CLEMSON, SC - It wasn't pretty, but the Tigers pulled out a win over Tech to wrap up the regular season. Chalk it up to the emotions of Senior Day, but the Tigers looked tight in the first half and lacked defensive intensity. In fact, Godfrey told me after the game that he couldn't sleep the night before the noon game and had a hard time putting the emotions of his last game in Littlejohn out of his mind.
Tech shot out of their minds in the first half, making 5 of their first 8 three-pointers, and took a 39-33 lead into halftime. The Tigers trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half but rallied, thanks in large part to senior transfer Butta Johnson, who scored a season-high 15 points, including a couple of big 3's late in the game. The refs also made some horrendous calls in the final minutes of the game, which almost allowed Tech to pull off the huge upset, but the Tigers were able to hold on, as the Bees' half-court shot at the buzzer missed.
The Tigers have won 96 games in the last 4 seasons, 55 in the ACC, and both are Clemson records! They were oh so close to securing a top-four seed and double-bye in the ACC Tournament. They will be tied with UNC in 4th place, but he Heels won the only meeting on Wednesday in Chapel Hill by 4 points, giving the Heels the tiebreaker. However, we have seen in the past that winning a game in the ACC Tournament to get some momentum can be an advantage over a team that has yet to play. The Tigers will have a bye in the first round and play on Wednesday in Charlotte.
Post-game interviews, highlights and senior speeches are below!
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