Maybe too much was made of missing out on the ACC Tournament double-bye, and on the egg Clemson left in Washington.
Maybe there wasn't enough focus on the nine-day bye that the Tigers clearly needed as they turned their focus to the NCAA Tournament.
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Fresh legs and a discernibly fresh vibe brought Clemson a thorough 77-56 victory over New Mexico on Friday afternoon in Memphis.
Lose by 21 to Boston College, win by 21 against the Lobos.
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Go figure. The important part is Clemson is going to the second round, and still dreaming big.
A long break and a reset between tournaments seemed to be exactly what this team needed, as Clemson earned its first NCAA Tournament win since the Sweet 16 run six years ago.
Sour endings in seasons past gave Clemson fans plenty to gripe about after the ACC Tournament flameout.
Though this team did earn a No. 6 seed in March Madness, losses in three of the previous four games and an 11-10 record against ACC teams left folks wanting more out of Brad Brownell's 14th team.
This team was supposed to be equipped to do something special. The Tigers took an impressive first step in FedExForum, going against the grain of their recent trend of one-and-dones.
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This was more like one and fun. Clemson advanced to a Sunday matchup against Baylor in the Round of 32, dominating the Lobos throughout.
And they didn't need a hot shooting day to do it. After a flurry of 3-pointers early provided an important boost, Clemson finished 7-of-21 from 3.
Chase Hunter led the way with 21 points, six assists to just one turnover, and two steals in 31 minutes.
PJ Hall had 12 points before halftime but just two thereafter as Clemson was able to flex its muscles without its big star having to lead the way.
Ian Schieffelin scored 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, and Jack Clark had eight rebounds and four assists.
It all started on the defensive end for the Tigers, where they limited New Mexico to 3-of-23 shooting from 3 and 29.7 percent shooting overall.
The Lobos' two studs, Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House, had a terrible day in combining for 5-of-25 shooting. Mashburn Jr. went 1-of-11 from the field, and House fouled out late in the game.
Though Clemson took control early, New Mexico had an opening when Hall drew his second foul and went to the bench with 4:52 left in the first half.
The Tigers were up 13, but this seemed to be dangerous territory with the Lobos showing signs of getting back in it.
Clemson entered the locker room up 14 after RJ Godfrey came in and supplied some tough, active minutes. Godfrey finished with six points and five rebounds, plus three blocked shots and a steal.
The Tigers didn't let up coming out of the locker room, pushing the lead to 21 points within the first three minutes. Clemson later led by as many as 23, and the closest New Mexico got in the second half was 13 points as Brownell was able to clear his bench late.
Clemson outscored New Mexico 38-28 in the paint. The Tigers had 16 assists to just six for the Lobos.
Brownell's team had 19 points off 13 Lobos turnovers.
And now they have a much better feeling about the possibilities.
From a bad night in Washington to a great day in Memphis.
Thrive and advance.
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