Are they in?
posted by LW, Monday, March 01, 2010
Oliver Purnell has bagged some important victories during his time at Clemson.
The 2008 ACC Tournament semifinal win over Duke was monstrous. It snapped an 0-for-forever streak against the Blue Devils while putting the Tigers into the tournament final for the first time since 1962.
Last year's 27-point undressing of Duke at Littlejohn ranks up there.
That huge comeback at Maryland two years ago would have to merit consideration.
This might sound crazy, but I'd argue that last night's victory at Florida State should be included.
Crazy, because it might've also been the most unwatchable of his 222 games as Clemson's coach.
But the importance of getting to the NCAA Tournament this year cannot be overstated. Purnell's teams have been there back-to-back years, and getting there a third consecutive season would help prolong the momentum.
Would settling for the NIT completely destroy what Purnell has methodically built over seven seasons? No. But Purnell and his staff are trying to show Clemson is one of the big boys on numerous fronts, most notably recruiting. Purnell's four consecutive 20-win seasons are big, but three straight NCAA appearances would be bigger.
So, are they in?
I've been saying for a while now that 8-8 gets them an at-large bid, and I stand by that ... but shakily.
Hard to say with confidence that this team gets in if it loses tomorrow at home against Georgia Tech, at Wake Forest on Sunday, and in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
Now, should it be in at 8-8? I'd argue yes.
Take a look at Clemson's ACC schedule. The Tigers' five home-and-home opponents are Duke, Maryland, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Boston College.
In addition to that, two of Clemson's one-time opponents (Virginia Tech and Wake Forest) are on the road.
There are seven ACC teams at 7-7 or better in conference play. Clemson has had to play the other six teams on their home court this year. None of the other six teams have had to do that.
Take a look at Virginia Tech's schedule. The Hokies' home-and-home opponents are Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Boston College and Virginia.
Combined record of the Hokies' home-and-home opponents: 22-48
Combined record of the Tigers' home-and-home opponents: 43-27
This is why Clemson should be in at 8-8. You'd think the NCAA Selection Committee would take the time to look at these things, but there are no guarantees.
And that's why the Tigers need to win one of their last two for it to be a slam dunk.
Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail was on hand last night in Tallahassee, and he says the Tigers are in.
It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was downright painful to watch.
But that won’t matter come Selection Sunday, a day Clemson won’t dread now.
The win lifted Clemson into a four-way tie for third place in the ACC with two games left.
And I believe it locked up the program’s third straight NCAA tournament bid.
At 20-8, 8-6 in ACC play, it’s hard to keep the Tigers out of the field of 65 now, especially with a home game against inconsistent Georgia Tech, Sunday’s finale at fading Wake Forest and the ACC tournament left.
Last night's victory featured about as many style points as baskets the Tigers mustered over the first 16:22 -- two -- but Bart Wright says beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Particularly when the beholder is on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
The team that started out shooting 2-for-19, rivaling the nightmarish night it had at Duke in January, closed out with a 6-for-6 effort from the foul line and put a smile on coach Oliver Purnell’s face.
When he was asked if the 53-50 win over Florida State qualified as certifiably ugly, the Clemson coach grinned broadly.
“It was beautiful to me,” he said. “I know what it means for us.”
Nice homecoming for Andre Young, whose hometown is a short drive from Tallahassee.
His performance was sorta reminiscent of Cairo native Cliff Hammonds returning to his home territory and putting the Tigers on his shoulders in Tallahassee a few years ago.
Young didn't require an IV after the game, but it was still pretty impressive.
Here's Scott Keepfer's game story in the Greenville News.
From the Florida State perspective, the Orlando Sentinel's Andrew Carter points out a great stat.
Well, maybe "great" isn't the right term.
Both teams had more turnovers than made field goals. The ratio was 18 to 17 for Clemson. And 20 to 16 for FSU.
In the Tallahassee Democrat, the Seminoles lament the final two minutes. Clemson closed the game on a 9-3 run, and in this kind of game a 9-3 run qualifies as an explosion.
Clemson sophomore Andre Young then nailed a jumper to cut the lead to three with 1:12 left. On FSU's next possession, senior Ryan Reid got the ball inside the Clemson 3-point line. Instead of pulling it back out to run some clock, he attacked the basket. He was blocked with 57 seconds remaining in the game and 20 seconds still remaining on the shot clock.
"I saw him still moving and I tried to hurry up and catch him before he could take the charge," Reid said. "But unfortunately they called it a block, so I can't argue with it."
Said Hamilton: "Our plan was to let the clock go down a few more seconds and call timeout and then run a play. And I think Ryan obviously saw an opportunity to go in to what he thought was a clear path. And it closed up. But we can't point our finger toward him as well as he's played all year.
"We can find a lot of those situations during the course of the game where we didn't make good decisions. Including me. … Maybe we should have called timeout on the other end (before Reid's drive). So you can find a lot of what-if-you-would-have-done type things."
And here's a piece from Tallahassee on Young.
The Charlotte Observer is at the NFL Combine and wrote about C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford on Sunday.
Ford unofficially was clocked at 4.28 seconds, barely off the combine record of 4.24 set two years ago by Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, formerly of East Carolina. Ford's time matched the best for a receiver, previously set by Houston Texans player Jerome Mathis in 2005.
According to some reports, Spiller was timed in less than 4.2 on some stopwatches of scouts, coaches and team executives.
More on Spiller here.
More on Ford here.
If I wasn't being drafted, I'd be applying for a job at ... My old college, so I can stay close to football and help others.
The Clemson freshman who will one day be a high draft choice is ... (Quarterback) Tajh Boyd.
Upstate resident Sam Wyche is confident Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL.
Pickens County councilman Sam Wyche is firmly entrenched in the latter group, having spent two days last month outside of Nashville, Tenn., working out and instructing Tebow in some of the finer points of quarterbacking.
In his present role as an elected county official, Wyche, the former Furman product who played and coached in the NFL, is struggling this weekend with some foot issues that have him hobbling around on crutches, having spent too much time on his feet in Columbia on Friday. Wyche has been dealing with some heart-related issues for a decade and has been taking the blood thinner Coumadin.
He was getting around well last month after he received a call from Bob Tebow, Tim’s father, asking for some additional instructional help. Tebow had already been tutored by former NFL player and coach Zeke Bratkowski, a good friend of Wyche and the two coordinated their efforts to offer some pointers to the former Heisman trophy winner.
I've often wondered why Willy Korn didn't give Wyche a call when Korn was trying to overhaul his throwing mechanics last year. Seems like a no-brainer to consult the expertise of someone in your own backyard.
Denny Kuiper of the ACC Sports Journal breaks down last night's game in Tallahassee.
In the Macon Telegraph, a story on why the play of Iman Shumpert -- really good, or really bad -- will be the key for tomorrow's big game in Littlejohn.
Good gosh, what in the world happened to Wake Forest?
As message-board diplomat OrangeForever wondered the other day: Who's done less with more, Paul Hewitt or Dino Gaudio?
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Oliver Purnell has bagged some important victories during his time at Clemson.
The 2008 ACC Tournament semifinal win over Duke was monstrous. It snapped an 0-for-forever streak against the Blue Devils while putting the Tigers into the tournament final for the first time since 1962.
Last year's 27-point undressing of Duke at Littlejohn ranks up there.
That huge comeback at Maryland two years ago would have to merit consideration.
This might sound crazy, but I'd argue that last night's victory at Florida State should be included.
Crazy, because it might've also been the most unwatchable of his 222 games as Clemson's coach.
But the importance of getting to the NCAA Tournament this year cannot be overstated. Purnell's teams have been there back-to-back years, and getting there a third consecutive season would help prolong the momentum.
Would settling for the NIT completely destroy what Purnell has methodically built over seven seasons? No. But Purnell and his staff are trying to show Clemson is one of the big boys on numerous fronts, most notably recruiting. Purnell's four consecutive 20-win seasons are big, but three straight NCAA appearances would be bigger.
So, are they in?
I've been saying for a while now that 8-8 gets them an at-large bid, and I stand by that ... but shakily.
Hard to say with confidence that this team gets in if it loses tomorrow at home against Georgia Tech, at Wake Forest on Sunday, and in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
Now, should it be in at 8-8? I'd argue yes.
Take a look at Clemson's ACC schedule. The Tigers' five home-and-home opponents are Duke, Maryland, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Boston College.
In addition to that, two of Clemson's one-time opponents (Virginia Tech and Wake Forest) are on the road.
There are seven ACC teams at 7-7 or better in conference play. Clemson has had to play the other six teams on their home court this year. None of the other six teams have had to do that.
Take a look at Virginia Tech's schedule. The Hokies' home-and-home opponents are Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Boston College and Virginia.
Combined record of the Hokies' home-and-home opponents: 22-48
Combined record of the Tigers' home-and-home opponents: 43-27
This is why Clemson should be in at 8-8. You'd think the NCAA Selection Committee would take the time to look at these things, but there are no guarantees.
And that's why the Tigers need to win one of their last two for it to be a slam dunk.
Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail was on hand last night in Tallahassee, and he says the Tigers are in.
It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was downright painful to watch.
But that won’t matter come Selection Sunday, a day Clemson won’t dread now.
The win lifted Clemson into a four-way tie for third place in the ACC with two games left.
And I believe it locked up the program’s third straight NCAA tournament bid.
At 20-8, 8-6 in ACC play, it’s hard to keep the Tigers out of the field of 65 now, especially with a home game against inconsistent Georgia Tech, Sunday’s finale at fading Wake Forest and the ACC tournament left.
Last night's victory featured about as many style points as baskets the Tigers mustered over the first 16:22 -- two -- but Bart Wright says beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Particularly when the beholder is on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
The team that started out shooting 2-for-19, rivaling the nightmarish night it had at Duke in January, closed out with a 6-for-6 effort from the foul line and put a smile on coach Oliver Purnell’s face.
When he was asked if the 53-50 win over Florida State qualified as certifiably ugly, the Clemson coach grinned broadly.
“It was beautiful to me,” he said. “I know what it means for us.”
Nice homecoming for Andre Young, whose hometown is a short drive from Tallahassee.
His performance was sorta reminiscent of Cairo native Cliff Hammonds returning to his home territory and putting the Tigers on his shoulders in Tallahassee a few years ago.
Young didn't require an IV after the game, but it was still pretty impressive.
Here's Scott Keepfer's game story in the Greenville News.
From the Florida State perspective, the Orlando Sentinel's Andrew Carter points out a great stat.
Well, maybe "great" isn't the right term.
Both teams had more turnovers than made field goals. The ratio was 18 to 17 for Clemson. And 20 to 16 for FSU.
In the Tallahassee Democrat, the Seminoles lament the final two minutes. Clemson closed the game on a 9-3 run, and in this kind of game a 9-3 run qualifies as an explosion.
Clemson sophomore Andre Young then nailed a jumper to cut the lead to three with 1:12 left. On FSU's next possession, senior Ryan Reid got the ball inside the Clemson 3-point line. Instead of pulling it back out to run some clock, he attacked the basket. He was blocked with 57 seconds remaining in the game and 20 seconds still remaining on the shot clock.
"I saw him still moving and I tried to hurry up and catch him before he could take the charge," Reid said. "But unfortunately they called it a block, so I can't argue with it."
Said Hamilton: "Our plan was to let the clock go down a few more seconds and call timeout and then run a play. And I think Ryan obviously saw an opportunity to go in to what he thought was a clear path. And it closed up. But we can't point our finger toward him as well as he's played all year.
"We can find a lot of those situations during the course of the game where we didn't make good decisions. Including me. … Maybe we should have called timeout on the other end (before Reid's drive). So you can find a lot of what-if-you-would-have-done type things."
And here's a piece from Tallahassee on Young.
The Charlotte Observer is at the NFL Combine and wrote about C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford on Sunday.
Ford unofficially was clocked at 4.28 seconds, barely off the combine record of 4.24 set two years ago by Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, formerly of East Carolina. Ford's time matched the best for a receiver, previously set by Houston Texans player Jerome Mathis in 2005.
According to some reports, Spiller was timed in less than 4.2 on some stopwatches of scouts, coaches and team executives.
More on Spiller here.
More on Ford here.
If I wasn't being drafted, I'd be applying for a job at ... My old college, so I can stay close to football and help others.
The Clemson freshman who will one day be a high draft choice is ... (Quarterback) Tajh Boyd.
Upstate resident Sam Wyche is confident Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL.
Pickens County councilman Sam Wyche is firmly entrenched in the latter group, having spent two days last month outside of Nashville, Tenn., working out and instructing Tebow in some of the finer points of quarterbacking.
In his present role as an elected county official, Wyche, the former Furman product who played and coached in the NFL, is struggling this weekend with some foot issues that have him hobbling around on crutches, having spent too much time on his feet in Columbia on Friday. Wyche has been dealing with some heart-related issues for a decade and has been taking the blood thinner Coumadin.
He was getting around well last month after he received a call from Bob Tebow, Tim’s father, asking for some additional instructional help. Tebow had already been tutored by former NFL player and coach Zeke Bratkowski, a good friend of Wyche and the two coordinated their efforts to offer some pointers to the former Heisman trophy winner.
I've often wondered why Willy Korn didn't give Wyche a call when Korn was trying to overhaul his throwing mechanics last year. Seems like a no-brainer to consult the expertise of someone in your own backyard.
Denny Kuiper of the ACC Sports Journal breaks down last night's game in Tallahassee.
In the Macon Telegraph, a story on why the play of Iman Shumpert -- really good, or really bad -- will be the key for tomorrow's big game in Littlejohn.
Good gosh, what in the world happened to Wake Forest?
As message-board diplomat OrangeForever wondered the other day: Who's done less with more, Paul Hewitt or Dino Gaudio?
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
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 @.