Tigers are not done, yet Clemson still has more history to make
However, Clemson’s veteran head coach decided to take last Saturday night off after the Tigers’ win over Virginia Tech to close the regular season.
“We need to enjoy this for tonight,” Brownell said. “Tomorrow, we will be on to work again, but I am going to enjoy this. I am not watching any film tonight. I am not going to watch one second. I am not even going to watch our game. I will wait until tomorrow.”
Why did Brownell want to take the night off? Because he wanted to soak in what his team had just accomplished.
The Tigers wrapped up the best regular season in the program’s 113-year history.
Clemson ended the season with a record eight straight ACC wins, to finish the regular season 26-5 overall and 18-2 in conference play.
The Tigers’ 26 wins are a new program best for a regular season, breaking a mark that stood for 38 years. Their 18 wins in ACC play is also a new school mark, as was their 90-percent win percentage in league play.
“Twenty-six wins and eighteen league wins is a hell of an accomplishment,” Brownell said. “It helps to have a day you do not have to flip it right back.”
Clemson earned the night off thanks to its stellar record on the basketball court. The Tigers finished tied for second with Louisville in the ACC standings, earning a No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament, which started on Tuesday in Charlotte.
As the No. 3 seed, Clemson earned a double bye and will not play until Thursday’s quarterfinal round in Charlottle. By the way, the Tigers’ second place finish in the ACC is the highest for the men’s program since the 1989-’90 squad won the regular season title.
Now in his 15th season at Clemson, Brownell is appreciative of what the 2024-’25 team has been able to accomplish.
“I am proud of what we built. It is not easy,” he said. “It takes a lot of folks really helping and we have done so many really good things here these last seven or eight years, especially these last two or three.”
Obviously, the Tigers are not done. Clemson will try to make more history starting on Thursday, as no Clemson men’s team has won an ACC Tournament Championship.
The program has only made it to the tournament semifinals twice – 1962 and 2008.
Then there is the NCAA Tournament, which begins on March 20. The Tigers are confident they can make another big run and continue to add on to what has already been the greatest season in Clemson history.
“It’s about leaving Clemson better than when we came in,” Clemson guard Chase Hunter said. “That was our goal coming into this year…make more history and do big things. I think this team has done a great job of persevering through adversity, whether that is in the game or different things.”
