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Friday, January 23, 2009
View from Clemson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech tries for its first ACC win Sunday at Clemson (7:45 p.m., FSN).
The Tigers, ranked No. 10, have dropped two straight after a 16-0 start. Wake Forest beat them by 10 at Littlejohn Coliseum, then the Tigers got blown out 94-70 at UNC.
This is Tech’s oldest series with an ACC team. It dates to 1912-13, when John Heisman was Tech’s basketball coach. Clemson leads 57-54.
The teams have split the past four meetings, each winning at home.
Larry Williams, of TigerIllustrated.com, answered some questions about the matchup:
Give us the main reasons for Clemson’s terrific start.
Clemson was unblemished through 16 games largely because of its ability to come up with plays late in tight games on both ends of the floor. The Tigers produced defensive stops and clutch buckets late in several of their victories.
I think the defense has been a bit ahead of schedule, because Oliver Purnell has been able to employ pressure a lot more than folks expected after the loss of Cliff Hammonds, James Mays and Sam Perry.
Back-to-back losses to Wake Forest and North Carolina have dealt a pretty severe blow to this team’s confidence, and some serious questions need to be resolved for the Tigers to begin another winning streak. The Tigers have struggled in halfcourt offense the last few games, and a big reason has been the inability to get the ball to Trevor Booker in the low post. Booker needs to get more touches.
And the Tigers have been killed in transition the past two games. So while the defense was better than expected through the 16-0 start, the past two games demonstrated there’s a ways to go.
How effective do you think Clemson’s full-court press will be against Tech?
Wake Forest and North Carolina were able to successfully navigate the Tigers’ full-court press.
The Deacons didn’t have much problem with the press largely because they have long guys like James Johnson and Al-Farouq Aminu who are adept at bringing the ball up court.
The Tar Heels have Ty Lawson, whose quickness is such an asset against full-court pressure.
Given Georgia Tech’s problems handling the ball, I’d imagine Clemson would turn up its pressure in hopes of establishing control early. The Tigers harassed N.C. State two weeks ago, gradually wearing down the Wolfpack and pulling away in the second half.
How do the Tigers match up with Gani Lawal, Alade Aminu and Zachery Peacock inside?
Rebounding has been an issue for Clemson thus far. One of the problems that’s emerging has been the lack of someone to complement Booker inside (Mays was a pretty good rebounder).
Jerai Grant and Raymond Sykes are capable, but they don’t have the best hands. Purnell has also urged his guards to help out on the boards and do more “gang rebounding.”
Your thoughts?
