Takeaways from Clemson’s 69-59 win over Miami

In a battle between two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the ACC, Clemson controlled Miami from the tip in its 69-59 win at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, a venue where Miami has traditionally found it difficult to win.

The Hurricanes struggled offensively from the start. They missed their first four shots and turned the ball over three times before guard Dante Allen scored their first basket of the game with 16:07 to go in the first half. Clemson’s physical defense continued to give UM issues for the remaining 56 minutes. For the game, Miami shot 38.9% from the field and 25% from deep. 

“We just didn’t play with enough oomph today, but I’m glad because I felt like we needed this reality check too, just to see what another high level team really looks like,” Miami head coach Jai Lucas said after the game. “And we’ll grow from this. We’ll get better. We’re still a young team; we’re a young program. We’re still in the building blocks of our season and program and culture and everything, so it’s gonna be day-by-day, step-by-step for us.”

With the loss, the Hurricanes are now 0-3 against ranked opponents. They’ll play their next game on Tuesday in a home duel with in-state rival Florida State.

More is needed from Miami’s guards

Entering the game, Miami’s starting guard duo of Tre Donaldson and Tru Washington formed one of the highest-scoring backcourts in the ACC, combining to average 29.7 points per game.

Their usual offensive punch was absent against the Tigers. Donaldson scored five points; Washington had just four. Both of these totals are season lows.

As UM plays other teams in the ACC’s upper-tier, like Clemson, it can’t afford this type of no-show offensively from the Donaldson-Washington duo.

First-half turnovers doom Hurricanes

Miami wasn’t shooting the ball well in the opening half, but it could have kept the score closer if it wasn’t for all the turnovers. The Canes turned the ball over 12 times in the first 20 minutes. 

Many of these mistakes were unforced errors, such as dropped passes or balls dribbled off feet. Clemson set its season high in steals with 11…all of which were in the first half.

“We had 12 turnovers in the first half. It kind of gave them life and gave them energy,” Lucas said. “And then from that, if you look at the stat sheet, that’s really the biggest difference in the game. You eliminate half those points off turnovers, and you have some game pressure, and it’s a different game.”

Lucas’ squad was out of sorts all game on the offensive end, so who knows if limiting these turnovers would have resulted in a win. But still, if the Hurricanes played a more mistake-free brand of basketball, they likely would have been in a closer game down the stretch.

Freshmen were the silver linings

He may not get as much national attention as some of his other first-year counterparts, but forward Shelton Henderson is putting together a terrific freshman campaign. The Houston native is third on the team in scoring, and he led the way for Miami against Clemson, totaling 22 points. He’s averaged 18.7 points over his last three games.

Elsewhere, Allen and freshman big Salih Altuntas also had solid outings. Allen finished with 11 points, marking the first stretch of his college career with consecutive double-digit scoring games. Altuntas was held scoreless, but he had a nice block on a well-timed weakside recovery and provided quality backup minutes for starting center Ernest Udeh Jr.

“[Henderson] and Dante. I thought Dante Allen played really well too. For them to be freshmen and play in this environment and rise to this occasion, I was really pleased,” Lucas said.