Clemson Basketball: Let the Brownell Begin

When: Tonight, 8:00pm

Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC

Watch: Tigercast

Listen: WCCP-FM

Follow: Gametracker

Tonight it is on.

Western Carolina comes to Littlejohn for an 8:00 tip-off. 

You know, I sort of feel sorry for Western Carolina. Not because they are coming to Littlejohn, not because  for their next game they travel to Chicago to play ex-Clemson coach OP and the DePaulers, not because they have to play the Ohio State Buckeyes, but because they are the only directional Carolina team with the adjectival (-ern) suffix in their name, unlike the other Carolinas: South, East, and even North.

True, Western Carolina is just a university and not an entire state named after another state, like West Virginia, who, by the way,  has my deepest sympathy for not having enough historical moxie to develop an original state name.

But, I digress.

The season begins. 

The WCU Catamounts play in the Southern Conference against several common Clemson opponents: UNCG, Charleston, Wofford, and the Citadel. And while WCU has not been to the NCAA tournament since 1996, they play in a tough, competitive league. And besides, it is not like the Tigers have been tearing it up in the NCAA the past three year themselves.

The Catamounts are coming off a 22-11 season, finishing 11-7 in the SoCon- which means they only lost to 4 non-conference opponents last year: Texas, Clemson, Kent State, and Marshall and even beat Louisville in Louisville. This is a real team.

And yet, it is, hopefully, the beginning of  something good. 

While I don't think all of the questions marks for the season will be answered, especially as Brownell as continuously referred to wanting- though I am not sure if he used the word needing-  more time to prepare.

Clemson Basketball has arrived to save us from the doldrums of another mediocre football season.

Go Tigers!