Monday February 05, 2007

Enough is Enough

Enough is Enough
I was glad to see Oliver Purnell stand up for Cliff Hammonds Saturday afternoon in Atlanta. I was also glad to see him do it in the post game interview with Pete Yannity on the Clemson radio network. The coach said the clock issue in Durham, the non traveling call against UVA and now this led him to the thoughts of "Enough is enough."

Rick Barnes was a hero in Clemson partly because he stood up to the ACC and Dean Smith. Purnell's stance should go a long way with the Tiger faithful.

I agree with the idea of enough is enough. Enough of the bad officiating and enough of the bias. However, this team needs to take the same stand. Enough is enough when it comes to several on the court issues that have popped up recently.

Enough of the poor rebounding efforts. Georgia Tech pounded the offensive boards Saturday to the tune of 22 offensive boards. The Jackets out rebounded the Tigers 44-28. James Mays only had two rebounds and both were offensive boards. Clemson cannot win if Mays has zero defensive rebounds.

Virginia out rebounded Clemson 39-29 and had 15 offensive rebounds to the Tigers 10.

Duke out rebounded Clemson 40-24 in Cameron. The Blue Devils had 17 offensive rebounds to Clemson's six.

North Carolina had 47 rebounds to Clemson's 38.

Maryland had 35 rebounds to the Tigers' 29.

In the five Clemson losses the opponents have out rebounded Clemson 205-148. That averages out to 41 to 29 margin. Clemson is not talented enough to get out rebounded by 11 boards a night and beat too many teams in the league. This is the first issue that must be addressed. Enough is enough.

Enough of the sloppy play. The Tigers turned it over 22 times against Georgia Tech. Javaris Crittenton had seven steals and embarrassed Vernon Hamilton. Tech had 17 steals to the Tigers three. The Tigers cannot afford to give the opponent this many more chances. Enough is enough.

Enough of the lack of effort. It looked like Maryland, Duke and Georgia Tech played harder than the Tigers in the three losses. I think UNC was more talented and Virginia made some unbelievable shots in the dramatic comeback but the Terps, Blue Devils and Jackets played harder than the Tigers. Clemson got to 17-0 by winning the hustle points. They got their with great defense and effort. Enough is enough. It is time to see that kind of effort again.

The ACC
Earlier in the year I tried to have power rankings each week for the ACC but how can you tell anymore? NC State looked awful until they went on the road to beat Virginia Tech then came home to upset the Tar Heels.

Virginia Tech looked unstoppable with wins at Duke and at home against UNC then lose to State at home and get thumped at Boston College.

Boston College and Virginia have combined to drop games to Vermont, Providence, Duquesne and Appalachian State but these are the two teams that are atop the ACC with 7-2 marks.

The bottom of the league features Wake Forest, NC State and Miami but all three have huge wins inside of the conference.

So how do you tell who is the second best or even ninth best team in the league? I say UNC is still head and shoulders above the rest of the league but I am not sure there is a huge difference between the other 11 programs.

Role Reversal
I normally do not think there is a place for taunting but you have to give FSU players a pardon for dancing and celebrating in front of the Cameron Crazies yesterday. Hey, its not like they have not rubbed it in opponents' faces for years.

Speaking of Duke, I can see a scenario where Duke goes 7-9 in the league and misses the NCAA tournament. They are 5-4 in the league now but face UNC twice. That puts them at 5-6 in the ACC. To get to 8-8 the Blue Devils have to win three of the five other games on the schedule. They have home games with Georgia Tech and Maryland and have to travel to Maryland, Boston College and Clemson. I guess they will get to 8-8 but the question could be, "Does Duke get in the NCAA tournament with a 7-9 mark?"

Signing Day
The Fort Hill Clemson Club is hosting a terrific event this Wednesday from 4:30 until 7:00 at Jervey Gym. The Signing Day Celebration will feature Tommy Bowden, his assistants, highlight films of the signees and highlight films from this past season. The food should also be fantastic. Make plans top get to Clemson early if you are coming to the FSU game Wednesday and celebrate a terrific signing day with the Clemson staff. Tickets can be purchased at upstate branches of First Citizens Bank.

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