Brad Brownell emphasizes importance of rest, updates Mitchell and Reed

With two games remaining on Clemson’s schedule, every possession matters.

The Tigers are fighting to hang on to the fourth spot in the ACC standings. If the Tigers finish 2-0 to finish the season, there is a scenario Clemson could end up as a three seed for the ACC tournament next week.

If Clemson finishes 0-2, then it’s unlikely it cracks the top four, which shows the importance of the final two games.

It’ll begin Wednesday night as Clemson faces Florida State in its final regular season home game.

We all remember what happened the last time these two teams faced off. The Tigers squandered an 18-point lead in the second half and fell to the Seminoles in overtime.

It was the only game head coach Brad Brownell remembers where his team met seven of the team’s eight “game goals” but still came up short.

The loss gave Clemson fans flashbacks to a season ago when their team couldn’t seem to finish any games down the stretch. To make matters even worse, Shelton Mitchell got concussed in the closing seconds of the game, forcing him to sit out a week.

The Tigers got Mitchell back just at the right time. They needed his skills to complete an 11-point comeback over Georgia Tech after Clemson had lost three straight.

Mitchell looked impressive in the 75-67 win. His 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half, was the spark Clemson needed on offense that it lacked in its previous couple of games.

Speaking of Mitchell, Brownell was asked about the progress he’s made since the last game.

“I thought Shelton looked like he had a little more zip to him just because he was probably off for about a week,” Brownell said. “I thought he was good. I think he is doing fine. He should be ready to go and in good shape having played and having a couple more days.”

Marcquise Reed also looked aggravated by a minor hand injury during Clemson’s win on Saturday, but it was nothing more than minor. Brownell said Reed practiced fine yesterday, got some treatment afterward, but is ok.

One of our biggest takeaways from Saturday’s win was how Brownell repeatedly said how tired some of his players looked in general. Players like DeVoe, Reed, and Skara had played tons of minutes due to Mitchell’s absence, and it was starting to wear on them by making mental errors in Saturday’s win.

He wanted to evaluate over the next couple of days the best way to move forward so Clemson will be ready for a strong finish. Brownell said he lightened the load at practice a little bit the last couple of days.

“We did a little bit lighter yesterday, especially with a couple guys,” Brownell said Tuesday afternoon. “We’ll see. I think we’ll be fine. It’s going to be interesting – the 9:00 PM game – maybe in some ways it’ll be good for us. I’m hoping it’s going to be good for our team. They’ll have a full day of class and then a couple of hours to catch their breath.”

Brownell added late home games during the week can be challenging because guys have so many different schedules. On the road, everyone can be on the same schedule and relax or take a nap before the game.

Looking at how he can tell some of his players are tired, Brownell likes to have an open dialogue with his players. Some guys are built to play all day, while others get worn out and need fewer reps every now and then. Every player is different.

He could tell his players were drained by some of the mental mistakes that almost cost Clemson a home win on Senior Day.

“These are young people with a lot going on, and there are times when they are a little tired, stressed and mentally worn out as much as physically,” Brownell added.

Clemson will need to be recharged to the max in order to take care of business at home.

The Tigers take on Florida State on Wednesday night at 9:00 PM in Littlejohn Coliseum.