Now, we face Michigan. They are just happy to be in the tournament.
The Clemson team gathered at OP's house to watch the selection. Surely, it was muted excitement, as the Tigers have let a few things slip in their recent performance.
Nonetheless, they have been granted a second lease on basketball life after the inexplicable loss to GT. Inexplicable because it might have been the worst game of the season and came at the worst time of the season for the Tigers.
Onward, Michigan and Clemson have faced several common opponents.
Duke, Maryland, Illinois
Duke, split, (56-71L) and (81-73W)- yes, they played them twice, in Nov. and Dec.
Maryland (70-75L)
Illinois, split, (74-64W), (51-66L), and (50-60L)
Savannah St (66-64W)
All four teams we beat, Duke (74-47W), Maryland (93-64W), Illinois, (76-74W), and Savannah St. (81-49W).
This could mean everything, or nothing, probably the latter. Oliver Purnell had this to say about the Michigan matchup:
We have played a tough schedule down the stretch and know we will have to play well to beat Michigan. We have had many meetings and two good practices since the ACC Tournament loss to Georgia Tech. We know we need to make improvement.Michigan is a fine team with outstanding players. I saw them play against Duke earlier in the year on TV. It will be a tough assignment for us. We are familiar with their style because we played against Coach (John) Beilein's West Virginia team in the finals of the NIT two years ago.
Here is an ESPN Bracketology video to get you excited: ESPN Bracketology Video Link
Now, notice on the official Michigan Athletic site, they already list the Michigan in the following game against either Oklahoma or Morgan State.
A little presumptuous, No?
Go Tigers!
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2 comments:
Come on. Cut us some slack. We've been in the wilderness since the 90's. Besides, what do you think the Athletic Dept should do, print Meet at Ann Arbor airport after the team gets the crud smacked out of them? You have to think positive.
We're not that hard to figure out. If we make our first several shots, y'all are in trouble. If we don't, y'all are moving on to the next round. We play some D, but we are a hot/cold team when it comes to shooting. If we're hot, then teams like Duke and UCLA go down. If we're not, then we struggle to beat Indiana and Savannah State. Yeah, they nearly beat us despite the score. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn that day.
Good luck to y'all. Wish it was in Greensboro so we could both be there.
Michigan alumnus here. I wouldn't say the 2nd round game on the schedule is presumptuous. It's just the way it's always been done. They always show at least 2nd round games on the schedule for the Big Ten Tourney as well. It also makes sense, as these early round games tend to happen in fairly rapid succession.
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