How Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell foresaw the Tigers' debacle at Notre Dame

CLEMSON – It was the ideal scenario for Clemson basketball to cement itself as the sole team in fourth place in the ACC standings and to be in the driver's seat for a double bye in the ACC Tournament.

Wake Forest, the team that was tied with the Tigers in fourth entering Saturday's games, lost 87-76 to Virginia Tech early Saturday. All Clemson had to do was take care of 11th-placed Notre Dame at the Purcell Pavilion.

The scenario was too perfect as the Fighting Irish defeated the Tigers 69-62 Saturday night, halting Clemson's momentum and leaving it tied for fourth place with the Demon Deacons and now Syracuse at 10-8 in ACC games..

"Certainly, we would love to get the bye, but I don't like playing poorly," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "We didn't play well enough tonight to win."

The Tigers (20-9, 10-8) scored their second-fewest points this season, behind only the 55 points they had against North Carolina on Jan. 6. Brownell said postgame that he wasn't satisfied with some of the shot selections his veteran players took.

Joseph Girard III and Chase Hunter were scoreless in the first half, shooting a combined 0-for-7 from the field. After scoring 16 in the first half, PJ Hall logged five points and shot 2-for-8 from the field, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range.

Clemson's bench scored four points, ending its six-game streak of scoring in double figures. The team shot 5-for-28 (17.9%) from 3-point range, its fewest made since Jan. 30 vs. Louisville and worst percentage since Jan. 16 against Georgia Tech.

With the score tied at 50 with 7:59 left in the game, Notre Dame (12-17, 7-11) went on a 9-1 run that was too much for Clemson to overcome. The absence of Jack Clark, who was out because of an illness, loomed large as the Tigers could not contain the Irish's Tae Davis.

Brownell says one reason for the frustrating play is the lack of practices.

"Our practices are not very good right now," Brownell said. "They're extremely limited, and when they're limited, you're not going to be as effective."

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Brownell is concerned about his team's health. He revealed Hall practiced for 20 minutes Thursday for the first time in a month but was one of only seven healthy players that practiced. He added they "hardly didn't do anything" on Friday.

Hall and Ian Schieffelin have been battling wear and tear over the past month. Alex Hemenway (lower body) and Bas Leyte (shoulder) have missed time throughout the season, and Clark missed his first game since Jan. 13.

"I'm frustrated because I don't think we had great practices leading in here," Brownell said. "I'm not that kind of coach. I believe in work."

The good news for the Tigers is if they win their next two games against Syracuse and Wake Forest, they will clinch the fourth double bye in the ACC Tournament. If they falter, it becomes tricky for their chances to land the coveted bye.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell blames for Notre Dame dud