The common knee-jerk reaction to Clemson's first two NCAA Tournament games in seven years?
Who are these guys, and what have they done with the Tigers?
March is marketed as the most incredible month in college sports and lives up to its magical hype year after year. That's right, magic.
How else could you explain a team whose only NCAA Tournament win in the past 20 years was a play-in game in 2011, dismantling a pair of conference champions and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen?
In truth, there's a logical explanation for Clemson's current run through the Midwest region. It's equal parts match-ups, defense, and a certain senior's re-emergence.
Clemson was a nightmare match-up for New Mexico State, Auburn
The NCAA Tournament selection committee awarding Clemson a No. 5 seed seemed appropriate given the Tigers' late-season struggles, but the Tigers' placement in the Midwest region was nothing short of a blessing for a team that played the final two months of the season without its best player.
In the first round, Clemson played a New Mexico State team rightfully lauded for its defense. However, as much as sports analysts and writers want to shy away from the "they played in a weak conference" argument come Tournament time, it's quite applicable in the Aggies' case.
NMSU held its opponents to 31 percent shooting from the three-point line this season, but more than half of its 34 games were against Western Athletic Conference teams that didn't shoot three-pointers well to begin with. In fact, the Aggies' 33.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc as a team during conference play ranked second in the WAC; in comparison, Clemson's 37.1 percent three-point shooting during conference play was good for sixth in the ACC.
Clemson guard Gabe DeVoe (10) shoots as New Mexico State guard A.J. Harris (12) looks on during the first half of a first-round NCAA college basketball tournament game Friday, March 16, 2018, in San Diego. (Photo: Denis Poroy/AP)
The Aggies' two conference losses this season came to the best and third-best three-point shooting teams in the WAC in Utah Valley and Seattle, respectively (although Seattle only made 5-of-21 attempts). Clemson and San Diego also shoot the three at a better clip than the Aggies are accustomed to seeing and were able to beat NMSU. Coincidentally, all four teams are guard-oriented with at least three of their top four scorers playing in the back court. In short, NMSU struggled against guard-dominant teams that shoot the three.
In Auburn's case, five of the SEC regular-season champions' eight losses were to back-court-dominant teams: Alabama (twice), Florida, Temple, and Clemson. College of Charleston, which relies heavily on its guard play, gave Auburn fits in the first round, as well.
Both Auburn and NMSU beat plenty of guard-heavy teams, but Clemson's combination of guards and three-point prowess (combined 40 percent shooting in its first two Tournament games) gave it an advantage.
Tigers getting defensive
Clemson made a name for itself as one of the nation's best defensive teams this season, holding opponents to 65.5 points per game on just 40.4 percent shooting. Led by ACC All-Defense selection Elijah Thomas, the Tigers also blocked shots at a high rate (4.9 per game).
Those numbers have improved during the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers have held their two Tournament opponents to 60.5 points per game on a combined 32 percent shooting from the field. They've also blocked five shots per game while holding their reputation as one of the toughest teams in the nation to get to the free throw line against, allowing 16 attempts per game.
Clemson's performance against Auburn was especially dominant, holding the SEC Tigers to just 26 percent shooting from the field. That type of effort will have to continue throughout the remainder of the tournament, when they play Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen and likely Duke if they advance to the Elite Eight — both rank among the nation's best offensive teams.
Welcome back, Gabe DeVoe
There was a four-game stretch toward the end of the season when the nation's most lethal shooter resided in Upstate South Carolina. Clemson's senior guard Gabe DeVoe averaged 22.8 points per game on 65 percent three-point shooting from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8, knocking down at least five 3-pointers in all four contests.
He'd cooled off considerably after his hot streak, averaging 12.1 points per on 27 percent three-point shooting in the eight games since.
It seems Devoe is back to his old tricks so far in the Tournament. He's averaging 22 points per game on 8-of-14 three-point shooting (57 percent). His play has carried over to fellow guards Shelton Mitchell (16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists per game) and Marcquise Reed (15.5 points, 7 rebounds per game) and the rest of the team's, as well.
Clemson's point totals of 82 and 79 over its past two games represent its second and fourth-highest of 2018. Its field goal percentage (60 percent) three-point percentage (40 percent) and assists per game (15) are all higher than its season average, and the Tigers' 7.5 turnovers per game is an improvement on their season average of 11.8.
Both DeVoe's and the Tigers' offensive efficiency is something to keep an eye on as Clemson looks to knock off some of the biggest-name programs in the nation over the next few weeks.
