We decided to look at one component of Clemson's motion offense and explain it so that folks could understand just what the Tigers are trying to do out there when they look totally lost on offense. I'm not going to go into that many set plays of the 4-out/1-in set, but will try to give a few to get a flavor of whats going on. Those that know a lot about basketball probably won't get much out of this, and I'm not going so far in-depth that we lose the forest for the trees.

Basically the term 4-out means that there are 4 players playing around the perimeter, with one post player inside. It works much better for teams without great size or those that don't have 2 guys with post ability, or a team with alot of guys that can play the 2G or 3. Think Duke, not Georgia Tech or FSU. It works better if the PF, who will be playing outside, can pass and hit an occasional shot. With Booker's ability to make an occasional shot outside and his athleticism, the 4-out offense can work quite well. I'm surprised Clemson doesn't run this set as much as they could, but it is in our repertoire. What we run more of is the 3-out/2-in (32), with 2 guys posting, but the point I want to make is that we don't have enough variety in our offensive scheme to beat good teams.

via www.coachesclipboard.net

Continue reading this post »

More photos » Gerry Broome - AP

Browse more photos »

How do I not blame Purnell for losses like this?And yet another 1st round ACC Tourney loss to a lesser team.

I'm fully cognizant of what OP has done for Clemson since he's been here. He took the garbage Larry Shyatt left him to play with and took us to a level we've never consistently been at before. We have more talent on the team today than we've had since at least the late 80s. We've won more games the last 4 years than we ever have before. I'm not calling for OP to be fired, and even those who do want him gone realize that he's not going anywhere.

But the man can't coach an offense. He hasn't gotten through to Trevor Booker, who still takes days off and actually seems to have regressed. He hasn't recruited any shooters to take pressure off the interior game. His teams don't play defense on the road and generally look AWFUL away from Littlejohn.

Continue reading this post »

Clemson Tigers (21-9, 9-7) vs. N.C. State Wolfpack (17-14, 5-11)

When: Approx. 9:30 on Raycom

Kenpom: Clemson 17, NCSU 68, Kenpom predictor says a 7pt Clemson win.

RPI: Clemson 27, NCSU 103

Leading Scorers: All-ACC F Tracy Smith (17.0ppg, 7.7rpg), F Dennis Horner (11.8ppg, 4.8 rpg), Javier Gonzalez (10 ppg, 3.8 apg)

Continue reading this post »

Mark Crammer - AP

Book will have to have a good game against Aminu inside and prevent him from getting 2nd chance points tonight.

View full size photo »

Clemson Tigers (21-8, 9-6) @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-9, 7-8)

When: 6PM, FSS

RPI: CU 25, WF 35

KenPom: Clemson 15, Wake Forest 43

Leading scorers: F Al-Farouq Aminu (15.8ppg, 10.7 rpg), G Ishmael Smith (13.2ppg, 6apg, 4.7rpg), C.J. Harris (9.9ppg)

With a win Clemson clinches a #3 seed in the ACC Tournament and a first round bye, while Wake needs a win just to make the NCAA Tournament. Clemson has not won at Wake since 1990, 17 straight. Clemson is 5-5 on the road, and Wake is 12-2 at home this year.

Clemson is peaking since the 3-game homestand turned us around, with wins in 6 of our last 8, and hopefully it can keep going. Last year we lost 7 of the last 11 when the defense fell apart.

A year ago, Purnell and the Tigers were answering too many questions about what was wrong. After a 16-0 start lifted Clemson into the Top 10, it stumbled greatly down the stretch losing five of its final six, including first-round exits in the ACC and NCAA tournaments.

In 2007, the Tigers were the last unbeaten team in Division I last unbeaten team at 17-0, then dropped nine of its next 11 and fell into the NIT. A year earlier, they went 11-0, then lost 10 of their next 13.

Purnell says those slipups get too much attention and have nothing to do with this year's team, which he thinks compares more favorably to his 2008 crew that advanced to the ACC tournament finals before losing to North Carolina.

"If you count this year, two of the last three we've played like this despite what you read sometimes," Purnell said. "Hopefully, this team can get to the ACC championship game.

"We understand that it is a marathon and that sometimes, it can chew you up mentally," he continued. "We've survived. That's one reason I'm proud of these guys."

But what we faced last year and haven't this year is a slate of tough Guards. The ACC doesn't have the extremely-good guards this year. Toney Douglas is gone, Teague is gone, Ellington is gone. Lewis Clinch tore us up. Vasquez is clearly the best in the ACC this year and we did handle him well, but Scheyer and Delaney we didnt handle so well. The defense is better for sure, but I still think teams with good Guards are going to mess us up.

Ish Smith is a good point guard and we need to be able to press him.

Wake has lost 4 in a row now to VT, NC, NCSU and FSU. Only one of those was a home, UNC 77-68 where they shot just 29.7%. They had won 4 straight coming into this losing streak.

One thing that has killed WF has been their FT shooting, which is just as awful as Clemson, but the last 4 games have really gone down for them from the line. As you might expect from that, they arent a great 3-pt shooting squad. While they didnt turn the ball over much in 2 of those 4 losses, against FSU and NC State they turned it over 20 times or more. They're averaging around 15 TOs per game and havent forced more than 15 but once in the last 7 games.

Where Wake would give us big problems is inside, just like GT, and with their defense. Its not a good offensive squad, only 98th in offensive efficiency by Kenpom. Aminu is a very good player and Booker will have problems with him tonight, though FSU's interior size handled him quite well, holding him scoreless. Their defense is ranked 19th nationally, #1 in eFG defense.

More photos » Mark Crammer - AP

10 days ago: Clemson coach Oliver Purnell, right, hugs Trevor Booker during senior day ceremonies before an NCAA basketball game against Georgia Tech on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Anderson Independent-Mail, Mark Crammer)

Browse more photos »

Purnell Postgame
And clinches an NCAA berth with an assured winning record in the ACC and good RPI. Now we play for seeding.

Clemson had me worried in the first half, with our inability to box out and get any rebounds and Booker's lackadaisical defense at times and weak FT shooting. I pointed out in the preview that I felt like we had to hold our own in rebounding and control their shooters, and in the first half we only kinda did the latter (3/6 from 3) as we were being outplayed inside for most of this game. We shot well so there was hope, I just expected us to come out and go cold in the 2nd half, but Andre Young's last-second 3 must've put a fire under them.

And how about Andre Young, whose 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer propelled Clemson into the locker room with a 44-41 lead and fueled a 26-7 run that carried into the second half and broke the game wide open?

"I’ve always been practicing buzzer-beaters ever since I was a kid," Young said. "So I don’t have any problem taking them. I want to thank my teammates for giving me the ball in the right spots."

'We have a sense of energy,' Young said. 'Halfway through ACC play we realized we had a chance to be a great team.' (source)

 

"I call him Big Shot Billups right now," Booker said, referring to NBA star Chauncey Billups. " He’s hit some big shots at the buzzer. That’s what he does, knock down trey-balls. I didn’t expect him to hit two in a row at the buzzer like that. If it happens next game, I think something’s up."

I still contend that Favors will be a lottery pick someday, but I now believe he needs a new coach to get there. They have interior NBA-level size and a couple of great shooters. They have enough talent on the court to win a national championship. I believe GT has a 1-15 ACC road record the last two years now too.

Notice I said talented enough, not good enough. Shumpert, Lawal and Favors are former McD's All-Americans. Peacock would start at most other schools in the ACC.

Continue reading this post »

Gail Burton - AP

OP needs one win to seal up a NCAA berth, and perhaps seal up a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament.

View full size photo »

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (19-9, 7-7) @ Clemson Tigers (20-8, 8-6)

When: 8pm, Raycom

Top Scorers:  Derrick Favors (11.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.9 blks/gm), Gani Lawal (13.6ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.5blks/gm), Iman Shumpert (9.9ppg, 4apg)

RPI: Clemson 27, GT 29

Continue reading this post »

More photos » John Bazemore - AP

Browse more photos »

We got together for a late season Question and Answer session with the guys over at From the Rumble Seat in preparation for the big game agianst Ga Tech.  Tech nipped us late early in the year.  See what BirdGT says about GT's squad and how they have performed since the first matchup with the Tigers, and check out our answers to their questions over at their site.

Continue reading this post »

View full size photo »

Clemson Tigers (19-8. 7-6) @ Florida St. Seminoles (20-7, 8-5)

When: 5:30 PM, FSS

KenPom Ranking: FSU 15, Clemson 17. FSU is ranked #2 in defensive efficiency, 10th in eFG defense, 5th in block percentage, but other than offensive rebounding none of their offensive stats are terribly impressive. They're ranked below Clemson in many offensive categories.

Top Scorers: C Solomon Alabi (12.0ppg, 6.5rpg), F Chris Singleton (11.0ppg, 7.5 rpg), G Derwin Kitchen (8.7ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.9 apg). Luke Loucks scored 15 in game 1, Alabi 14, and Singleton was held to 6.

Game1 Breakdown.

The Noles have won all 3 games since losing to us at Littlejohn, but they havent exactly faced the toughest competition. They beat UVA by 19, @ UNC by 10, and BC. FSU is 12-2 at home. Since the first game, here are a few statistical comparisons.

“Things are still bunched up,” Clemson coach Oliver Purnell whose team faces Florida State today in Tallahassee, Fla. “So this is a really critical game for us

Clemson, which is one win away from a fourth consecutive 20-win season, and Florida State, which has won three straight games since a 10-point loss at Clemson on Feb. 10, are in similar positions and have similar desires.

“Both teams would definitely like to have a bye (in the ACC Tournament) and both teams would like to pad their tournament resumes,” Purnell said.

 Overall, ACC teams are 24-57 in league games away from home, which translates to a meager 29-percent success rate.

“It has always been tough (to win ACC road games),” Purnell said. “First of all, teams are good. Second of all, the environments are rabid.” (GNews)

----

Junior point guard Demontez Stitt said his team lost its collective cool at Comcast Center.

“It’s easy, when you’re not at home to let the crowd get to you, it’s easy to lose focus,” he said. “Against Maryland we lost our focus. (When) you’re home, you’re into it, the crowd is into it, it’s a lot of energy involved, especially with the way that we play.

“On the road we have to learn to create our own energy to stay focused. The road is harder to do that, when the other team’s crowd is into it, it’s loud, it’s easy to lose focus, and get off into your own thing.”(AIM)