Tuesday March 20, 2007

Clemson Basketball

That’s What I’m Talkin’ ‘Bout
I tell ya that I could get used to watching that!

The game is a heck of a lot easier to watch when the ball is going in the basket. It’s funny how you never heard any talk of how athletic Clemson was last night. Instead, it was about scoring the basketball.

Clemson came out and looked as impressive on the offensive end as it did at any time this season and it lasted for 40 minutes. The Tigers had a record setting night and were led by two wonderful performances, one in each half. Clemson’s 21-point win was the largest margin for a post-season tournament win in school history. It was Cliff Hammonds’ 18-first half points and a dominant second half by Trevor Booker that led the charge.

Booker had a career high 21 points and looked dominant in the second half when he scored 15 points. The freshman continued his excellent play as of late by going 8-9 from the field and 5-6 from the line. In fact Clemson shot 67% from the line by going 18-27 from the charity stripe. The Tigers out rebounded the Rebels party due to Booker’s seven boards.

For the game Clemson shot 53% from the field and 44% from behind the arch. The Tigers dominated inside by outscoring Ole Miss 44-30 in the paint.

Hammonds scored all 18 of his points in the first half including two huge three-pointers in a Clemson run that helped give the Tigers an 11-point margin at the half. Hammonds was 7-11 from the field and 2-4 from behind the arch.

It was also a balanced offensive performance where almost every Tiger contributed something to the offensive effort.

Vernon Hamilton handled the Ole Miss press much better in the second half and had only two turnovers in 36 minutes against the Rebels pressure. The Tigers’ only senior added 13 points, five assists and five steals.

James Mays also added 13 points and seven rebounds and helped create several of the 24 turnovers from the Rebels.

K.C. Rivers had 12 points including two big three pointers to spearhead a couple of big Clemson runs.

Even Sam Perry had one of his better offensive nights with seven points and some serious energy on both ends of the floor and Raymond Sykes had some offensive highlights including five points including 3-4 from the line.

In all it was a serious offensive effort that was entertaining to watch. Clemson handled the Ole Miss press in the second half and Booker finished many inside possessions with thunderous dunks. On nights when Clemson plays offense like they did Monday night the Tigers are pretty tough to handle.

Also I should know now to never look too far ahead but I have said for some time now that Booker is a guy you can build around. Clemson also returns all but one letterman next season. I know. I’ll quit. I’m sorry.

23 wins
With the victory Clemson improved to 23-10 on the season and advanced farther in the post season than any other Oliver Purnell coaches Clemson team. The win insured Clemson of taking another positive step in each of Purnell’s seasons at Clemson.

4-0 vs SEC
The win also means Clemson has gone 4-0 against the SEC this season. The Tigers defeated Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Georgia at home and South Carolina on the road.

Tubby Smith
Speaking of SEC, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith was in attendance tonight to watch his son who plays guard for Ole Miss. Smith’s Wildcats were eliminated by Kansas Sunday in the NCAA tournament.

Syracuse
Clemson advances to the final eight of the NIT tournament with the win and will now host Syracuse Wednesday night in Littlejohn. I would say that most of Tiger Nation could get excited about hosting Jim Boeheim and Syracuse.

The Drive for Five
On this morning’s radio show, co-host Roy Philpot came up with his “Drive for Five” mission. He wants at least 5,000 people in the stands tomorrow night against Syracuse. I personally was sick and missed the East Tennessee State game. Quite frankly I would have gone but was not excited about the contest. Last night was a different story though. Last night there was less than 4,000 in the stands but I think most that were there were excited about the opponent from the SEC. Plus the Tigers played well last night and gave the fans a reason to get excited.

Wednesday night’s game features a traditional national power in Syracuse. The Orange bring in a big name from another big conference. Also consider the stakes continue to grow as the winner of Wednesday’s game will advance to the Final Four of the NIT in Madison Square Garden.

I also understand the students are away on spring break. However, I think Clemson can count on at least 6,000 fans to be there Wednesday. Granted the crowd will be much less than the 26,000 that jammed into the Carrier Dome to see Syracuse beat San Diego State Tuesday night but I do expect the crowd to be much better than the two previous NIT home games.

Keith LeClair
I would expect tonight to be an emotional affair for Jack Leggett when his Tigers travel to Cullowhee for the first time since last year when they dedicated the field to coach LeClair who has since passed due to ALS. Last year was an emotional ordeal for all involved but I imagine tonight will be tough once again on the head Tiger. In the grieving process they say time heals all wounds but they also say the first time is often the toughest in grief. I can’t imagine there will ever be a time where it is easy on Leggett to return to the field named in LeClair’s honor but tonight may be the toughest.

Mickey's Blog also brought to you by:

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency