Not the Tigers 'Knight', as Clemson Goes One-And-Done
In their first tournament appearance since 2018, Clemson just wasn't able to do what was necessary in crunch time to seal a victory.
Brad Brownell and the No. 7 Clemson Tigers (16-7, 10-6 ACC) saw the No. 10 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (15-11, 10-10 Big Ten) in the Round of 64, and both teams spent the entire contest battling against their similarities.
Despite not seeing his name in the starting lineup in favor of Al-Aamir Dawes, Clemson guard Nick Honor still made a major difference defensively; boxing-out players all the way into the corner to earn extra possessions and sprinting back on defense, drawing offensive fouls on the likes of Ron Harper Jr. with sheer effort.
Honor missed a big chance for a momentum swing with 12 minutes remaining in the first half; after a steal created a Hunter Tyson fastbreak dunk, Rutgers immediately turned the ball over to Honor, who missed a long three on a quick shot.
Ron Harper Jr., who owned a third of the Scarlet Knights' first-half shot attempts, was able to get on the break after the Honor miss and showed flashes of his father creating a transition and-one dunk that kept the Tigers from really extending their lead early.
At the half, Clemson only led by three in a low-scoring affair, 26-23. After a Myles Johnson loose rebound with time running down in the first, Tigers guard Clyde Trapp earned his confidence picking up the ball with four seconds to going and taking it coast-to-coast to give Clemson the three-point advantage going into the break.
The final two points of the half were only the beginning for Trapp, as he began the second period right where he left off rattling off 11 straight points in multiple ways until Dawes broke streak off the patented Simms' high-post backdoor pass.
Trapp's run coming to an end only saw momentum swing the opposite way. The Scarlet Knights were able to retake the lead for the first time since the first half with 13:18 remaining, leading to a small scuffle between Rutgers' guard Caleb McConnell and Trapp after a Brownell timeout to stop the rhythm.
A 16-2 run in the span of four minutes gave Rutgers their biggest lead of the game at eleven points after eight lead changes up to that point, with Clemson missing seven of their eight shots during the Scarlet Knights' hot streak.
With a much-needed answer, a quick 11 point swing brought the Tigers within reach of the lead. A Simms crossover led to an and-one, leaving Clemson only one point behind after the free-throw while Trapp proceeded to tie the game at 55 one possession later on another and-one basket.
With only a minute remaining, starting big man Johnson pulled up limp on a non-contact injury. He left Rutgers without an interior presence to finish out the game against a Clemson team that hadn't hit a field goal attempt in the previous three minutes.
It wasn't enough for Clemson in the end, as travel on Simms left Rutgers with the perfect chance to win their first NCAA Tournament game under Steve Pikiell 60-56 to move on and play No. 2 Houston in the Round of 32.
Key play: With only 36 seconds left and a chance to tie the game, Simms went to work and was called for a travel, leaving Clemson to play out Rutgers' last possession, where they ultimately lost the game on a Geo Baker layup.
Player of the game: Trapp didn't have many attempts on the night but was extremely efficient offensively, finishing 5/6 from the field and 3/3 from the charity stripe. Trapp wasn't the Tigers' leading scorer for the game but was integral in opening up Clemson's offense to begin the second period.
Coaches decision: Honor went to the pine while Dawes got the start against the Scarlett Knights and was easily the only decision that kept the Tigers competitive in the first half with such poor shooting. Dawes tied with Simms in first-half scoring with eight points and owned 50% of Clemson's made threes in the first period, while Simms took six more first-half shots and (blank) overall.
Stat of the game: After both teams made a combined six threes in the first, the defenses started to break down, and Rutgers and Clemson were finding more chances offensively, particularly behind the arc. Going into the break, shooting 33% and 17%, respectively, the Tigers finished the game 32.7% from deep while Rutgers finished at 27%.
