By William Qualkinbush.

In what was inarguably the most important game of the season for Clemson men’s basketball, the path to victory seemed simple.

Tread water for the final 3:53 and acquire the kind of resume-enhancing win that jumps off the page to the selection committee in about a month.

In reality, the path was much more difficult given the opposition—a capable Notre Dame team led by veterans that relies on perhaps the league’s best talent to make plays late in games.

Even given the daunting nature of the task at hand, Clemson had to be feeling great about its situation. Then things went horribly wrong, and the result was a 60-58 loss.

“I think we got a little tight,” said senior Damarcus Harrison, whose 15 points helped lead the Tigers’ charge. “I don’t think we wanted to take some shots because it was so close.”

Coming out of the media timeout, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant drilled a pair of free throws to cut the lead to two points. It was not the last time he would make an impactful play—not by a long shot.

Clemson began a string of underwhelming possessions with a turnover—a Grant steal late in the shot clock—that led to a transition basket that tied the game. Then, freshman Donte Grantham missed an ill-advised three, one of his seven misses without a make in the game. That led to a basket.

Now down by two, the Tigers’ next possession stalled, forcing senior Rod Hall to commit a charge driving towards the paint. The Fighting Irish scored again, and suddenly a four-point lead had become a four-point deficit in a span of just over three minutes.

“We’re probably not as aggressive sometimes as we need to be, not as confident as we need to be offensively in the second halves of games,” a dejected Brad Brownell said of his team. “I think our guys get a little passive. We need a go-to guy sometimes.”

The Fighting Irish had one in Grant, who cemented for Clemson fans his ACC Player of the Year credentials with one play after another in the second half. However, Grant was not the only Notre Dame player who made an impact down the stretch.

After dominating the glass all game long—Clemson held a 38-26 rebounding edge during the game—the Tigers could not keep the Fighting Irish from seizing extra possessions. On each of those three possessions down the stretch, Notre Dame scored on an offensive rebound, and it accounted for six of their ten second-chance points for the night.

“They’re just mental breakdowns,” said forward Jaron Blossomgame, who paced the Tigers with 17 points and 14 rebounds. “We’ve got to be tougher in those situations.”

Though the loss stung, perhaps more for the way it was conceived than anything else, Brownell made sure to applaud his team’s effort against a top ten opponent.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” he said in the aftermath. “I thought we executed a great plan and competed defensively.”

With a win in its grasp, Clemson found itself behind at the snap of a finger because of deficiencies that were new in the moment. Turnovers, rebounding, shot-making—all were factors that both built the lead and ripped it away.

In about a month, that small window of time over the course of a long season might be the most magnified when postseason fates are decided.