Brad Brownell’s harsh assessment of Clemson Tigers in NC State loss

The Clemson Tigers’ bid to stay perfect in ACC play came to a painful halt Tuesday night, and head coach Brad Brownell did not sugarcoat what went wrong after the Tigers fell 80-76 in overtime to NC State at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Following the loss, Brownell was quick to credit the Wolfpack while also turning a critical eye inward, and acknowledging NC State’s depth and shot-making. The Tigers’ biggest issues, however, were largely self-inflicted. Brownell made that clear in his more detailed breakdown of the night.

“They played very well. Hard-fought game. I don’t think we played up to the standards we need to play to win against them,” said Brownell in the post-game press conference. “They’re very talented and have a lot of offensive weapons, so they stretch you in a lot of different ways with a bunch of guys who can make threes.”

Clemson dropped its first ACC game of the season despite a balanced scoring effort. RJ Godfrey led the Tigers with 16 points, while Carter Welling scored 14 points and Ace Buckner put 12 points on the board and also reached double figures. Still, Clemson struggled from the perimeter and the free-throw line, finishing just 32 percent from three-point range.

“I thought the story of the game was our turnovers,” the caoch added. “Points off turnovers were killers. I didn’t think our guards played as well tonight as they’ve been playing. We had some poor decision-making and took a couple bad shots. And then obviously the free throws… I had two great looks in the corner and missed them. It was just one of those games where we didn’t play well enough to win against a good team. NC State played well tonight — they just beat us.”

NC State, meanwhile, leaned on Ven-Allen Lubin’s 22-point performance and timely shot-making from Darrion Williams, who scored 17 points and drilled a crucial three-pointer in overtime to put the Wolfpack ahead for good. Quadir Copeland chipped in 16 points and six assists, helping NC State snap Clemson’s nine-game winning streak.

Despite multiple chances in regulation and overtime, Clemson couldn’t close, scoring just one field goal in the extra period. The loss stings, especially at home, but it doesn’t erase the Tigers’ strong start to conference play.

Clemson will have a quick opportunity to respond when it travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday. For Brownell and the Tigers, the challenge now is turning a frustrating loss into a reset point as ACC play grinds on.

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