Clemson Basketball: Tigers down New Mexico State in NCAA Tourney

The Clemson basketball team survived and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a win over New Mexico State on Friday.

Clemson basketball started their first round game in the NCAA Tourney on Friday and didn’t finish it until early Saturday morning.

The Tigers, a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, defeated New Mexico State by a score of 79-68.

It was a team-effort in which we saw Clemson basketball’s guards come ready to play and make some clutch shots to clinch the win.

Here’s a look at the box score, stats, and our analysis of the win.

Box Score:

Stats:

POINTS- Shelton Mitchell 23, Gabe DeVoe 22, Marcquise Reed 15.

REBOUNDS- Elijah Thomas 10, Reed 7.

ASSISTS – Mitchell 5.

Analysis:

It was a good, overall, team win for the Tigers.

I was really impressed with Gabe DeVoe and his play and leadership, as well as Shelton Mitchell down the stretch.

For the most part, Elijah Thomas stayed out of too much foul trouble, which really helped Clemson control the rebounding battle as well.

The Tigers really locked down on the defensive end and, despite some really questionable calls against them, they continued to push through and force New Mexico State to take some really long shots. The Aggies live by the three and die by the three and they just didn’t make enough to beat Clemson on Friday night.

What’s next?

Clemson basketball will take on the Auburn Tigers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Auburn, a four-seed, scraped by College of Charleston on Friday, squeaking out a 62-58 win in the game right before Clemson’s.

The two teams will square off at 7:10 p.m. Sunday on TBS with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. Make sure you check here on Rubbing the Rock for more updates and analysis heading into Sunday.