CLEMSON – Jai Lucas said his Miami team was shocked during Saturday’s 69-59 loss to No. 22 Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Why were the Hurricanes in shock?
“We have always been the physical team when we played other people, and this is the first game where somebody could really punch back with us,” Lucas said.
Clemson, who ended Miami’s 10-game winning streak, while winning a ninth consecutive game, punched the Hurricanes by forcing 12 first-half turnovers. Eleven of those 12 turnovers were steals, as guards Dillon Hunter and Jestin Porter had three steals each.
The Tigers (16-3, 6-0 ACC) scored nine points off those steals.
“This is why I say (Brad Brownell) is one of the best coaches in the country,” Lucas said. “He finds guys that play to how he wants to play. And they have a bunch of interchangeable pieces.”
Those pieces helped the Tigers win their 14th consecutive ACC regular season game and their 24th in the last 26 league games. Forward Carter Welling led Clemson with a season best 18 points and nine rebounds, while Porter dropped in 11 points to go with his three steals and R.J. Godfrey had 10 points in the paint.
Dillon Hunter added seven points to go with seven assists, five rebounds and four steals.
“Today it was Welling and a few days ago, it was (Nick) Davidson,” Lucas said. “So, he just has guys that he can plug in, and he does not have to change how he plays and they kind of continue to play no matter who is on the court.
“Him and his staff, being able to identify that and getting those guys to buy in, you can just tell by watching them that they have a good thing going. They are in a groove right now.”
Clemson led Miami (15-3, 4-1 ACC) from start to finish on Saturday, while holding the Hurricanes to 6 of 24 shooting from 3-point range. The Tigers on the other hand, connected on 27 of 51 shots (52.9 percent) and made 8 of 17 threes (47.1).
“What makes them so well coached and so well put together is that they have so many pieces that are interchangeable,” Lucas said. “They have those for bigs that can rotate into those two spots, and they play the same way. You can throw it into any of them and they all can score. Today they were making threes, so they have the ability to do that.
“Then they have the guards, and of course you worry about Porter and (Butta) Johnson with their threes, but also the ability to throw (Ace) Buckner out there and Hunter. Seven assists and two turnovers. In a game like this, that is huge.”
Miami’s head coach says the Tigers are able to grind their opponents and wear them down.
“They can continue to play the same way for forty minutes,” he said. “It is rare, especially now with this (transfer) portal and how this NIL stuff is. It is rare to have a team where you can have enough people, eight to nine guys, that you can throw out there and stay consistent.”
Clemson will try to stay consistent on Tuesday, when it hosts NC State at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tip is set for 7 p.m.