Shooting blanks
posted by LW, Wednesday, January 27, 2010
They say statistics are for losers, and Clemson has been doing a lot of losing lately.
The statistic that tells the story for what right now feels like a disappointing season is the Tigers' futility from beyond the 3-point arc.
In seven conference games, Clemson has attempted 117 3-pointers and missed 87 of them.
The 25.6-percent clip ranks 11th in the ACC.
Last year, the Tigers shot 38.5 percent in conference games.
So there's your problem, and it goes deeper than guys just missing shots. It's also about guys not getting many open shots from beyond the arc.
Lack of open shots is the result of the lack of penetration we've seen in the last three games with Demontez Stitt injured or out. And beyond Stitt, there just aren't many guys on this team who can do work off the bounce.
And we'll make the obligatory reference to Terrence Oglesby and K.C. Rivers. The Tigers miss those guys. Badly.
I'd argue they miss Rivers a good bit more than Oglesby. But I'd also argue that the coaches miss Oglesby a heck of a lot more than they thought they would.
In conference games this year, Clemson is attempting 16.7 3-pointers per game and making 4.2.
Last year, the Tigers attempted 22.2 per game and made 8.5.
By themselves, Oglesby and Rivers made 5.5 3-pointers per game in ACC play last year while compiling a 42.3-percent clip.
Here are this year's individual 3-point numbers in ACC play:
Young: 10-28
Stitt: 5-14
Johnson: 6-20
Smith: 6-22
Potter: 3-20
Jennings: 0-5
Booker: 0-6
Young has proven to be the best shooter on the team, and in my mind he's not getting up enough shots. Maybe they should do more to free him up (i.e., run him off of more screens).
The Tigers might also help their overall production if Potter's minutes were reduced. He played just 16 minutes last night to Johnson's 25, and that's a step in the right direction.
Yet Potter still managed to singlehandedly rob his team of some great momentum early in the second half. The Tigers were rolling, having sliced a 17-point margin to seven in less than four minutes.
Then Potter gets the ball and is determined not to give it up. He turns it over on a pointless back-to-the basket dribble, and B.C. scores on the other end.
Next trip down the floor, Potter jacks a quick 3 that misses. He's summarily yanked.
But hey, at least Potter managed to make a 3-pointer. He had missed 30 of his previous 35 heading into last night.
Brian MacPherson of ESPN.com writes about Al Skinner's decision to apply pressure to the Stitt-less Tigers.
"That's something they like to do," forward Corey Raji said. "We felt like we should do it to them. They got a dose of their own medicine. They didn't like it. We didn't like it, either, but it won us the game."
Rarely this season has Boston College (12-9, 3-4 in the ACC) forced turnovers as well as it did against Clemson (15-6, 3-4). The Eagles rank at the bottom of the ACC both in steals (4.6 per game) and opponents' turnovers (11.6 per game, including a woeful 9.7 per game in ACC play). Entering Tuesday, only six times all season had the Eagles forced more turnovers than they'd committed.
A little bit of early pressure, though, threw Clemson off its game.
Raji also talks about his posterization of Milton Jennings.
I mean, wow.
With just less than six minutes to go in the first half, Trapani pulled down a rebound and threw a pass to Sanders up the left sideline. Sanders took just one dribble before throwing up a lob to Raji, who was charging hard down the left side. Clemson's Milton Jennings went up with Raji to try to get a hand on the ball, but that only made the alley-oop more emphatic.
"I haven't got one of those in a while," Raji said. "Rakim threw a good pass, and I was able to finish it."
"I wasn't even worried about him finishing the play," Jackson said. "He's done it before. I was more worried about his landing."
Raji hit the floor hard but got right up. The highlight-reel dunk, meanwhile, sent the Conte Forum crowd into a frenzy -- and that hasn't happened often over the last six weeks.
Mark Blaudschun of The Boston Globe writes about the Eagles continuing their redemption tour.
I don't know if it qualifies as a tour just yet, but no doubt B.C. is playing a lot better.
Reading this account in The Boston Herald reminds me of another telling statistic: points off turnovers.
The Tigers were outscored 15-8 in that category last night and have lost the P.O.T. battle in the past three games.
Boston College committed 15 turnovers, but I can't think of one forced by the full-court press in the last eight minutes.
In the Greenville News, Trevor Booker says the Tigers are "pretty desperate right now."
Looks like North Carolina found its bearings last night at N.C. State.
Haven't watched the game yet, but looking at the stat sheet you wonder why in the world Roy Williams continues giving Marcus Ginyard such extensive minutes.
Ginyard was held scoreless in 28 minutes. Reserve guard Dexter Strickland had 14 points in 17 minutes.
You do the math.
Caulton Tudor says Larry Drew II looked pretty good, too.
Maryland will enter Sunday's trip to Clemson red hot after last night's win over Miami.
Here's some analysis from that game by the Baltimore Sun, and the following developments can't make Clemson fans too optimistic:
Consider that this was was the sixth game in the last seven in which the Terps have won by double digits. Like so many of the others, the victory was keyed by early pressure defense (14 first-half turnovers by Miami) and inside-outside balance.
The Terps are consistently disrupting their opponents' offensive flow. Shooting comes and goes, but defense isn't as prone to slumps. That's a big reason why Maryland is more consistent than most other ACC teams this season -- defense.
Should be a fun game tonight in Durham between two really good defensive teams (Duke and FSU).
Another good day at Senior Bowl practices for Jacoby Ford, according to the accounts here and here.
3. For the second straight day, Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford was the most targeted wideout at the North team’s practice. Ford has made a living in the short-passing game, creating separation on short curls and out patterns. All three North quarterbacks (Tony Pike, Sean Canfield, Dan LeFevour) are consistently looking in Ford’s direction.
This dude has a different take:
Jacoby Ford (WR - Clem) is lowering his stock so far. Ford is an NCAA track champion but lacks that kind of speed in pads. Ford will likely wow at the Combine, but he has not fared well in full pads.
Looks like Willy Korn's visit to Marshall went well.
Looks like Mike Leach has steered his pirate ship to Key West.
From Lubbock to Key West. Not a bad trade, matey.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
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They say statistics are for losers, and Clemson has been doing a lot of losing lately.
The statistic that tells the story for what right now feels like a disappointing season is the Tigers' futility from beyond the 3-point arc.
In seven conference games, Clemson has attempted 117 3-pointers and missed 87 of them.
The 25.6-percent clip ranks 11th in the ACC.
Last year, the Tigers shot 38.5 percent in conference games.
So there's your problem, and it goes deeper than guys just missing shots. It's also about guys not getting many open shots from beyond the arc.
Lack of open shots is the result of the lack of penetration we've seen in the last three games with Demontez Stitt injured or out. And beyond Stitt, there just aren't many guys on this team who can do work off the bounce.
And we'll make the obligatory reference to Terrence Oglesby and K.C. Rivers. The Tigers miss those guys. Badly.
I'd argue they miss Rivers a good bit more than Oglesby. But I'd also argue that the coaches miss Oglesby a heck of a lot more than they thought they would.
In conference games this year, Clemson is attempting 16.7 3-pointers per game and making 4.2.
Last year, the Tigers attempted 22.2 per game and made 8.5.
By themselves, Oglesby and Rivers made 5.5 3-pointers per game in ACC play last year while compiling a 42.3-percent clip.
Here are this year's individual 3-point numbers in ACC play:
Young: 10-28
Stitt: 5-14
Johnson: 6-20
Smith: 6-22
Potter: 3-20
Jennings: 0-5
Booker: 0-6
Young has proven to be the best shooter on the team, and in my mind he's not getting up enough shots. Maybe they should do more to free him up (i.e., run him off of more screens).
The Tigers might also help their overall production if Potter's minutes were reduced. He played just 16 minutes last night to Johnson's 25, and that's a step in the right direction.
Yet Potter still managed to singlehandedly rob his team of some great momentum early in the second half. The Tigers were rolling, having sliced a 17-point margin to seven in less than four minutes.
Then Potter gets the ball and is determined not to give it up. He turns it over on a pointless back-to-the basket dribble, and B.C. scores on the other end.
Next trip down the floor, Potter jacks a quick 3 that misses. He's summarily yanked.
But hey, at least Potter managed to make a 3-pointer. He had missed 30 of his previous 35 heading into last night.
Brian MacPherson of ESPN.com writes about Al Skinner's decision to apply pressure to the Stitt-less Tigers.
"That's something they like to do," forward Corey Raji said. "We felt like we should do it to them. They got a dose of their own medicine. They didn't like it. We didn't like it, either, but it won us the game."
Rarely this season has Boston College (12-9, 3-4 in the ACC) forced turnovers as well as it did against Clemson (15-6, 3-4). The Eagles rank at the bottom of the ACC both in steals (4.6 per game) and opponents' turnovers (11.6 per game, including a woeful 9.7 per game in ACC play). Entering Tuesday, only six times all season had the Eagles forced more turnovers than they'd committed.
A little bit of early pressure, though, threw Clemson off its game.
Raji also talks about his posterization of Milton Jennings.
I mean, wow.
With just less than six minutes to go in the first half, Trapani pulled down a rebound and threw a pass to Sanders up the left sideline. Sanders took just one dribble before throwing up a lob to Raji, who was charging hard down the left side. Clemson's Milton Jennings went up with Raji to try to get a hand on the ball, but that only made the alley-oop more emphatic.
"I haven't got one of those in a while," Raji said. "Rakim threw a good pass, and I was able to finish it."
"I wasn't even worried about him finishing the play," Jackson said. "He's done it before. I was more worried about his landing."
Raji hit the floor hard but got right up. The highlight-reel dunk, meanwhile, sent the Conte Forum crowd into a frenzy -- and that hasn't happened often over the last six weeks.
Mark Blaudschun of The Boston Globe writes about the Eagles continuing their redemption tour.
I don't know if it qualifies as a tour just yet, but no doubt B.C. is playing a lot better.
Reading this account in The Boston Herald reminds me of another telling statistic: points off turnovers.
The Tigers were outscored 15-8 in that category last night and have lost the P.O.T. battle in the past three games.
Boston College committed 15 turnovers, but I can't think of one forced by the full-court press in the last eight minutes.
In the Greenville News, Trevor Booker says the Tigers are "pretty desperate right now."
Looks like North Carolina found its bearings last night at N.C. State.
Haven't watched the game yet, but looking at the stat sheet you wonder why in the world Roy Williams continues giving Marcus Ginyard such extensive minutes.
Ginyard was held scoreless in 28 minutes. Reserve guard Dexter Strickland had 14 points in 17 minutes.
You do the math.
Caulton Tudor says Larry Drew II looked pretty good, too.
Maryland will enter Sunday's trip to Clemson red hot after last night's win over Miami.
Here's some analysis from that game by the Baltimore Sun, and the following developments can't make Clemson fans too optimistic:
Consider that this was was the sixth game in the last seven in which the Terps have won by double digits. Like so many of the others, the victory was keyed by early pressure defense (14 first-half turnovers by Miami) and inside-outside balance.
The Terps are consistently disrupting their opponents' offensive flow. Shooting comes and goes, but defense isn't as prone to slumps. That's a big reason why Maryland is more consistent than most other ACC teams this season -- defense.
Should be a fun game tonight in Durham between two really good defensive teams (Duke and FSU).
Another good day at Senior Bowl practices for Jacoby Ford, according to the accounts here and here.
3. For the second straight day, Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford was the most targeted wideout at the North team’s practice. Ford has made a living in the short-passing game, creating separation on short curls and out patterns. All three North quarterbacks (Tony Pike, Sean Canfield, Dan LeFevour) are consistently looking in Ford’s direction.
This dude has a different take:
Jacoby Ford (WR - Clem) is lowering his stock so far. Ford is an NCAA track champion but lacks that kind of speed in pads. Ford will likely wow at the Combine, but he has not fared well in full pads.
Looks like Willy Korn's visit to Marshall went well.
Looks like Mike Leach has steered his pirate ship to Key West.
From Lubbock to Key West. Not a bad trade, matey.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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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 @.