Clemson pouring it all out in Charlotte

Early this morning, about 20 minutes after his team held off No. 19 North Carolina by a point, Brad Brownell was asked about the possible effect of a long run in the ACC Tournament exacting a toll on Clemson’s physical and mental capabilities next week in the NCAA Tournament.

Not a terrible question on its face, in a general sense. Wear and tear is always something on the minds of coaches entering March Madness.

But that particular question, to this particular coach, at this particular school, in this particular tournament?

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Pretty important context. Which explains why Brownell gave this answer that summed up a lot of things:

“Yeah, we’re pouring it all out. We’re doing everything we can to win every game. I mean that’s what competitors do. You figure it out later, what’s next. But that’s the essence of competition is you’re going to give your best. And as you play better teams, you have to give your best when your best is needed most. That’s what excellence really is. I’m proud of our group. We’ve got a lot more work to do. Hopefully we’ve got a lot of basketball ahead of us. But we’re ready to get back to the hotel, get rested up, recover and then get on to the next game tomorrow.”

Last summer, very few people thought this team would be an NCAA Tournament lock a week before Selection Sunday.

It was accordingly hard to imagine a run to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament.

But here they are. 

Without Carter Welling, yes.

But also without the questions they carried to Charlotte about their ability to shoot well enough to advance this time of year.

Who knows what happens tonight against the top team in the land. Each game takes on a life of its own and trends can end quickly.

But last night’s win over North Carolina seemed to certify this season as a masterclass from Brownell on how to identify and develop talent, how to coach, how to respond to debilitating news.

The news yesterday, of course, was Welling’s knee injury suffered the previous night against Wake Forest. Everyone was aware it was probably bad, but further testing had to be done Thursday afternoon to confirm that Welling suffered a torn ACL.

This gut punch isn’t solely from what Welling can do on the court, important numbers and impact that have to be replaced.

It’s also from knowing that an integral part of the family doesn’t get to participate in something the family has been preparing for and aiming for all year.

That probably explains the emotional fist pump and yell that came from Brownell when this survival was complete.

Yes, it’s possible for an entire team and culture to derive most of its motivation in tribute to a player who wasn’t even around this time last year. Remember that the next time you hear someone say today’s college athlete cares only about the name on the back of the jersey, not the front.

No, it’s not much fun seeing an 18-point lead turn into a one-point edge. But anytime the other team gets ridiculously hot from long range and makes five 3-pointers in two-and-a-half minutes, it’s going to create some tense moments.

And when one of them is banked in, you really start to get concerned.

But all that mattered was that the final 3-point attempt, a desperation heave after Nick Davidson intentionally missed his second free throw, missed.

North Carolina survived Clemson nine days before after Dillon Hunter couldn’t get it done on the final play. Clemson survived North Carolina last night in large part because of Hunter’s presence, including 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Protecting big leads has been an issue for Clemson this season. Clemson led Louisville by 15 late before the Cardinals cut it to four. The Tigers led North Carolina by 18 in the second half, by 15 with 3:36 to go and by nine with 1:38 on the clock.

But the Cardinals hit four 3-pointers in the final minute. The Tar Heels hit five 3-pointers in the final 2:28.

Some of that is just the other guy getting inexplicably hot, and Clemson has been through that drill a time or 10 in recent years.

The ultimate, bottom-line response to last night should be admiration for what this team accomplished amid extreme adversity, and for what this team has accomplished overall this season after losing so much from last year.

The last couple weeks of the regular season brought an increasing clamor for Brownell to play Hunter less. Turns out he’s pretty valuable.

A year ago in the same building, Hunter suffered a hand injury in a quarterfinal win over SMU. Losses without him, to Louisville and then McNeese State in the NCAA Tournament, underscored his importance. 

“Those are game-winning plays by a senior that’s won 90 some-odd games in his career at Clemson,” Brownell said. “That’s what he’s done. He’s just one of those guys that helps your team win. There have been numerous games throughout his career where he’s been in that situation to make big free throws, to handle the ball against traps. He got the ball a lot, whether it was the first inbounding, and they’re doubling and he’s getting it out of there. I thought he played terrific. He got to the paint three or four times and scored. He was huge tonight. There’s no way we win that game without his senior leadership and performance.”

Success from 3-point range was a top-line item in Clemson surging ahead last night. The Tigers hit nine and they all seemed to come in big moments, signaling a departure from their late-season shooting struggles.

But just as important was the mid-range stuff Brownell referenced.

Hunter, Ace Buckner and Butta Johnson were a combined 4-of-18 on 2-point attempts in Chapel Hill.

The trio was 10-of-17 inside the arc last night.

Wow.

Huge.

“It changes everything,” Johnson said. “All our guards are able to make shots, get downhill, create things for other players. It opens up space and opens up our offense a lot.”

It’s been 18 years since Clemson won multiple games in the ACC Tournament. 

Before that, it had been 46 years since the Tigers won multiple games in this ritual.

Yes, lengthy stays for Clemson have been basically unheard of.

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Heck, even the iconic dunk by Ace Buckner’s father that beat North Carolina in 1996 was followed by a trip home the next day after a loss.

So yeah, you’d better believe Brownell and everyone below him is going to put everything they have into this trip to Charlotte.

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You’d better believe they’re going to pour it all out.

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