CLEMSON – Based on a simple eye test, Clemson’s defense felt less constricting than usual in the 20th-ranked Tigers’ 76-66 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies Wednesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. 

The sound of shoes squeaking to stifle a three-point shooter seemed rare. There were fewer sightings of a breakaway dunk off of a steal. Tiger fans were seldom able to erupt after Clemson defenders forced a Hokies player to pick up his dribble — a sound that has become synonymous with Brad Brownell-led squads. 

“Our defense, I don’t think, was very good in the first half,” Brownell said after the loss. “I thought we made some mental errors. We did some things that we usually don’t do. And then they capitalized.”

Though the Tigers’ struggles to contain the Hokies could easily be assigned to fatigue from a recent week-long road trip to California, Brownell was adamant that Wednesday’s loss was not connected to anything but Virginia Tech’s success, and Clemson’s faults.

 “The story is not that Clemson came back from the West Coast and whatever, we got beat by a good team tonight who outplayed us. No excuses,” he said.

Whatever the reasons, Clemson’s (20-5, 10-2 ACC) defense did not anecdotally resemble the unit that is currently ranked second in the ACC in scoring defense and opponent field goal percentage. Additionally, metrics from the Tigers’ 10-1 ACC start prior to Wednesday’s loss also tell the story of a tough night defensively.

Until the Virginia Tech (17-8, 6-6 ACC) loss, Clemson had only given up 40 points or more in the first half twice this season– most recently in a loss to Alabama on Dec 3., in which the Tigers gave up 45 first-half points that included eight three-pointers.

In the first eleven games of conference play, Brownell’s squad only allowed an average of 28.5 first-half points. Against the Hokies, however, Clemson gave up 40 points and 7 three-pointers, walking to the locker room with a 40-33 deficit at halftime. 

“It’s just a bummer that we dug ourselves that big of a hole in the first half,” center Nick Davidson said. “It’s hard to claw back from that, you know?”

To take down the Tigers’ fortress of a defense, Hokies’ coach Mike Young ensured that Clemson had to claw its way to stops each time down the floor. Virginia Tech employed multiple ball screens during almost every half-court possession to trap the Tigers’ guards and create mismatches.

The strategy started with a small tweak earlier in the week.

“We thought the ball was sticking in too many places,” Young said. “Too many people catching it and surveying. And against a team like Clemson, you’re dead. It’s like a snake. They’re going to strangle you. The ball’s got to flow and there’s got to be a cut here. There’s got to be a ball screen here. And I thought we got the Tigers churned up a little bit.”

As a result of Young’s always-screening, never-standing offense, Clemson gave up 28 points in the paint, including three dunks in the first half. For Brownell, the lapses can be defined as “mental mistakes.”

“Nick made a terrible pick-and-roll defensive play and they got behind us and lobbed it and dunked it,” the veteran coach said. “Carter (Welling) stepped out when he wasn’t supposed to step out. They got behind us and got one up on the rim. Those are two that just stick out. Those are mental errors because that’s not what we were trying to do and that part’s disappointing. But it’s part of basketball and again, give their guys a lot of credit.”

The Tigers did manage 13 turnovers, including six steals, in the loss. But 13 points off of turnovers and two fast break points was not enough to slow Virginia Tech’s 52.4 percent three-point shooting and a 29-to-27 rebounding margin. 

Put simply, it was not the Tigers’ night defensively, especially in the first half. However, Clemson has a chance to get rid of the sour taste of a home loss less than 72 hours after falling to the Hokies.

The Tigers will travel to Durham Saturday to take on No. 4 Duke (22-2, 11-1 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

The Blue Devils are ranked second in the ACC in field goal percentage, fifth in overall offense, and first in overall defense — edging out the Tigers by less than one point allowed per game. Clemson, now 10-2 in ACC play, will need to bring its best on both sides of the floor to get back in the win column.

The Tigers and Blue Devils will tip off at noon on Saturday. Game coverage will be shown on ESPN.