Clemson sees season come to end with NCAA Tournament loss to Rutgers

With less than 40 seconds remaining, Clemson’s Aamir Simms held the game in his hands.

The senior — who has made big play after big play over the course of his career — needed a bucket. Down by two points, the second-team All-ACC selection dribbled down the right lane, drawing contact along the way.

He never got a shot off, though. After the initial contact, Simms was called for traveling with 36 seconds to play. On the ensuing possession, Rutgers sealed its win with a layup.

The seventh-seeded Tigers fell 60-56 to No. 10 seed Rutgers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The loss ends Clemson’s season in the Round of 64 in the Midwest Region.

“I don’t think he traveled,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said on a postgame Zoom call. “I think he took two steps, I think there was contact. It’s the same exact play we ran against Georgia Tech late in the game, and Aamir did about the same thing and scored to cut it to two in that game.

“Clyde made a read. I probably wish he’d come for the handoff, but he didn’t. He thought he was going to get a back-cut layup, so he went to the basket. … Aamir still got the drive. We were going to put it in our best player’s hands. He’s going to drive it to the basket and make a play for your team.”

The Scarlet Knights built an 11-point lead with 10:17 remaining, but the Tigers responded with a 10-0 run. With 4:12 remaining, Rutgers and Clemson were tied 55-55.

Clemson didn’t score in the final 2:28 of the game, however, missing its last four shots from the field. Simms had eight first-half points as the Tigers led by three at the break. But he didn’t score in the opening 10 minutes of the second half and finished with 15 points. Clyde Trapp added 14.

Geo Baker and Caleb McConnell paced Rutgers with 13 points each. The Scarlet Knights advance to the second round, where they will play No. 2 seed Houston on Sunday. The victory gives them their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1983. This year’s NCAA Tournament appearance was Rutgers’ first since 1991.

“Obviously excited about the outcome of the game. We respect Clemson a great deal,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “Brad is one of the best coaches in the country. We knew it would be one of these games. They defend at an elite level. I really liked our poise down the stretch.”

For so much of the season, Clemson’s tough man-to-man defense wore opponents down as the game went on. But Rutgers outscored the Tigers 37-30 in the second half after managing only 23 points in the first.

Clemson was tabbed to finish 10th in the ACC this season. At one point this season, the Tigers were No. 12 in the AP Poll and  finished the regular season tied for fifth in the league. While the first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament wasn’t what Clemson was looking for in its trip to Indianapolis, making the tournament is an accomplishment.

“Yeah, I think it was successful,” Brownell said of the 2020-21 season. “We all would’ve taken 20-plus game regular seasons and postseason opportunities like this to play. My guys are a joy to be around. We led the ACC in all-academic team members. We finished 10-6 in the league. Made an NCAA Tournament.”

“I’m proud of our program; I’m proud of what our program stands for.”

A year ago, Clemson scraped together a 16-15 overall record and 9-11 ACC record. Even if the Big Dance was played in 2020, the Tigers wouldn’t have heard their name called on Selection Sunday. Making the NCAA Tournament this season is an achievement for the program, especially after enduring two COVID-19 pauses along the way.

Clemson’s now made the NCAA Tournament three times in the Brad Brownell era. Making the appearances more frequent is the next step.