Losing streak escalates, dropping Clemson out of the top 25. Coach admits team faces a "taste of reality" and must reset to avoid NCAA Tournament jeopardy.
Clemson has not played good basketball in a couple of weeks.
The Tigers’ last win came against California on Feb. 7.
Since then, Clemson has lost to Virginia Tech, Duke and Wake Forest, dropping out of the top 25.
The Tigers should have earned a victory over the now 14-12 Demon Deacons, but Wake Forest's 55 percent shooting from the field was too much for a Clemson offense that went 8-of-26 from beyond the arc.
The 85-77 loss in front of 7,433 fans at LJVM Coliseum on Wednesday night dropped Clemson to 20-7 and 10-4 in ACC play. It was a wake-up call for a team that began February with the hopes of acquiring a high seed.
The Tigers could soon be in jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament if head coach Brad Brownell doesn't get ahold of his team quickly.
Brownell admitted things aren't going well for Clemson, saying Wednesday night's loss was a reality check.
"They're getting a taste of reality," Brownell said, via TigerNet. "It's hard. I think sometimes when you're winning like that, you don't really understand how hard it is to take it for granted a little bit. So much of this sport is momentum.
"It's not only who you play, but when you play them. We're getting Wake at a time when they've regrouped and gathered themselves. And, you know, they're playing a lot of confidence."
Brownell believes Clemson will see the same thing when it hosts a 13-13 Florida State program on Saturday. He wants his team to regroup before taking on the Seminoles.
It's a critical matchup with No. 21 Louisville coming to town on Feb. 28.
Brownell didn't think his crew did enough to match Wake Forest.
"We didn't play well enough," Brownell said. "When they're shooting the ball and executing as well as they did, you have to match them. We just couldn't keep up offensively.
"We struck some defensive stops, but then when we needed one or two more big ones late, we just couldn't quite get them. They got two or three offensive rebounds they got. It's, you know, enough of a chance to be able to put possession in."
The Tigers are now tied with NC State for fourth place in the ACC.
After the recent string of losses, Clemson will need to win some games in the ACC Tournament to help its case for seeding in the NCAA Tournament.