Brad Brownell does not think he has walked under any ladders, broke any mirrors or came across a black cat in the last month, but something has happened.

Since its Jan. 26 game at NC State, his Clemson team has lost three games on the last play of the game. Twice the Tigers lost on a last second shot and the third time their last second attempt to win the game went awry.

Clemson is coming off back-to-back one-point losses on the road, in which Miami bounced in a last-second shot to beat the Tigers in Coral Gables and then at Louisville Marquise Reed’s potential game-winner was blocked and John Newman’s follow at the horn bounced off the rim.

“I have been teased about how many black cats have walked in front of us or how many ladders have I walked under. I have heard it all in the last couple days from friends and the folks back home,” Brownell said.

The Tigers (15-10, 5-7 ACC) hope their luck begins to change tonight when they host No. 16 Florida State at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson. They are in desperate need of a win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Clemson is currently ranked No. 41 in the latest NET rankings, which the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will use to help decide its 68-team field next month. A win over the Seminoles (20-5, 8-4 ACC), who has won seven straight games, would also give Clemson a second Tier One victory.

But to get a win and change their fortune, if you will, Brownell understands they need to start creating their own luck.

“We have had some chances to do something to close out games … make more free throws, make a shot or two and we have not made them,” he said. “You have to keep trusting in your players and believing in your guys.

“I believe in our guys. Our guys are playing really hard and are really trying to compete. That is why your heart hurts for them because you watch them work and you know how much they are putting into it and you just want things to happen for your guys.”

Clemson had opportunities to close out wins at NC State and at Miami, but it failed to make shots at the end. The Tigers missed 6 of 8 free throws in the last minute at NC State, which allowed the Wolfpack the opportunity to win the game at the end. Reed missed four straight free throws in the last 10 seconds which would have sealed a win.

At Miami, Clemson had a one-point lead and the basketball in the last 30 seconds, but Reed’s layup high off the glass just missed and the Hurricanes grabbed the rebound and went down the floor and made the game-winner.

Then there was last Saturday’s loss at Louisville. Reed drained two three-pointers in the last 15 seconds to erase a seven-point deficit. Down a point, Reed stole an inbounds pass with three seconds to play, but his attempted layup was blocked, and Newman could not get his follow shot to fall.

“We have had our heart ripped out a couple of times,” Brownell said. “The crazy thing is just how everything is viewed so much differently with a made shot or a missed shot. You are a great player and a good coach with this. You are a bad player and a bad coach, you’re bad team, you’re a good team.

“It is just so dramatic, and that is sports. We have to find a way to win a couple of these close ones.”