Brad Brownell knew there'd be nights like this, when the shots aren't going down and the emotional frenzy is not all there and you have to dig deep for a win on the road in the ACC.
The toughest part of being a coach is imparting that reality to your players.
When last seen, this bunch was closing an annihilation of Florida State at Littlejohn Coliseum. Everything they threw up was going in. They were playing with a point-to-prove edge. Confidence was high.
It's hard to imagine that, four days later at Virginia, things could be so different. Thirteen points in a half?
But this stuff happens on the road in the ACC, this year more than usual; heading into Wednesday night's games, the home team had compiled a record of 31-12 in conference play.
As much reason as there was to think Clemson could go to Charlottesville and end its 0-for-3 ACC road futility this season, there was as much reason to think the Tigers would have some trouble. Virginia, a team that has played some good basketball this season, was coming off an awful showing at Wake Forest. You knew they'd be better last night.
Even in the best of times, Brownell has cautioned that his team still has a small margin for error. He mentioned that the other day in the giddy aftermath of the trouncing of the Seminoles, saying the Tigers were "a long way from being significant" despite their 4-3 conference record.
From my vantage point, the most disappointing development from last night was the mentality of Demontez Stitt and Jerai Grant. These are the team's two best players, and when both of these guys are off their game it's going to be difficult for this team to win.
These two guys simply did not carry the emotion and toughness on the road from last week's games at Littlejohn against Florida State and N.C. State. I didn't like the body language from them, and I suspect Brownell didn't like it either.
It wasn't that they were mailing it in or quitting or anything like that. But it was evident early that the refs were going to allow this to be a physical game, and Stitt and Grant did not respond accordingly -- at least, not enough.
Stitt seemed really frustrated when he'd drive, draw contact, and not draw a foul. Grant, who faced frequent double-teams, seemed frustrated that his teammates were not doing more to feed him in the post.
Stitt and Grant have been really, really good this year. No doubt about that. But they need to be tougher in settings like last night's if Clemson expects to gut out wins when the home folks aren't supplying them with energy and electricity.
A few more thoughts from last night:
-- I thought Virginia's quickness at guard really bothered Clemson on both ends of the floor. The Cavaliers were much more active and disruptive on defense than I envisioned.
Jontel Evans and Mustapha Farrakhan had some real success late off the dribble. Farrakhan's juke of Stitt inside the last minute freed up space for him to nail a jumper that put Virginia up two. That play, plus Stitt's missed front end of a one-and-one nine seconds later, was the biggest sequence of the game. Because Clemson finally had grabbed momentum after knotting the score at 42.
-- Don't mean to pile on Stitt here, but he just didn't come through late. He missed a point-blank scoop shot on a drive with 1:32 left. Farrakhan's jumper at his expense. And then the missed front end.
-- Overall, Zavier Anderson has to be the most pleasant surprise for this staff this season. It's been amazing to watch this kid making plays in big moments, most notably during the win over Florida State.
Last night, he was a liability at some key moments in the second half. He turned it over on a fast-break pass to Milton Jennings. He missed a follow of a Stitt miss on another break. He committed another turnover on an entry pass. And he let Evans blow by him on a drive that put the Tigers down 42-35.
-- Tigers had a season-high 18 offensive rebounds last night. Their most successful nights on the offensive glass this season have come in losses: 17 against North Carolina, 15 against South Carolina, and 14 against Maryland and Michigan.
-- Part of Virginia's first-half success on 3-pointers (7-for-12) was facilitated by some almost inexplicable over-helping defense on the perimeter.
Brownell yanked Andre Young early after he helped on the wing and left his guy wide open for a successful 3.
The Tigers also over-helped on some penetration that led to kicks outside for wide-open 3-pointers, leading Brownell to say his guys were "brain dead" at times in the first half.
-- The Tigers missed 15 of 18 shots from 3-point range, and it's hard to win any game when you're not connecting at a better rate. But gosh, you have to think this team comes home with a 5-3 conference record if it'd have just hit two or three more of the seemingly innumerable shots from close range that missed.
-- Next up, Saturday at Georgia Tech. Big, big game for the Tigers.
LW
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