Brad Brownell: Clemson basketball's 'nice kids' need more toughness after two straight losses
CLEMSON – After Clemson basketball’s second straight defeat, coach Brad Brownell said he needs to see more toughness from his team.
Clemson came up short, 78-74, Saturday night against Miami in a sold-out Littlejohn Coliseum. The No. 19 Tigers (18-6, 10-3) also lost this week at Boston College but remain in sole possession of first place in the ACC. Fourth-ranked Virginia lost at Virginia Tech and is 9-3 in league play.
Clemson lost at home for the first time since last February, a streak of 15 straight wins at Littlejohn.
The difference in this one was under the boards, where No. 23 Miami (18-5, 9-4) outrebounded Clemson, 38-28. On the offensive glass, the different was nine for the Hurricanes and only two for the Tigers.
“I’m disappointed,” Brownell said. “The only thing I’ve been disappointed in my team a little bit about this year is our guys are not aggressive enough offensive rebounding. Some of that is, I think, who you are. We’ve got a lot of really nice kids and they’re skilled players. They’re good basketball players. But we need more toughness sometimes.”
TAKEAWAYS: Clemson basketball falls to Miami, 78-74, second straight loss, but still leads ACC
PREVIOUS LOSS: Clemson basketball's breakdown at Boston College is particularly troubling
TOP 20 TEAM: Clemson basketball moves into top 20 in AP, USA TODAY coaches' poll rankings
Miami coach Jim Larranaga, who hadn’t yet seen the final stats when he came to the postgame news conference, said he was shocked when told that the Hurricanes did so well in the rebounding department.
“Wow. I’m impressed with that,” Larranaga said. “You see our size. We’re not very tall. We’re 6-7, 6-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-foot (in the starting lineup). Only one guys weighs like over 200 pounds. We’re short and skinny – but lethal.”
Clemson graduate senior Hunter Tyson did his usual thing with a double-double, 13 points and 10 rebounds. PJ Hall had 19 points and five rebounds. The rest of the team, however, combined for 13 rebounds.
Brevin Galloway returned from missing two straight games with injury and had 15 points, nine in the early part of the first half. He also had four assists.
Galloway, Chase Hunter and Alex Hemenway – Clemson's starting guards for the first 12 games of the season – were together for the first time since Dec. 17. Hemenway missed 11 games with plantar fasciitis and was in his second game back. Hunter has an ankle injury and missed two games.
“The good news is we’re back whole for the most part,” Brownell said. “These guys who have been hurt, it’s not like everything just goes away. I think Chase’s ankle is still sore and PJ’s knee (after offseason surgery) has been bothering him some. … We need a break for a little bit. We need to, hopefully, get a little more healthy, rest a little bit and get back in the gym as a full unit. We haven’t done that many days, except the last two, to try to get whole.”
Clemson will get that chance to rest and heal. The Tigers don’t play until Saturday at North Carolina.
“It’s good. I think our team is a little tired,” Brownell said. “... It will be good for us. Hopefully, we’ll get refreshed and clean up a couple things and get ready for the stretch run.”
Todd Shanesy covers Clemson athletics for the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Brad Brownell: Clemson basketball's 'nice kids' need more toughness
