After an impressive win on senior day over Syracuse, the Clemson men’s basketball team will enter the ACC tournament with confidence and desire. With their backs against the wall, the Tigers know they will need to make some noise in the ACC tournament if they want to advance to the NCAA tournament.
With the win over Syracuse, the Tigers avenged a loss to from earlier in the season while also winning their fourth out of the last five contests. The Tigers will have to avenge another loss from earlier in the season in the ACC tournament as they play the No. 8 seed NC State Wolfpack in their first contest. Clemson will enter the matchup as the No. 9 seed in the tournament which is just high enough to grant them a first round bye.
In a stacked 2019 ACC, the Tigers will have their work cut out for them if they want to make a deep run in the ACC tournament. No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Duke, No. 14 Florida State, No. 15 Virginia Tech, along with several other formidable squads await. While Clemson is not as highly regarded as some other ACC teams, their experience and depth make them a tough opponent for any team, and they have shown all season long that they are capable of competing with the best teams in the country.
Clemson’s last matchup with the NC State was perhaps the most devastating loss in a season full of devastating losses. Leading by five with just under a minute to play, the Tigers failed to convert at the free throw line, opening the door for NC State. The Wolfpack surged back and connected on a game winning three-pointer as the buzzer sounded. This time around, the Tigers will be looking for revenge. They have been playing their best basketball of the season as of late, and with a chip on their shoulder, they have a great chance to beat an NC State team that has lost two of their last three contests.
If Clemson is going to win against the Wolfpack or any other team in the tournament, they will have to continue to maintain the excellent team play that they have displayed in recent games. The Tigers have received contributions up and down the lineup, and head coach Brad Brownell has shown that he trusts each of his players in any given situation. From veteran players like Marquise Reed, Shelton Mitchell, David Skara, and Elijah Thomas to underclassmen Aamir Simms and Clyde Trapp, Clemson has an exceptional balance between experience and youth that has just recently seemed to click. The Tigers will hope to carry their rhythm into their most important stretch of the season.
One area that Clemson will certainly need to improve in is their ability to find a way to win close games. Their 1-5 record in games decided by two points or less is a glaring weakness in what will surely be a week of tightly contested matchups. Clemson has been able to compete with ACC’s elite all season long, but now they must find a way to finish if they have any hopes of competing in the NCAA tournament.
While wrapping up the season with a win against a formidable Syracuse squad was an excellent boost to the team’s NCAA tournament hopes, there is still work to be done. The Tigers are squarely on the bubble as it stands, and they lack a true signature win that could propel them into the tournament. A quarterfinals victory over ACC’s top team, Virginia, could be exactly that. If the Tigers are to stand any chance, they will certainly have to take care of business against the Wolfpack.
Clemson will tip off against the Wolfpack at 12 p.m. on Wednesday. All following games will be played on consecutive days, culminating in the ACC Championship game on Saturday. The Tigers’ NCAA tournament questions will be answered next Sunday afternoon on the Selection Sunday show that airs at 6 p.m. on CBS.
