Clemson Men’s Basketball – The “S” Word

After a whirlwind of a week last week, I finally get a chance to talk about what I have been meaning to get to – Clemson Men’s Basketball is doing some rather unprecedented things at the moment. A lot of people aren’t buying into it, but I can’t help but let a word creep into my mind. A word that any Clemson basketball fan is hesitant to say.

The “S” word.

Clemson football, soccer, and even baseball fans have thrown around this word in the past. Some preseason talk, paired with stellar recruiting, gets people around the Upstate saying this phrase around October (or April). But for Tiger basketball, it’s been a long and arduous road. There have been great teams that have met an untimely demise in the postseason and even some really good Clemson teams that have fallen apart in the last half of the season (looking at you 2007). But I think it’s at least time to utter this word in the open so brace for impact.

Clemson’s 2022-2023 basketball team could be…..special.

It’s not something that gets said a lot around this time of year, but as I watched the game on Tuesday, Clemson was doing things that the best teams in Clemson history have done.

The Tigers defend exceptionally well. The post presence of PJ Hall, Ben Middlebrooks, RJ Godfrey and The Human Enigma himself, Ian Schieffelin, have been a thorn in the side of any team seeking to drive in the paint to get points. Just as an example, PJ Hall sent a ball to space last night. Go check out SportsCenter if you don’t believe me.

They can also score in a variety of ways and the past 2 games have been prime examples. The Tigers are currently down 2 of their best scoring options in Chase Hunter and Alex Hemenway. Yet, over the last month we have seen virtuoso performances from Hunter Tyson and PJ Hall, emerging scorers like Brevin Galloway, and Chauncey Wiggins growing up in front of everyone like he did on Tuesday night.

Still, there 2 things really jump out about this team and this year to me.

1. Since January, this team just seems to be in control of themselves. Even in a loss at Winston Salem, they didn’t go away, unlike times over the last few years where the loss could have been closer to 20 points than 10.  Naturally, I’ve assumed the worst would happen when a team goes on a scoring run or Clemson makes a mistake over the past 2 game. But Clemson has responded, first with a clutch 3 pointer to win against Virginia Tech and then with a second half barrage to down Georgia Tech. The moment doesn’t seem too big for this team.
2. The ACC schedule….is lining up in Clemson’s favor? It’s not something I ever thought I would expect to say, especially after the early season losses to 2 disastrously bad teams in South Carolina and Loyola. But Clemson has already beaten a struggling Duke, Pitt, Virginia Tech (twice), Wake, and NC State. The remainder of their schedule appears to be manageable with 2 of their tougher opponents (Miami and Syracuse) at home. The road games are tough, but Florida State and Louisville are having inexplicably bad years, Boston College looks winnable, and games on Tobacco Road at NC State and UNC (who also is struggling) look more winnable than before. Virginia will be a tough road test, but if Clemson can maintain home court wins, and win more than they lose on the road, then the Tigers will have a real chance to win their first regular season title since 1990.

Even long-suffering Clemson Men’s Basketball fans are starting to believe in this years squad

As I said at the beginning, I’m a little gun shy to dive headfirst in to saying all of this. Clemson has burned its basketball fans before, but something about this team feels different. In the end, what Clemson is able to achieve (on its current trajectory) in the postseason will be what is remembered. Clemson has surprised everyone up until now, if they do that in March…..well, that would truly be special.