The Clemson men’s basketball team ended its 2022-2023 season on Wednesday, falling to Morehead State 68-64 in the first round of the NIT Tournament.
The No. 1-seeded Tigers were hot out of the gate in Littlejohn Coliseum, jumping out by as many as 15 in the first half. But as time went on, the Eagles inched closer and closer until they eventually took their first lead with 4:37 left in the second half. From that point forward, Clemson never led again.
Coming off a disappointing Selection Sunday when the Tigers barely missed the NCAA Tournament, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said he felt like he “let the team down.”
“I thought our kids were ready to play,” Brownell said. “I thought we got off to a good start. Obviously, we had a nice lead in the first half and played a bunch of guys. Then we got a little casual at the end of the first half and gave them some life.”
Brownell added that he thought the team’s shot selection was poor at times.
“You’ve got to respect the game and respect your opponent, and we didn’t do that,” Brownell added. “That’s why the game came back to us at halftime, and they made a couple of plays. And then you’ve created a monster a little bit because they’ve got momentum, and we’re a little uneasy, and our crowd is a little uneasy. If we don’t get off to a great start, we’re going to have our hands full. The longer the game went, the more the pressure was felt, and we didn’t deliver tonight.”
Although the Tigers kept the game within reach until the final buzzer, it was ultimately poor second-half shooting from deep that contributed to their demise, as the team shot 1 for 11 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes. Overall, the team shot 6 for 28 from beyond the arc.
Clemson guard Brevin Galloway and forward Hunter Tyson combined for just 16 points on a combined 6 for 23 shooting from the field and 2 for 17 from 3-point land.
“It was definitely frustrating, for me especially,” Tyson said of the team’s shooting woes. “I’ll take the blame because I couldn’t hit the ocean if I fell out of a boat tonight.”
Clemson guard Chase Hunter led the team in scoring with 18 points. PJ Hall also made his presence known, recording a career-high five blocks and 13 points, all of which came in the second half.
