Post by elp525 on Mar 17, 2011 8:55:44 GMT -5
March 16, 2011
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
TAMPA, Fla. - Rest was the word of the day for Clemson's travel-weary but glad-to-be-here basketball team Wednesday.
After polishing off Alabama-Birmingham Tuesday night in Dayton, the Tigers came straight to Tampa and arrived at their hotel at roughly 5 a.m. Wednesday. The players were allowed to sleep until noon, had meetings and media obligations in the afternoon and more meetings Wednesday night.
Aside from perhaps a walk-through or two and Wednesday night's open shoot-around, though, they will never formally practice before meeting West Virginia at 12:15 p.m. today at the St. Pete Times Forum in the first game of the NCAA tournament's East Regional.
"We got a lot of rest today, got to sleep in a little bit since we didn't really get in until early this morning, and I think we're feeling all right, man,'' said senior guard Demontez Stitt. "We've been just getting ready for West Virginia.''
The Tigers were one of eight teams that were forced to play their way into the NCAA's 64-team bracket when the field was expanded to 68 teams this season. Two of those play-in games were for No. 16 seeds, but two others, including Clemson-UAB, were assigned to the final at-large teams in the field for No. 12 seeds.
It makes little sense that Clemson is now being asked to play the very first game scheduled in the regular 64-team bracket, but the Tigers aren't complaining.
"I think it could sort of work in our favor. We sort of got our motors running,'' Stitt said Wednesday. "We played the first game, we haven't been sitting out for a long time. Guys are sort of in the swing of things. So I think in a way it could be an advantage.
"But at the same time, if we don't get the proper rest that we need, it can also be a disadvantage.''
Still, the first game of the tournament after a play-in game and all-night travel?
"Yeah it was a little bit [surprising],'' said 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward Jerai Grant. "But at the same time, coach talks about preparation all the time. No matter what time we're playing, no matter what time of the day, we have to accept that challenge and prepare accordingly.''
First-year Clemson coach Brad Brownell said he got about three hours sleep after watching West Virginia tape on the charter flight to Tampa and then got right back to work. The schedule is, he figures, what it is and there's nothing he can do about it.
"It was difficult, but you know, it's the NCAA tournament. It's a tremendous opportunity, so I'm not talking about the negatives,'' Brownell said. "You know, we're going to be ready at 12 o'clock and we're going to lace them up and be ready to go.
We had difficult travel after the game [Tuesday] night. We're all probably a little sluggish. We'd like more time to watch a little more film and feel like we could have a little better practice to get ready for West Virginia. But at this stage of the season, to be in this environment and to have this opportunity, you've just got to go play and prepare your guys as well as you can. And then players have to go make plays. This is the time of year when players have to go make plays. And we think our team is playing well, and West Virginia is doing the same, so it should be a heck of a game.''
Stitt and Grant, both seniors, are Clemson's top scorers, averaging 14.4 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. The Tigers have size in Grant and 6-8, 245-pound sophomore Devin Booker and 6-9 Milton Booker off the bench. But they also start three guards - Stitt, Andre Young and Tanner Smith - and can play in multiple ways.
"They get out in transition and they're big and they like to get the ball in the post to those guys,'' West Virginia guard Casey Mitchell said. "We've got to do a good job getting back on defense and denying the ball in the post.''
Fortunately for West Virginia, while the Mountaineers were wondering how their opponent would be and attempting to practice for two possibilities, the Mountaineers had a good idea all along.
"Not to say anything bad about UAB, but we thought they'd get beat down low with their bigs and they did,'' Mitchell said. "So we did a good thing be preparing for Clemson more.''
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
TAMPA, Fla. - Rest was the word of the day for Clemson's travel-weary but glad-to-be-here basketball team Wednesday.
After polishing off Alabama-Birmingham Tuesday night in Dayton, the Tigers came straight to Tampa and arrived at their hotel at roughly 5 a.m. Wednesday. The players were allowed to sleep until noon, had meetings and media obligations in the afternoon and more meetings Wednesday night.
Aside from perhaps a walk-through or two and Wednesday night's open shoot-around, though, they will never formally practice before meeting West Virginia at 12:15 p.m. today at the St. Pete Times Forum in the first game of the NCAA tournament's East Regional.
"We got a lot of rest today, got to sleep in a little bit since we didn't really get in until early this morning, and I think we're feeling all right, man,'' said senior guard Demontez Stitt. "We've been just getting ready for West Virginia.''
The Tigers were one of eight teams that were forced to play their way into the NCAA's 64-team bracket when the field was expanded to 68 teams this season. Two of those play-in games were for No. 16 seeds, but two others, including Clemson-UAB, were assigned to the final at-large teams in the field for No. 12 seeds.
It makes little sense that Clemson is now being asked to play the very first game scheduled in the regular 64-team bracket, but the Tigers aren't complaining.
"I think it could sort of work in our favor. We sort of got our motors running,'' Stitt said Wednesday. "We played the first game, we haven't been sitting out for a long time. Guys are sort of in the swing of things. So I think in a way it could be an advantage.
"But at the same time, if we don't get the proper rest that we need, it can also be a disadvantage.''
Still, the first game of the tournament after a play-in game and all-night travel?
"Yeah it was a little bit [surprising],'' said 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward Jerai Grant. "But at the same time, coach talks about preparation all the time. No matter what time we're playing, no matter what time of the day, we have to accept that challenge and prepare accordingly.''
First-year Clemson coach Brad Brownell said he got about three hours sleep after watching West Virginia tape on the charter flight to Tampa and then got right back to work. The schedule is, he figures, what it is and there's nothing he can do about it.
"It was difficult, but you know, it's the NCAA tournament. It's a tremendous opportunity, so I'm not talking about the negatives,'' Brownell said. "You know, we're going to be ready at 12 o'clock and we're going to lace them up and be ready to go.
We had difficult travel after the game [Tuesday] night. We're all probably a little sluggish. We'd like more time to watch a little more film and feel like we could have a little better practice to get ready for West Virginia. But at this stage of the season, to be in this environment and to have this opportunity, you've just got to go play and prepare your guys as well as you can. And then players have to go make plays. This is the time of year when players have to go make plays. And we think our team is playing well, and West Virginia is doing the same, so it should be a heck of a game.''
Stitt and Grant, both seniors, are Clemson's top scorers, averaging 14.4 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. The Tigers have size in Grant and 6-8, 245-pound sophomore Devin Booker and 6-9 Milton Booker off the bench. But they also start three guards - Stitt, Andre Young and Tanner Smith - and can play in multiple ways.
"They get out in transition and they're big and they like to get the ball in the post to those guys,'' West Virginia guard Casey Mitchell said. "We've got to do a good job getting back on defense and denying the ball in the post.''
Fortunately for West Virginia, while the Mountaineers were wondering how their opponent would be and attempting to practice for two possibilities, the Mountaineers had a good idea all along.
"Not to say anything bad about UAB, but we thought they'd get beat down low with their bigs and they did,'' Mitchell said. "So we did a good thing be preparing for Clemson more.''
