The Troubling Pattern Clemson Basketball Can’t Shake

First, it was bad. Then bad became worse. Now, worse has become… awful?

Last night was game No. 3 after the West Coast trip. It also marked a third consecutive loss: Virginia Tech, Duke and Wake Forest. Since starting ACC play 10-1, Clemson is now 0-3 in their last three,. What gives?

It’s the story of two halves, literally. In their last three losses, Clemson has not held a second half lead once. But if you dig deeper, it’s actually worse than that. Against Virginia Tech, Clemson surrendered the lead with less than four minutes left in the first. Clemson was behind for about 24 minutes against the Hokies. 

But against Duke, Clemson was behind for more than 29 minutes. Then, against Wake Forest, potentially the most beatable opponent of the three, Clemson trailed for 38 minutes of 40. 

What makes it disturbing is that it has gotten worse. First, it was 24 minutes behind. Then 29. Now 38. Is the rest of the ACC figuring Clemson out, or are they simply running out of gas?

In terms of average scoring per game in the first quarter, Clemson ranks 35th in the country. After halftime, Clemson ranks 100th in second half scoring.

Against Duke, Brad Brownell addressed the problem head-on.

“And you know the second half didn't probably start the way we'd like. We just could not score enough to put any game pressure,” Brownell said. “They got to play the last 12-14 minutes of the game with, you know, a 15-point lead and that changes things too a little bit.”

That was against Duke. The Blue Devils are 21st in the country in second-half scoring, so it’s no surprise that Clemson met their kryptonite in Durham. 

But then against Wake, the story was the same, and Brownell could only address it, not solve it.

“We cut it to five a couple of different times, but we couldn't get a big stop and score to get it to a one-possession game,” Brownell said after the loss to Wake Forest.

Obviously, it is tough to chase a game. Factors like sloppy three-point shooting, turnovers, and less-than-ideal free-throw percentages have been impossible to ignore during this stretch. But ultimately, it comes down to what happens in the locker room at halftime.

The defense has been consistent. Clemson ranks 13th in the country in points allowed per game with 65.4. But the points just aren’t going on the board – especially in the second half, when it matters most.

But let’s backtrack — remember when Clemson started 10-1 in the ACC? Since the “second half” of their season began, the losses have quickly piled on. It strangely resembles the sort of second-half play fans have recently become accustomed to on the court.

With four games left, Clemson only has only a few minutes left in the game to bring itself back to earth. Can they do it? And can they do it by breaking a trend that has been breaking them?