Monday March 15, 2010

Weekend Review

Weekend Review
The traffic around campus this morning is almost non-existent as the students are away for spring break this week but it was a great weekend for the Tigers with good news in basketball, baseball, women’s track and men’s tennis.

The football team is off this week from spring practice due to spring break but it was an exciting weekend in Tigertown.

Basketball Ties School Record
For just the second time in school history, Clemson has received an NCAA tournament bid for the third consecutive year. The Tigers are the seventh seed in the East Regional and will face 10th-seeded Missouri Friday in Buffalo, NY.

If Clemson gets by Missouri it will play the winner of second-seeded West Virginia and 15th-seeded Morgan State Sunday. Clemson is in the East Regional and would advance to Syracuse, NY if they make it to the Sweet 16.

Three Tigers will tie school records on Friday. Trevor Booker, David Potter and Demontez Stitt will play in their third NCAA tournament. They will tie the mark for NCAA tournament appearances of Greg Buckner, Elden Campbell, Tony Christie, Harold Jamison, Terrell McIntyre and Tom Wideman.

If Clemson makes it to the tournament next season Demontez Stitt would become the first player in school history to play in the NCAA tournament all four years of his career. Jerai Grant could be a part of four teams to play in the tournament but Grant did not play in his freshman season in the game against Villanova.

I will have a preview of Clemson’s trip to Buffalo later this week but quickly wanted to mention the idea that Missouri is a mirror image of Clemson. Mike Anderson’s team loves the full court press and his team creates a lot of its offense by creating turnovers.

Missouri leads the nation in steals with 10.9 per game, while Clemson is eighth with 9.6 per game. Missouri is second in the nation in turnover margin as well with a +6.7 per game figure. Missouri averages 77.6 points per game, and has six different players averaging at least 8.2 points per game. Clemson averages 73.3 points per game and has six players averaging at least 7.0 points per game. No player on the Missouri team averages more than 27 minutes per game. Clemson has just one player over 29 minutes a game and that is Booker at 30.6.

Like Clemson, Missouri is coming off of a bad loss in their conference tournament. These Tigers lost to Nebraska 75-60. The Huskers were the 12th-seed in the Big 12 tournament. Clemson lost to the 11th-seed in the ACC event.

Baseball Sweeps NC State
I had a chance to see the Tigers in all three games this past weekend and came away impressed with the sweep of a good hitting NC State squad. The Wolfpack struggle on the mound but they can hit with anyone so this was a good series for the Tigers.

Friday’s game was rained out so the Tigers beat the Pack twice on Saturday by scores of 12-7 and 12-6. Sunday Clemson came from behind late for 7-6 victory.

I was impressed with the way Clemson answered NC State this weekend. In the eight times where Clemson batted in the bottom half of the inning where NC State scored, Clemson answered six times. Only twice did the Wolfpack score at least one run this weekend when the Tigers did not answer with at least one run of their own.

Perhaps the best news of the weekend was the fact that Clemson got a two-game jump on the rest of the Atlantic Division. Florida State lost two three to Virginia, Boston College lost two of three to Miami, Maryland lost two of three to Virginia Tech and Wake Forest got swept by Georgia Tech. So Clemson has an early two game lead over FSU, Boston College and Maryland and a three game lead over Wake Forest and NC State.

This week Clemson visits Charlotte Tuesday and hosts Georgia Southern Wednesday before hosting Virginia Tech for a three game set this weekend.

Women’s Indoor Track Finishes Tie for Seventh at the NCAAs
The Clemson’s women's track & field team produced four All-America performances on Saturday and finished in a tie for seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships. It was the third top-10 finish in school history and the highest finish since the team finished third in 2001.

Patricia Mamona's enjoyed a runner-up finish in the triple jump when she broke the school record with a 45’5.25” mark. April Sinkler placed seventh in the triple jump after matching her personal best at 43'7.25". Liane Weber finished fifth in the pentathlon. The all-freshman lineup of Brittany Pringley, Brianna Rollins, Sonni Austin and Jasmine Edgerson finished fifth in the 4 X 400m relay.

Clemson will have the most indoor All-Americans in one season in school history.

Adams is an All-American
The men's team received scoring performances from Miller Moss in the heptathlon and Spencer Adams in the 60m hurdles. Clemson will have placed at least one men's athlete on the All-America team for the 14th straight indoor season. Adams is a safety in football who finished eighth in the 60m hurdles.

Men’s Tennis
Clemson enjoyed a 4-3 upset win over Miami in a men's Atlantic Coast Conference tennis Saturday. The Tigers improved to 14-0 overall, and 1-0 in ACC play. The 14-0 start is the second best beginning in school history for the Tigers. The 1969 Clemson squad holds the school's record as that team finished the season undefeated with a 16-0 record and won the school's first ACC Championship.

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, 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, Cason Palmer, Candace Fallaw, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee.