Halftime thoughts
posted by LW, Saturday, February 28, 2009
Until today.
The ugliness I just witnessed might represent a new low.
A day after Oliver Purnell says his team can't keep turning the ball over in the first half, the Tigers commit 12 first-half turnovers. And the majority of them were uuuuuugleeee.
Trevor Booker attempts one shot -- one shot! -- over the first 18 minutes. And that shot was a 3-pointer. Ryan Reid is simply covering him up.
The Tigers went scoreless for a stretch of 5:29 as the Seminoles went up five early. Seven of the Tigers' first 10 field-goal attempts were from beyond the 3-point arc (they made three).
From the 10:33 mark to the 6:49 mark, the Tigers came up empty on five straight possessions and took just one shot. Florida State took advantage, pushing its lead to 12 points.
And the defense has not been good, allowing way too many open shots. A lot of them are coming in transition. Sound familiar?
The only bright spot on the defensive end is Raymond Sykes, who's totaled four blocks. But that positive is a wash given Sykes' glaring gaffes on the other end. He wasted two possessions by traveling when inexplicably trying to drive from the top. He missed a jumper and two free throws.
The Tigers did get a little positive momentum going late by getting the ball to Booker, who scored two baskets in the final 1:52.
They'll need more of that. A lot more of that.
LW
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Clemson's first half at Virginia was easily the Tigers' worst half of the season.
Until today.
The ugliness I just witnessed might represent a new low.
A day after Oliver Purnell says his team can't keep turning the ball over in the first half, the Tigers commit 12 first-half turnovers. And the majority of them were uuuuuugleeee.
Trevor Booker attempts one shot -- one shot! -- over the first 18 minutes. And that shot was a 3-pointer. Ryan Reid is simply covering him up.
The Tigers went scoreless for a stretch of 5:29 as the Seminoles went up five early. Seven of the Tigers' first 10 field-goal attempts were from beyond the 3-point arc (they made three).
From the 10:33 mark to the 6:49 mark, the Tigers came up empty on five straight possessions and took just one shot. Florida State took advantage, pushing its lead to 12 points.
And the defense has not been good, allowing way too many open shots. A lot of them are coming in transition. Sound familiar?
The only bright spot on the defensive end is Raymond Sykes, who's totaled four blocks. But that positive is a wash given Sykes' glaring gaffes on the other end. He wasted two possessions by traveling when inexplicably trying to drive from the top. He missed a jumper and two free throws.
The Tigers did get a little positive momentum going late by getting the ball to Booker, who scored two baskets in the final 1:52.
They'll need more of that. A lot more of that.
LW
For questions or comments on this blog entry, please visit The West Zone message board.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Donnie Patterson. Donnie Patterson is the founder of Patterson Tax Service, located in Easley, S.C. He has been active in tax preparation since 1970, and offers a full range of tax and bookkeeping services.
Larry Williams. Larry has covered the daily beat at Clemson since 2004. Williams, who worked for the Charleston Post & Courier from 2004-08, joined Tigerillustrated.com in November of 2008. He may be reached by email at ldubya08(at)gmail.com. Replace (at) with @.