Brad Brownell is betting an uncommon adjunct to his coaching repertoire, a steady dose of applied sports psychology, can help this year’s Clemson squad escape the gravitational pull of the basketball program’s undistinguished past. Halfway through the season the signs are promising, but that same history suggests ample caution.
ACC fans are accustomed to Clemson assuming also-ran status the way we expect Duke and North Carolina to rise to the top of the conference standings. When the region’s media projected the Tigers to finish 13th among the 15 ACC men’s teams this season, it made perfect sense. Last year Clemson lost 8 of 10 ACC games decided by five or fewer points and finished 12th, failing to reach the NCAAs for the sixth straight season.