This is not a very good team when you don't get any production from either Alex, Hurt, or Baker (injury). Someone needs to stretch the defense so the opposition can't collapse on Vernon and take away Stanley's slashing lanes.
No need to call out any names as there were plenty of poor plays by every player who saw the court tonight.
Let's just regroup and get ready for Saturday.
They played really well and we had a bad night. It’s the first game where I felt like we really missed Wendells athleticism and spark off the bench.
Hurt made a God awful entry pass in the first half to AOC I believe and got the hook. Am I right that he never got back in? I missed the first 8-9 min of the second half. No one has run colder and hotter this season than MH.
This game reminded me of the Miami loss in 2015 where the point guard bragged afterwards that he knew how to beat us. Tonight we kept overplaying 30 feet from the basket, bringing over a help defender to protect against a screen, then they'd cut to the basket and pass to a wide open man in the paint. Repeat 20 times. I was hoping we would dial back the pressure or go zone or something, but we never adjusted. On the offensive end it felt like 75% of our turnovers were caused by lobbing it aimlessly into the paint when Vernon was double teamed and not open at all. I don't know what we were thinking.
The full court press was effective but we don't have the personnel to play it for 20 full minutes. We got a couple turnovers but gave up twice as many wide open threes, and it really wore us out. Stanley was a guy we could ill afford to lose as we started the game down two wing players, but after he picked up his fourth he may as well have stayed out of the game because he was so determined to not foul out that he played matador defense at the rim the rest of the way.
Foul shooting was bad but somewhat offset by good three point shooting. If we had hit one fewer three and made three more free throws then I think the percentages would be fairly in line with our season percentages. And that includes Tre's banked-in three and another from the top of the key where it looked like the ball slipped out of his hand and somehow still went in. Goldwire's confidence was shot after missing those two layups, he was clearly afraid to shoot after that. He did hit that big three to cut it to 5. Alex missed several layups, as did Carey. Lots of things went wrong.
Great game from Jack, loved seeing him knock down a couple threes, grab tough boards, generate turnovers and capitalize on a couple close in buckets. We needed contributions from more guys and to better capitalize on our advantage in the paint, but just didn't get it done. Javin gave us nothing, Hurt gave us basically nothing.
Big picture-wise I'm not too down about the loss. Looking forward to seeing how we respond Saturday.
Last edited by UrinalCake; 01-14-2020 at 09:53 PM.
Hurt with 2 pts, 4 rebounds and 2 turnovers and some weak passes in few minutes. ESPN does not give minutes this early. Alex 4 pts, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 turn overs and some weak defense. Javin 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 fouls and some pretty weak defense. Goldwire played a pretty good game with 6 points(2 threes), 4 assists, 1 turnover and 4 steals, but I would rather see him shoot a 3 pointer than layups(missed 3). Jack played a really good game and helped us come back, 9 points on 3/4 and 2/3 on 3s, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Carey, Tre and Cassius had their usual games except for missing foul shots( 8 misses total). We only had 4 offensive rebounds against 7 for Clemson and Vernon had all four for the good guys. In my mind, the way we came out flat set the tone for an upset. They got the lead, felt good about themselves and hit some threes that I considered house money. No pressure. I would think it will be a long trip back for our guys. Especially for some of our players.
GoDuke!
After watching Hurt tonight, I find it difficult to believe he will be drafted into the NBA in the 2020 draft. I don't think he took a shot and turrned the ball over. He needs to play more agressively and wisely.
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
coming into tonight, acc home teams 16-22 in conference games
Big Ten: 86.5 (32-5)
Pac-12: 70.0 (14-6)
SEC: 63.2 (12-7)
Big 12: 60.0 (9-6)
Big East: 57.9 (11-8)
ACC: 42.1 (16-22)
yeah, tough to win on road.
My thoughts? Clemson is a basketball school now...?
Court rush at the end. It was their Super Bowl. Our team has to understand we get every teams best shot. Mack played like he was possessed.
I vaguely recall he had a dunk or a layup within the first minute of the game, then nothing the rest of the way. He plays great against weaker opponents, but really struggles against physical defenders. On the other end he's not a great defender himself which I think explains why he couldn't stay on the floor more.
A few thoughts:
1. Credit to Clemson for spreading us out on offense and mixing in zone on defense. Without Moore and Baker, those were particularly good strategies.
2. The missed free throws and layups hurt.
3. Carey dominated inside until Clemson was allowed to get extremely physical with him with seeming impunity. I start feeling uncomfortable the moment I realize Mike Eades is reffing our game. SMH.
4. A key play in the game was Stanley picking up his fourth foul on a frustration foul. A game changer as it limited his playing time and limited his defensive effectiveness when he was able to return. He is a difference maker.
5. Road wins in the ACC can never be taken for granted.
6. Can’t wait for Saturday.