Clemson fights on, fueled by resilience after losing a star player, as they prepare to face Duke in a pivotal tournament clash.
Despite facing significant adversity, Clemson is moving on to the semifinal round of the ACC Tournament after beating Wake Forest on Wednesday and surviving No. 19 North Carolina in an 80-79 contest on Thursday night.
Center Carter Welling tore his ACL against Wake Forest on Wednesday. The six-foot-10, 225-pound forward played 12 minutes before the injury, scoring five points and adding five rebounds.
Without Welling, forward Nick Davidson contributed team-high 17 points to go along with 11 rebounds in Clemson's win over UNC.
During his postgame news conference, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said the team was hurt after learning Welling's season was over.
“Our hearts were a little damaged in the second half yesterday when we didn’t have Carter,” Brownell said, via The Clemson Insider.
“Certainly today, that’s on our minds because this is the best time of year. Guys work so hard to get that opportunity, and so guys were playing really hard for him in some ways.”
Welling averaged the second most points for Clemson per game (10.2) and the most rebounds per game (10.2). His absence will be huge against No. 1 Duke on Friday night, even as the Blue Devils will be without center Patrick Ngongba II.
Brownell praised his team for fighting hard against UNC without Welling, saying the team is doing all they can to win the game that's right in front of their face.
“We’re pouring it all out,” Brownell said. “We’re doing everything we can to win every game. That’s what competitors do. You figure it out later, what’s next. That’s the essence of competition is you’re gonna give your best..
“As you play better teams you have to give your best when your best is needed most. That’s what excellence really is.”
In addition to Ngongba, the Blue Devils will also be without starting point guard Caleb Foster, who suffered a broken foot before the ACC Tournament. Duke just barely beat Florida State 80-79 on Thursday night to advance to the semifinals.
However, Clemson will still have to figure out how to play against one of the best players in college basketball, freshman forward Cameron Boozer.
Boozer is averaging 22.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game this season. The six-foot-nine, 250-pound athlete will be a challenge on both sides of the floor on Friday night.
With a win, Clemson would improve their seeding for the NCAA Tournament next week.