Can the Clemson Tigers Claw Back After Louisville Cardinals' Sharp Shooting?
The recent face-off at Littlejohn Coliseum saw the Clemson Tigers fall to the Louisville Cardinals with a score of 64-81. The Cardinals, ranked 13th, improved their record while the unranked Tigers faced another setback this season. The home game for Clemson ended without a draw, as both teams fought hard on the court.
The Cardinals came out strong in the first quarter, setting a pace that would challenge the Tigers throughout the game. With an impressive field goal percentage of 52 and converting 36 percent from beyond the arc, they established an early dominance. Their offensive efforts were bolstered by sinking 62 percent of their two-point attempts and securing 38 rebounds over the course of play.
On defense, Louisville managed to keep their personal fouls to just twenty while only allowing one block against them. They capitalized on turnovers with twenty-two points off turnovers and maintained control with an assists turnover ratio of 1.67.
In contrast, despite a valiant effort in front of their fans at Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson struggled to find consistency in shooting from long range with only twenty percent success on three-pointers. However, they did manage to convert sixty percent from inside the arc and had a slightly better free throw percentage at sixty-eight compared to Louisville's sixty-five.
Clemson's defense was active with five steals but failed to record any blocks against Louisville's offense. They also gave up more personal fouls than their opponents which amounted to eighteen in total.
The fourth quarter saw Clemson outscore Louisville by eight points but it wasn't enough to close down what had been built up by then; especially since they were outdone in second-chance points thirteen-six and fast break points seven-eleven favoring Louisville.
Looking ahead for Clemson fans is another tough matchup as they travel away from home turf. The next game will see them face off against Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum located in Blacksburg on January 21st scheduled for noon Eastern Time broadcast nationally on The CW network where supporters can tune in hoping for a turnaround performance from their team.