CLEMSON — Brad Brownell says there has been a common thread during Clemson’s four-game losing streak.

Brownell believes his team’s defense just hasn’t played at the level needed to win. Virginia Tech shot 52% from the floor in the first of those four losses. The Tigers then held Duke to 42% shooting in Durham, but only shot 35% themselves, losing that one 67-54.

Wake Forest then shot 55% last week in handing Clemson a third straight loss, before Florida State hit on 50% on Saturday, dealing the Tigers to a fourth consecutive defeat.

“I think defensively we haven’t been very good,” Brownell said during the weekly ACC Zoom call with head coaches. “We did not guard Florida State well at all in the second half. That was a problem. Wake Forest was our worst defensive game of the year. That is the common theme. We have to guard better.”

Brownell’s team has also struggled at times with hitting open looks from the perimeter.

“Certainly, there have been some times where we have had some open shots, and maybe our guards haven’t scored it as well, minus the Florida State game, we had Dillon (Hunter) playing well,” Brownell added. “But I have said it all along, the strength of our team is our team and our defense.”

With the four straight losses, Clemson has dropped to No. 38 in the NET Rankings. However, there is still time to right the ship, and that begins on Saturday with a home matchup against a Louisville team that is just 3-5 on the road this season.

“It is going to take a lot of contributions from a lot of different players,” Brownell said. “We have to have a lot of players play on the same day to win. Defense had to be elite. It has to be one of the top defenses in the league for us to beat some of these teams. It has not bee the last couple of weeks and it is my job to find a way to fix that.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright