What Clemson's loss to NC State means for the ACC picture

Clemson has to rebound quickly with the ACC schedule winding down.

by Brooks Thomason - Correspondent - Sun Feb 18 07:15:43 GMT-04:00 2024

Saturday night’s loss to NC State has significant implications for the Clemson men’s basketball team and the ACC tournament upcoming in March.

With the Tigers' defeat, they move to 7-7 in ACC Play, while the Wolfpack go to 8-6. Clemson drops to seventh in the ACC with six games left on their schedule.

Earlier that day, two significant losses implicated good fortunes for the Tigers. Duke beat Florida State 76-67 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Jared McCain’s 25 first-half points helped Duke jump to a 10-point lead in the first half, and the Blue Devils didn’t look back. Florida State fell to 7-7 in ACC play, eighth in the ACC, while the Blue Devils moved to 11-3, second in the ACC.

In other action, Wake Forest fell to Virginia 49-47 in John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia’s Reece Beekman ended with 20 of Virginia’s 49, which helped Virginia win a tightly contested second half. With the loss, Wake Forest fell to 8-6 in ACC play, while the Cavaliers improved to 11-4.

The Tigers couldn’t capitalize on the losses by two teams close to them in the ACC standings. If Clemson had beat N.C. State, it would be fourth (tiebreaker over Wake Forest and Pitt), positioning themselves in the double bye spot with six games left. Clemson now sits behind N.C. State, Wake Forest, and Pitt in the ACC standings. N.C. State also owns the tiebreaker against Clemson with their win Saturday in the teams’ lone meeting this regular season.

In terms of streaks, Clemson lost its three-game winning streak and their six-game winning streak against N.C. State – and the Tigers suffered their first loss against the Wolfpack at Littlejohn Coliseum since March 2015. It's the wrong time to lose the momentum for Clemson so late in the regular season.

Looking ahead, Clemson will have to go on a good run in order to get the bye. Clemson still has Pitt and Wake Forest left on their schedule. N.C. State has a tough one, with FSU, North Carolina, Duke and Pitt in their last four games,

Pitt has Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State and N.C. State left to play. The Demon Deacons have Pitt, Duke, and Clemson as notable teams left to play. A manageable comeback for Clemson is possible, but it all starts with the Tigers starting their win streak now.

Clemson’s next focus will be at McCamish Pavilion, where the Tigers will seek revenge on Georgia Tech. Clemson fell to Tech 93-90 in double overtime at home on January 16th.

When Brad Brownell was asked about breaking the ACC mesh and going for the double bye, he dismissed the future games against Wake and Pitt. Brownell stated quickly, “We have to worry about Georgia Tech. They beat us last time…if we bring tremendous energy and togetherness, we will be fine.”

PJ Hall put up 18 points Saturday against the Wolfpack. In an impressive second half, Hall attacked the rim and got to the free-throw line eight times. PJ Hall had a short message about his team and what’s next in Atlanta.

“We will be ready,” Hall said.