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Where Clemson basketball must improve to defeat Duke, Cooper Flagg after Georgia Tech loss
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- Where Clemson basketball must improve to defeat Duke, Cooper Flagg after Georgia Tech loss
This story was updated to add new start time for Clemson vs. Duke and correct a statistic.
CLEMSON — Clemson basketball received a reality check Tuesday night.
The No. 21 Tigers were upset by Georgia Tech , losing 89-86 in three overtimes at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was the first ACC men's basketball game to reach three overtimes since February 2020, according to the ACC Network.
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The trap-game loss snapped Clemson's six-game win streak and denied it its best start in conference play in program history. It also brought the Tigers (18-5, 10-2 ACC) back to earth, showcasing their flaws before their biggest game of the season against No. 2 Duke (19-2, 11-0) on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
"We didn't play well enough to win, and I've talked about how defensive rebounding has been a problem for us a little bit at times in the year," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "Ultimately, I've told the guys that it's going to cost us a game, and it cost us a game."
Georgia Tech (11-12, 5-7) outrebounded Clemson 56-46, including eight more offensive rebounds. Three Yellow Jacket players recorded double-digit rebounds that helped Georgia Tech score 29 second-chance points, 16 more than Clemson.
A key reason for the disparity was center Viktor Lakhin's foul trouble. He had one foul in the first half but received four more to foul out in the second half. It was his second time fouling out this season, and his absence helped Georgia Tech dominate the boards and have favorable matchups in the paint.
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"Usually, they play with two bigs," Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire said. "(Ian) Schieffelin wasn't, to me, as effective because now you're trying to wrestle with two guys, instead of having another guy to help him wrestle on the inside."
Schieffelin recorded eight rebounds on Tuesday.
HOW THE GAME WENT: Clemson basketball vs Georgia Tech score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch
Clemson also shot poorly, a season-low 36.4%. Chase Hunter was 9-for-24, and Chauncey Wiggins shot 5-for-16.
"It's really the first time all year you could kind of sense our guys tightening up a little bit, and we just didn't execute and finish some things," Brownell said.
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Injuries are mounting for Clemson, too. Freshman reserve guard Del Jones suffered an Achilles injury in practice, per Brownell, that held him out of Tuesday's game. Chase Hunter jammed a finger and Schieffelin suffered a cramp, but both remained in the game
These issues are a recipe for disaster as Clemson's next game will be against Duke, which is undefeated in the ACC and on a 15-game win streak. The Blue Devils average 39.3 rebounds (second in the ACC) and have a tall starting lineup, featuring Khaman Maluach (7-foot-2), Cooper Flagg (6-9) and Kon Knueppel (6-7).
Duke also holds opponents to 37.7% shooting (No. 1 in the ACC) and has a talented team headlined by Flagg. Clemson is 1-3 overtime games this season but looks to put this upset loss behind it before facing the Blue Devils.
"Just flush it," Chase Hunter said. "We got two big games coming up. So, just flush it, try to move on (and) learn from it."
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Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson-Duke: Can Tigers 'flush' upset loss before Blue Devils game?
