ATLANTA – Clemson basketball didn't look terrible after Saturday's one-point loss to North Carolina State.
The Tigers have won three straight games and are tied for seventh place in the ACC standings. But after blowing a 12-point lead and losing at home to the Wolfpack, they had lost three straight and looked like they were near the bottom of the conference.
As a result, Clemson is motivated to not only beat Georgia Tech, but also try to recapture the good vibes they had from November to December, when they started the season 11-1.
Mission accomplished on Wednesday with an 81-57 victory over the Yellow Jackets (11-16, 4-12 ACC) over the Tigers (18-8, 8-7 ACC).
“I just said 'Spirit' every time in the huddle tonight because we were trying to get the team spirit back,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.
It's hard to pinpoint when the Tigers lost their “spirit” this season. That could be when they start 2024 with three straight losses, or after gut-wrenching one-possession losses to Georgia Tech, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina State.
Regardless, Clemson wanted to get back to where it was before. Brownell said the team had a “difficult” film session on Monday before Wednesday's game, during which they asked the older players to step up. This meant the Tigers practiced hard for Wednesday's game, and their hard work was on display at McAmish Pavilion.
“There were some games that didn't go our way, but you can't argue with that,” guard Chase Hunter said. “As far as practice, we were just competing, pushing each other, trying to make sure we were ready for the next game.”
Clemson set a season high with 14 3-pointers, holding the Yellow Jackets to 57 points, the lowest the Tigers have allowed in conference play this season. Four starters scored in double figures, and members of the bench also scored 11 points and dished out 21 assists, the most since Dec. 22.
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Although it was against Georgia Tech, which has the second-worst record in the ACC, the Tigers needed to win the ACC Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in 14 years under Brownell. Show that you have something.
Clemson is currently tied for fifth place in the ACC with three other teams and is back on what Brownell calls the “Glob.” His next two games are important, against Florida State and then Pittsburgh. Both he is one of three teams tied for fifth place.
If the atmosphere from November and December is truly going to return, Clemson will need to show up when playing these teams.
“I just want (the players) to understand that they have a chance to do something special and they don't want to have any regrets,” Brownell said. “We already know each other well enough and we know ourselves. Let's end it the right way.”
Derian Carter covers Clemson Athletics for The Greenville News and USA TODAY Network. Email [email protected] and follow X (previously known as Twitter) @DerrianCarter00.
