The Tigers advanced to the Round of 32 for the first time since 1996-97 with an impressive victory over the New Mexico State Aggies.
The Tigers defeated the WAC Champions behind superb guard play and careful ball handling. Clemson limited turnovers and made NMSU work for every basket. They finished with only 8 turnovers on the night and surrendered just one fast break basket on the night. With no easy baskets to be had, NMSU - a defense oriented squad - struggled to score against Clemson’s #9 rated defense (KenPom). The Aggies only committed 11 turnovers themselves, but many were live ball turnovers resulting in quick points for the Tigers.