Suddenly surging Clemson topples third straight Top 25 foe
At the end of Clemson’s Dec. 30 loss at North Carolina, the Tigers appeared to be on track for yet another forgettable season.
They were 7-6, they had zero notable victories and they had suffered dismal losses at the hands of middling UMass and rebuilding Minnesota.
What has transpired since then might be the most surprising turnaround of the season in college basketball. Clemson has reeled off five straight victories against marquee opponents culminating with Saturday’s 76-65 win over eighth-ranked Miami.
Clemson’s latest victory is its third straight against a Top 25 opponent, the first time in school history that the Tigers have ever accomplished that. After starting the win streak with wins over Florida State and Syracuse, the Tigers have continued their momentum by toppling No. 21 Louisville, No. 9 Duke and now the Hurricanes.
There are no guarantees Clemson can continue this surge with four out of its next five games on the road, but for now the Tigers have at least vaulted themselves into NCAA tournament contention. All five teams that Clemson has beaten this month appear in the KenPom top 50.
What has been the key to Clemson’s turnaround? Believe it or not, efficient half-court offense.
In a departure from previous seasons when the Tigers have been a stingy defensive team prone to extended scoring droughts, this year’s team is much tougher to stop. They still are one of the slowest-paced teams in the country, but they’re among the ACC’s best in points per possession thanks to the development of star forward Jaron Blossomgame and the emergence of a stronger-than-expected supporting cast.
Blossomgame, a versatile 6-foot-7 forward, averages 15.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, sometimes doing his damage from the post and other times from behind the 3-point arc. Point guard Jordan Roper has excelled as the team’s primary distributor and guard Avry Holmes and forward Donte Grantham are both capable 3-point shooters.
Clemson’s defense isn’t the elite unit that it has been previously, but the Tigers have gotten stops at key junctures during their win streak. They held Miami to one field goal in the final seven minutes on Saturday, enabling Blossomgame and Roper to spearhead a rally from a six-point second-half deficit.
The lone knock on Clemson the past few weeks has been that four of its five wins have come in Greenville, where the Tigers are playing their home games this season. They’ll have a chance to show they’re dangerous away from home too when they visit Virginia next week.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
