Tiger fans greet the team as they return from the NIT Semifinals in New York City
Clemson’s Men’s Basketball season ended Tuesday night with a 65-59 loss to the SMU Mustangs in Madison Square Garden. The #3 seeded Tigers held 12 point lead over the #1 seeded Mustangs going into the half, but could not hang on. Rod Hall led Clemson with 18 points, and star forward KJ McDaniels added 11 points. McDaniels will now make the decision on whether to return for one more season in the Orange and Purple, or to head to the NBA, where he is projected as a late first round to early second round pick. McDaniels stated that he had not really thought about it yet and was “still in shock” after the loss Tuesday night. Despite a disappointing ending, Clemson fans arrived around 2:00 on Wednesday afternoon to welcome the team back. The fans have a lot to be proud of in this team. Preseason, Clemson was projected to finish 13th in the ACC. The Tigers finished 6th in the league, and posted a 10-8 record. On the Season, McDaniels led the team with 614 points and 255 rebounds. Rod Hall led the team with 143 assists. Defensively, McDaniels led the team with 100 blocks and 41 steals. The Tigers have no seniors on the team, and the only question mark on the roster is whether or not McDaniels returns. Clemson also has commitments from shooting guard Gabe Devoe from Shelby, North Carolina and small forward Donte Grantham from Chatham, Virginia. After the Tigers improved season and NIT run, there is more optimism surrounding the program going into next season than there was at the beginning of this season.