Three Takeaways from Clemson's win over Boston College in the ACC Quarterfinals

What’s the age old saying?

“Survive and advance.”

Clemson took the next step on the road to getting to its first ACC championship game in ten years after an exciting 90-82 win over Boston College.

The upstart, hot Eagles had won two games in two days, just the kind of team Brad Brownell elduded would be tough to face in his team’s first game in the ACC Tournament. Clemson showed the national stage what kind of team it has.

A team full of players that are acting like they’ve been there before when quite frankly, they haven't. A team full of mental and physical grit that can grind a game out when they need to and when you play in the ACC, you almost always need to.

It was the first time Clemson’s offense put 90 points on the board the entire season. After having a 16 point lead cut to just two, the Tigers had to hold on for dear life to escape the Barclays Center with their 20th tournament win all-time.

Brad Brownell is pushing for his guys to get better, seize the opportunity, and play their game as their road continues. On the outside, this win may not have seen as much of a big step over the 12-seeded Eagles. But it was much more.

Here are three takeaways from Clemson’s win over Boston College (ACC quarterfinals edition).

Have a day AJ Oliver

Redshirt freshman AJ Oliver was one of the first players whose name was called to take the floor off the bench against Boston College.

Talk about acting like you’ve been there before.

Oliver didn’t play in 13 of Clemson’s ACC games this season. He hadn’t played over seven minutes since December 3rd, 2017. Brownell said Oliver struggled at times, couldn’t get his legs under him at certain points in the season, and stayed on the bench because of it.

Clemson’s bench play has not been too pretty at times this year, like at Virginia Tech where there was absolutely no production.

But in the ACC Tournament, Oliver got the call, and he made his moment count. The redshirt freshman made all three of his 3-point attempts for a career-high nine points, including a massive shot to give Clemson a 6-point lead with 4:25 left. The shot was a dagger and helped Clemson seize back some momentum.

Brownell was proud of his guy, who helped Clemson’s bench outscore Boston College 14-4. Especially after the season Oliver had been through.

“He lost his confidence midway through the year,” Brownell said of Oliver. “He has responded with an incredible attitude. He’s been playing well the last month in practice. I thought it was time to reward him. What he did today was huge. I couldn’t be more proud of him because it hasn't been easy for him.”

If the Tigers can continue to have this type of productivity off the bench, maybe Clemson can make a run at this thing.

Continuing to grow without Donte Grantham

The best player on Clemson’s team, the senior leader Donte Grantham had one of his best games against Boston College in the regular season where the Tigers won 74-70.  

Grantham scored a season-high 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and had five assists to lead Clemson victory and help it hang on. Clemson doesn’t win that game without Grantham’s production.

There’s no way his presence from that game could have been duplicated when playing Boston College again, right?

Not if Shelton Mitchell and Gabe DeVoe had anything to say about it.

The duo of guards led the way for the Tigers. DeVoe scored a game-high 25 points, tying his season high which he has gotten to four times this season now. Mitchell added 21 points as the two guards outscored the elite duo of Boston College’s Ky Bowman (23 points) and Jerome Robinson (20 points).

Many though Clemson couldn’t have made it this far without Grantham. Here they are.

When four players score in double-figures, which happened against Boston College, and one of those players can score 20 points, Clemson is a tough team to beat. Heck, any team is a tough team to beat.

It’s going to take a collective effort from every Tiger who takes the floor if Clemson is going to make some noise in March. Eight different players scored, a good sign moving forward.

This game was another prime example of how far this team has come since losing their best player. They just seem to keep improving, even when facing adversity.

Uncharted Territory

Clemson now has 20 wins all-time in the ACC Tournament.

20-64. Two appearances in the championship game, the last time being in 2008.

The run this team is on right now is about as remarkable as it gets. It feels like we can’t say it enough, maybe because we can’t believe it.

This team has a chance now to do something no one thought they could. After all, they were picked to finish 13th in their conference, and all they did was finish tied for third. However, they play like they have been here before, something that can come in handy against the opponent who is waiting for them.

The Tigers ran into a buzzsaw the last time they faced the No. 1 team in the country, Virginia. It was by far their worst offensive outing. Clemson scored 43 points in the first half against Boston College, but 36 the entire game against the Cavaliers.

There’s a chance the Tigers easily get bounced, Clemson’s run in the ACC ends, and Brownell’s crew comes home and prepares for Selection Sunday tomorrow. There’s also a chance to shake things up with a win over the Hoos and appear in a third championship game against either Duke or North Carolina, two opponents Clemson knows it can beat.

A chance might be all they need.