Clemson’s defense has been a problem all season, and Friday night it finally cost the Tigers.
Georgetown outlasted Clemson 85-78 in the closing stretch of the second half, turning back a late Tigers push and handing Brad Brownell another reminder that his team isn’t defending well enough to hang with quality opponents.
Brownell didn’t soften the message afterward. He said Clemson simply hasn’t been sharp enough on that end of the floor to win games like this one.
"Disappointed because of this opportunity for us leading into this game, but we just haven’t defended well enough all year to be the kind of team that can stop a team like this," Brownell said. "We just have to keep coaching to get better."
The issues, in Brownell’s view, go beyond one simple explanation. He pushed back on the idea that it’s only about mental mistakes, pointing instead to a team that still isn’t where it needs to be.
"Don’t know if it’s all just mental focus. I think we’re just not as good as we need to be, and we’re making too many errors, and I wouldn’t blame all of it on mental focus," Brownell said.
"Some of it’s coaching, some of its want to, there’s a lot things that go into it. We’re not getting the job done on the defensive end like we need to, to win games against really good teams."
There have been flashes. Brownell pointed to stretches where Clemson has defended well, including the first half against Stetson.
He also noted that the Tigers have generally been solid offensively, with good shooting and low turnover numbers. But the bigger problem remains the same: Clemson hasn’t put together a full 40 minutes.
"Well, there are examples where we’ve played well this year. First half of Stetson, we played very well defensively.
We just haven’t finished games the way we’re supposed to. I think offensively, we played pretty well in most of the games and shot the ball well.
Pretty low turnover numbers. Like I told the guys after the game, there are really good pockets of play even in tonight’s game.
But to beat a really good team, you’ve got to play 40 minutes, and you’ve got to execute the game plan."
That lack of consistency showed up again Friday. Clemson managed to take the lead several times late in the second half, but Georgetown answered quickly and reclaimed control.
With one game left before the Tigers head to Maui, Brownell said the lesson has to stick. The competition only gets tougher from here, and he wants the defensive message to land before that trip.
"Just how hard we have to compete and prove defensively," Brownell said. "It’s not a much different message.
And I told them that, the message isn’t much different. I’ve told them after several games, and I’ve been very disappointed in our performance on the defensive end, even after wins.
We have to improve our process."
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