Tuesday January 05, 2010

Survive the Start

Survive the Start
In medium and long distance races, the pace is often set by the runner referred to as the “rabbit.” This is the runner that jumps out of the gate faster than others to set the pace but the winner usually is not the rabbit.

In recent basketball seasons Clemson has been a rabbit but this year we all thought that would not be the case because of the Tigers dependence on newcomers. Also the schedule was front loaded this season with most of the more difficult games coming in January.

So I thought Clemson needed to find a way to survive the first six games of the ACC campaign and then thrive coming down the stretch. The Tigers’ first six ACC contest this season are brutal. Clemson opened with the loss at Duke Sunday. Saturday the Tigers return home for a must-win game against Boston College. The Tigers host North Carolina before road tilts at North Carolina State and Georgia Tech. The final of the six game stretch is at home against Duke.

The first six games feature four against teams currently ranked in the top twenty and three road games. In the final ten games of the ACC season the schedule gets easier with only three games against teams currently ranked and two of those are at home.

The final ten games include road trips to Boston College, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Florida State and Wake Forest and home contests with Maryland, Florida State, Miami, Virginia and Georgia Tech.

The ACC is very much unsettled at this point and no one will be able to tell how the league will break down in the coming weeks. But at this point I would say Duke is the best team in the league and North Carolina might be the second best team in the ACC. The Heels did not look like a power last night but to be fair they did have two starters out last night. Previously UNC’s losses all came against top five teams (Texas, Kentucky and Syracuse).

Clemson faces five teams twice this season-Duke, Boston College, Florida State, Maryland and Georgia Tech.

Boston College is a big, physical bunch that has been hard to figure out. They beat Miami to go 1-0 in the league but the Eagles lost to St. Joes, Northern Iowa, Rhode Island and Maine. Joe Trapani, Corey Raji and Reggie Jackson make BC tough at home.

We know Maryland is led by Greivis Vasquez with help from Landon Milbourne, Sean Mosley and Eric Hayes but we don’t know how good the Terps are at this point. Maryland is 9-4 with nine unimpressive wins and three losses to good teams. The only decision that sticks out so far with Maryland is the bad loss to William & Mary.

Georgia Tech has a ton of talent but the Jackets still have issues and did not look like a ranked team when they loss to Florida State at home. Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors and Iman Shumpert are future NBA picks but I always question Paul Hewitt’s ability to get his team to beat less talented teams.

The Seminoles might be the ACC’s third best team due to their win at Georgia Tech. FSU has size and athleticism plus a little more experience than the Jackets. Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton are NBA type players that have provided the Noles with a matchup advantage often times so far this season.

The Tigers face six ACC teams just once this season including home games with North Carolina, Miami and Virginia.

North Carolina has faced brutal schedule so far but the Heels are one of the biggest teams in the nation. Deon Thompson, Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller give UNC a powerful front line. Their question marks come in the backcourt and the outside shooting.

Miami is an athletic bunch that is 14-1 this season but the Canes only loss came in the league when they dropped the contest in Boston. The schedule has not been terribly difficult but Miami has put away most teams handily so far. The Canes miss Jack McClinton’s offense but they are very athletic and rebound and play great defense at times.

Virginia has a new staff and the Cavs are still looking for their first marquee win at 7-4. We do know that Sylven Landesberg and Mike Scott are talented and Sammy Zeglinsku is a scrappy competitor.

The three teams Clemson faces just once this season with roads games are Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and NC State.

Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson have Virginia Tech off to a 12-1 start but the Hokies have not faced the most difficult schedule in the country so far and I still have a few questions about the Hokies.

Wake Forest is 11-2 with wins over Gonzaga, NC State and Xavier but the Deacs have a loss to William & Mary. Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris McFarland, Tony Woods, Ari Stewart and Ty Walker give the Deacs a deep and talented front line and Ish Smith and L.D. Williams provide experience in the backcourt.

NC State got its heart ripped out by Florida Sunday and dropped to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in the league with a loss at Wake Forest. State is experienced in their frontcourt with Tracey Smith and Dennis Horner but have backcourt issues heading into January.

So if Duke and North Carolina are at the top of the league again, how does the rest of the league breakdown? It is too early to tell but my guess at this point would be for the next tier to include Florida State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and maybe Clemson and Miami.

The lower tier of the league looks like NC State, Virginia, Boston College and Maryland but each of those schools have enough talent to move up into the next tier with a key win or two over the next couple of weeks.

In summary, Clemson needs to survive this tough six games stretch to open the ACC season. If the Tigers can go at least 2-4 in that start then an 8-8 record and an NCAA bid are great possibilities. Anything better than 2-4 would mean the possibilities open up for better seeds. However, as we see in almost every football and basketball season now, the seasons are long and momentum is important. Where you are in early January often times means next to nothing in terms of where you are in March.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Ann Fallaw, Bob Pollock, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family.