Oglesby: Tigers looking forward, not backward after loss to Wake Forest

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Jan 19 19:07:42 GMT-04:00 2009

No looking back.

That is the message that Clemson guard Terrence Oglesby has after last Saturday’s loss to Wake Forest, saying that his Clemson Tigers have to simply look forward, especially with bigger games on the horizon.

Oglesby is the slick shooting sophomore guard who nailed two huge three pointers in a late run that saw Clemson pull to within one point, at 61-60, of the Demon Deacon, but that was as close as the Tigers would get, however, and Clemson fell 78-68 to what is now the No. 1 team in the nation.

Oglesby says, however, there is no need to dwell on that game, not with a visit to 5th-ranked North Carolina looming on the horizon for a Clemson team that is ranked 9th in the USA Today poll and 10th by the AP in this week’s rankings.

The game starts at 9 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

”We came in on Sunday and watched film and got all of that (Wake Forest) through our system,” Oglesby said after Monday afternoon’s practice. “We have to do a better job of just being able to move forward and think about the next game. We watched the North Carolina tape before practice today, and that got us going. All we are thinking about is North Carolina. We are not looking back at all.”

Oglesby said that if the Tigers are going to come away from the Dean Dome with a win, they will have to do a better job of contesting shots at the rim, something that cost them against the Demon Deacons.

”We could have done a better job of contesting them when they (Wake) were on a fast break,” Oglesby said. “There were times we didn’t get back all the way or kind of relaxed when they were dunking. We have to do a better job of getting back and getting in front of people.”

Oglesby also said that even though the Tigers lost on Saturday in the matchup of unbeatens, Clemson will still be a very confident team in Chapel Hill on Wednesday.

”I believe we are right up there with the top five teams in the country,” he said. “I believe we belong in the same sentence as Wake Forest. Obviously, we didn’t play well and they played very well and beat us by 10 points. We were down by one point with three minutes to do. We are going to keep getting better and better as a team and I think we should be considered as one of the top teams.”

He also said that Clemson’s streak of 53 consecutive losses in Chapel Hill has nothing to do with this year’s team, and that the Tigers will be more concerned with a different number – their record in the ACC.

”I was telling some of the guys earlier that the previous 45 or 50, nobody here was really a part of that,” Oglesby said. “Coach Purnell was not a part of that. We need a big-time road win in the ACC, and if we are able to do that, it would speak a ton about our NCAA tournament resume. We are looking forward to going up there, playing hard, and seeing what happens.

”A loss leaves us 2-2 in the league, and that is just middle of the pack and we don’t want to be considered part of that. We want to go up there and be 3-1 and really establish some headway as far as the conference is concerned. We can only control our own destiny.”

Oglesby also said that game plan against the Heels will he simple on the offensive end as well, even though North Carolina prefers the man-to-man defense that Wake used effectively against the Tigers Saturday.

”We have to really play together and be patient,” he said. “They like to play the passing lanes, and we can use that aggressiveness against them. We need to establish Book (Trevor Booker) early, and after that, work off of him. We know what to expect.”

Oglesby scored 15 points against the Deacons, and at times appeared more proactive in getting his own shot, and he said it was just a matter of hard work.

”It was really just a matter of being better at getting open and it worked,” he said. “I worked more on putting the ball on the deck, and bringing more to the table, and use everything I have learned. If I can score, I can help this team, as long as it is within what Coach Purnell wants us to do.”