SB Nation - Terrence Oglesby

Coming and Going - A Look at ACC Basketball in 2009-10, Pt. II

Ben Broman — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:07:45 -0000

Yesterday, we brought you a look at the Coastal Division of the ACC basketball spectrum. Today, we present a preview of the other half of the equation - the Atlantic Division. (Yes, we know the divisions don't apply to basketball).

Below, you'll find a team-by-team analysis of what exactly is being lost - through graduation, the NBA, or Europe -and who exactly is coming in - ie, the recruiting class, and their rankings - for each ACC basketball team. A couple of predictions accompany this. We realize that a lot could change between now and November, which is why we include three different possible predictions - a Best Case, a Worst Case, and our own prediction, a fusion of the two.

What are you waiting for? Make the jump and get to reading.

Boston College

2009 Recruiting Class: None.

The Eagles are bringing in no new recruits for the upcoming season, but are still losing 22% of their points from last year with the graduation of their only senior, Tyrese Rice.

Players lost to graduation/NBA/Europe
Tyrese Rice (G) - Graduation (16.9 ppg, 5.3 apg)

Tyrese Rice leaves BC after a very nice career with the Eagles. Rice not only made up 22% of BC's scoring last season, he also accounted for 28% of the team's 3 pointers made, as well as 35% of the assists they dished out. That means someone on the current roster is going to have to step up to fill the void left by the second team all-ACC selection. Can Reggie Jackson or Biko Paris (seen right, apparently very happy about something) make up for Rice's absence? Only time will tell. Last year the Eagles were 22-12 (9-7 in the ACC). Can they maintain last year's pace or will they slip down into the bottom half of the ACC?

Best Case - Reggie Jackson and Biko Paris kick their game up a notch and the Eagles get 21 wins (+/- 2 wins).

Worst Case - The team can't overcome the loss of Rice, both in the number of points he scored and with his leadership on the court and the Eagles stumble to a 6-10 finish in the ACC.

Testudo Times Prediction - Some of the newer Eagles spread their wings a little more but having one less player on the bench and losing that player and his almost 17 points per game is really going to hurt BC. Al Skinner is a good coach, so 7-9 in the ACC sounds about right. The Eagles will likely be a bubble team at the end, but they end up just missing the tournament

Clemson

2009 Recruiting Class:
Milton Jennings 6' 9" Small Forward: 95 grade
Devin Booker 6' 8" Power Forward: 89 grade
Donte' Hill 6' 4" Shooting Guard: 85 grade

Clemson brings in three players for next season, most notably Rivals' 25th rated player, 6 ‘9 forward Milton Jennings. He'll look to fill the shoes of last year's starting small forward and second leading scorer, K.C. Rivers.

Overall Class Ranking: #25 (ESPN), #19 (Scout)

Players lost to graduation/NBA/Europe:
Sophomore Terrence Oglesby (G) - Europe (13.2 ppg)
K.C. Rivers (G-F) - Graduation (14.2 ppg, 6 rpg)
Raymond Sykes ( C ) - Graduation (7.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
Jesse Yanutola (F) - Graduation (0.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg)

After finishing last season with a 23-9 record, the Tigers were looking to claw their way towards the upper quarter of the ACC this season. Prior to last week, the Tigers were in good position for 2009-2010, losing only 28% of their points from last year and replacing K.C. Rivers with Milton Jennings at small forward. But that was before the surprising decision of sophomore Terrence Oglesby to leave Clemson and pursue a professional basketball career in Europe. The loss of Oglesby is huge for Clemson and takes them from being a team that could have competed for a top three spot in the league down to one who will likely finish around 8-8. Oglesby, aside from scoring just over 13 points per game, also allowed Clemson to stretch out opposing defenses with his three-point shooting, a skill that no one on their team also possesses. With Oglesby's departure, Clemson will now lose 62% of their three-point production from last season. The other area where Clemson loses in terms of their departing players from last season is in rebounds, where the Tigers are losing 38%. They also lose good leadership from Rivers and while Jennings is a fantastic player coming in, he might not immediately be able to fill River's shoes. Returning leading scorer, Trevor Booker (pictured - definitely got it right this time...his name's on it, after all), will need to step up if this team expects to finish in the upper-echelon of the ACC.

Best Case - Jennings is a true stud and fills in nicely for the departed K.C. Rivers and Oglesby's loss isn't as painful as a lot of people feared. 10-6, 4th in the ACC.

Worst Case - Jennings struggles, opposing defenses don't respect Clemson's three-point shooting ability and keep a second man inside to contest shots, and Clemson falls to a 6-10 ACC record.

Testudo Times Prediction - The Tigers won't be as bad off without Oglesby as many think and will salvage an 8-8 record and by the skin of their teeth slip into the NCAA Tournament.

Florida State

2009 Recruiting Class:
Michael Snaer 6' 5" Shooting Guard: 96 grade
Terrence Shannon 6' 7" Power Forward: 87 grade

Florida State will hope to fill the void left by the last year's ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Toney Douglas, with star shooting guard Michael Snaer. Snaer is ranked as the 7th overall player by Rivals and is joined by forward Terrence Shannon in the Seminoles' 2009 class.

Overall Class Ranking: Not Ranked (ESPN), #24 (Scout)

Players lost to graduation/NBA/Europe:
Brian Hoff (G) - Graduation (1 ppg)
Toney Douglas (G-F) - Graduation (21.5 ppg)
Uche Echefu (F) - (8.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg)

As was alluded to earlier, the loss of ACC DPOY Toney Douglas is huge for Florida State. Not only was Douglas fantastic for FSU on defense, but he also put up 21.5 ppg, no easy accomplishment in the ACC. FSU had a very successful season in 2008-2009, going 25-10 overall and finishing the season 10-6 in the ACC. With some young, talented players waiting in the wings, FSU could find themselves in a similar position in 2009-2010. One of those players is 7' 1" sophomore Solomon Alabi (pictured fouling Landon) who will hope to improve on his 8.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 2.1 bpg - he has the potential to. Snaer will likely be good as well, probably not nearly as good as Douglas even in combination with the returning squad. Expect the Seminoles to be in the top third or so of the ACC in 2009-2010.

Best Case - Alabi becomes a presence in the paint and reminds us of a poor man's Hasheem Thabeet. Snaer and Shannon pick up where Douglas left off last season and FSU cruises to a fourth or fifth place finish in the ACC.

Worst Case - The seven footer fails to build off his freshman campaign and Snaer struggles a little as FSU takes a slight step back in 2009-2010. The Seminoles fall to a 7-9 conference record and just miss out on the Big Dance.

Testudo Times Prediction - FSU will be a formidable team in the ACC in 2009-2010, finishing with a 9-7 ACC record and making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where the inexperience of Snaer and Shannon will cost the Noles.

Maryland

2009 Recruiting Class:

Jordan Williams 6’ 10" Power Forward: 89 grade
James Padgett 6’ 8" Power Forward: 87 grade

The Terps bring in two big men next year in Jordan Williams and James Padgett. Williams is now famous for breaking a backboard while playing in a high school game and is the first true back to the basket center Maryland has had since Lonny Baxter. Padgett is a talented forward who can play above the rim and does a fantastic job finishing. They will likely receive major minutes next year due to Maryland’s lack of size.

Overall Class Ranking: N/A (ESPN), N/A (Scout)

Players lost to graduation/NBA/Europe:
Dave Neal (F) - Graduation (8.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
Braxton Dupree (F-C) - Transfer (2.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
Greivis Vasquez (G) - NBA (undecided) (17.5 ppg, 5 apg, 5.4 rpg)

The Terps could either be in a great position or facing a bit of a challenge for 2009-2010. The only thing we know right now is that Dave Neal has graduated and that Williams and Padgett are coming in next season. Past that, no one really nows. Junior Greivis Vasquez (seen in his most BA pose) is still weighing his NBA options; if he did turn pro early, it would be devastating for the Terps next year, as Vasquez lead the Terps in almost every statistical category. Maryland is also waiting to hear where highly touted recruit Lance Stephenson will land. The Terps are still involved and Stephenson still has them on his list, but everyone is waiting to see what will happen in Stephenson's current court case, which was rescheduled for late June. If Vasquez and Stephenson are both in College Park next year, the Terps could make a move in the ACC and possibly get to the Sweet 16, which hasn’t happened in 6 years.

If Vasquez does end up turning pro, the Terps will be without 52% of the three pointers they made last season, compared to losing only 18% if Vasquez does return. They would also lose 40% of their assist total without Greivis. Even if the Terps don't land Stephenson but Vasquez still returns, you're looking at a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA's last season with a very weak front court. Sub out Dave Neal for Jordan Williams and James Padgett, and you see a big upgrade to the front court.

Best Case: For the Terps, the best case scenario would be landing Lance Stephenson and Vasquez returning. Maryland would only lose Dave Neal and Braxton Dupree from last year's team and have the second-most most returning production among all 12 ACC teams. Add in Lance, Padgett, and Williams, and the Terps could finish among the top three teams in the ACC and make a nice run in the NCAAs, possibly to at least the Sweet 16.

Worst Case: Vasquez leaves early and the Terps miss on Stephenson. Although the Terps still have Padgett and Williams coming in, their combined production won't be able to make up for the loss of Vasquez. If the Terps find themselves in this situation, they could also find themselves out of the NCAA tournament again. 7-9 in the ACC and a serious bubble team come Selection Sunday.

Testudo Times Prediction: It seems Vasquez will likely be back if he's not guaranteed a top 25 spot in the draft, although that isn’t a guarantee. Lance Stephenson's recruitment has been an up and down roller coaster that most Terp fans are ready to get off. There is, however, a good chance he could end up in College Park, where he, along with Vasquez, could make the Terps a top 25 team. Both situations are seeming more likely every day, and a Terp team with Greivis and Stephenson could be as good as 12-4 or 11-5, good enough for a top spot in the ACC and a number 4 or 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina State

2009 Recruiting Class:
Lorenzo Brown 6’ 4" Shooting Guard: 95 grade
Richard Howell 6’ 8" Power Forward: 92 grade
DeShawn Painter 6’ 9" Power Forward: 92 grade
Scott Wood 6’ 6" Shooting Guard: 89 grade
Jordan Vandenberg 7’ 0" Center: 84 grade
Josh David 6’ 6" Small Forward: 82 grade

The Wolfpack lose theirtop three scorers from last season but should be able to ease the pain with six newcomers including Rivals’ 37^th and 61^st ranked players, Lorenzo Brown and Richard Howell.

Overall Class Ranking: #11 (ESPN), #13 (Scout)

Players lost to Graduation/NBA/Europe:
Courtney Fells (G-F) - Graduation (11.3 ppg)
Simon Harris (F) - Graduation (1.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
Ben McCauley (F-C) - Graduation (12.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Brandon Costner (F) – NBA (13.3 ppg, 6 rpg)
Trevor Ferguson (G) – Graduating early (5.5 ppg)

After a disappointing 16-14 record (6-10 ACC), the Wolf Pack are looking to bounce back in 2009-2010 with a very highly-rated recruiting class. NC State will be losing about 50% of their productivity across the board, with the early departure of Brandon Costner for the NBA (he’s actually a 4-year junior who is graduating, so good for him), as well as the graduation of Ben McCauley and Courtney Fells. The Wolfpack are trying to once again become relevant in the ACC and they are definitely going in the right direction by bringing in Lorenzo Brown and Richard Howell.

Best Case: Brown and Howell are studs and fill the void left by the departure of the Wolfpack’s top-three scorers. 8-8 ACC, NIT

Worst Case: This young group features a few budding stars in Brown and returning PF Tracy Smith (pictured), but they don’t get the support they need around them (ala Sean Singletary at UVA a few years back). 5-11 in the ACC.

Testudo Times Prediction: Sidney Lowe has this team going in the right direction. This year could be a between year, as Lowe works to shake off a few recent disappointing seasons. 7-9 ACC, NIT

Wake Forest

2009 Recruiting Class:
Ari Stewart 6’ 7" Small Forward: 93 grade
C.J. Harris 6’ 2" Point Guard: 89 grade

Wake Forest’s class is small in size but not in talent. It’s highlighted by Rivals’ 52^nd ranked prospect, 6’ 7" athletic forward Ari Stewart.

Overall Class Ranking: N/A (ESPN), N/A (Scout)

Players lost to Graduation/NBA/Europe:
James Johnson (F) – NBA (15.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg)
Jeff Teague (G) – NBA, but might return (18.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.5 apg)

Wake got a huge boost when freshman Al-Farouq Aminu (pictured after shooting a lady with a BB gun) decided to return for his sophomore season at Wake and the Deacons could get an even bigger boost if Jeff Teague decides to come back. The Deacons also bring in a very nice recruiting class that could potentially complement the remaining players very well. Wake does lose 46% of their made three-point shots from last season, as well as 56% of their points, so the Deacs have some catching up to do in those categories.

Best Case: Teague comes back and Harris and Stewart pick up where Johnson left off. 11-5 ACC.

Worst Case: Teague stays in the draft and the supporting cast has a hard time filling the void left by his 18.8 ppg. 7-9 ACC.

Testudo Times Prediction: A lot depends on what Teague does. If he’s back, Wake again is a very good team and they’ll likely finish around 10-6. If Teague goes, so to do the chances of Wake’s NCAA tournament hopes. 7-9, NIT or bubble team.

Wednesday News and Notes: Spurrier, Kiffin, and More

Gamecock Man — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:57:17 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

6 months ago: Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin yells to his team in the first half of the spring Orange and White game Saturday, April 18, 2009, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Browse more photos »

Paul Finebaum, Alabama's version of Ron Morris, believes that Steve Spurrier isn't done yet. Here at GABA we've debated Spurrier's merits to no end, so I'm not going to bore you with another diatribe about why Spurrier isn't leaving after this year and how the fashionable Spurrier-bashers will get theirs before it's all said and done. However, I do think it's worth paying attention to what Finebaum says here. People want to believe that Spurrier is leaving--they've believed that since 2006. The only difference is that now they say he's going to retire and back then they said he would go to Alabama or Miami. However, everything that Spurrier says indicates that he's still hungry to prove he can win at South Carolina. Doing so is going to be a challenge, but Spurrier appears to be up for it.

Tennessee's AD has released a statement in support of Lane Kiffin. The AD in fact goes so far as to praise Kiffin for putting UT back in the spotlight. However, the statement reads a lot like a vote of confidence, and you don't want to need one of those when you haven't yet coached a game. My thinking is that everything will be fine for Kiffin if he wins but that he won't receive much tolerance if he doesn't due to the negative attention his antics receive. His margin for error will be low. In related news, Joe Person reports on Kiffin and Spurrier trading barbs at a coach's meeting in Destin.

A few more tidbits: Clemson's Terrence Oglesby is leaving for Europe. Maybe now we can actually beat the Tigers, who are currently enjoying a period of hoops dominance over us that makes the usual football lossess all the more unbearable. Also, Kentucky has shed a few pounds to make room for all their incoming bluechippers.

Would Seth Curry transfer to Wake Forest?

MRickman84 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:46:28 -0000

With the news that Liberty freshman Seth Curry, who led all freshmen in scoring at 20.2 points per game, is transferring, the question begs to be asked, if any or all of James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu and Jeff Teague leave for the NBA, would Wake have a shot?

My gut says, absolutely. Although Dino Gaudio is taking a ton of criticism lately and Pat Kelsey's status is up in the air with the High Point job, the point is, the team is bringing in some good players.

After Seth sat our a year, he'd be coming in with some pretty good players, J.T. Terrell, Tony Chenault and Melvin Tabb. He'd be playing with juniors Ty Walker and Tony Woods, as well as senior Gary Clark and he'd have sophomores C.J. Harris, Ari Stewart and Torgrim Sommerfeldt. That is a pretty stacked team with good guards and good size.

Not to mention, Wake's system is one that allows guards to score. Ish Smith has free reign on offense and there were times where Jeff Teague could do whatever he wanted in isolation. James Johnson took over that role a lot more in the second half of the season.

That extra year would give him more time to work on his defense to get it up to ACC-caliber, but it's not as if Teague and Smith this year were close to the All-ACC Defensive team, although they did put out effort and make some special plays here and there.

Curry would have a chance to play Virginia Tech every year, which shunned both him and his brother Stephen. Seth went to Liberty because of the school's academics and its strong Christian background, but most importantly because Flames gave him a chance to play right away.

But it is evident that the Big South isn't quite enough of a conference for him. He averaged over 20 points as a freshman with defenses keying on him every game. The team around him wasn't special. If he was surrounded with better players, he could really shine.

Wake always is looking for a shooter it seems like. They are hoping Torgrim Summerfeldt will become that, but there is no doubting Curry has that ability. He shot 35% from beyond the arc, not stellar numbers, but he took a ton of shots, with defenders in his face. He also pulled down 4.4 rebounds and had 2.3 assists with 1.4 steals per game. At 6'3", he has good size and improved his ball-handling over the course of the year. I watched him at the beginning of the year and he really turned it over a lot, but he ended the year with 2.3 TO per game, not terrible for a guy who has the ball as much as him.

There is no reason that the Deacs couldn't use Curry. He has the skills to play in the ACC and it is silly that he wasn't there to begin with to be honest, especially after how special a player that Stephen became. But, too many programs wouldn't give Seth the chance to play immediately, which is funny because now he still has to sit out a year because of the transfer.

Having that chip on his shoulder would help. Tyrese Rice always went off against Wake and a lot of it probably had to do with the fact that he wanted to come to Winston-Salem and the Deacs got caught with their pants down waiting on Chris Paul to decide whether he was leaving or not. He'd get the chance to show everyone what they were missing.

A ton of teams are interested obviously, but I've got to believe Curry ends up in the ACC. He's from Charlotte, but I don't see him playing at UNC or Duke with all their talent. He couldn't be a star there. NC State has a great recruiting class and they really want John Wall.

Virginia Tech is in the running since his dad was a star there, but the fact that they spurned Stephen and didn't jump all over Seth may hurt them. Virginia needs a new coach and they don't have anyone right now to woo Seth.

Georgia Tech has Shumpert and always brings in high-profile recruits. Could Maryland be an option? Gary Williams doesn't exactly jump all over players to "recruit" them, but Seth could shine there, especially in Williams' system. I wouldn't see him going all the way to BC, Florida State or Miami. He really loves his family too much to be that far away. Liberty is in Lynchburg and wasn't a terrible drive to his home in Charlotte.

Clemson might work. Oliver Purnell has good players to surround Curry with, but they aren't blue-chip guys that would play over him. But Seth would have to really make a commitment to defense, as Terrence Oglesby had to (and he has--he really made strides this year defensively).

But really Wake makes a ton of sense. It is a small school, much like Liberty. It is only an hour-plus away from home. His dad, Dell, is great friends with former Demon Deacon Muggsy Bogues, who always attends games and is a great ambassador for the Deacs. Bogues' daughter attends Wake Forest now, so he has a feel for how the school is even he graduated in 1987.

BSD will obviously be keeping a close eye on Curry, even if Wake is not in the running. He's a good kid and a great player and here's hoping the Deacs can reel him in.

Looking Back at Clemson

Beauford — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:27:38 -0000

We're gonna win this thing. Not just Oklahoma, we're gonna win the whole...damn...thing.

Well, probably not, but that's kind of how I feel after last night gave us a little taste of a fall Saturday in the middle of March, complete with a vintage Lloyd Carr "I can't believe we're letting them come back" moment. Of course, it also came complete with me sitting in my living room with my arms above my head yelling "yes! yes!" after the victory was complete I was angry, defiant, and joyful all in one little 2 hour span, which normally doesn't happen until football season but wait this is March, and that ball is suspiciously round, and holy-crap I care about Basketball again. Sweet.

I didn't write it, and I didn't say it, but one of my primary concerns about last night's game was the potential for the team to say "we've accomplished our goal; we're here; now we're done." I trusted Beilein enough to not let that happen, so I didn't mention it and quietly let it fester. Then Michigan came out and floated two airballs in a row and took exactly 9.67 seconds to cross that 10 second line against the press. I immediately went into the exact shell that I had trusted Beilein to break. I was just happy to be there, and content to watch Clemson run us over. Michigan, on the other hand, decided that they'd better start playing basketball.

And play it they did. Something I did write (in so many words) was that the key to the game would be which team handled the unique defense they faced better. Quite simply, Michigan broke the press early and often, while Clemson had a tough time figuring out that 1-3-1. Booker got his, scoring 18, but we defended the perimeter very well: Clemson was 5-22 from long range. It became very apparent in the early going that Michigan was dictating tempo, forcing outside shots, and breaking the press.

It also became clear that Manny was here to play.

He was, without a doubt, the best player on the court last night and consistently made plays when it mattered. His dribble drive 3 point play with 37 seconds remaining sealed the deal (despite Novak giving everyone a heart-attack), but really his whole game was pretty awesome. He scored when it was available, he dished when they doubled him, he rebounded, he dunked, he drove, he shot three's, he was unstoppable. In a game that Sims was frustrated and pressing, Manny looked smooth and confident. So often, we look for story lines that don't involve the star of the show, but in this case, the star was the show. The Wolverine Liberation Army's giant cock* proves it. Also: Zack Gibson, I take back everything negative I've said about you. Great minutes last night. Also also: Stu, next time maybe just a white-point guard layup. You frightened me.

The immediate reaction was kind of expected from the Clemsonite's of the internets. The OP called it "...one of the worst officiated games I have ever seen" which is normally the mantra of the vanquished, but in this case deserves some attention. Oglesby threw an elbow, that much is for sure, but did he really need to be ejected? As a team that was on the other end of an "elbow ejection" earlier this year, I can sympathize with that. I, as well as anybody else in the liveblog (all 4 of us!), didn't think he should have been ejected. Call it an intentional, and move on. I get that part of the OP's ref-rage. But other than that, I thought the game was pretty evenly officiated. It was a little loose, but still tighter than an average Big Ten game, IMO. Michigan attempted 15 free throws to Clemson's 14. All in all; pretty even. I don't think the ejection is what caused Clemson the game, as Oglesby was having a largely forgettable night. I dunno - you be the judge. Is this ejectable? It's at the 49 second mark:

So now we get to play Oklahoma at around 5PM on Saturday. The Griffin Bros. were in full on destruction mode against Morgan State, and it will be interesting to see how Beilein goes about defending them. Preview up shortly, but until then, bask in the victory. It wasn't enough for Michigan just to be here. It's time to win the weekend.

* of victory

Clemson: Not so Many Numbers

Beauford — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:20:54 -0000

Ah, it begins. One of my absolute favorite times to be a sports fan. I'm watching Butler play LSU, got the other games running on the laptop. Life's good.

Michigan plays tonight, which is pretty sweet. First time in 10 years that we've heard NCAA, blahde blahde blahde. Let's get to the game, shall we?

The first thing that you notice when looking at Clemson is that damned full court press that they run on almost every possession. The next thing you notice is "holy crap it works." Clemson on the season forces a turnover on nearly 25% of their opposition's possessions, which is scary for a team like Michigan who definitely can't afford to give Clemson easy transition points. The answer for anybody who's watched Michigan this year is "Grady!" but he's proven to be a defensive liability, and probably won't get the start. However, should that press become a huge problem for Lee/Merritt, I would expect Grady to get some serious minutes.

The flip side of a tenacious press is easy 2 pointers once it's broken, and poor rebounding. Clemson allows for both, which like, good. Rebounding has been somewhat of an issue for Michigan, so it's nice to be going up against a team for whom it's also a problem. Should Michigan start to break that press with consistency, I expect there to be some easy transition points.

Also boding well for Michigan is Clemson's lack of a true giant in the middle. Trevor Booker averages around 15 points/game, and will be their primary target inside. I don't think he's the biggest threat, however, as Sims matches up well and barring foul trouble should be able to at least frustrate him enough to limit his impact. I'm more worried about Oglesby shooting from range. If he gets hot and starts shooting over the zone, it could be a long day.

Speaking of the zone, it seems to be Michigan's primary weapon in this game. Clemson has had very limited time to prepare for the 1-3-1, and aren't very good at keeping the ball anyways, turning it over on 21% of their possessions. Without a true big man to plow inside, Clemson is going to really have to rely on dribble drives and outside shooting. Defending the perimeter is paramount.

For Michigan offensively, it's the same story. Gotta get Sims involved early, gotta have Manny penetrating and dishing, gotta have somebody hit some outside shots. The only difference here is that full court press. Break it, and we should get some easy buckets. Get killed by it, and well, it's back to Ann Arbor.

There has been much said about Beilein's tournament success compared to Purnell's lack thereof. While I don't hold this as a something that is too important, it is certainly worth mentioning. Beilein, whether in the NCAA or the NIT, wins a lot. Purnell, on the other hand, has never won a tournament game in 5 tries. He's figured out a way to lose whether he's favored or not, which could be good, because the numbers say that, uh, we're decidedly not favored.

Keys to the game

Break the press. Hopefully with Lee/Meritt, maybe with Grady
Limit Clemson transition points
Defend the perimeter
Work that 1-3-1 to force TO's
Get Sims involved early
Quality 3 pointers; not quantity

Are we favored? No, no, and no. Can we win this game? Of course. If we break the press with consistency, and our 1-3-1 proves to be frustrating, I think we're in good shape. Let's get after it. Live blog at 5PM.

We're Dancing: Clemson Tigers

SFBE.MP — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:50:46 -0000

Clemson student tackles Wake Forest player (via chaztopher)

Location: Clemson, SC

Enrollment: 14,172

Record: 23-8 (9-7)

Leading Scorers: Trevor Booker (15.3 ppg), K.C. Rivers (14.2 ppg), Terrence Oglesby (13.5 ppg)

What to know:

Clemson became a surprise team when they jumped out to a 16-0 start but was brought back to Earth and actually dropped 4 of their last 5 games in the "L" column.
Clemson is only 1-4 versus the Top 25 and only 3-5 versus the Top 50.
Clemson's strength is their manacing full court defense. they will cause turnovers, so a poised team will be needed to disect the tigers and their defense that ranks 7th in the nation in steals.

Projected Performance: Clemson is really slumping right now and we don't see any reason that things are looking up. Michigan has played their way in with some big wins and we see some desire out of their camp.

ACC Tournament: Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Recap

MRickman84 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:57:56 -0000

Georgia Tech and Head Coach Paul Hewitt, who had won only three games in all of 2009, knew that the ACC Tournament is a welcome fresh start. Using that logic and the magic that Georgia teams have seemed to have in the Georgia Dome the last two years, the Yellow Jackets were able to blitz the Clemson Tigers by a final score of 86-81.

Behind a career-high 32 points from Lewis Clinch, and a maskless Maurice Miller, who provided eight assists, the Yellow Jackets used solid defense and effectively broke the Clemson press to give the 12 seed in the ACC tournament their third win against the five seed in the last four seasons. TO, fresh off his contract signing with the Buffalo Bills, was in attendance and was just munching on some popcorn during the game.

Georgia Tech did an incredible job down low, with 42 points in the paint and 22 second chance points, but set the tone with 33 fast break points--showing just how much of a double-edged sword Clemson's press has been all year. When it works, it works well, but when teams break it consistently, the defense has no time to get set and guys can get free for uncontested look, something that Gani Lawa used time and again on his way to 20 points for the game.

I've said it all year, but it bears repeating: Georgia Tech is not a bad basketball team. Lawal, Clinch, Zach Peacock, Iman Shumpert, Miller and Alade Aminu are all good ACC players. I joked with Dan Collins after the game and he said that this year's Tech team just might be the best two win ACC team ever.

The game came down to the wire, as Clemson caught fire from deep near the end, paced by Terrence Oglesby who was just launching it near the end of the game. He finished with 11 points, as did K.C. Rivers, Demontez Stitt and Raymond Sykes. Trevor Booker finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Clemson, who backed into the tournament after losing four of their last five conference games, continued their woes, and has seen their NCAA seeding plummet in the last two weeks. It will be interesting to see what their seed ends up being and whether or not they can bounce back come next week.

For Georgia Tech, their next foe is Florida State, who they match up well against, and hey, in the ACC Tournament, anything can happen, especially in the Georgia Dome.

I'll be back to talk about tonight's games, but leave your impressions about the first half of Thursday's action below.

Apocalypse Wow: Duke Mauled By a Tiger, Wake Rocked by a Hurricane

T.H. — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:10:25 -0000

An awesome day requires an awesomely overwrought headline, and very few things compare to Duke and Wake being defeated by a combined 54 points. And that's not one bad loss masking one good game; both match-ups were twenty-seven point blowouts. What went wrong?

For Wake, part of the problem was they had to leave the friendly confines on Winston-Salem. I'm not sure what it is about those hideous yellow and black tie-dyed shirts, but the Demon Deacons have struggled without them. Last year in conference Wake was 6-2 at home and 1-7 on the road. The year prior to that 4-4 and 1-7 respectively. So it's no coincidence that this two game losing streak coincides with a two-game road trip. The team was discombobulated, playing a much slower pace than they were used to, shooting a UNC-at-its-worst 3 for 22 from behind the arc and allowing Jack McClinton to go off for 6 three pointers and 32 points against Wake's usually stellar perimeter defense (UNC as a team managed six threes against Wake; Duke, only four). With a home game coming up against Boston College, who the Deacs already stomped by twenty on the road, and two of the remaining four road games against State and Virginia, Wake will right itself. But they're mortal to teams that can outrebound them and frustrate them in the paint.

Duke's February difficulties are much documented, but rather overhyped. Sure two years ago they lost their first four games of that month, but generally the wheels don't fall off the bus until the end of the month and the onset of the ACC Tournament. And yes, I place the blame primarily on Krzyzewski's inability to develop a bench over the last decade. Sports Illustrated published a chart way back in the day showing that begininning in 2000, the team dropped down to only six player averaging more than six minutes a game. That's mostly held true since then, and although so far this year nine players have gotten more than double-digit minutes, a lot of that is garbage time at the end of the game. Last night, Krzyzewski subbed in an entire second team at times looking for something that works, but for the most part relied on the same six players. When they go cold from behind the arc in a game where the other team takes care of the ball - the Tigers had twelve turnovers but only lost the ball to steals five times - they just don't have anyone to bring off the bench to start a fire with good outside shooting. Couple that with Duke's excruciatingly slow pace, hich Clemson was more than happy to play into, and a decent-sized lead in the first half can become insurmountable with ten minutes to play in the second. The latter won't be something that happens against Carolina, as the Heels will push the tempo no matter the score, but it goes to show that careful handing of the ball and a strong inside game (Only Terrence Oglesby shot from the perimeter with any regularity or success) can flummox the Blue Devils.

The good news is, that's a similar style of play to Carolina's wheelhouse, provided they don't fumble the ball in the backcourt trying to run a half-set offense. And also, UNC has manhandled the Tigers by 24, which means by the transitive property, UNC shoud beat Duke by 51 points. That's attainable, right?

(By the by, expect Duke to crush Miami this weekend and Wake to easily handle Clemson at home in the final game of the season. Duke is ideally built to handle Miami's perimeter shooting, turnover-prone team, and at Wake should easily stomp the big men of the Tigers. But for Wednesday at least, the stars aligned and it was a very good day t be a Tar Heel.

UNC 82, Miami 65, Clemson Still Has No Chance

T.H. — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:54:36 -0000

If any of you happened to turn on a TV since Saturday, you may have noticed Washington D.C. was a little preoccupied. Hence one late recap, mixed in with a preview, with a side of absolute disaster for later.

Around halftime of the UNC-Miami game I turned to the Basketball Gods and beseeched them, "Oh Basketball Gods, when will UNC start playing well?" Except it was less a beseech and more of a text message. (Also, I'd just finished a drinking tour of the various inauguration beers, from Cap City's Inaugural Ale through Avery Brewing's Ale to the Chief to Ommegang's Obamagang. So it may have been less the Basketball Gods and more an ex-girlfriend, but still.)

That aside, the Basketball Gods responded as Wayne Ellington hit seven consecutive threes and scored eleven straight points on his way to 23 on 8 of 14 shooting. Carolina also found its perimeter defense in Ginyard-less world, putting Jack McClinton on ice and eschewing the steal for the stop. It was the team we'd been expecting for the first time this calendar year, and the game naturally ended in a rout.

If this performance holds, Clemson should find it's CHapel Hill record extended to 0-54. It was little mentioned, but what made Ellington's Miami performance even more remarkable is that Miami had one of the best perimeter offenses in the country. Even after UNC's rout the Hurricanes are 16th in the nation in opposing three-point field goal percentage. Clemson relies more on interior defense, with Trevor Booker's 49 blocks (2.9 bpg) leading the way. On the offensive end of the board, they still have Terrence Oglesby launching threes from anywhere on the floor, but prefer the easy points of the paint. It makes the Tigers very efficient scorers - again, Booker shines here - and handy with offensive rebounds.

In short, they're a slower team built in the Carolina mold. Carolina, with an overabundance of post players, and a returning POY who is perfectly content to rack up points from the free throw line,. If they can avoid turning the ball over, something which continues to elude the Heels and plays to Clemson's other strength (they're 7th in steals in the nation), the game shouldn't be even close. A balanced UNC team is nearly unstoppable; now it's time to see if the balance is fully back or was a one game aberration.

Clemson at South Carolina: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:57:26 -0000

I'm a little late reviewing this game because I was traveling on the 30th, settling back in at home and partying on the 31st, and watching the Outback Bowl yesterday. Although Devan Downey turned in an epic 37 point performance for the Gamecocks, Clemson (AP #20, ESPN/USAT #16) defeated the Gamecocks in Colonial Life Arena by a score of 98-87. The Gamecocks built an early double-digit lead, but Clemson's hot shooting allowed the Tigers to build a solid lead by halftime that they would not relinquish. We did manage to cut the lead a few times in the second half, but to no avail. Clemson's Terrence Oglesby led the Tigers with 25 point. While I hate to say it, we should give the Tigers and Oliver Purnell credit; they've got a great hoops team up there in the Upstate. Duke and UNC need to watch their backs.

Two things seem clear to me after this game. First of all, we're a good bit better than last year and are good enough to play with ranked teams like Clemson when we're at the top of our game, but we're not good enough to outlast them if they bring their A-game. The Tigers did that Tuesday, shooting 55% from the field, 45% from beyond the arc, and 80% from the line. Luckily for us, Tennessee, Florida, and Kentucky might not always shoot that well. Moreover, Clemson might very well be better than any team in the SEC, and if that's the case, what we saw Tuesday was a team that's very capable of winning lots of games in the SEC. The second thing I take away from this game is that, as expected, depth and size in the post will be a problem for this team. Dominique Archie only played 19 minutes due to foul trouble, and his absence was noticeable. This will continue to be a problem for us this year.

The Gamecocks will get another chance to beat a ranked opponent tonight when they travel to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears. While I'm keeping my fingers crossed, this will likely be another brutally difficult game for us. Unlike last year, however, Coach Horn and his team have me believing that we will win a couple of these big games this year. We may not make the NCAAs, but this program is headed in the right direction and will assuage the pain we're all feeling due to the football team's performance.