Gabe DeVoe, 'Clemson Grit' not enough to overcome Kansas in Sweet 16
No stretch of basketball could have defined Clemson's season any more than the last 12 minutes of its Sweet 16 contest against the Kansas Jayhawks.
In their first appearance in the round of 16 in 21 years, the Tigers found themselves with some adversity to overcome. Kansas' Silvia De Sousa made a jump shot as the Jayhawks took a 62-42 lead. No madness here, right?
The Tigers responded to the overwhelming circumstances just as they did all season: with grit, confidence, and a never-ending fight when the going got tough.
Clemson's late rally against blueblooded Kansas was not enough as the Tigers fell 80-76 and Kansas moved on to its third consecutive Elite Eight appearance.
But boy, it was one heck of a finish to a heck of a run.
"Our guys took it to the wire," Brad Brownell said after the loss. "We didn't have our best game and sometimes that's not easy to keep fighting like that."
The Tigers cut the lead to six after a Shelton Mitchell dunk that almost brought the house down with 2:27 left in the game. Clemson had the ball twice with a chance to make it a one-possession game but two 3-point attempts didn't fall its way.
It seemed like one of the only shots that didn't fall for Gabe DeVoe all night as he poured in a career-high 31 points in his final game as a Tiger. After overcoming so much in his 4-year career and emerging as a go-to scorer this postseason, DeVoe played like a man possessed. A man who didn't want this to be his final game in a Clemson uniform.
His final stat line was a rare one for Clemson. The senior was just the 27th player in Clemson's program history to achieve a "Triple Leadership" where he led the team in scoring, rebounds (9) and assists (3).
DeVoe's 31 points were the most by a Tiger in their final game since Larry Nance poured in 34 against Temple in an NIT game in 1981.
At the beginning of the season, fans would moan and groan if DeVoe would pull up from long range. As he was putting Clemson his back in this particular game, fans were begging him to put the ball up every time he touched it down the stretch.
But his performance and "Clemson Grit" weren't enough to overcome a spectacular performance from the Jayhawks, who looked like they were exactly where they belonged the entire game.
Clemson, on the other hand, looked a little shaken up at the beginning of the game, forcing passes that weren't there and not taking care of the basketball. The Tigers came into the game only turning the ball over 7.5 times in their first two games of the Tournament.
12 turnovers against an extremely talented Kansas team was not the recipe for success.
"Maybe a little bit of nerves," Brownell said.
"You're going to struggle if you don't rebound well and turn it over on offense."
Kansas made 46.7 percent of its shots and put up 80 points against a defense that has been so stout this season. Ten made 3-pointers, including three consecutive makes from behind the arc to give the Jayhawks a 20-point lead at the beginning of the second half, were daggers as Clemson tried its best to gain momentum.
The game was close early, but the Tigers weren't playing well. The team that had been so confident on the floor all season looked bothered by Kansas' length on defense and frustrated when they continued to make shots.
"We had a hard time settling in," Brownell added. "Some of that is because of Kansas. We just weren't in a comfortable spot like we've been and we just had a hard time getting comfortable most of the day."
A vital swing at the end of the first half came when Clemson cut the lead to eight points, but Elijah Thomas was called for a flagrant one inside after a Marcquise Reed (13 points) layup. Kansas then made both free throws and nailed a 3-pointer to end the half a 13-point lead.
"It was just another example of how it felt like a mountain we were climbing all day," Brownell said.
The matchup to watch was Elijah Thomas against the 7-foot giant Udoka Azubuike, who was a problem for Clemson once the ball was tipped. There was no answer inside for Clemson as the big man scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 25 minutes before fouling out with 2:35 remaining. At one point, Clemson was being outscored in the paint 26-12.
The Tigers looked outmanned for most of the contest, including when the Big 12 Player of the Year Devonte Graham was throwing alley-oops from halfcourt to get the Jayhawks rolling.
Graham finished with 16 points and was a clutch as it gets down the stretch with offensive rebounds and free throws. Malik Newman had a team-high 17 points as part of the four Jayhawks who scored in double-figures.
Kansas is now a staggering 39-0 when leading by double-digits at halftime in the NCAA Tournament.
But Brownell's boys from little ol' Clemson showed no quit until the final whistle blew.
After closing the gap to eight with 2:30 seconds left, an errant inbounds pass landed in the hands of Shelton Mitchell, who attacked the rim with the thunderous slam giving Clemson more life than they had shown the entire night forcing Bill Self to call a timeout.
Down 74-68, the Tigers missed several three-point shots over their next few possessions, but the biggest play may have been back to back offensive rebounds by Kansas that allowed the clock to dwindle down to under 1:30.
Clemson’s defensive pressure picked up and Kansas was in the midst of attempting to melt the clock. The two strategies were a perfect formula for Clemson, yet the Tigers were unable to corral back to back misses from Kansas, the second landing in the hands of the Graham and he was fouled.
Graham missed the free throw, but the damage to the clock had been done. The Tigers and Jayhawks traded free throws and buckets late before Kansas could finally celebrate their victory.
Clemson's season comes to an end after winning 25 games, tying the school record and going to the Sweet 16 for only the fourth time in school history. The future looks bright as Brownell's team took tremendous strides this past season.
After being doubted week after week, handling every obstacle in its path, and having the right pieces together, the Tigers believed the Sweet 16 wouldn't be their ceiling.
It was their expectation and should be for years to come.