This is probably a basketball game that NC State had to win. Clemson was the Pack’s toughest opponent he’s ever experienced, and a loss on the road to such a team is nothing to look too far into. A good team has won a close game at home as it should, but it leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth and knowing it’s there to take, and NC State simply succeeds.
The Pack was electric in the first half. It got good guard play, shot the three well and led 39-32. Clemson was certainly the more included team in the second half, but the Pack, largely on the free throw line, were able to withstand that storm and cling to a single-digit lead until the last minute when it melted. on his last two attacking possessions with a chance to salt the game away.
On three occasions, DJ Funderburk took a silly controversial shot, and the sequence that followed led to the Clemson guard and B-list, Marvel Universe character, Nick Honor, leveling the game at 62. . In the ensuing possession, Devon Daniels throws a terrible pass to the wrong team.
Daniels was good for most of the game, and Funderburk was great in the second half as well. This game certainly does not fall on them just for the two bad series, but overall the state had to gather itself more to close this one. It played loose and confident most of the night, but it got stuck when the bottleneck dawned.
Thanks to Shakeel Moore who turned off an isolation game at the buzzer, the Pack were able to force overtime, but a silly bounce on a Clemson hook shot with 10 seconds left sealed the game. This shot was not even close, it bounced like three meters above the edge and then just fell through. If you do not deserve to win, the universe will assume you think so.
Here is nothing to worry about. State is pretty good. This is definitely an NCAA tournament team. Clemson is very good, and States, still a man, outscored the Tigers much of the night on their home floor. Littlejohn is a place where NC State is notorious for not showing up at all, but it was the best team for many of the games, just not enough. This is how it goes.