How Clemson basketball squandered its chance for an ACC Tournament double bye
Although Clemson basketball's NCAA Tournament bid was not affected in Saturday's 81-76 loss, it missed out on its goal of landing an ACC Tournament double bye.
With their loss, the Tigers (21-10, 11-9 ACC) needed Pittsburgh (21-10, 12-8) to lose to N.C. State Saturday night in order for Clemson to capture the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. The Panthers won, sending Clemson to the No. 6 seed and a single bye. The Tigers will face the winner of the No. 11 and 14 matchup Wednesday.
This doomsday scenario could have been avoided if the Tigers handled Wake Forest (19-12, 11-9), a team fighting for its NCAA Tournament life.
"That was a high-level basketball game," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "Both teams had some guys out there making some terrific plays. Defensively, we just weren't good enough."
The Tigers built a five-point lead in the second half of this back-and-fourth contest, but the Deacons recaptured it with Efton Reid and Andrew Carr scoring critical baskets. Clemson attempted to regain the lead in the final minutes with PJ Hall, Chase Hunter and Joseph Girard III scoring, but it wasn't enough.
Hall and Hunter struggled in the first half, combining for four points. They responded to Brownell's call to be aggressive in the second half with Hall scoring 16 points and Hunter 15.
"I really challenged them at halftime," Brownell said. "I thought those guys were outstanding in the second half, but simply put, we just couldn't get enough stops to win the game."
Not only will better defense be needed for the Tigers in the ACC Tournament, but keeping quality health and fatigue will be paramount. They suffered a few scares Saturday.
Girard exited with 9:40 left in the game, grabbing his right hamstring. He returned later, and Brownell says Girard will be fine for the ACC Tournament.
HOT TICKET: How Clemson women's gymnastics has become a must-see event in its inaugural season
"I don't know if it was a cramp or just one of those deals where it kind of pulls it for a second and just got a little scared, but it's certainly locked up on him for a second there, and he needed to come out," Brownell said.
Minutes later, Hall fell on his back after guarding Reid in the post . Hall briefly lay on the floor, grimacing in pain while holding his lower back. The Spartanburg native stayed in the game, but it was another sign of how this optimistic season can be derailed. Add in the ongoing wear and tear he and Ian Schieffelin have been battling that have limited practices over the past month,
Still, Clemson is still expected to make its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance under Brownell despite the damper to conclude the regular season.
The Tigers have the making to have an extended March with an all-conference player in Hall, a 3-point shooting marksman in Girard, a capable bench and a starting lineup loaded with veterans. They just have to make it to the big dance in one piece.
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: How Clemson basketball lost chance for an ACC tournament double bye
