Tigers Fall to Second-Seeded Cavaliers in ACC Semis

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Clemson University Men’s Basketball team’s run in the ACC Tournament came to a close in the semifinals as the third-seeded Tigers (23-10) fell to second-seeded and 13th-ranked Virginia (25-6), 76-56, at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday night. Clemson will await its postseason fate as the NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on CBS. 

On the season, the 23-win Tigers have amassed four NET Rating Quad 1 wins, and hold a 7-6 record in games against Quad 1 and Quad 2 teams. Clemson finished the ACC regular season at 14-6 overall, and no ACC school with a conference winning percentage of .700 or better has ever been left out of the NCAA Tournament. 

First Team All-ACC selection Hunter Tyson (Monroe, N.C./Piedmont) led the Tigers with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Brevin Galloway (Anderson, S.C./Seneca) added 12 points and PJ Hall (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman) had 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

Jayden Gardner had 23 points for Virginia to lead all scorers, as the Cavaliers hit 30-of-60 shots on the night, while Clemson was 19-of-53 (.358) from the floor. 

A 21-2 Virgnia run over a seven-minute stretch spanning halftime allowed the Cavaliers to open a 23-point advantage with 14:48 to play, and the Tigers weren’t able to pull within 14 points the rest of the way. 

In the first half, the teams traded buckets, with the Cavaliers moving out to a six-point advantage eight minutes into the contest. Clemson hung around, staying within four with 4:00 to play on Tyson’s third three-pointer. However, Virginia closed on an 8-0 run over the final 2:23 to take a 37-25 lead into half. Hunter Tyson had 10 at the break, and Brevin Galloway had eight. 

Clemson hit nine of its first 20 attempts from the field, but missed its last five during Virginia’s run. The Cavaliers shot 16-of-32 in the half and held a 22-16 rebounding advantage.