As Clemson basketball endured an upset with McNeese State, it caught the basketball world on fire. One of the quickest to respond was Stephen A Smith.

The latter spoke on First Take Friday morning about his honest thoughts regarding the Tigers program.

“The bottom line is, Clemson was historically bad,” Smith said. “You walked away looking at them saying, ‘This is an ACC team?'”

While the question is certainly an overreaction, to say the least, Smith's point is still valid. For example, Clemson basketball vomited a historically bad first half.

The Tigers scored 13 points as a fifth seed. That doesn't typically happen. The last time that minimal points were scored like that in a half was a First Four matchup in 2024.

Colorado squared off against Virginia and the latter scored 13 points in the first half. While they were a defensive-oriented team, 13 points in 20 minutes is inexcusable.

Either way, it was a rough half by Clemson. Although they almost won the game, the 13-point first half is what everyone will look to. Even Smith is pinpointing that as the reason for their downfall.

Clemson basketball is better than what Stephen A Smith said

Although the first-round matchup against McNeese State was horrendous, the Tigers had a legitimate regular season. They were one of the few teams to beat No. 1 seed Duke.

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Not to mention, Clemson basketball beat them convincingly. Their defense, shooting, and overall balance seemed to throw Cooper Flagg and Duke basketball off of their rhythm.

However, this is the beauty of March Madness. Regular season success might not translate over as well.

After the Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2024 tournament, they were stopped right in their tracks. Redemption was on its way in 2025.

During that season, Clemson basketball gave head coach Brad Brownell a new contract. While it might be a coincidence that they lost in the first round, McNeese State is still a solid team.

They've won the Southland regular season and conference tournament twice with Will Wade as their head coach. Despite the latter taking the NC State basketball job one day before McNeese's game, it didn't bother his players.

He put on a coaching clinic in that first half. However, the abysmal first half is what everyone will look to, and rightfully so. It will be a stain on the program for the remainder of the year.

If they make another deep run, then this conversation might not even be an issue moving forward.