Three Takeaways from Clemson's opening round win
For the first time in 21 years, Clemson woke up after an NCAA Tournament game in the round of 64 still dancing.
New Mexico State was the popular upset pick as straight money bets were seven to one on the Aggies. Clemson heard all the chatter this week of the 12-seeds always giving 5-seeds trouble in recent years but came in and was the better team from tip-off.
Not one 5-seed lost in the first round this year.
Clemson was led by its masterful trio of guards Shelton Mitchell, Gabe DeVoe, and Marcquise Reed. Clemson’s backcourt combined to score 60 points in the win.
The Tigers survived and advanced to dance another day, this time against the Auburn Tigers in a matchup that could have occurred back in November in Charleston.
Here are a few takeaways from Clemson’s win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament:
Silencing the doubters
Clemson led for most of the game and was up by as many as 18 in the second half before the Madness of March began to take its course. The Aggies cut the lead to six points with six minutes to go, and a packed house got loud as an upset bid became more of a reality.
Shelton Mitchell got the ball and was as calm as ever. Clemson’s guards had been in this situation before this season. The lefty point guard swished a three on the next possession, backpedaled down the court, and put his index finger to his lips, shushing the crowd.
This was an uncharacteristic move from Mitchell, who rarely shows a great deal of emotion. Mitchell, who scored a season-high 23 points, wasn’t just silencing the packed, loud Viejas Arena in San Diego. He was silencing the doubters.
Mitchell scored seven consecutive points to give Clemson a commanding lead for good. All week this team heard how this upset-minded team from the WAC conference was coming for them. Mitchell and the rest of his teammates had heard enough.
The Tigers were loose and confident 3,000 miles away from the comforts of home. DeVoe looked tremendous with his 10-for-15 scoring effort for 22 points, and Reed added 15 points himself.
The three guards made more field goals (25) than New Mexico State’s did as a whole (24).
If you think elite guard play is the key to making a run in the NCAA Tournament, then Clemson has the tools if the backcourt plays as it did Friday night.
The Tigers may still have plenty of doubters moving forward. That’s fine.
They like it that way.
Outmanned
One of the many things we heard about this New Mexico State squad is their presence inside and how tough it is to rebound against them.
The Aggies were one of the best rebounding teams in the country. They averaged over 41 rebounds per contest in 34 games played and usually would win the rebound margin by at least nine.
Even though Clemson lost the rebounding margin by a slim margin, 33-31, the Tigers didn’t let them get to their average. Clemson also outscored New Mexico State in second-chance points 7-4.
The inside presence belonged to the Tigers who scored a whopping 42 points in the paint to the Aggies’ 28. Elijah Thomas had six points and snagged ten rebounds. Clemson limited its turnovers to only eight, which is one of Brad Brownell’s game goals, and scored 18 points off of 11 New Mexico State Turnovers.
Then there was Aamir Simms off the bench, who scored nine points and made every shot he took. His thunderous dunk down the lane in the middle of the second half gave Clemson another shot in the arm. It was a confidence-building performance for the freshman. Clemson will need more of him if it’s going to make it to next weekend.
New Mexico State’s only hope was Zach Lofton, who scored a game-high 29 points in his final game as an Aggie. Jemerrio Jones added 13 points, but no other player scored in double figures as the Aggies were outmanned in their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Survive and Advance
With Clemson’s win, the Tigers are one step closer to making it to their first sweet sixteen appearance since 1997. The team took some time to enjoy moving their name ahead in the bracket.
In a 24-hour span that saw title contenders Arizona and Virginia fall in blowout, historical upsets, it’s a friendly reminder that winning one game is a reward in its own. Anyone in college basketball can be beaten on any given night.
So if you’re a Clemson fan, take a step back and enjoy the breath of fresh air in this new life. Virginia’s hopes for an NCAA title are gone. Yours are not.
It’s a one-game, do-or-die season and as Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said after his team’s historic loss:
"You enjoy the good times, and you gotta be able to take the bad times. When you step into the arena … the consequences can be historic losses, tough losses, great wins, and you have to deal with it.”
Reed and Mark Donnal took some time to talk about how they have seen Clemson’s basketball culture and program change since they arrived to Clemson as transfer. It’s been a step-by-step process, but a growing one.
We asked Brownell what a win or two in the NCAA Tournament would do for his team’s culture.
His answer: not much on the inside but a little on the outside.
“I don’t think it changes our culture at all. Maybe from the outside, it continues to help our credibility with our team, our program. The inside of our culture has been good lately and has been great this year. We just have everybody on the same page. All the pieces to the puzzle fit…
“What it would look like on the outside, it would be good. It would be good for us to win a couple of games and continue to build our brand and continue to bring eyes of recruits and others to our program.”
We saw South Carolina make a Final Four run a season ago and then take a major step by by not making the tournament this season. Programs aren’t defined by runs during tournament time but by seasons as a whole. An NCAA Tournament win to add to this remarkable season is just some icing on the cake.
There’s no need to look ahead. This team is enjoying the moment.
They are enjoying the survival.