ACC Basketball Teams as Car Companies: Teams 7-12

Here is the rest of my teams as car companies review/revision for the remainder of the alphabet.

Miami- Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi is all over the place. They make decent cars that few people buy because they charge too much. They are the sole provider of rear projection- old school- large screen TVs. They are all of these things and simultaneously none of them. They are a conglomerate of independents working as a unit under the tri-diamond umbrella of the name. They operate much the same way under The U at times. This year they don't have the steady scoring and leadership of Jack McClinton. They will, instead, be lead by James Dews. Miami seems to still be selling the brand of 1990s football that brought Miami into the national media spotlight. They play decent basketball, have some decent players, but can't break through. It might be difficult this year as well; they were picked to finish 10th by the ACC Media writers.

North Carolina State University- Jaguar.
Jaguar, I think, was once a luxury car brand. They have a proud heritage that extends back to 1922. But last year, they were sold by Ford to Tata Motor Company, an Indian company. They have retained some of their essential British-ness, but little else other than the name still exists. NC State has long played the step-child to UNC in basketball, and really most other things as well. And while they haven't sold themselves to the enemy, that might have to be an option soon. The fan base seems to have a chip on their shoulder, but the players, at least under Sidney Lowe, lack this conviction. The athletic department hired Sidney Lowe in an attempt to bring NCSU back to its Valvano glory days and their national championship. That has not happened. It will not until NC State atones for its Sendek sins and admits it was wrong. The athletic department and even the fanbase is too stubborn to do that.

University of North Carolina- BMW.
BMW is the more sensible German car choice, at least when compared to a Mercedes. Their prices are much more reasonable and their cars have been consistently reliable, less a few hiccups - see the BMW redesign controversy-along the way. UNC is the same- think the Doherty era. This year, however, UNC will be reloading after their national championship run, but are still picked by the ACC media to finish first (tied with Duke) in the ACC. What UNC lost is more than most teams will ever have and what they have now is more than most as well. While UNC loses Hansborough, Lawson, Ellington, and Green, they have Thompson, Ginyard, Davis, Zeller and then the freshmen: Henson, McDonald, and the Wear twins, plus wild card Larry Drew II. It looks like another successful season in Chapel Hill.

Virginia- Dodge.
Ok Dodge, you need to stop making everything except trucks. I mean it. Everything else you make is sub-par- not in a good, golfing way. You have a niche; exploit it, carve it out, get comfortable. Virginia, I suggest you do the same. Find someone/something which you value, be it character, talent, or whatever and stick to it. The Cavaliers need to find an identity- fast. And though last year's ACC ROY Sylven Landesberg is returning with a new coach, Tony Bennet, who loves the glacially-paced offensive attack. And while it might not sell in the ACC just yet, at least UVA is looking. Hopefully they find the focus and identity they have been looking for since, oh, I don't know, Ralph Sampson.

Virginia Tech- Jeep.
Jeep is sort of in a class all its own. When they have tried to adapt to the times with smaller, less powerful vehicles, they have often failed. When they have stuck to what they do well, they have been successful. Much is the same with Virginia Tech. Seth Greenberg has found a strong guard in Malcolm Delaney and a powerful forward with Jeff Allen. With the departure of AD Vassallo, and little else in between Delaney and Allen, if someone else doesn't step up to fill the rest of the slots, VT could be on the outside looking in in March.

Wake Forest- Volkswagen.
I guess Volkswagen, why not? VW's have been around, they are associated with hippies and tie-dye, Wake Forest has that lame black and yellow tie-dye logo, ergo, VW. Beyond that, Volkswagen has tried to position itself as the people's car/wagon/whatever, but then put out the $90,000 Phaeton. Which one is it? The sleek VW that wants to be the Mac of the car world or their bubbly heritage driven by middle-aged women? Wake Forest, to me, is in much the same place with their identity. While they have a much stronger product than NCSU, as far as the "big four," German cars or NC-ACC teams, are concerned, they are usually a distant third, or sometimes fourth. Wake has had some strong years, but have also had some flame-outs. This year, the Deacons could be ready for a breakout with the return of Al-Farouq Aminu and Ish Smith. Additionally, they bring in a strong recruiting class lead by Ari Stewart. With this nucleus and Chas MacFarland, they could have what it takes to make a run in the Sweet 16.

Clemson takes on Virginia Tomorrow

When: 1:00 pm, Sunday, Feb. 15
Where: JPJ Arena, Charlottesville, VA
Watch: Raycom
Listen: WCCP-FM

Right now, Clemson has sole possession of third place in the ACC. Thanks to Maryland's 83-73 win over VT and Wake's win against FSU.

So, what is it going to be tomorrow? This UVA game could be another trap game. To be fair, however, UVA is not nearly as strong, physical, or talented as FSU.

Nonetheless, the Wahoos have Sylven Landesberg an ACC Freshman-of-the-year candidate. If UVA could get a few wins, he might even have a chance of winning. Currently, Landesberg averages 17.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg. At least he's not a high-scoring guard- which is the type of player we have been having problems.

So tomorrow, we control our destiny. Should we win, root for Duke to lose in Chestnut Hill at 5:00 pm. A Duke loss would place us 2nd in the ACC behind UNC.

To help get you excited about the game, here's some internet reading material:
Terrence Oglesby Article Greenville News
Clemson's Oglesby proving he's more than just a shooter- Upstate Today
Opinion piece: Clemson must hold onto Purnell- Upstate Today
Purnell, Tigers have become Road Warriors
An oddly titled article from the Greenville News,
Clemson Starting to Turn heads on the road - I have to question the usage of the word starting.

Now some rankings:
Sagarin, #6
Ken Pomeroy, #16
College RPI, #8
CNNSI Power Ratings, #7

And just for fun, Watch Terrence Oglesby Miss a Dunk.
Then, Watch Oglesby Make a Dunk.

Go Tigers!

68-66: Familiar score

As these are Clemson's past two opponents, and losses, I thought the meeting between the two teams last night held some relevancy for us. UVa came back (again) to beat Duke. The score was the same as our Duke game, but the outcome more pleasant. Yes, I was disgusted concerning the UVa lost, but it wasn't such a gutteral reaction as the Duke loss.


Go Tigers!

Clemson Basketball: 24 hours later

And I am still in shock, still a bit soft in the stomach.

A meltdown bigger than one missed play or shot clock or time-keeping mechanism malfunction. A meltdown capped by a shot by a guy with a horrific, ye olde English font tattoo of his name. In case you forgot or didn't read his arm, its Cain, and it was his only basket of the game.

Cain's improbable basket aside, what about the other 14 points from which UVa had to climb? Where was the killer instinct the Cameron debacle was supposed to inspire? Where was the emotion, the determination, the ability, the need to prove that you belong? Where?
Surely, you didn't lose (it) on your homecourt did you? I know that Tiger paw in the center of the court is big and bright, but not that big nor bright.

So it is, 18-4. It looks impressive, but 4-4 in the ACC isn't nearly as stellar. I am still driving the OP train, and am still looking for passengers, but it hurts inside. I want to walk away just so I don't have to feel loss(es) like this again.

But, alas, we have at least eight more games left in the ACC. Eight more opportunities to win, and eight more opportunities to prove to the rest of the league, and the country for that matter, that we in fact not only belong, but are better than you think we are, or aren't.

On a positive note, the Tigers continue to be ranked in both polls: 25 in the AP, and 21 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

I'm all cried out over you.
Its time to move on Tigers.

T- I - G - E - RRRRR - S!

Fight Tigers,
Fight Tigers,
Fight, Fight,
FIGHT!

Clemson Basketball: Time to focus

While it is both fun and frustrating to discuss the outcome and subsequent fallout from the dook debacle, it is time to move forward, for, The hoos are coming to the LJ.
The Tigers are 48-63 alltime vs. the Cavs, 31-20 at home, 16-37 in Va., and 1-6 on neutral sites. Clemson had lost five in a row to the hoos prior to the home 90-64 win last season.

This year UVa is 12-6 overall, but 4-2 in ACC competition. The have strong wins against Arizona, Gonzaga, and Maryland, but also have glaring losses to App. State., Utah, and Purdue. It is hard to discern which UVa team will show up to play on any given night. Nonetheless, UVa has the ACC leading scorer, Sean Singletary, who averages 19.4 ppg and plays 32.2 minutes per game. Additionally, JR Reynolds is the fourth leading scorer with 18.2 ppg and 30.7 minutes per game. Their third leading option is Mamadi Diane who averages 11.2 ppg. And don't be fooled, nor confused, though they have David Noel on their bench, he is not that David Noel.

As a team, UVa has the ACC third spot for scoring offense with 80.9 ppg, whereas Clemson is sixth with 76.5 ppg, with UVa having played 18 games and Clemson having played 21. Per scoring defense, Clemson is third in allowing 63.5 ppg and UVa is 11th, allowing 73.1 ppg. Clemson has an average scoring margin of +13 and UVa of +7.8 ppg.

But enough of all of these statistics. Clemson needs to press, press, press. With the leading ACC scorer coming to town, and given their relatively thin reserve bench, this will be imperative. The Tigers must wear Singletary and the Cavs down. Additionally, we need to shore up our turnovers, by tightening up our passing game and moving better without the ball.

Trevor Booker and James Mays will have to step it up. Mays was troubled against dook with the double team and Booker did not work hard enough under the basket. The guards will have a tough assignment keeping up with the UVa backcourt, so neutralization is key. If the Tiger guards play strong, the inside game is on, and OP gets the team to focus their disappointment and anger, Clemson should win handily.

Go Tigers!