There was nothing pretty about this game if you are a Tiger fan. In a game full of disappointments, the biggest had to be Tevin Mack’s woeful performance against his hometown school. Mack scored just 3 points, and went 1-8 shooting. That just isn’t going to get it done. This is a guy who was brought in to help carry this team this season, and more often than not he has been a non factor, as he was in today’s 67-54 loss.
Make no mistake, it wasn’t just Mack. As a team, the Tigers hit just 14 shots the entire game. Aamir Simms hit 5 of those himself, as he was the only one to show up, scoring 21 points on 5-7 shooting before fouling out late. The team shot 9-32 from beyond the arc, meaning they hit just 5 two point baskets all game.
This Clemson team is severely undersized and the only way it can be competitive most nights is to shoot the ball well from outside. So far it just hasn’t been able to do that, and that has been a staple of Brad Brownell teams at Clemson. Another staple of Brownell’s teams at Clemson is the long scoring droughts. You know you’re going to get one every game and tonight we got one in each half.
This team has been riddled with injuries, and that has led them to having to play freshman Al Amir Dawes at the point. This kid has all the potential in the world, it is on display most nights, but he just isn’t quite ready for this job full time. Against the bigger and better players, he is getting exposed. He had 6 of the teams 22 turnovers tonight.
The best player on the floor tonight was AJ Lawson, and he led the Gamecocks with 20 points. He also had 6 boards, 6 assists, and 3 steals. He is a sophomore who will play at the next level, maybe as early as next season. When is the last time Brownell recruited a guy like that?
Tonight was a bad loss all the way around. A terrible performance on the floor, against a team that hasn’t been very good themselves. A half empty arena with your rival in town, and you could hear the “Game-Cock” chants through the television. That’s a terrible look, and might be the lowest point in Clemson Basketball since the Larry Shyatt days.
