Clemson 81 NC State 70: OUR TAKE

NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts said that his team didn’t “play great” against Clemson this afternoon, in their 81-70 loss to the Tigers.

That was an understatement.

Sometimes I wish a coach would come out and say the truth

The Wolfpack played terrible down in South Carolina.

Clemson outshot NC State in every category.

FG/3PT/FT

Clemson – 46.9/32.1/83.9
NC State – 44.1/23.8/68.4

The Tigers out rebounded the Wolfpack by 4. They had more second chance points (+2) and more points off turnovers (+6).

Clemson shot 12 more free throws.

They shared the ball better, netting 5 more assists.

The stats weren’t in their favor to walk away with the victory, but maybe what was most disappointing was the overall lack of effort.

Senior Markell Johnson still hasn’t figured out how to play consistent basketball, in production or effort, and we are half way through year 4.

The coaches ability to adjust has to be called into question after today’s performance. Clemson abused the Wolfpack with backdoor cuts and slipping screens for 40 straight minutes. Also, I’m all for aggressive defense, but failing to put the hand in the face of wide open three-point shooters is inexcusable.

NC State was without Redshirt Senior Guard C.J. Bryce, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Obviously, his presence was missed, and the game could have been different with him on the court.

This loss doesn’t ruin a season, and obviously the team can rebound from it, but the deja vu of losses like these become exhausting.