There were a lot of boxes Clemson basketball needed to check to get back on track following four losses in five games. The Tigers did just that in a strong victory over Florida State Saturday.
While there’s a lot of improvements that came in the game, one constant this season has been the rebounding. Clemson exerted its will with a 39-22 advantage, allowing just three offensive rebounds. That’s the lowest mark by the Seminoles this season.
That went hand-in-hand with the defensive improvements, and head coach Brad Brownell detailed that importance postgame.
“I thought we did a decent job of keeping the ball in front of us, and so we weren’t in as many rotations I hope. So at least we had a hat on a hat for blockouts…we worked on blockouts this week a lot but our guys did a fantastic job,” Brownell said.
Whether it be in double overtime or over before the last couple minutes, things haven’t gone the way of the Tigers in the last month. That’s a trend Brownell had to end, and he challenged his team to be physical. Easy to say they responded.
“We talk a lot about where’s your will to win? Doing the tough things, blocking out, physical rebounding against big, strong athletes. It’s not a lot of fun but you better do it if you’re going win a game like this,” Brownell said.
Zone defense helped Clemson as well, dropping into a 2-3 which is something Brownell said was used to “disrupt rhythm” and it surprised Florida State a little bit. The four three-pointers allowed are the lowest mark in 2024.
On the offensive end, the Tigers finally made shots. 7-17 from three and a 51 percent clip from the field allowed Clemson to cruise late with a lead that hung around 10. The lack of big shots late has costed Brownell’s squad in ACC play, but that was no issue in this key Quad 1 victory.
“Offensively, we finally made shots,” Brownell said. “We haven’t made shots lately. Guys, I thought, handled their pressure reasonably well and very well in the second half…this was a very significant win for our team. Really happy for our players.”