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Clemson Basketball: What’s different in the Tigers’ play as of late?

By Shawn Spencer

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 15: Head coach Brad Brownell of the Clemson Tigers claps from the bench during the game against the UAB Blazers during the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 15: Head coach Brad Brownell of the Clemson Tigers claps from the bench during the game against the UAB Blazers during the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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What has Clemson basketball done to turn things around after starting off 1-5 in ACC play? The answer is actually quite simple.

The Clemson basketball team is on a four-game winning streak after starting conference play with a 1-5 record.

The Tigers just pulled off their biggest win of the year with a victory over No. 11 Virginia Tech, 59-51, in LittleJohn Saturday afternoon.

With the recent winning streak, Clemson basketball is right back in the discussion for the NCAA Tournament and the Tigers have a chance to control their own destiny the rest of the way. Currently, Clemson is eighth in the ACC Standings, just a game behind both Florida State and Syracuse.

So, what has happened for the Tigers to go on this winning streak and turn things around? The answer is, actually, quite simple.

The schedule changed.

Clemson basketball played one of the most front-loaded schedules in the country when it came to conference play. The Tigers were faced with almost an impossible task of playing @ Duke and Syracuse then vs. Virginia to start things out. It didn’t get any easier after that, either, with road games against FSU and NC State following a home game against Georgia Tech.

It certainly wasn’t ideal and that proved to be the case. Now, though, the Tigers are taking advantage of the schedule balancing out.

But, it’s not just the schedule.

Clemson is playing much better basketball right now. The Tigers are moving the ball and are doing a better job of working for more high quality shots. As a result, shots are falling at a higher percentage. That’s creating confidence, which is feeding into the defense.

Next. Clemson's offense will be historically explosive in 2019. dark

In addition to better play on both ends of the floor, Clemson is finally starting to get production from its bench, something that just wasn’t happening early on. Guys like Clyde Trapp, Javan White, John Newman and Hunter Tyson are starting to be comfortable in their role and are becoming valuable contributors.

All of those things combined are what have made Clemson basketball a legitimate contender for the NCAA Tournament again and have the Tigers playing with a confidence unlike what we saw earlier in the year.

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