Clemson loss: postgame reactions

"It's not good enough for me, it's not good enough for them." - OP

I still don't really know what I think. . On the positive, to have played that poorly and have only lost by three, that seems encouraging. But, it was the last game of the season.

I have a basketball hangover and only the first day of the tournament has happened.

Read the news, its ugly:

Tiger's Smith feels for seniors Rivers, Sykes
Oglesby's ejection part of bad night for the Tigers
Michigan eliminates Clemson from NCAA Tournament
Offense fails Tigers in opener
Clemson loses 62-59 to Michigan in NCAA Tournament
Oglesby Ejected, Clemson dejected
Clemson's outside game missing in action

Go Tigers.
Poor perimeter shooting hurts Tigers again

Thank you seniors.

I don't know what else to say. You have said it better than I can, and surely peppered with more obscenities.

Tonight was a valiant effort in one of the worst officiated games I have ever seen.


Next time, leave stopping short to Frank Costanza.

go tigers.

Is it 7:10 yet?

So I tried to coordinate a back and forth between The OP and a few Michigan sites. Both fell through. Still, their sites, Mgoblog and Umhoops will be providing previews of tonight's game.

If you want to read a little back and forth from a Clemson perspective and and Michigan perspective while learning to "Know your Wolverines," check out Block-C.

Also posted on Block-C is this video from ESPN Katz interviewing OP.
Katz didn't seem quite as smug with OP over the phone, as he was with Obama.
A new entry was added to the tournament diary on the official site.
Buried deep within the text is this gem:

A decent crowd was on hand to see the Tigers, and freshman Bryan Narcisse rewarded them with a sick windmill dunk to end the session. A smattering of applause soon followed.

And here are some obligatory, anticipatory morning links:

Late Nights help Oglesby's Range- Range? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
You've lost that loving feeling: Tigers look for winning feeling again in Kansas City
Tigers have talked, but can they walk the walk- or include another cliche in the headline?
Deadspin Clemson v. Michigan preview

And finally, some pre-game reading before you tailgate tonight from UMhoops. They do a good job breaking down tonight's game from angles I can see.

Go Tigers!

The X's and O's of the Clemson vs. Michigan matchup

Thanks to UMHoops for the link.
Here is a breakdown from Lavin of the Clemson Full Court Press and of course, how to beat it.Conversely, here is a link from coachingbetterball.blogspot.com explaining the Michigan 1-3-1 zone and how to beat it. Basically, he says you have to penetrate the gap.

Which, I think means Stitt is going to have to drive.

Then, Gapping the Zone:

Against the 1-3-1, I think the best way to do that is with a double high post like the 1-4 high. When the ball goes into one of the high posts, the other post can dive and you can either shoot, drive or go hi-lo, the other option is the 3-pointer in the corners,

Read This post from coachingbetterball.blogspot.com for a complete explanation; it contains more diagrams, explanations, and coach-speak on the 1-3-1.

Go Tigers!

The Tigers have landed

Kansas City here they come.
About four hours ago, the Tigers landed in the relative flatness of KC, MO.

Now, it is time for the first practice.

OP and this year's Tigers earned another first for the University- They were included in the final regular season rankings in consecutive years for the first time ever.

You can follow a video diary of the team's KC journey. I don't know if it is set up yet.

Go Tigers!

Clemson Basketball Morning News- St. Patrick's Day Edition

The team is on the plane en route to KC.
Now, let's begin with an article from the Greenville News about Beilein his surprise NCAA tournament bid.

Apparently Beilein is watching video of Clemson- The Greenville News

“When I saw the block M come up there, I didn’t know who we were playing, where we were playing.” “I felt like Jim Valvano (after N.C. State’s 1983 national title). I was trying to look for someone to hug. My family was in a group hug and they didn’t even know I was hugging them, it was great.” John Beilein after selection Sunday.

Here is a little advice for the Tigers from The State.

Also, from the Anderson Independent, Tigers, Wolverines very familiar with each other.

From the world of Michigan:
Michigan point guard Lee's road less traveled to NCAA tournament pays off.
Beilein has made Michigan a tournament team
Get ready to run- here comes Clemson

Go Tigers!

Number Five!

(From http://clemsontigers.cstv.com)

"This is bit of bittersweet day," said Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell. "We were terribly disappointed by not winning the ACC Championship game against North Carolina. But, we're playing at a high level. We set our goal prior to the season to win a national championship, and now we have an opportunity to start that quest this Friday. The first step was being selected on Sunday.

About Villanova. It won't be as easy as it seems- The #5 seed has beaten the #12 seed 63 times (68%).

If you're looking to head to Tampa, here is the link.


Full Game [and Bracket] analysis to come in the days ahead.

Congratulations. Enjoy and realize, it is possible to be both a football and basketball school.


Go Tigers!