| Four Factors | NC State |
Clemson |
| eFG% | 44.8 | 46.3 |
| Turnover Rate | 20.5 |
17.1 |
| Off Reb Rate | 20.0 | 37.5 |
| FT Rate | 20.8 | 24.1 |
| Pts | Poss | OFF_EFF | DEF_EFF | |
| Clemson | 60 | 58.5 | 102.6 | 85.5 |
| NCSU | 50 | 58.5 | 85.5 | 102.6 |
That was a speedy descent into flames even by this team's usual standards. Thinking back on the liveblog, I'm not sure there was one person who didn't expect we'd eventually surrender the big lead. Clemson went on a 17-1 run to close the gap late in the first half and put State away with a 16-0 run late in the second half. It's still a little amazing to me how predictable this stuff has become.
The most confounding part about the whole ordeal was Sidney Lowe's insistence on playing CJ Leslie for a significant chunk of the second half, a move so totally incomprehensible that it's still bothering me. It was plainly, painfully obvious that Leslie was hampered by illness and hurting the cause as a result. This game was so crucial for Sidney Lowe's future and yet it was like he was purposefully sabotaging his own team. Amazing.
Of course there was a wide array of issues that scuttled their chances last night, as tends to be the case; Leslie was simply the most obvious example. When Clemson began to play more physical basketball, State had no counter and everything fell apart. We went from looking like a polished basketball team to a collection of guys who just picked up the game the week prior. Stop me if you've heard that one before.