By Bud L. Ellis
Back and forth in a close game for the first 27 minutes, the Clemson Tigers finally buckled under the pressure of the Missouri defense.
The Tigers committed 20 turnovers, got outscored 22-2 on fast-break points and lost the battle in the paint, too. Add it all up, and it was enough to end Clemson’s season 86-78 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Buffalo, N.Y.
Clemson (21-11) entered the tournament as the seventh seed, but for the third consecutive season ended up losing to a lower seed in the opening round.
Down 54-50 with 13 minutes to go, the Tigers were hanging tough. But Missouri broke it open with a 15-5 run.
Demontez Stitt scored 21 points to lead the Tigers, while Andre Young added 19 and Jerai Grant scored 12.
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Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 4:13 am by bud
Tags: Andre Young, Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson Tigers, Demontez Still, Jerai Grant, Missouri, NCAA Tournament
The Clemson Tigers probably didn’t need to win its matchup with the Florida State Seminoles as much as the hosts did. Judging by their effort, one wouldn’t have been able to guess that.
Led by senior Trevon Booker, the Tigers rallied from a poor start to edge the Seminoles. 53-50, on Sunday. Booker recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, hit four free throws down the stretch, and blocked the potential game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left to seal the win. The performance has been what fans and coaches alike have come to expect from Booker, who consistently makes his presence felt on both ends of the court by out-working his opponents.
He had help from sophomore guard Andre Young, who buried a 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining to give Clemson a 2-point lead. The win ensures that the Tigers will finish with no worse than a .500 record in the ACC, and bolsters their already-solid NCAA Tournament resume, which includes wins over Butler and Maryland.
With a jumbled middle of the pack in the conference, a win on Senior Night against Georgia Tech on Tuesday would go a long way towards securing a top seed in the ACC tournament. No matter the outcome, though, one thing is for sure: Booker will go out swinging in LittleJohn Colliseum.
Monday, March 1, 2010 at 11:00 am by Raj Sethi
Ten days ago, the Clemson Tigers entered a critical three-game homestand that would almost assuredly determine its postseason fate. Facing fellow middle-of-the-pack foes Florida State, Miami and Virginia, the Tigers needed to set themselves apart from these similarly bubblicious teams.
Mission accomplished.
The Tigers completed a perfect stretch in the friendly confines by routing the Virginia Cavaliers 72-49 on Saturday. The win puts Clemson back in the top half of the ACC, and bumps its record to 19-7 and 7-5 in the conference.
Jerai Grant scored a career-high 18 points in the win for the Tigers, who shot 52 percent from the floor and an astonishing 12 of 13 from the free throw line.
While winning these three games was huge for the Tigers, it doesn’t guarantee them anything. With road games against Maryland, Florida State and Wake Forest sandwiching a lone home game against Georgia Tech, it’s not hard to envision losing three or even all four of those games. Clemson is certainly in better shape than it was 10 days ago, but it cannot afford to get complacent or it will be on the outside looking in come Selection Sunday.
Monday, February 22, 2010 at 10:33 am by Raj Sethi
