Clemson Tigers power past NC State Wolfpack late in the first half to advance and play the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday.
The Clemson Tigers don’t want anyone to count them out of the NCAA Tournament just yet. Clemson kept its season alive with a 75-61 first round victory over NC State in the ACC Tournament.
Both teams struggled early on, but, thanks to Jaron Blossomgame’s 14 first-half points, the Tigers went into halftime with a 39-28 lead.
Clemson shot 50 percent from the field in the first half while the Wolfpack struggled, allowing 11 turnovers during that time.
Blossomgame and Shelton Mitchell finished the game as co-leading scorers for Clemson, each scoring 22 points.
Clemson will now play Duke in the second round of the ACC Tournament Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Tuesday’s win doesn’t help Clemson get any closer to getting in. They’ll need to string together wins this week to help their cause. A win over Duke would definitely help Clemson’s cause, and the Tigers did play Duke close earlier this season.
In the only meeting this season, Clemson lost 64-62 at Cameron Indoor Stadium to the Blue Devils on Feb. 11. The Tigers proved that day that they can keep up with Duke, and they’ll get another shot to complete the upset.
Duke has lost three of their last four, while Tuesday’s win over NC State gives the Tigers their third straight victory. The time could be right for Clemson to upset Duke.
Clemson’s best bet at this point is to win the conference tournament to avoid having a sweaty Sunday.
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Even if Clemson does beat Duke, they still have to play Louisville in the quarterfinals. Clemson lost their only meeting with Louisville this season, 90-62, on Jan. 19.
NC State will finish the season with a 15-17 record. It was the final game for Head Coach Mark Gottfried, who was fired last month. Gottfried coached the remainder of the season for the Wolfpack.