Clemson couldn’t find a way to get it done in a clutch game on the road Saturday at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
The Demon Deacons (19-12 overall, 11-9 ACC) defeated Clemson, 81-76, to finish their season 16-1 at home.
Hunter Sallis led all scorers with 22 points for Wake Forest, which made 12 of its last 13 shots in Saturday’s contest. The ‘Deacs’ also got a boost to their own NCAA Tournament hopes with a solid victory over a Quadrant 1 opponent.
PJ Hall had 18 points for Clemson (21-10, 11-9), and Chase Hunter added 17.
The loss cost the Tigers the double bye in the ACC Tournament (awarded to the top four teams in conference standings), which begins Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Because of Pitt’s win over NC State Saturday night, the Tigers will now play Wednesday at D.C.’s Capital One Arena instead of Thursday. Their opponent will be the winner of Tuesday’s first-round matchup between Boston College and Miami.
Clemson is still in good shape for the NCAA Tournament, however; nothing Saturday was going to impact the Tigers’ chances of reaching the Dance.
Now, the team will see if it can go deep in the conference tournament for a chance at higher seeding in the selection committee’s final brackets. Those will be announced on Selection Sunday, March 17.
Here’s everything Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Saturday’s loss to Wake Forest.