Clemson's for real... again? maybe i'm being cynical, but if i'm not mistaken UNC and Duke and Maryland and Virginia didn't get worse in the off-season. Clemson's "fall from grace" as it's been dubbed last year was the result of a soft early schedule with some close wins that got them ranked in the top 15 with a 17-0 record. the ACC doesn't get runover, not by Hansborough, not by Reddick, not by anybody... Clemson's pathetic ATS record last year is something that is causing me to proceed with caution.
the tigers got a few points at miss. st and pulled out the road upset by a bucket and came back a few days later with a push versus a solid old dominion team as 13 point favorites. looking ahead to tomorrow and this sunday versus Gardner-Webb... can the tigers continue this positive early season play and make us some money this year? being in a major conference produces tighter lines and come conference play we all know how home court comes into play.
I Never Met Irv, please chime in, and any other ACC boys playin close attention.
I think your analysis is pretty much spot on, buddy. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that 6 of those 10 losses last year came by 5 points or less. Clemson got pretty unlucky a lot last year, and they were probably better than the 7-9 record in the league might have otherwise indicated.
This year's team is a little different, to be honest. They're deeper than any team Purnell has had in his tenure, which should give him a chance to really use the press how he wants to. For instance, Sam Perry has started more games than he's not started over his first 3 seasons. So far this year, he's averaging 4 minutes per game. That's telling, if you ask me. Sure, he's been injured, but Sam's always logged minutes through his knee injuries before. Now, Purnell has better options.
On to those options...
K.C. Rivers has developed from a streaky shooter as a freshman into one of the most complete players in the ACC. He won't keep up that 7 reb/game pace, but he IS a factor on the boards, now. His game has just evolved into something that Clemson hasn't had in a while. He's a basketball player, and not just an athlete.
Mays is much maligned(for whatever reason) by Clemson people, but he's pretty dog gone good. He's going to put up probably 15 double-doubles this season. His back to the basket game is about 10 times better than it's ever been. It looks to me like he's learning to play with Booker on the inside.
Then there's Stitt and the O-Man. Oglesby is legit, son. Legit, legit, legit. Think Jason Williams(white one) meets Willy Korn. His stroke is pure and he's got unlimited range. That's a weapon Purnell has never had(he's 10x the player Shawan Robinson was).
Stitt ain't there yet, but he's on his way. 6-6 from the line down the stretch on the road in his 2nd college game tells me he's got "it". I'm not one to make assumptions based upon one performance, but if he develops over the season like he should, Stitt will be an upgrade over Hamilton from last season.
What to expect from Clemson? To be honest, I don't think they'll lose an out of conference game for the second straight year. In the ACC, I see Clemson fighting for the #2 slot with Duke and Virginia. NC State is probably #5, in my mind.
I predict Clemson at 10-6 in the league, with an outside chance at 11-5 and obviously a chance at 9-7. That's the range you'll see, in my opinion.
Looking back, the most telling this about this post is that I didn't even mention Cliff Hammonds one time. The kid will leave Clemson with more starts and steals than any Tiger in school history, yet he doesn't even get a mention. He'll be in double digits for the fourth straight season, but he doesn't even get a mention. That's telling. It speaks to the quality depth on this basketball team. It's that depth that I think will carry Clemson to the Sweet 16.
