When Wright State took a six-point lead with 13:55 to play in the first-round game of the NIT last Tuesday, it would have been easy for Clemson’s seniors to fold.

Point guard and fellow senior Shelton Mitchell was already out with a knee injury and playing in the NIT was not exactly the motivation Marcquise Reed, Elijah Thomas and David Skara had when they decided to return to Clemson last summer for their final season.

But the three seniors still cared and all three played a big role in the No. 2 seed Tigers’ come-from-behind victory to advance to today’s second-round game against No. 6 Wichita State at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson.

“I was pleased with that,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “I thought they would because they practiced well. That obviously carries our team. Those guys carry a lot of weight in our locker room.”

Reed scored 24 points and dished out four assists in the in the Tigers’ six-point win, while Thomas got going in the second half and finished with 17 points to go along with four rebounds, three blocked shots and one steal. Skara made a couple of huge baskets down the stretch and finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

“They are good players and it is hard for us to win when they don’t play well,” Brownell said. “Those guys have had a lot on them for a long time this year. But that was another example of those guys doing their job at a very high level.”

Today’s 2 p.m. game at Littlejohn Coliseum will mark the last time Clemson fans will get to see this year’s senior class play in Tigertown. Win or lose, it will be their last game at Littlejohn.

Top-seed Indiana beat Arkansas on Saturday in the second-round and will host the winner of today’s game on Tuesday with a trip to New York in the NIT Final Four at stake.