I'm not sure how this is possible, but ESPN3 blacked out the game where I live, yet I couldn't watch it on TV either. Instead, RSN was broadcasting the 1-12 Washington Wizards. Forced to choose between the Wizards or following a gamecast for 2 hours, I decided to follow the gamecast for 2 hours.
My thoughts and opinions are strictly based on what the gamecast has told me, so if I'm wrong I plead ignorance. Please feel free to fill me in on anything I may miss.
Tanner Smith owned the first half for Clemson. He was absolutely on fire and finished the first half with 18 of Clemson's 39 first half points. Unfortunately he didn't receive much help from his supporting cast and our defensive effort was atrocious. F1NS' comment after last game, where he said we can't seem to get multiple guys hot at the same time is very true. If Tanner is feeling it, it seems like Andre Young is off. If Jennings sneaks up on us and has a good game, Tanner is off.
In the second half, the good Tanner cooled off and turnover Tanner came out. He finished the game with 6 turnovers, of which 5 came in the 2nd half.
This loss does not fall on the offense, though, from what I read. Yes, we could've shot better from the foul line and from behind the arc, but we put up 73 points while shooting 48% from the field. We had 4 guys score in double figures, with Tanner leading the way with 23 points.
What hurt us in this game was our defense. We allowed Miami to shoot 51% from the field and 45% from behind the arc. Miami was also able to knock down 13-14 free throws. Malcolm Grant got out of his slump, just as Category 6 had predicted, leading Miami with 16 points. This is not the same defensive team we saw lock people down defensively last year. I may not have been able to watch this game, but I've seen enough this year to know that our perimeter defense is soft and we lack a shot blocking presence to mask this deficiency.
It's tough to win on the road, especially in conference play. Losing to Miami by 3 isn't a terrible loss by any means. Miami is a more talented team than Clemson. I believe 4 out of their 5 starters would be starting for Clemson right now. So losing on the road at Miami doesn't surprise me. However, I'd like to be able to stop using the lack of talent excuse after every loss and instead praise these guys for winning with effort and smart play. The FSU game gave us a false sense of hope, which makes this losing streak tougher to swallow.
Also, can we get more KJ McDaniel? Please??
I'd love to hear the thoughts of people that were actually able to watch the game...