Basketball
5 SEED CLEMSON COMES UP SHORT, UPSET BY 13 SEED MIAMI 67-64 IN ACC TOURNAMENT
- 2021-03-12 07:42:25
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The Tigers swept Miami in the regular season, including a 66-58 win less than two weeks ago, but the third time was the charm for the Canes, rallying to beat the Tigers 67-64 in Greensboro. The Tigers led for most of the game and by as many as 9 in the first half, but the Canes won the second half and had luck on their side as Nick Honor's short jumper to win the game bounced off the rim with 4 seconds left. Honor banked a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Georgia Tech just a few weeks ago but was unable to connect this time. The Tigers came up with two big steals in the final 30 seconds that gave them the opportunity to win the game.
The Tigers started the game hot, with Simms and Tyson each going 3-3 from beyond the arc for 11 points in the first half. As a team, they were 8-11 from beyond the arc in the first half, but their shooting cooled in the second half, and they were outscored in the paint 40-18. The Tigers also turned the ball over a few too many times with 15 in the game. Isaiah Wong scored 28 in their last loss to the Tigers in Littlejohn, and he led all scorers again with 20. Unlike that last meeting, Al-Amir Dawes only shot the ball 3 times until the final minute of the game, scoring 6 points. He scored 17 in the last meeting against his New Jersey buddy Wong and the Canes, and I believe he needs to be more aggressive offensively going forward. He's been the Tigers' best shooter over the last 4 games, but in their last two losses against Syracuse and Miami, he's only shot the ball a total of 10 times! After each scoring 11 in the first half, Simms and Tyson finished with 17 and 16. Senior Clyde Trapp scored 10 in one of his best offensive games, going 4-5 from the field.
The early elimination is disappointing, especially because the ACC Tournament was as winnable this year as it's ever been, and the Tigers were just a half game from finishing in the top 4 and securing a double-bye, but they still have the NCAA Tournament to look forward to. They will likely be a 8 or 9 seed, which will be revealed on Sunday along with their opponent. All of the tournament games will be held at various sites in the state of Indiana this year due to COVID concerns.
Post-game interviews and highlights are below!
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