Tough game on the road… will test if we have really “turned the corner” or not.
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This is the text book measuring stick game
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Looking at Clemson’s last 6 games, I’m picking up a pattern.
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Clemson scared me more like 2-3 weeks ago. I’ve gone from likely loss to tossup.
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Clemson is a big, physical senior-laden team who can put plenty of playmakers on the court. They score very well, especially around the basket, because so many guys are capable of making the right play. There was very valid reasoning for their high ranking earlier in the year, but they’re also not a great shooting team and don’t always play the most disciplined defense.
We’ll have to bring our A game for sure but this is a great opportunity to pick up the big Q1 road win.
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Just eyeballing Clemson’s schedule and they’re not exactly rolling at home against power 6 competition :
- W by 5
- L
- W by 11
- L
- W by 6
So 3-2 with wins by an average of ~7 points. Losses to a good team and a not good team. No terribly impressive wins. The SoCar win has aged well, I guess. I know all road/neutral games have been adventurous for us tho…
(Kind of Neckel-ing out their most impressive home W, over Boise St, but that’s my prerogative. It’s the way that I want to live)
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Just wonder how Chase Hunter and Girard guard Reece and iMac. Feel like we have an advantage there.
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So, what are the likely assignments, especially given their size?
I went back and looked at our games last season. The game at home had BVP and sometimes Gardner on PJ Hall. In the ACCT PJ drew Shedrick abd Papi, though Hall was hampered with injuries.
It’s clear PJ will draw Minor and BB, but I am concerned about Schieffelin; we need to keep him off the glass as much as possible…Dunn? Reece on Hunter, and IMac on Girard? Reverse?
Curious from those of you who understand these things better than I do what you think. It seems to me if we are solid on D and don’t experience the breakdowns we previously had on the road, we give ourselves a good chance.
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Reece on Girard
IMac on C. Hunter
Rohde? Taine? on Wiggins (tall but still a perimeter oriented guy and low-usage)
Dunn on Schiefflin
Minor/Blake on Hall (might be a “you each have 5 fouls” game)
I’m happy with those matchups.
We’ve been about as good as Clemson has been in conference play, even factoring in our horrible road losses. Clemson’s 3pt shooting has nose dived in conference play (sub-30%); they still have been the 2nd best offense in conference play, but they’ve done it in a way that lines up well with our defensive strengths right now: limiting turnovers, getting offensive rebounds, drawing FTs. Our season-long defensive rebounding numbers aren’t amazing, but it’s gotten a lot better in conference play (#3 defensive rebounding team in conference).
But to simplify things, my optimism comes from my hope that Reece will absolutely dominate Girard on both ends, and that will create a cascade of problems for them that PJ can’t make up for on his own.
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Yeah this is a matchup where we’re probably better suited to lean into going big, with Dunn at the 3 spot to better matchup with Schieffelin and playing groves at the 4. We may not switch the starting lineup, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this with either minor Buchanan sees fairly significant minutes. I do agree that Dunn guarding Schieffelin is probably our best option, outside of PJ Hall being incredible he’s the one I’m most concerned with.
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Confidence is high!
Hall is the obvious problem, but I agree with the assumption that if we keep him below his season average of 20 points, and we clamp down on say Girard and Hunter, at a minimum, we are in good shape. Much easier said than done, obviously, but we are capable. Offense has to click though…no five-minute scoring droughts.
I think we matchup better than a team like Wake. That didn’t go well, but I think we at least fare better.
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I agree with Dragon at the top of the thread that this is a big measuring stick game mostly because I think a lot of this game is more about us than it is about them.
A lot of why I haven’t hit the panic button on this team yet is because in those rough road losses earlier in the year we didn’t look like UVA, which you just kind of knew had to change. If we’re the confident team that’s played the past couple weeks we can absolutely go in and get the W over a formidable opponent… if we’re the team that’s afraid to really even move on offense and is offering zero defensive resistance it could be a long day. Hopefully confidence is a stain for this group.
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The biggest concern for this game is Clemson has a ton to lose. They are on the precipice of tanking after a solid noncon, with one of their more talented teams in recent memory. They really can’t lose a home matchup against a quality opponent in this spot.
I think with a Saturday game, we will really have to weather an initial punch and rowdy atmosphere. First really solid road game since the turnaround. Need to be focused from the go. Hope Tony leans into the recent change of adapting rotation based on who is locked in for a particular game.
Scheifflin worries me. He could eat us alive on the boards when we are preoccupied with PJ.
Guards will be tougher match-ups imo. iMac not quick enough / long enough to bother Girard’s quick release and not athletic enough to keep with Hunter, despite what J. Willy says.
Can we make a duplicate of Reece on defense for this game?
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I’m calling it this is your classic Must Win Game
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While I certainly hope for the same, Brownell would be a fool to have Girard guard Reece. Most likely Girard will be hidden on whoever is at the 3. Which might mean we need to trot out the Dunn-Groves-Minor/Buchanan lineup to force them to put Girard on either Reece or Isaac
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I think we have an advantage at the guard spot. Hunter is not a great outside shooter and Girard can’t guard a chair. Just need to keep them in check.
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