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Palmetto State Sweep: Tigers Claim Hoops Bragging Rights
For the Clemson faithful, the Palmetto Series isn’t just another non-conference game; it’s the ultimate barometer for the entire athletic year, a chance to flex in front of your in-state little brother and make sure he remembers his place. Just 17 days after the football team went into Columbia and sucked the life out of Williams-Brice Stadium, the basketball Tigers decided to double down on the misery, hosting South Carolina at a rocking Littlejohn Coliseum.In a game that felt like it should’ve been a blowout but somehow stayed tense until the final minutes, Clemson (9-3) gritted out a 68-61 win, sweeping the major sports bragging rights for this cycle and sending a clear message: whether it’s helmets or sneakers, the Tigers are more than happy to keep the Gamecocks squarely in the rearview mirror. The night started with a weird vibe, though.A sellout crowd of 9,000 was ready to explode, but the Tigers came out flat, missing easy looks inside and letting South Carolina (7-4) jump to a 12-5 lead behind Mike Sharavjamts. It felt like one of those classic rivalry letdowns.But then, as if someone flipped a switch, Clemson unleashed a 17-3 run, a balanced assault that saw eight different players score in the first half. The lead ballooned to double digits, and it looked like the Gamecocks might get run out of the building before halftime.Yet, despite South Carolina shooting a miserable 2-of-15 from deep and Clemson’s bench dominating, the Tigers only led 34-27 at the break. The failure to land a knockout punch was compounded by an injury to freshman guard Zac Foster, who went down with a lower-body issue and didn’t return, adding a layer of anxiety for the home crowd.The second half was a frustrating seesaw. Clemson would stretch the lead to 10 or 12 points, thanks to stingy defense that held South Carolina to just 4-of-23 from three-point land for the game, but they could never deliver the final blow.The culprit? Brutal free-throw shooting, finishing at a head-scratching 61% with 12 misses from the line. Every time it seemed Clemson might pull away, a clanked free throw kept the door cracked.With under six minutes left, South Carolina’s Meechie Johnson—silent for most of the night—finally woke up to cut the lead to seven, and the tension in Littlejohn became palpable. Enter Ace Buckner.The freshman guard, in a performance that felt like a star-making moment, refused to let the game slip away. Every time South Carolina threatened, Buckner answered with a poised drive or a soft floater in the lane.He finished with a career-high 19 points on an ultra-efficient 7-of-9 shooting, adding seven rebounds and a calming presence that the Tigers desperately needed. It was the kind of clutch, downhill scoring that makes you think Brad Brownell has found his next backcourt cornerstone.
#Clemson Tigers
#South Carolina Gamecocks
#college basketball
#rivalry game
#Ace Buckner
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