Clemson defeats N.C. State to advance in ACC tournament

Mar 7, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Elijah Thomas (14) dunks against North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Elijah Thomas (14) dunks against North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Clemson Tigers defeated the N.C. State Wolfpack 75-61 in the first round of the ACC tournament. With the win the Tigers will advance to face the fifth seeded Duke Blue Devils.

Related Story: Shutting down Dennis Smith Jr. key to Tigers contest with N.C. State

As I stated coming into the game, Clemson was going to have to contain Dennis Smith in order to

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defeat N.C. State. The Tigers did just that. Dennis Smith was a relative non-factor in today’s contest, scoring just 7 points while shooting 3 for 12 from the field, and 0 for 4 from beyond the arc.

Shelton Mitchell and Jaron Blossomgame lead the way for Clemson, each pouring in 22 points. The Tigers were tough on defense in this one, causing the Wolfpack to turn the ball over 15 times, while holding them to 38 percent shooting from the field.

The Tigers move on to face the Duke Blue Devils at 2:00 pm tomorrow afternoon. The last match-up between the two ended in a narrow 74-72 win for the Blue Devils. Being as though Wednesday’s match-up between Clemson and Duke is on a neutral floor, I like the Tigers chances at pulling off the upset.