sudden its like a poison because now you think you can make 3s, Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. The nature of our team is to go inside-out, but the demon of making those early 3s hung around our heads quite a bit.BIG PICTUREClemson: Grantham is now one shy of 100 3-pointers for his Clemson career, after making two on Thursday. ... Clemson got hit with a first-half technical because Legend Robertin was in the scorebook as wearing No. 0 -- he wears No. 00, and the penalty for that is whats called an administrative technical.Davidson: The Wildcats grabbed 20 offensive rebounds. ... Backup forward Nathan Ekwu played about 7 minutes, scored no points, took no shots -- and fouled out for the 15th time in his career.PROTECT THE BALLClemson isnt giving opponents any extra help so far this season.The Tigers have 16 turnovers, total, through the first two games -- and their opponents, Georgia and now Davidson, have turned those into only 11 points. Clemson had a 21-4 edge in points off turnovers Thursday, that 17-point margin also being the difference in the final score.UP NEXTClemson: No. 11 Xavier, which edged Missouri 83-82 in OT, in the semifinals Friday.Davidson: Missouri in the consolation semifinals Friday. Even though the Big 12 announced that its decision not to expand was unanimous, sources told ESPN on Tuesday there were schools that ultimately agreed to go along with the plan when it became obvious the conference would not reach the supermajority needed to expand.In a 714-word league memo covering the leagues talking points, obtained by ESPN, the first two items instructed officials to Indicate the Board arrived at a Unanimous Consensus and say the Board was unanimous in its desire and commitment to stay at 10 members.The internal Big 12 memo also suggested conference officials not indicate that TV influenced [its] decision and that the Big 12 was not psychologically disadvantaged because it didnt expand.Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Oklahoma president David Boren announced Monday night that the conference was no longer considering expansion. The Big 12 required approval from eight of its 10 schools if it wanted to expand, although no such votes were taken, Bowlsby said.The Big 12 initially considered 19 schools and that list was trimmed to 11 -- Air Force, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado State, UConn, Houston, Rice, South Florida, SMU and Tulane -- all of which conducted in-person meetings with conference officials in Dallas last month.Despite a number of schools favoring expansion, Bowlsby and Boren said the decision not to expand was unanimous.When presidents get in a room and read the tea leaves that its going the way its going, they go with it, a source told ESPN. Even if there were 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 [schools in favor of expansion], those presidents are very skilled in seeing the inevitability of the outcome and aligning on the right side of history. Its pretty easy to get comfortable with that position and stick to it.The memo issued by the Big 12 instructed league officials not to repeat what Boren said last year, when he told the OU Daily that I believe that we [the Big 12] are psychologically disadvantaged because we are a smaller conference.ddddddddddddThe conference also provided a number of message points, which recommended not discussing individual schools and quashing any conversation that the Big 12 is dysfunctional. Other message points touted the strength of the conference -- it won three NCAA titles and had six runner-up finishes last year in all sports -- and that the leagues revenue is at an all-time high and projected to reach $40 million per school.The memo issued by the Big 12 indicated to league members several dos and donts when discussing the decision on not to expand.Do:? Indicate the Board arrived at a Unanimous Consensus.? [Say] the Board was unanimous in its desire and commitment to stay at 10 members.? Refer to the conference as equal to our peer group.? Revenue alone does not win championships.? We are not going to publicly discuss consideration details.? We were exhaustive in our research.? We have the most competitive competition model in college sports.? Refer to 2024-25 as an opportunity to explore the media landscape and how to use new technologies to deliver content to our fans.? The sunset of our Grant of Rights agreements allows the Conference to be in an active marketplace.? Expansion is no longer an active agenda item.Dont:? Say we are at a competitive disadvantage.? Say revenue determines strength.? Say expansion is dilutive.? Say candidates were not deemed Power 5 worthy.? Refer to any specific expansion candidate/school by name.? Indicate that TV influenced decision.? [Say] we are psychologically disadvantaged.? Discuss 2024-25 as a grant of rights issues. ' ' '