Wednesday March 19, 2008

Clemson's NCAA Tournament History

Clemson’s NCAA Tournament History
It bugs me sometimes to admit that I have never seen Clemson win a championship in basketball. I was there in 1990 for all of the home games including the win over Duke when Clemson won the regular-season ACC title. Elden Campbell and Dale Davis and crew were able to cut down the nets that afternoon and it was a sight I will never forget. However, it does need to pointed out that the official ACC champion each year is the tournament champion.

I obviously was not there in 1939 when the Tigers won their only post-season tournament. That year Clemson came from behind in all four games to win the Southern Conference Championship. The conference was large in terms of quantity and quality back then and included most of the southern powers, so this was very significant. Back in those days they only the top eight made the tournament but they had a tie for eighth place so they decided to play four days and let more teams in the tournament. Banks McFadden and the Tigers were trailing at halftime of all four games but came back in each. That tournament Clemson beat North Carolina 44-43, Wake Forest 30-28 and Davidson 49-33. In the conference finals, the Tigers defeated Maryland 39-27. I am not sure they cut the nets down back in those days and am kicking myself for not asking Coach McFadden more about the details of the tournament before he passed away.

I was also not alive in 1962 when the Tigers made the conference finals but I have read a lot about the event. Clemson destroyed NC State on their home court in the first round by a 67-46 score. One of the bigger upsets in Clemson history came the next day when the Tigers upset eighth-ranked Duke 77-72. In the finals, 16th-ranked Wake Forest beat the Tigers by 11 denying a stunning, story-book finish.

I am fortunate to remember all of Clemson’s NCAA tournament appearances though. Actually, the Tigers have been very successful in their seven NCAA tournament appearances with an 8-7 record.

Below is a recap of each of Clemson’s appearance in the NCAA tournament

1980
Ogden, UT Clemson (6) vs. Utah State (11) W 76-73
Ogden, UT Clemson (6) vs. BYU (3) W 71-66
Tucson, AZ Clemson (6) vs. Lamar (10) W 74-66
Tucson, AZ Clemson (6) vs. UCLA (8) L 74-85

The Tigers played the first two games in school history in the tournament in Ogden, UT. It was actually an altitude issue and a home court issue for the first game when Clemson came away with a close 76-73 win over Utah State in Ogden, UT. Shooting guard Billy Williams led Clem-son with 22 points.

Clemson’s beat Danny Ainge and BYU in round two by a 71-66 score. Williams again led the Tigers with 24 points and eight assists.

The Tigers beat Lamar in Tucson, AZ in the Sweet Sixteen by a score of 74-66. An athletic Nance led the Tigers with 16-points and 11 rebounds. Powerful big man Moose Campbell had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The biggest game in Clemson basketball history came in Tucson when the Tigers played for a chance to go to the Final Four. Larry Brown coached the Bruins to a 85-74 win over Clemson and later lost to Louisville in the national championship game. Williams led the Tigers with 18 points.

Nance was named to the All-West Regional and remains the only player in Clemson history named to an All-Regional Team.

1987
Atlanta, GA Clemson (4) vs. SW MO. State (13) L 59-65
This one hurt and it hurt really bad. My dad took me to the Omni to see what I thought was a great opportunity for the Tigers. Clemson was ranked 13th in the country and was coming off of an upset at the hands of Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC tournament. The Tigers were a number-four seed but were beaten 65-60 by the Bears. To this day this is still one of the most disappointing losses I can remember. Heading into the ACC tournament I thought this was a special chance but back-to-back upsets really hurt Tiger Nation.

1989
Boise, ID Clemson (9) vs. St. Mary’s (8) W 83-70
Boise, ID Clemson (9) vs. Arizona (1) L 68-94
The Tigers were actually the higher seed in Boise, ID and Dale Davis and Elden Campbell combined for 38 points and 16 rebounds in the Tigers’ 83-70 win over St. Mary’s.

Clemson was clearly outmatched when they faced top-ranked Sean Elliott and Arizona. The Wildcats also had current major-leaguer Kenny Lofton and beat Clemson 94-68, the Tigers worst loss in NCAA Tournament history.

1990
Hartford, CT Clemson (5) vs. BYU (12) W 49-47
Hartford, CT Clemson (5) vs. LaSalle (4) W 79-75
East Rutherford, NJ Clemson (5) vs. UCONN (1) L 70-71
Clemson had an NCAA tournament rematch with BYU in the opening round in Hartford, CT won a close, low-scoring game 49-47. Elden Campbell led the Tigers with 15 points.

Dale Davis had 26 points and 17 rebounds in upsetting LaSalle 79-75 in the second round. The Explorer’s were a fourth-seed but Sean Tyson added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Tigers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

Clemson left Connecticut to go to New Jersey to play Connecticut in the Sweet 16 and maybe the most memorable game in Clemson history. Scott Burrell throw the length of the court pass to Tate George who hit the buzzer beater and shocked the Tigers 71-70. Dale Davis led the Tigers with 15 points and 17 rebounds.

1996
Albuquerque, NM Clemson (9) vs. Georgia (8) L 74-81
Clemson was one of the youngest teams in the country and the Tigers were defeated by a very experienced Bulldog club. This was a loss but I remember Clemson fans extremely excited about the future of the program under Rick Barnes. Greg Buckner led the Tigers with 20 points and seven assists.

1997
Kansas City, MO Clemson (4) vs. Miami (OH) (13) W 68-56
Kansas City, MO Clemson (4) vs. Tulsa (5) W 65-59
San Antonio, TX Clemson (4) vs. Minnesota (1) L 84-90 (2OT)
Clemson tied their highest seed in school history and had a very successful run in the Big Dance. In Kansas City, Buckner scored a game-high 22 points in a fairly dominant victory over Miami, OH.

In the second round that year the Tigers played hard and won a game in their typical fashion in that they did not shoot the ball well but played terrific defense and rebounded well. A 65-59 win over fifth-seeded Tulsa sent the Tigers to the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history.

Clemson took on top seeded Minnesota in San Antonio, TX in a game that featured two of the toughest and most physical teams in the country. A gut-wrenching double overtime loss was another of the hardest losses in Clemson basketball history.

1998
Chicago, IL Clemson (6) vs. Western Michigan (11) L 74-78
The Tigers were playing in the NCAA tournament for the third time in a row but this team came into the event still looking back at a 66-64 loss to top-ranked Duke in the semi-finals of the ACC tournament. Five Tigers scored in double figures but Clemson was upset by the 11th-seeded Broncos in Rick Barnes’ last game as a Tiger.

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency