Of the seven charter members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson is the only one never to capture an ACC men’s basketball tournament title.
That’s the painful legacy the fifth-seeded Tigers will try to erase this week as they tip off in the ACC tournament for the 73rd time.
Clemson (22-9) will face 13th-seeded Wake Forest (17-15) on Wednesday in the second round in Charlotte.
Brad Brownell, who is the longest-tenured coach in program history and has delivered eight 20-win seasons in his 16 years, has grown weary of the annual reminder of the Tigers’ lack of success in the conference tournament.
“We made the semifinals last year,” Brownell said Monday. “I think we sometimes get overlooked.”
Listed at No. 36 in the NET Rankings and with a 5-5 record against Quad 1 competition, Clemson likely has assured its spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest advanced Tuesday with a 95-89 overtime victory against 12th-seeded Virginia Tech.
With top scorer Juke Harris making just 3 of 18 shots, the rest of the Demon Deacons picked up the slack making a combined 27 of 41 (65.9%) attempts overall, including 8 of 16 (50.0%) from beyond the arc.
Myles Colvin (18 points) made a jumper and a 3-pointer to give Wake Forest a quick lead in overtime that it didn’t relinquish. Nate Calmese (10 points) made all four of his shots, including two 3-pointers, in 14 minutes of game time.
“The balance of our team, having seven guys in double figures when Juke probably wasn’t juking as much as Juke jukes (was key),” Demon Deacons coach Steve Forbes said.
Wake Forest topped Clemson 85-77 at home on Feb. 18 as it made 54.9% of its shots, including 10 of 22 (45.5%) from deep.
“It’s gonna be another game like this one today — physical,” Forbes said after the Virginia Tech game. “Well be ready. We’re playing on house money. No pressure, play.”
The winner of the game will face fourth-seeded North Carolina on Thursday night.
“We’re still trying to win an ACC tournament at some point here and this is certainly a challenging draw,” Brownell said. “Just take it one game at a time and try to win the next game, build confidence throughout the tournament.”
