BASKETBALL: WTF? That is the first statement that flew out of my mouth this morning. I had some issues streaming through both Raycom and ESPN360 and missed most of the latter part of the game. Not really concerned about the outcome (Clemson was playing lights out early and looked good from the limited amount I got to see), the Tigers somehow managed to get killed over the last 3/4 of the ballgame. After a quick review of the game stream, Clemson's issues are consistent with the problems we have seen all year and looks like a complete lack of discipline on the Tigers' part.
Maryland hammered Clemson inside in the second half. Clemson's defense was absolutely pitiful as the game moved forward, which is unacceptable. The effort and lackadaisical attitude displayed by this team is unacceptable. It is one thing not to be able to shoot, another completely to give up defending and completely get your ass handed to you like this team did down the stretch.
This win would have given Clemson eight in ACC play and really solidified their spot in the tournament and positioned the Tigers for a run at double digit conference wins. Instead, we are still left with questions about this team and about the attitude of this team. Defense is all about an attitude and a willingness to play. Clemson showed poor attitude and laziness Wednesday night. Clemson blew a 15 point lead in a conference game. All of these are critical issues that cause me to worry about Clemson's chances in the post-season. With a game at FSU, hosting Ga Tech, then travelling to Wake, Clemson has their work cut out for them and MUST hold serve at home.
BASEBALL: We haven't seen enough of this team to know how our pitching will be this season. We have all seen a bunch of speculation on the state of our pitching staff and really have nothing more to add. Baseball is a funny game, but one thing is for sure: Pitching rules the game. Thus, we won't know how good we really are until this staff gets into a series against a good offensive team (again no good insight from good ole FF on this one).
FOOTBALL: The '11 class is setting up to be one of the best ones that I can remember. The staff is firing on all cylinders and got some nice feedback from participants in this past Saturday's Junior Day. All I can say is that this staff has really gotten after it and is pressing hard to make it happen this time next year. Barring some some catastrophic program failure, we are set up to make major waves with this group. Let's hope the staff can keep this going. We did a good job last year by gaining early commits and being able to hold these guys over the long haul. Continuing this pattern would be fantastic.