By Robert Lastella
Clemson vs West Virginia felt like every bit of an NCAA tournament matchup, and in the end, it was the Tigers who picked up a major momentum-boosting win.
West Virginia set the tone early on with their overbearing physicality and slow pace of play, eventually jumping out to a double-digit lead early in the second half. Clemson was never phased, slowly chipping away, until Carter Welling broke through late and gave the Tigers everything they needed en route to a 70-67 victory.
There wasn’t an overly dominating performance from any Tiger; rather, Clemson finished with 5 players in double figures, with Jestin Porter and RJ Godfrey leading the way with 14 apiece. Defensively, the Tigers weren’t perfect; however, when they needed stops late, they were able to get them.
The Tigers were able to get it done in a gritty performance against a talented West Virginia team, which is an encouraging sign heading into the challenging portion of their non-conference slate.
Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ win.
Carter Welling takes over
It was a relatively quiet performance for Carter Welling for the majority of the game, but over the final 3 minutes of the game, he practically single-handedly won Clemson the game.
WVU led by 5 going into the final media timeout with 3:59 to play, and out of that timeout, Welling was unleashed. On the second Clemson possession out of the timeout, Welling hit a triple that brought the deficit down to one possession, 63-61, with 3:11 to play. Less than a minute later, Welling hit another one to give Clemson a 64-63 lead with 2:13 remaining.
He wasn’t done there, as with 1:22 to play, he added on 2 more to extend their lead to 66-63 with 1:22 to play. He then went to the free throw line twice over the final minute and hit 3 out of 4 free throws, icing the game for the Tigers.
Welling scored 11 of the final 12 points for Clemson, giving the Tigers a jolt of life when they desperately needed one late.
Head Coach Brad Brownell explained the late-game surge from Welling was in large part due to good decisions made by his top three ball handlers.
“We put RJ down low and Carter up top. And obviously, we can roll those guys and do a lot of different things with him. Dillon, we had the ball and were making some good decisions. And, you know, we just, we kind of went to a lot of middle of the floor ball screen stuff in the second half, and that was better for us. And obviously, it centers around those three guys. They made a lot of good decisions. Got a couple of timely shots from butter and JP, and so it's just a good team win,” Brownell said.”
Welling has been the Tigers’ leading scorer so far this season, averaging 11.4 points per game. If he can improve on that as the season goes on with spurts like he had tonight, Clemson will only become better as a team.
Tigers overcame a quiet night from Ace Buckner
Freshman guard Ace Buckner has been the Tigers’ second leading scorer on the season, averaging 11 points per game on 50% shooting from the field. Over the last three games, however, he has been held under double figures, and against West Virginia, he scored a season low two points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Bumps in the road for a freshman will happen; the key is overcoming them, both as a player and as a team. Against West Virginia, Clemson had Buckner’s back, finding other ways to generate scoring. That is important, not only for the team, but also for Buckner, as his confidence can remain high knowing he can continue to play within the system and not try to force shots.
Porter and Godfrey each had 14 points, while Dillon Hunter and Welling each added 13. It was the veterans who got the job done tonight for Clemson, but the Tigers can’t rely on only them as the season goes on.
Clemson will be at their best when Buckner is at his best, but to be able to defeat a team like West Virginia when he has a quiet night is a testament to their overall depth.
Brownell believes his young players will grow from a game like tonight, as the veterans on his squad gave them a reason to have hope.
“When you have a new group, this many new players, we have a lot of young players, six freshmen, and so, you know, they're getting knocked on their heels a little bit. We have to have the older guys who step up and make plays and make sure our guys believe. And these are the kind of ones that help, help your team grow,” Brownell said.
Clemson becomes battle-tested
Clemson has now taken on two power conference teams in Georgetown and West Virginia, in the first three weeks of the season. Although things did not go their way on the road against the Hoyas, they were able to bounce back and defeat a potential tournament team on a neutral court.
The ACC is going to be improved this season. The Tigers taking non-conference swings like this only benefits them ahead of what could be a challenging conference slate. It also gives them a taste of adversity and how to overcome it, something that is unteachable until it happens.
This is a Clemson squad that has a mix of young and veteran contributors, so the early-season experience is a necessity to ensure that this squad is gelling at the right time.
Their ability to weather the storm against a stingy opponent like West Virginia is encouraging, and if they can win a game like this when they aren’t at their best, there is potential for Clemson to make serious noise in the ACC this year.
A win like this after a close loss to Georgetown is important, according to Brownell, as when a team can find a way to come out on top amidst adversity, it can be one of the most important wins of them all.
“You know, I thought we played a really good 20 minutes against Georgetown and didn't come out of halftime well, and they kind of smacked us, but then we battled back and had a chance late to get that game up there, but to finish one off, I think, is, you know, is really meaningful. We probably played better in more stretches of the game at Georgetown, but our team found a way tonight. And sometimes those are, you know, more important wins for your team long term, that your team just finds a way,” Brownell said.