Basketball thoughts

So many impressive things about last night's win over Boston College, but the one thing that has to stand out is Clemson's defense.

You could tell Brad Brownell was really happy after the game, and most of that happiness stemmed from his team's discipline on defense. Brownell and his staff were thrust into a difficult situation preparing for Steve Donahue's funky offense on two days rest after Saturday's win at Georgia Tech.

Brownell changed some things up, applying more full-court pressure while also ordering his guys to help less in halfcourt situations. The Eagles only turned it over 10 times, but the crowning achievement of Clemson's defensive effort was making Boston College work for everything it got.

To me, the Eagles looked kinda gassed over the final 10 minutes. It just goes to show that you don't necessarily have to press teams into submission to wear them down. You can whittle away at energy, stamina and confidence by playing stifling half-court defense, too.

-- It's almost unfair that the defensive effort overshadowed what happened on the offensive end, because the Tigers did some really good things.

The inside-out stuff halfway through the second half was just pretty to watch. It was a crucial stretch, because Boston College had trimmed a 16 point deficit to 10.

With the shot clock near expiration, Jerai Grant kicked to Demontez Stitt for a jumper. Next time down, Cory Stanton scored on a drive. And on the next possession, Devin Booker kicked out to Stitt for a 3. Just like that, the Tigers were up 17.

Later, after B.C. trimmed the deficit to five with five minutes left to create some anxious feelings in the crowd, Clemson spread the floor and scored on back-to-back possessions when Tanner Smith and Andre Young drove for high-percentage baskets, both using nice clear-outs from Grant.

-- The success of the inside-out game was facilitated by Grant elevating his game early in the second half.

Grant had eight points in the first half, but he really wasn't getting a whole lot of touches. And the undersized Eagles were surprisingly controlling things down low, out-rebounding Clemson 24-13 in the first half while grabbing nine offensive boards.

Grant, who had the dunk off the pick and roll with three seconds left in the half, picked up where he left off in the second half. When Josh Southern had to leave the game with an injury, Grant took it upon himself to exploit an advantageous matchup against the smaller Joe Trapani.

-- Boston College's success on the offensive glass in the first half was the only reason the Eagles led for a stretch before going into the locker room down three. They shot 31 percent to Clemson's 44 percent, yet their 9-2 advantage on the offensive glass explained why they weren't down more.

In the second half, the Eagles didn't grab an offensive rebound until the 11:42 mark. So cleaning things up on the defensive glass was a major reason the Tigers surged ahead. Clemson also was more productive on the offensive glass in the second half, grabbing five of its seven offensive boards. Included was a huge one by Bryan Narcisse after Smith missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1:45 left. Thirty-three seconds later, Stitt cashed in on the extra opportunity by driving for a score to make it 72-63.

The Eagles' initial success on the offensive glass seemed surprising because Clemson is one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the ACC. But Brownell pointed out that Boston College's large number of 3-point shots produce longer rebounds and thus more opportunities for offensive rebounds.

The Eagles went 4 for 14 from the arc in the first half, 9 of 30 for the game. Eleven of their 15 offensive rebounds were supplied by guards, so Brownell's take is dead on.

-- Back to the defense for a moment: This bunch just has a way of tightening the clamps during critical points of the game.

Such a stretch occurred in the first five minutes of the second half, when the Tigers were turning a three-point lead into a 13-point advantage.

Reggie Jackson was thinking easy layup on a fast break, but Stitt came up with a nice block that led to a fast-break layup by Smith on the other end.

A few moments later, Smith disrupted Trapani on a screen and roll, creating a turnover.

Not long thereafter, the Tigers extended their perimeter defense and Booker gave Southern no room to operate, inducing a travel beyond the 3-point line.

Brownell has built this thing on defense creating offense, and that theme was presented in full color last night.

-- Boston College shot 38.3 percent, well below its season average of 46.6 percent. That's 23 times in 24 games that Clemson has held the opponent below 50 percent shooting.

-- Tigers went 17 of 22 from the free-throw line, 9 of 11 in the final five minutes. Those were big, big free throws converted by Stitt and Young on back-to-back possessions to create a nine-point lead with 3:19 left.

-- The win boosted Clemson's RPI from 72 to 64. North Carolina has an RPI of 15 heading into tonight's game at Duke, so Saturday's clash with the Tar Heels is about as big as it gets.

Win that one, and this team is right where it needs to be as it seeks its school-record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

LW