Tiger Nation’s frustrations continue with embarrassing ACC Tournament flop

Fans of Clemson Men's Basketball have once again been burned by a program that continues to disappoint when it counts. The Tigers will have one more chance this season to prove themselves.
Mar 13, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA; Clemson Tigers players react on the bench against the Boston
Mar 13, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA; Clemson Tigers players react on the bench against the Boston / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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Clemson Men’s Basketball took the floor in Washington, DC as the 6-seed at the ACC Tournament with hopes of competing into the weekend. Instead, this ACCT ended as many others with a quick exit.

The Tigers were soundly defeated by Boston College 76-55. The Eagles took an early lead and maintained it for the rest of the game behind 27 points from Claudell Harris, Jr, and 22 points from Jaeden Zackery.

PJ Hall turned in a good offensive performance with 21 points. Joe Girard contributed 13 points on 5-11 field goal shooting, including 3-7 from 3-point range. Chase Hunter went 0 for 10 from the floor and scored two points.

An overall 4 for 20 performance from 3-point range doomed the Tigers.

Clemson’s season is not over. Unlike past seasons, the Tigers have a resume that justifies a spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The brackets will be announced on Sunday. Given the performance on Wednesday night, Clemson’s seed line could be anywhere from 6 to 8.

The performance against the Eagles dropped the Tigers nine spots in the NET ranking, from 24th all the way down to 35th.

Fans who expressed doubt in Clemson Men's Basketball have faced criticism for being guarded against disappointment

While some fans have been vocal about their hesitation to embrace a program that has disappointed them so many times before (and faced criticism from radio talking heads for doing so), other fans got their hopes up for a team that could finally challenge the best in the ACC. Those fans have been burned again.

The Tigers' resume is strong because they have proven they can compete with some of the best programs in the country, highlighted by a win against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. They just don't bring that level of play night in and night out.

Head coach Brad Brownell and the team will have one more opportunity to show the fans that mediocrity isn’t their ceiling. Fans desperately need this season to end with the feeling that the team hasn’t let them down. It has been several years since that has happened.

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