How Clemson basketball proved unready for March Madness in upset loss to McNeese State
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — All of Clemson basketball's momentum from its historic regular season went down the drain Thursday.
No. 12 seed McNeese State upset the fifth-seeded Tigers, winning 69-67 at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Cowboys (28-6) will face No. 4 Purdue in the second round Saturday.
For Clemson (27-7), it was a disastrous showing, especially during the first half when it scored a season-low 13 points. Clemson nearly accomplished an improbable comeback, trimming its 24-point deficit to two in the final 10 minutes of the game. Its hapless first half was too much to overcome.
"This hurts," Clemson guard Chase Hunter said. "We wanted to do some big things to end the year, but I'm proud of this team and the whole season. ... It's going to sting to know that we didn't finish the right way. I think that's something that will probably hurt us for the rest of our lives."
Clemson's 3-point shooting woes continue, contribute to halftime deficit
Clemson dug itself into a 18-point deficit at halftime. It shot 5-for-24, including 1-for-15 from 3-point range. It ranked 11th in the nation in 3-point shooting in early February but has endured a slump since the beginning of March.
Clemson entered Thursday's game shooting 21-for-87 (24.1%) from 3-point range in its past five games. It finished shooting 9-for-30 (30%) from 3-point range.
"You have halves like that. You don't like having them in this setting," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "I was trying to get them to relax. We haven't shot the ball very well the last two weeks. I don't know why that is ... and you can almost see our guys pressing and just trying hard."
McNeese knew about the Tigers' deep-shooting struggles and utilized a 2-3 zone defense to encourage deep shooting instead of inside scoring. McNeese's defense contributed to Clemson's self-inflicted wounds, forcing 10 first-half turnovers − including five traveling violations. The Cowboys scored 15 points off turnovers.
"We've been saving that zone all year. We haven't played the 2-3 zone all year," said McNeese State coach Will Wade, who attended Clemson and is reportedly in line to be NC State's next coach. "We put it in for some stuff in the conference tournament and never used it. We thought this would be a good time to pull it out, so our guys did a great job."
Clemson was on pace for 29 total points at halftime, which would have been the program's fewest points in an NCAA tournament game. Near the 12-minute mark of the second half, Clemson's top two scorers, Hunter and forward Ian Schieffelin, had combined for one point. They entered Thursday's game averaging a combined 29.2 points.
McNeese dominates Clemson in rebounding in March Madness
McNeese outhustled Clemson. Brownell pointed out earlier this season that rebounding had been a struggle for his team with the exception of its leading rebounder, Schieffelin, and center Viktor Lakhin. Clemson experienced huge success to close the regular season, but that issue arose in the ACC tournament and Thursday.
Despite lacking size, McNeese won the rebounding margin 43-36, including five more offensive rebounds. Its athleticism overwhelmed Clemson on the glass, knocking loose potential rebounds and winning at the point of attack to secure extra possessions that helped the Cowboys log 16 second-chance points.
"If you didn't box them out, they were going to make you pay," Schieffelin said. "Sometimes they wanted the ball more and sometimes the ball bounces the other way. Sometimes it bounces your way. They were more physical and just wanted the ball more."
Dillon Hunter's injury impacts Clemson basketball's depth
Clemson lacked depth, especially with Dillon Hunter being out with a broken right hand. The Tigers' replacements, forward Chauncey Wiggins and guards Jake Heidbreder and Del Jones, could not elevate their performances.
Wiggins scored 10 points, shooting 3-for-12, but seven of his points came in Clemson's late comeback attempt. Heidbreder, Clemson's 3-point specialist, could not find his stroke, shooting 1-for-5. Jones scored two points and recorded a team-worst minus-8 plus-minus.
McNeese's depth shined, scoring 30 more bench points than Clemson. The Cowboys' leading scorer was reserve guard Brandon Murray, who scored 21 points.
Clemson had an impressive season, setting a program record for total wins and conference victories. Yet Clemson did not beat any team that made the NCAA tournament on the road or at a neutral site despite beating Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina in the comfy confines of Littlejohn Coliseum.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball: Hapless first half dooms Tigers in NCAA Tournament
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