Let the Bodies Hit the Floor: Tigers survive physical encounter with Mustangs to advance

Clemson hung on to beat SMU and advance (Photo by Merrell Mann).

David Hood - Senior Writer - Friday, March 14 2025

CHARLOTTE – Let the bodies hit the floor.

Three months and a few days after Clemson defeated SMU by a field goal in Charlotte for the ACC Championship in football, the Tigers once again beat the Ponies by a field goal in Charlotte to advance in the ACC Basketball Tournament. A big difference? SMU might have tackled better in March than it did in December.

It was that kind of physical game as the No. 10 Tigers held off the sixth-seeded Mustangs 57-54 to improve to 27-5 on the season (extending a program record for wins) and advanced to play second-seeded Louisville in the semifinals Friday night (9:30 pm). The winner of that game plays the winner of Duke-UNC for the ACC Championship at 8:30 pm Saturday.

It was the kind of game – physical and tight – that might serve the Tigers well in the postseason. Clemson ended the season by beating lesser teams, and while they might not have been with ease, they weren’t exactly pushed in some of them. SMU pushed. And shoved. And hit. And smacked. And talked.

At one point Ian Schieffelin walked over to the bench after a near decapitation under the basket – no foul called – and shook his head at head coach Brad Brownell and held up four fingers as if to say, “I just got hit four times.”

The Tigers were without the services of center Viktor Lakhin for much of the game as he dealt with foul trouble, and guard Dillon Hunter didn’t play in the second half after suffering a hand injury late in the first half.

With backups Del Jones and Christian Reeves racking up minutes, the Tigers tried to stay within hailing distance of the Mustangs until it was Chase Hunter’s time. Hunter delivered with 21 points and a team-high three blocks.

SMU led most of the second half, but Lakhin’s jumper in the lane gave the Tigers a 52-51 lead with 4:50 left in the game. SMU had a chance to tie or take the lead after Hunter missed a 3-point attempt with 17 seconds left and the shot clock winding down. The Mustangs called timeout with 12.5 seconds left, but Chuck Harris missed a corner 3-pointer.

There was a battle for the rebound before the ball went out of bounds. It was initially ruled that the ball went off a Clemson player, but after reviewing the play, officials ruled that SMU touched the ball last. Hunter was fouled on the inbounds play and made a free throw with 2.1 seconds left in the contest. Cross’ full-court heave was deemed after the buzzer but fell short anyway for the Mustangs.

SMU outscored the Tigers in the paint 40-24 but shot just 1-14 from 3-point range. The Mustangs were also held without a field goal for the last 6:14 of the contest as the Tigers bullied back on defense.

The song “Bodies” by Drowning Pool says Let the bodies hit the floor, Beaten, why for, can’t take much more and towards the end says push me again, something’s got to give, skin against skin, blood and bone and both teams lived through that kind of ringer late Thursday.

The Tigers were the ones that got up off the floor, and just in time to meet Louisville.