It was a frantic finish in Brooklyn at the ACC tournament on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech edged Clemson 76-75 in overtime to advance after a valiant effort from the Tigers. The Hokies started hot and Clemson struggled to get stops in the opening half of the game. That allowed Virginia Tech to build an 11 point halftime lead at 43-32.
However, Clemson would not go quietly as they would claw their way back. They trailed by as many as 13 in the 2nd half, but it was the defensive end that sparked Clemson's comeback in the 2nd half. The Tigers held VT to just 23 2nd half points. Clemson forced 14 turnovers, 7 of those came on steals which ignited opportunities on the offensive end.
Clemson showed incredible resolve in fighting their way back into the game. Spartanburg Native P.J. Hall had an incredibly gutsy effort Wednesday night. Hall has been hampered by an ankle injury for most of the 2nd half of the season, it caused him to miss some games down the stretch. He reaggravated that injury Wednesday night. Hall would leave the game for sometime but would return and play through the pain, knowing his team needed him.
Hall scored a bucket in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game to Overtime. Clemson had a one point lead with 6 seconds left in OT. Hall would go to the line and hit the second of two free throws. Clemson took a timeout to set their defense. To the Tigers credit they didn't allow the ball into Tech's point guard Storm Murphy or their leading scorer on the night Keve Aluma. The ball came into Darius Maddux who dribbled into the front court and used his 4 inch height advantage shoot over Al-Amir Dawes. Maddux's 3 at the buzzer went in ending Clemson's ACC tourney run and snapping their 5 game late season winning streak.
VT shot 47% from the floor and a blistering 43% from 3 point range. Clemson shot 46% but just 35% from deep. The Tigers were +7 in turnover margin, VT was +2 on the offensive glass. Clemson had 4 in double figures, Hall had a team high 16 playing on a bad ankle for much of the game. Chase Hunter had 13, Hunter Tyson 12 and 7 boards, and David Collins added 12. The Hokies got a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards from Keve Aluma. Storm Murphy added 15 and Darius Maddox had 8 including the game winning three.
It was a must win for Virginia Tech who came into the ACC tourney on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. They may still have some work to do, but the win put them at the 20 win mark. They could likely lock up a dance ticket if they beat Notre Dame today (Thursday). Clemson now sits at 17-16, I think an NIT bid is unlikely given the fact they are just one game over .500. However, they may well get an invite to the College Basketball Insider Tournament.
