It reads almost like an SAT question: What's the next number in this sequence - 10-16-19-25?

That's the question Oliver Purnell's Clemson basketball team must answer this season. The numerical sequence represents his growing win total in his first four seasons at the South Carolina school.

If the Tigers can add to that total for a fifth straight season, Purnell's team will almost certainly return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.

That's Purnell's goal this season.

Senior Forward
James Mays

"Being on the bubble is not satisfying," the Clemson coach said. "If we continue to do what we've been doing - getting better every year - then we'll get there. And we won't be satisfied to merely get there. I think we have the kind of team that can get in the tournament and make some noise."

Clemson's chances of playing in the postseason got a lot better last spring when forward James Mays pulled his name out of the NBA draft to return to Clemson for his senior season.

"He's a difference maker," Purnell said. "James is the key guy in our pressure defense. He plays the point of the press. His ability to defend, rebound and provide a low-post presence is vital. His decision to come back this season was critical."

Mays will anchor a veteran team that returns eight of the nine players who saw extensive action last season. The sole loss was Vernon Hamilton, a four-year starter, whose unique game seemed to symbolize Purnell's program.

Hamilton was a point guard who barely produced as many assists as turnovers, yet he was an effective offensive weapon who was almost impossible to stop on the drive. He was a dangerous defender, who finished sixth in ACC history in steals, but was also one of the worst free throw shooters on a poor free-throw shooting team.

"Offensively, Vernon was more of a scoring point and that's one reason his assist totals weren't that high," Purnell said. "We battled over that. I wanted him to pass more. Defensively, he was a tremendous player - the best ever at Clemson as far as steals go."

Purnell is hoping to fill the gap at point with another scoring playmaker - freshman Demontez Stitt, the reigning Mr. Basketball from North Carolina.

"He's a point guard who can score as well," Purnell said. "(We) recruited him as a point guard. He really understands that position. He can see the floor, which is important for a point guard. Some guys can't see. He has court vision and an ability to deliver a pass, but at the same time if the defense dictates that he should be shooting the ball or driving it because of pressure, he can do those things as well."

If Stitt doesn't come along fast enough to start right away, Purnell can slide senior Cliff Hammonds or junior K.C. Rivers into the role.

Hammonds, one of the ACC's most under-appreciated players, is a three-year starter who actually led the Tigers in assists in each of the last two seasons. He also averaged 11.6 points as a junior, while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range.

Rivers, who spent most of the 2007 season as college basketball's best sixth man, was even better from long range, hitting 39.5 percent on 223 3-point tries. He led Clemson with 14.0 points a game.

Senior Guard
Cliff Hammonds

"He was always on the floor at the end of games," Purnell said of Rivers' sixth-man role. "Whether he's starting or not, he's obviously one of the best players in the ACC."

It's significant that Purnell finally moved Rivers into the starting lineup for the season's last 10 games. For the second year in a row, the Tigers slumped late after getting off to a fast start and Purnell was looking for something to spark his team down the stretch.

But the Tigers could never recapture the early magic that carried them to a No. 14 national ranking.

"At one point we were 17-0 and on top of the mountain," Mays said. "We saw what could have been. But that was just a taste, so we definitely want to get back to that point."

The key, according to Hammonds, is learning how to finish close games.

"We're a veteran team and we have expectations for ourselves," the senior guard said. "We have to play like a veteran team. We cannot let off the pedal to anyone, no matter what the score is and how much time is left."

The Tigers think that's what happened last year on Jan. 28, when Virginia visited Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum and rallied from a 15-point deficit with seven minutes left to win 64-63.

"We kept letting them back into the game and then they beat us at the buzzer," Mays said. "That was a hard one to recover from."

In hindsight, that might have been the pivotal game in the ACC regular season race. The Cavaliers, a so-so 12-6 going into the Clemson game, carried the momentum of the win in Littlejohn into narrow victories over Duke, Miami and Maryland - and eventually to a share of the ACC regular season title.

Clemson, on the other hand, was 18-3 and ranked No. 19 nationally before the Virginia collapse. The Tigers lost five of the next six and wound up in the NIT for the third straight year.

Unlike the two previous years when the Tigers lost their NIT opener, Clemson won four NIT games this time. The Tigers reached the championship game but suffered a tough 71-66 loss to West Virginia.

Purnell is convinced that the Tigers can build on that post-season success.

"Teams that go deep in the NIT and return a significant number of players the following year see benefits from that run," Purnell said. "You get two and a half more weeks of practice, you've won those games and it is just more time to improve."

There are at least a couple of other reasons to expect improvement this season. One is sophomore center Trevor Booker, an undersized big man who averaged 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds as a freshman.

"His freshman production surprised people around the ACC," Purnell said. "He was a consistent, powerful force inside. He was our go-to guy inside."

Booker should be even more effective with a year's experience under his belt.

In addition, 6-7 junior Julius Powell, who showed so much promise as a freshman in 2006, played hurt all last year and never provided the offensive help that Purnell expected.

"He played very well as a pick-and-pop player as a freshman," Purnell said. "We didn't get that from him last year; He played in pain all year."

Powell is healthy. Everybody is older. Stitt is just one of three freshmen with the potential to contribute. There's no reason Clemson can't add to its victory total for the fifth straight year.

"I like our talent," Purnell said. "I think our depth will be good. And I love our experience."

STRENGTHS: The ACC's most experienced team - Mays and Hammonds will be starting for the fourth straight season. Rivers, Booker and Sam Perry are proven veterans. Purnell's fullcourt trapping defense is a wonderful weapon and could be even better this year with added depth on the roster.

CONCERNS: Free throw shooting is a concern - especially at the end of close games. The Tigers shot an ACC-worst 57.8 percent from the line last season.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH: Stitt is a 6-2, 170-pound playmaker from Mathews, N.C. He averaged 24.0 points and 7.0 assists as a senior at Butler High School. Purnell likes his quickness and his decision-making ability. The youngster will be given the chance to earn the starting point guard job.

EARLY TESTS: The Tigers play at Mississippi State on Nov. 15 in just their second game. Purdue visits Littlejohn on Nov. 27 for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and the Tigers renew their annual in-state rivalry with South Carolina at home on Dec. 1. The Tigers will play DePaul and Ole Miss in Puerto Rico just before Christmas, then will travel to Alabama on New Year's Day.

James Mays was an honorable mention All-ACC and All-ACC Defensive team performer ... tied for first on the team in rebounds (6.4), second in steals (69), and third in points (12.2) and assists (2.6) a ... also third with 34 blocked shots ... led all ACC frontcourt players in steals per game (1.9) ... had seven double-doubles.

Trevor Booker averaged 10.4 points per game, and tied for the team lead in rebounds (6.4) ... had 78 blocks, second-most in school history by a freshman ... finished fourth nationally among freshmen and 33rd overall in blocked shots per game (2.2) ... shot .602 from the floor ... averaged 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in five NIT games ... scored 10 or more points in 10 of Clemson’s final 12 games.

K.C. Rivers led the team in scoring (14.0) and was third in rebounds (4.5) ... came off the bench the first 26 games of the season before starting the final 10 contests ... ranked third in the ACC in three-point goals per game (2.4) ... led the team in free throw percentage (.735) ... scored in double figures 29 times a year ago - the Tigers were 24-5 in those 29 games.