Three Takeaways from Clemson's win over Wake Forest
CLEMSON -- After a 75-67 victory in Winston-Salem, Clemson is now 19-4 with seven games remaining. The Tigers also reside at 8-3 for the first time in conference play since 1996-1997.
It was another close game where the Tigers were able to close the game thanks to Marcquise Reed’s 18 second-half points, clutch free-throw shooting, and good defensive play.
Here are three takeaways from Clemson’s eighth conference win.
“Streaky” Gabe DeVoe has been consistently good during the win streak
One of the worst things you can say to a shooter is they are “streaky.” To be streaky means you are consistently inconsistent.
What we heard for most of last season was DeVoe, a capable shooter, was either consistently good or consistently bad. It seems that he heard some of the criticism himself and took it to the practice court.
With DeVoe averaging nine more minutes per game this season, there has been more pressure to perform. Once Donte Grantham went down for the season, the senior had to be the leader Clemson needed on the floor.
Man, has DeVoe answered the bell.
It started at Georgia Tech, where his career-high 25 points led Clemson to a much-needed road win. DeVoe made five three-pointers 48 hours later, and his 17 points were a big reason Clemson was able to end its 10-game skid against the Tar Heels.
Many expected DeVoe to cool off after those two games, but Saturday afternoon at Wake Forest, he was at it again. His 24 points led Clemson to its third consecutive victory.
DeVoe has made five threes in three straight games, which we believe hasn’t happened since the three-point line moved further back. He’s averaged 22 points in the last three games and shows no signs of slowing down.
He’s getting more confident as the season progresses and the green light seems to be on for him once he crosses half court. If he can continue his playing at this level, the Tigers will continue their winning streak.
Playing well in foul trouble
With 11 minutes remaining in the first half on Saturday, Wake Forest was already in the bonus, and Clemson’s defense was already on its heels. At one point in the first half, eight different players had at least one foul.
Clyde Trapp, Mark Donnal, David Skara, and Scott Spencer all found themselves on the court for a stretch of time. This was Wake Forest’s chance to make a push, but the group of reserves held their own and Clemson was still up by two when the starters came back in.
In the second half, Elijah Thomas and Reed both picked up their fourth foul with less than seven minutes remaining. For Clemson to continue to play well in that span was important, not only for Reed and Thomas to play crucial minutes without picking up their final foul but also for the younger players to play in a bigger role.
Brownell has been complimentary of the role his bench players like Trapp, Malik William, and Aamir Simms. Their role going forward will continue to be important, especially if Thomas can’t stay on the floor due to foul trouble.
Clemson sits alone at second place in the ACC.
Remember when Brownell entered Dan Radakovich’s office after last season and fans were calling for him to be fired?
Times have changed.
The Tigers were picked to finish 13th in the ACC this season, and Brownell has done as good of a job as he can in response to the doubters, even with the adversity of losing Grantham.
Clemson is now 8-3 in ACC play and is potentially one missed DeVoe free throw away from being 9-2. Virginia sits alone in first place as the nation’s number two team.
Clemson has caught the breaks it missed out on last season and has played with the composure to finish games out when the pressure is on. If Clemson can keep up what it’s been able to do, the Tigers could be playing for their best seed in school history in the NCAA tournament. In 1997, Clemson was a four-seed and haven't had as good of a seed ever since.
With the way the ACC has been playing this season, all of Clemson’s remaining games are winnable, but also losable. It’s up to Brownell and his team to finish things the right way and keep up the momentum as it heads to New York for the ACC tournament.