Fifteen games into the ACC schedule last year, Clemson was 8-7 and it was hard to know what to think about that group.
It's certainly worth pointing out that the ACC was significantly better last year, and that the Tigers' losses were to some good teams.
A year ago tomorrow, fans weren't happy after N.C. State came into Littlejohn and won. But that Wolfpack team turned out to be pretty dang good.
To Paul's point: Deep into March last year there was a significant contingent of Clemson fans who scoffed at the idea that Brownell could take this program where it longs to go (and where it has seldom been).
That was a function chiefly of an opening-game flameout against Boston College in the ACC Tournament, but also of an 11-9 record in ACC play.
The Hall-led Tigers established their bona fides in November and December and then seemed to let their attention wander during the conference schedule, to the point that Brownell had to remind them that if they farted around enough they wouldn't get a chance to show the world how high their ceiling was come March Madness.
Strictly in the context of the pre-March season, this team has been more endearing because of how often it shows its best, how organically it has come together with two transfers proving to be invaluable pieces, and how natural it was to expect a dip this season after the loss of Hall, Girard and Jack Clark.
The conquests of Duke and Kentucky showed this team doesn't take a back seat to anyone, and gave everyone in the orange bubble license to dream big -- and dream of going even higher than last year's group, as hard as that was to imagine entering this season.
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But the NCAA Tournament can be such a crap shoot. Sometimes a team uncharacteristically misses its free throws as Baylor did last year in the second round. Sometimes you just run up against a hot team, as Arizona found out last year. Sometimes you don't shoot well and the other team can't miss.
All the different variables will make it hard to set last year's achievement as the bar to measure this year's team against.
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