Clemson Basketball: Takeaways from dominant win over Auburn

The wide-open looks Clemson had are more a credit to them than a result of bad defense.

The Tigers have had their ups and downs this season in their offensive half-court sets, but on Sunday they looked like a completely different group. The Tigers hit ten threes, the majority of which were wide open looks. Since they aren’t the most talented team shooting the basketball and even fell short of 50% from the field in their second-round offensive onslaught, good ball movement and strong set plays are essential.

This is exactly what the Tigers were able to accomplish. Sure, Auburn didn’t play great defense. Some of Clemson’s open shots were the result of missed assignments or defensive breakdowns. But the Tigers still deserve a lot more credit for what they were able to manufacture offensively than Auburn deserves criticism.

Ball movement is critical, and Clemson did this at a high level, assisting on 19 of their 29 field goals. Moving forward, the Tigers must continue to do more of the same, as they aren’t capable of competing with the nation’s top teams by playing an isolation offensive style.