Clemson, Sean Williams/Akida McLain, Virginia Tech
1. It's not fair to pass judgment on Clemson based on their 77-55 home loss to North Carolina, since this was my first look at the Tigers. However, based on what I saw Wednesday night and combined with the loss at Maryland over the weekend, I'm close to declaring Oliver Purnell's club officially "not ready for primetime."
Add this game to the growing body of evidence that a)the ACC is down this year, and b)that the Pac 10 is the best league in the country this year. I couldn't help but compare this game with the Oregon at Arizona matchup from Sunday. Both games featured one top 10 team and another in the top 15 or so, but the Pac 10 game was of a significantly higher quality. The Ducks and Wildcats are well-oiled offensive machines, solid-to-spectacular at the point, with a number of talented offensive players capable of creating their own shots. They aren't without their faults -- Oregon could be a little bigger, and both teams could use a little depth* -- but these are two very good basketball teams.
Clemson, on the other hand, was abysmal on offense all night, and Carolina showed mere flashes of its admittedly spectacular firepower -- most notably at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. The Heels still have to figure out their situation at point guard, particularly now that it looks like Bobby Frasor will miss a little time with a foot injury suffered against Virginia Tech.
2. The ACC got a bit weaker, too, with the news that Boston College dismissed juniors Sean Williams and Akida McLain from the team. The loss of McLain isn't huge -- BC had gotten to 5-0 in the conference with him sitting out because of a suspension -- but Williams' departure is huge. His 12 points and seven rebounds per game will be missed, but not nearly as much as the five blocked shots he provided on an average night. Guys who go for 12 and seven every night are common; guys who have the kind of effect on the defensive end that Williams did are far less easy to find. This could be a big enough loss to relegate the Eagles to the middle of the pack in the ACC.
That in turn could have them on the outside looking in come March. The Eagles started the season poorly, losing an early home game to Vermont and following it up with a loss at Providence (though the Friars' subsequent strong play has made that defeat less of an albatross). After six straight wins, they got blown out at Kansas and then dropped another home game to an inferior opponent, Duquesne.
Five straight wins to open up the ACC season had given Al Skinner's club the resume boost it needed, but the toughest part of the conference schedule is ahead of them. BC must still play three road games against currently ranked teams -- Clemson, Duke, and Virginia Tech -- and also have tough away dates at Florida State and Georgia Tech. They also host North Carolina, in addition to the Tigers, Blue Devils, and Hokies. A 3-8 or 2-9 finish in conference play doesn't seem all that unlikely.
3. Speaking of Virginia Tech, the Hokies celebrated their first appearance in the top 25 in ten years with an 82-73 loss at Florida State.
There are two ways to look at this. One could call it a "trap" game; the Hokies are coming off of a huge win over North Carolina, and have local rival Maryland coming to Blacksburg on Saturday.
On the other hand, Tallahassee is, for whatever reason, a very tough place to go in and get a victory. The Seminoles beat top-ranked Florida there earlier in the season (the Gators were ranked fourth at the time), and blew out Providence by 30 three weeks ago. Duke came to the Donald L. Tucker Center last March as the top-ranked team in the land, and lost. A two-point loss versus Clemson on January 3 remains FSU's only home defeat.
I didn't watch the game, so it's hard to say which is more likely. I'm not even sure which option Hokies' fans would rather have. My hunch is that a lapse in concentration is more concerning than just being outplayed. With their win at Duke, Virginia Tech has shown they can win on the road. But they have a number of eyebrow-raising losses -- at Marshall, for example -- that suggests a lack of consistent focus, which is particularly troubling for a team with as much as experience as they have.
Add this game to the growing body of evidence that a)the ACC is down this year, and b)that the Pac 10 is the best league in the country this year. I couldn't help but compare this game with the Oregon at Arizona matchup from Sunday. Both games featured one top 10 team and another in the top 15 or so, but the Pac 10 game was of a significantly higher quality. The Ducks and Wildcats are well-oiled offensive machines, solid-to-spectacular at the point, with a number of talented offensive players capable of creating their own shots. They aren't without their faults -- Oregon could be a little bigger, and both teams could use a little depth* -- but these are two very good basketball teams.
Clemson, on the other hand, was abysmal on offense all night, and Carolina showed mere flashes of its admittedly spectacular firepower -- most notably at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. The Heels still have to figure out their situation at point guard, particularly now that it looks like Bobby Frasor will miss a little time with a foot injury suffered against Virginia Tech.
2. The ACC got a bit weaker, too, with the news that Boston College dismissed juniors Sean Williams and Akida McLain from the team. The loss of McLain isn't huge -- BC had gotten to 5-0 in the conference with him sitting out because of a suspension -- but Williams' departure is huge. His 12 points and seven rebounds per game will be missed, but not nearly as much as the five blocked shots he provided on an average night. Guys who go for 12 and seven every night are common; guys who have the kind of effect on the defensive end that Williams did are far less easy to find. This could be a big enough loss to relegate the Eagles to the middle of the pack in the ACC.
That in turn could have them on the outside looking in come March. The Eagles started the season poorly, losing an early home game to Vermont and following it up with a loss at Providence (though the Friars' subsequent strong play has made that defeat less of an albatross). After six straight wins, they got blown out at Kansas and then dropped another home game to an inferior opponent, Duquesne.
Five straight wins to open up the ACC season had given Al Skinner's club the resume boost it needed, but the toughest part of the conference schedule is ahead of them. BC must still play three road games against currently ranked teams -- Clemson, Duke, and Virginia Tech -- and also have tough away dates at Florida State and Georgia Tech. They also host North Carolina, in addition to the Tigers, Blue Devils, and Hokies. A 3-8 or 2-9 finish in conference play doesn't seem all that unlikely.
3. Speaking of Virginia Tech, the Hokies celebrated their first appearance in the top 25 in ten years with an 82-73 loss at Florida State.
There are two ways to look at this. One could call it a "trap" game; the Hokies are coming off of a huge win over North Carolina, and have local rival Maryland coming to Blacksburg on Saturday.
On the other hand, Tallahassee is, for whatever reason, a very tough place to go in and get a victory. The Seminoles beat top-ranked Florida there earlier in the season (the Gators were ranked fourth at the time), and blew out Providence by 30 three weeks ago. Duke came to the Donald L. Tucker Center last March as the top-ranked team in the land, and lost. A two-point loss versus Clemson on January 3 remains FSU's only home defeat.
I didn't watch the game, so it's hard to say which is more likely. I'm not even sure which option Hokies' fans would rather have. My hunch is that a lapse in concentration is more concerning than just being outplayed. With their win at Duke, Virginia Tech has shown they can win on the road. But they have a number of eyebrow-raising losses -- at Marshall, for example -- that suggests a lack of consistent focus, which is particularly troubling for a team with as much as experience as they have.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 10:22 PM
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