At the halfway point of a season where the stack of answers still pales in comparison to its questions' counterpart, one quandary in particular is becoming more and more impossible to ignore: What in the world do we make of the Clemson Tigers?
Red-hot Clemson is suddenly the talk of the ACC
Not much appears clear through three weeks of play in the ACC, where the 5-1 Clemson Tigers are the unexpected talk of the conference.
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After sending Miami home with a 76-65 loss Saturday afternoon, Brad Brownell’s team is now 5-1 in the ACC and has won back-to-back-to-back games against top 25 opponents. It’s the first time in the history of Clemson basketball that the Tigers have accomplished this feat.
Adding to the intrigue is that the site of these victories -- which also include a 66-62 triumph over No. 16 Louisville and a 68-63 upset over No. 9 Duke -- isn’t even the Tigers’ home arena. With Littlejohn Coliseum undergoing a $63.5 million renovation project this season, Clemson has been forced to play its home games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. Somehow, this arena 45 minutes away from the Clemson campus has morphed into the biggest home-court advantage in the ACC.
Despite its stunning start in conference play, the Tigers are still fighting an uphill climb when it comes to its postseason prospects. Clemson went just 7-5 during the non-conference portion of its season, taking head-scratching losses to the likes of UMass (82-65), Minnesota (89-83), Alabama (51-50) and Georgia (71-48). Those four teams are a combined 3-15 in conference play at the moment.
So how are people supposed to explain to their children what Clemson has done since?
“I always say momentum is a big thing,” Brownell said earlier this week. “I always try to tell y’all that momentum is important with young people and powerful in this sport. We had some negative momentum in the beginning of this season and couldn’t build any real positive vibe. [The Florida State win] told us that we are good, we beat a good team, take a deep breath, relax, go back to doing what we were doing and focus on what we do, because we have a chance to beat some good teams.”
That momentum apparently started after a players-only meeting called by center Landry Nnoko before the Tigers could even get on the team bus after being embarrassed by Georgia on Dec. 22. Clemson was about to get some time off for the holidays before starting ACC play on Dec. 30, and Nnoko wanted to make sure that each one of his teammates knew they needed to bring a different attitude to the court after the short break.
“As much as whatever was said (in that meeting),” Brownell said, “and as coaches we don’t know what was said and it’s probably good that we don’t, it’s just the fact that I would say, ‘Alright guys, we need to get on the bus in 30 minutes,‘ and Nnoko tells me, ‘No we don’t, coach. We need a players’ meeting. We need you guys to leave.‘ Just the fact that he would say that in the manner, like, ‘get out, I want to talk to the team’ ... that at least started to establish something.”
Of course things like players-only meetings and momentum can only explain so much. The reality is that it's been the Tigers' relentless halfcourt defense that deserves the lion's share of credit for their current tear. Clemson has held each of its last four opponents to 75 points or fewer, and its last three to 65 points or fewer. Toss in some hot outside shooting and a remarkably efficient stretch from darkhorse ACC Player of the Year candidate Jaron Blossomgame, and suddenly you've got one of the biggest stories in college basketball.
Clemson's five-game winning streak is its first since 1996, and now its fan base is talking openly about not just getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, but potentially doing some damage in the big dance. For that to happen, the Tigers are going to have to prove that they're capable of going on the road and playing the same way they have at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. That challenge can be accepted Tuesday night, when Brownell and company will shoot to extend the streak against top 25 foes to four with a win at Virginia.
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