Tuesday February 07, 2012

A Must Win

A Must Win
I am perhaps the worst in America of being impatient when it comes to my teams and how much emphasis I place on the next game. I am guilty of putting so much into the next game because of what momentum comes with the next win. I always put too much into the confidence gained from the next win.

This basketball season I have had very low expectations for this team. I love Brad Brownell and this staff and think the future is very bright for the program but I have not expected much from this team. That is a good thing because this team has played hard at times but the results have been lacking and heartbreak has been the norm.

But tonight is different. This season does not hold much promise but if anything can be made of this season then it has to start tonight.

How Clemson can ever be a seven-point favorite in any ACC basketball game is beyond me but the Tigers have a big opportunity starting tonight.

The Tigers enter tonight's game with a 3-5 record in the league at the ACC's mid point in the season. There is a huge difference between 4-5 and 3-6 which makes tonight's game extremely important.

A win tonight means the Tigers get to 4-5 and travel to Winston-Salem this weekend to face a bad Wake Forest team with a shot at getting to .500 in the league.

A loss tonight means three straight losses and they head to Wake Forest with a 3-6 mark with little confidence.

Clemson’s four road ACC losses have come by a total of 11 points, with the largest a four-point defeat against a ranked Virginia team on Jan. 31. But a confident group of Tigers would have a decent shot at winning on the road and pulling to 5-5 in the ACC this weekend.

Maryland and Clemson are tied for seventh in the league right now with 3-5 records but the Terps have to play five road games in the second half of the season while Clemson has only four. Thus Maryland gets only three homes games in the second half compared to Clemson's four. This is big because neither have won on the road in the league this season. In fact Maryland has not won any game on the road this year.

Clemson needs to win tonight in order to have the tie breaker over Maryland in case they are still knotted at the end of the regular season. A higher seed might help in the ACC tournament considering the league is not as strong as it usually has been.

The Tigers have been frustrating to watch this season because many of the upperclassmen who have experience have not had great seasons. At the same time several of the freshmen have been slow to develop.

K.J. McDaniels seems like he is athletic enough to build around as earned his first career start at Virginia Tech and responded with career-highs in points (14), minutes (28), rebounds (5), blocked shots (5) and assists (2). His athleticism has provided some hope for the future.

The next class coming to Tigertown will be higher rated also. Brownell's staff has not had great recruiting success so far but next year's class will be his best and will provide more hope.

However, the best thing that can happen to this basketball program is a win tonight and a solid start to the second half of this season. If the Tigers can find a way to get to 8-8 in the league the season will not feel like a huge step backwards. This team is not going to the NCAA tournament but few expected it too based upon the losses of a couple of very good starters lost from a season ago.

This team has lost to teams like Charleston, South Carolina and Coastal Carolina at home which is inexcusable. They have also lost those close conference games in a down league which also really hurt.

But again if they find a way to get to 8-8 and an NIT bid then the season will not seem like a big step backwards.

It all begins tonight though. I just can't find eight conference wins without a win at home tonight against a 3-5 Maryland team.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:

If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.

If you would like to add someone to the list please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com

*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list.

Those who need our prayers include:Finn Brookover, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Daniel Rosborough, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, the Nicolopulos family, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle family, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, the Thomas. V Family, Emary Claire Young, Kitty Bowers,Julie Locke, the Scheider family, Lauren Kittles' family, Frank Gentry, Joyce Bussey, Stacey McKeown, Mary Priester, Dale Childs, Larry Lentz, Jr, Carl Sharperson, Scott Hannon, William Perry, Tyler Swaney, Randy Anderson, Lillian, Matt Hogan, Mark Feit, David Frame, Chad Berry, the family of Matthew M. Watson, Nancy Taylor, the Dowis family, Shervin Messer, Alan Putnam, the Olivers, Lee Tate, Ronnie Abrams, Eddie Greene, the Jackson family, Bill Vader, Nancy Taylor, Tina DeWitt, Rock Horne, Christopher Tuten, Jimmy Head, Bobby Wayne Thomas, Emma and Danielle Carothers, Robert Ditty, Murray Smith, Dot Cartee, Ayden Mills, Millie Heatley, Lynn Martin and family, Michael Pinson, Jack Bailey, Jake David family, Janice Thompson, Angie Crowley, Rachel Graves, Ira, Elsie Taylor, Mike Tolson, Poly Wells, Dr. Muriel Bishop, Jack Cunningham, Emily Jefford Meister, Zachary Stoller, Aaron Clackum, Pat James.