2011-2012 Season in Review: Clemson

16-15 overall, 8-8 ACC

I went into this past season with high hopes for Clemson.  They were coming off a year in which they finished strong and made the NCAA Tournament, even winning a game (albeit a play-in round game).  They were bringing most of their pieces back, and I liked Coach Brad Brownell.  Then the season started.  The Tigers faced some adversity out of the gates, with early season home losses to College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina and South Carolina.  The Tigers had a really poor showing out in Hawaii, losing to UTEP and Hawaii.  Expectations were not very high going into the ACC season.

To Clemson's credit, they were able to turn it around a bit.  They finished 8-8 in the league, which didn't seem possible in December.  A lot of that confidence probably came from their first league game, a 20 point home win over Florida State.  One thing Clemson had going for it was the weakness of the league.  They didn't have the most talent, but they had better players than several other teams in the league, who they ended up beating up on.  Five of their eight conference wins were against teams who finished nine through 12.  Clemson also benefited from only having to play Duke once and UNC once.

There really wasn't one dominant player for the Tigers.  Andre Young and Tanner Smith were the veterans, and they were the top two scorers.  Devin Booker turned in a nice year as expected.  Milton Jennings was a bit of a disappointment, and seemed to disappear at times.  Bryan Narcisse started 17 games but only scored 2.6 points per game.

Biggest Win:

79-59 vs. Florida State (January 7)

This was definitely a surprise at the time, and one that seemed to make both teams better.  Clemson played significantly better from this point of the season on.

Worst Loss:

59-57 at Boston College (January 12)

It's interesting that Clemson played its worst game of the year right after its best game.  They went up to Chestnut Hill and played horribly, botching numerous late game situations.  This game was not pretty to watch.  Some people thought BC wouldn't win an ACC game all year, but they were able to knock off Clemson.

Postseason Play:

It was a disappointing time in the ACC Tournament for Clemson.  They came in as the favorite against Virginia Tech but got outplayed and ultimately lost 68-63.  Clemson was the only favorite to go down on day 1.  They had an overall winning record but did not get an invite to the NIT.

Next Year:

I think next year is a big year for Coach Brownell.  He surprised many with a trip to the NCAA Tournament in his first year, but that was with Oliver Purnell's recruits.  In his second year the team took a step backward.  Clemson has big losses in the backcourt, with Smith and Young graduating.  They also lose Narcisse and Catalin Baciu, both seniors who played smaller roles.

The strength of the team next year will be the frontcourt.  Booker and Jennings return and should be solid presences.  I also like K.J. McDaniels, who averaged less than four points per game as a freshman but showed some flashes in a few games of great talent.  Where Clemson will really struggle is in the backcourt.  They are not left with anyone who has shown an ability to score on a consistent basis.  Three point shooting will be tough to come by.  If Rod Hall and T.J. Sapp can develop into offensive threats, Clemson has a chance to challenge for an NCAA bid.  Otherwise, I think it's a similar season to what we just saw.