Clemson Defeats Georgia Tech, But Concerns Remain

The Clemson Tigers (22-9, 12-6 ACC) found a way to close the regular season with a hard-fought win on Saturday.

Brad Brownell’s team eked past conference bottom-dweller Georgia Tech 79-76 in a game that saw 13 lead changes. Despite the underdog Yellow Jackets pushing postseason-bound Clemson, the Tigers punched back enough to earn their 14th home win.

Still, Clemson’s first-half performance left much for the Littlejohn Coliseum crowd to desire. Defensively, the Tigers allowed Georgia Tech comfortable looks left and right to begin the game, sinking a veteran roster into a sizable deficit.

“I don't know what it was, but we just didn't quite have the same juice defensively in the first half,” Brownell said after the win.

“Give Georgia Tech credit. I don't know what it is – they come to Littlejohn, they play well. They make shots, and they made some hard ones [today]. It just was one of those games where it just felt like this is going to be a hard one to pull out.”

Although the aforementioned deficit was cut to just six points entering halftime, Clemson needed to quickly flip the script after the break. Georgia Tech’s lead ballooned to ten with 15:30 left to play, and a restless home crowd ensued.

“[We were] just trying to get a few stops together,” senior guard Butta Johnson said. “I feel like if you get a few stops together, then the offense will eventually come. That’s how we felt throughout the majority of the game. Offense, don't worry about that. That’ll always come. We’ve got an elite group of guys.”

Those stops came for Clemson, sparking a 26-11 run that spanned 8:20 of game time. The point-of-attack defense tightened, which had two ripple effects. Georgia Tech committed 8 turnovers, leading to 12 Tiger points scored. The Yellow Jackets were also forced into more difficult shots, as Clemson decided to help less into the paint and guard the perimeter one-on-one.

When looking at the teams’ ACC and NCAA Tournament futures, it’s hard to ignore the defensive struggles that have popped up in the latter part of the season. Without a dominant offense to lean on night after night, a poor game containing opposing ball-handlers could be especially costly for Clemson.

The Tigers will have a chance to shore up that area again in next week’s ACC Tournament. Defeating Georgia Tech clinched the No. 5 seed in the event for Clemson, setting up a Wednesday night quarterfinal matchup that tips off at 9:30 p.m. in Charlotte. The ACC Network will televise the contest between Clemson and an unknown opponent from the Spectrum Center.