Chase Hunter, Clemson basketball silence critics as they move on to March Madness 2nd round
Clemson basketball faced its share of critics after making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.
Sixth-seeded Clemson (22-11) silenced those doubters with its 77-56 victory over No. 11 seed New Mexico (26-10) Friday at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, that saw the Tigers recover their much-needed edge. The critics came as the Lobos (26-10) entered winning four straight to take the Mountain West tournament, and Clemson was coming off a poor outing against Boston College in the second round of the ACC tournament on March 13.
Guard Chase Hunter, who scored two points and shot 0-for-10 in the conference tournament, used his previous performance and the doubters to fuel Clemson's first round-of-64 win since 2018.
"I felt like I let my team down (in the ACC tournament). I let the whole university down, to be honest," he said. "But coming into this tournament, I was fired up."
Hunter scored a season-high 21 points, shooting 8-for-16 from the field. He was too much for New Mexico defenders to handle, making acrobatic layups and scoring midrange jumpers. He also found his teammates, getting six assists — his most since Feb. 21 vs. Georgia Tech.
The Georgia native is a big part of the Tigers' hopes of a sustained run in March Madness. When he struggles like he did against Boston College, the team — especially its offense — is out of sorts. His playmaking, scoring and defense are critical for Clemson.
"He wanted to play very well, and he was heartbroken, disappointed (after the ACC tournament loss)," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "I'm happy for him and not surprised at all that he bounced back and played the way he did."
The Tigers showed up defensively after allowing at least 75 points in their past three games. They contained the Lobos — a team that led the Mountain West in scoring with 81.7 points per game — to a season-low 56 points. Clemson limited their leading scorers, Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr., to a combined 18 points. The two had combined for 49 in the Mountain West tournament championship.
Clemson forced 13 turnovers and scored 19 points off them. Its players were active on defense, recording four blocks and seven steals and holding New Mexico to 29.7% shooting from the field.
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"Just smart, tough, together teams win," Brownell said. "It's funny, I wrote it on my marker board at halftime again to remind our guys [that] smart, tough, together teams win."
This smart, tough, together team's 21-point margin of victory is its second-largest in NCAA tournament competition in program history. Entering Friday's matchup, Brownell didn't believe his team played poorly as it was made out to be despite losing three out of its previous four. He emphasized to his players to get back into their November and December mindset and eliminate outside distractions.
Clemson searched for those early-season vibes during ACC play earlier this season and won three straight. The team may have found them again and will need it for the second-round game Sunday against third-seeded Baylor, a team that beat No. 14 seed Colgate soundly 92-67.
Making the NCAA tournament wasn't the goal for Clemson, because it has the makings to reach the Final Four for the first time in program history.
"Going into this tournament, we knew that wasn't a goal of ours, to get to the tournament," PJ Hall said. "That was an expectation."
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball asserts itself, returns to 'smart, tough' identity
