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#13 R.P.I. Clemson #32 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s basketball just got Top-25 bounced by Penn.State and now All Coaching Conference play begins. (tho’ back to O.O.C. out of conference for a spell after we do this Telly needy thingy). In lieu of being Nittany Lion O&M blue, which game are we R.A.T.T. closer to? Beating the #3 or getting beat by P.S.U.?

The Hokies now host the shiny looking and pretty battle-tested 5 up and 0 down Clemson Tigers who as we say in boxing are: “…on the come“. This team is moving on up. The George Jefferson of the men’s Atlantic Coast Conference roundball play if you will. And they sure have a top-heavy lot lot lot 2019-2020 back for this campaign. Nonetheless, what you wanna know is who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, read on to find… out!

Clemson Head CoachBradley Robert Brownell: age=52, 356–227 (.611) overall,
189–142 (.571) at Clemson.
$2,500,000.oo

Baller Brownell played high school basketball at William Henry Harrison High School (Evansville Indiana) with current Saint Louis University assistant coach and Indiana University legend Calbert Cheaney. Backcourt baller Brownell balled and graduated from DePauw University in 1991, he earned three letters at DePauw University, a Division III school in Greencastle, Ind. He ranks seventh in school history with 332 career assists. He led the Tigers in dimes three straight seasons, while also leading DePauw in steals as a junior in 1989-90. Then Brownell.edu completed his degree at the University of Indianapolis in 1994. Thereafter Brownell immediately went into an apprenticeship (i.e. assistant) coaching after graduation.

Coach Brownell was named the U.N.C. Wilmington head coach in 2002, after having won a master’s degree and having been a U.N.C.-W. an assistant coach from 1991 to 2002. Brownell’s U.n.c.-Wil’ teams made the big dance 50% of the time.

After that, he went to Wright State and amassed nothing less than a 21-win season before eventually snagging the Clemson job -in something of a surprising hire- in 2010.

Holding up half-a-century, well!

At Clemson Brownell went dancing his very first season though he has only made the N.I.T. twice in the other seven years down in South Carolina. Coach Brownell teams have won six conference championships and he has won two conference coach of the year award’s himself. All of which were mid-major caliber and therefore all of which were prior to his power conference admission at Clemson. Ergo, therefore, to wit, some would say that Brad is sitting on something of at least a warm seat at the sporting moment. Coach Brownell has already spawned four D-1 coaching tree mid-major disciples, and his teams come with a defensive first reputation.

Daddy Brownell and his wife, Paula, have two daughters,
Abby (19), a student at Clemson; and Kate (17).

CU at a glance:

  • 4th best in Scoring D allowed!!!
  • 14th best in FG% D allowed!!
  • 34th in 3-point D allowed!
  • 46th in Assist:Turnover margin.
  • 53rd in swipes.
  • 113th in swats.
  • (everything else is average to B— caliber. Only real average work was on the glass, too).

Returning Starters=4

Clemson Strengths:

  • Another Top-20 recruiting class inked for that Clemson work since we last checked. As these Tigers are dabbin’ on some sweet things their ownself.
  • One #25, and the final year Aamir Simms is a 6′7″, 245 lb. former string-bean P/F or S/F ‘tweener who somehow gave back an inch and found a staggering 45 pounds. since inking with Clemson! The tag here reads that Simms is a springy internal baller who can defense and rebound and finish close on the ring (rulebook for: rim). That being said, in spite of his seeming lack of offensive polish 11.6 ppg, 4.o rpg with 4o% deep this year with 57% from the floor and 72% FTA’s… Lindy’s did rate Simms the alpha recruit in Clemson’s recruiting class three years ago and that does not suck. Nor did their rating him 2nd-string All-A.c.c. this year. However, Simms is yet another Commonwealth (Palmyra, Va.) escapee; who sure (now) looks the physical part on film. Aamir was the no.89 baller outta high school per Rivals; and penultimate Va. H.S. baller two seasons ago; who won two Va. state titles in three years. And did I mention the sinew gain yet? As this kid (now) looks like a mini-me LeBron; or at least like a Baltic Avenue man’s one. As you’d have to think that A.Simms continues his all-around game’s upward mobility off of respectable and actually improving numbers last year, that he could work/will his way into being at least a back-up exported overseas Pro’ next year.
  • Al-Amir Dawes was supposed to be your Lead-G via design and is now your One or Combo’.Guard per last year’s backcourt necessity. A.A.D. was an A.A.U. star and the book reads entry-level well enough here. For a scoring-G at 6′ 2″, and 180 sophomoric season lbs. Al-Amir is a Newark, Nj. northerner with a tag for being a pick-n-roll Ace while picking up a **** (or 4-star) national ranking good for #95th in America per ESPN.com. Dawes had a good although not over the top all-around high school stat line and he is really gonna have to come up offensively quick and provide more A.c.c. help A.S.A.P. than most had hoped here. Although 31% on 3’s last season would seem to suggest that he has a little range and can shoot a bit. Dawes opening 2020-2021 numbers of: 9.4 ppg, with 2.4 rpg on 2.4 apg are about 72-golf or par for the course. Less his chilly 21% from downtown thus far; as that’s more like ‘bump-n-run’. And after being in the Top-3 at Chris Paul’s CP3 Camp and Top-15 on the Nike circuit you may have expected mo’, here.

    …good boxscore stuffing kinda guy.
  • Nick Honor “Your honor your Honor” did not apply here last year; as Nick Honor had not called: CU.edu (clearinghouse) “next”. So, he took an unexpected r-shirt to avoid all the qualifying stink. As the half-pint (5′10″, 2o5 lb., r-Soph.) Pt.Guard lit it A-10 up for Fordham two seasons at virtually 16 ppg on 38% beyond the arc and this is no small get back for a kinda needy backcourt Tiger team, let me tell you. This from a Prep School kid who was only the AAAAA Player of the Year in 2018 down in the Sunshine State (Lake, Orlando). Where he put up really sharpshooting type of scholastic digits. One of the best A.c.c. FT-shooters who hovers right on 8.5 outta 10 thus far collegiately. This is a good player, well-schooled, and he may just be the Tigers offensive/backcourt X-factor all rolled into… “One”. (get it?)

Clemson Weaknesses:

  • The rap here is offensive inconsistency. Clemson is variable to mixed on O and sometimes just scoreboard (output) mixed-up itself.
  • In particular the Tigers bugbear of outside-shooting. Which has been hit or miss for a bit under Coach Brad’ Bro’.
  • The Tigers also departed G/F combo (13 ppg) T.Mack and a slew of bench role-players… so one could be forgiven for wondering “out loud” if depth and/or experience itself has dropped just a scosche?
  • More was expected of 3.4 back-up S/G Alex Hemenway (6′4″, 180 lb. super-Soph.)— at least per Lindy’s. As they were really high on his (potential) outside-offensive headroom here. Does have a very sliced up 1970’s (albeit pasty) face-fro’. Dood does not cheap on his look. So, there is that. Although the Hoosier State’s hoop crazy star has a history of dinging and denting type of ankle-rolls (St.Phillip bless). And these have (sadly) limited his role here. This guy is prolly your X2-factor. As Clemson, Sc. really needs his outside pure-shooter work.

Tigers Bench: (depth=6’ish)

6′5″, 2o7 lb., junior, John Newman III is a Wing with a rep’ for soaring type of dunking. And for having found some needy and nice-fit raw muscle this off-season to boot. J.New’ is said to be a throwback mid-range guy who can get stops as a defensive ace goes to boot. Now mix in 5.4 ppg on 28% long and enjoy the open-court show when #15 breaks windmill dunk from the hipster, free (i.e. he young Kobe dunks from the hip)! And oh “yes”, holding the no.42 ESPN peg and a threepeat in state titles did, not, suck. As Newman III had so many individual accolades/awards that I got tired of adding them up. (20-something additively when I stopped, counting; literally). BONUS points for a really big-ass A.b.a. Virginia Squires era looking ‘fro are hereby awarded here. Dunks really sickly in and/or right on forcefully through traffic/contact. Kinda has a little John Starks go-get-it swaagg to him when he gets it going. Went for 10&½ points with 4 boards last year, tho’ the whispers say he really ‘tweaked’ his knee right at the end of the season and barely avoided surgery for it. (St.Nikon help!)

Clyde Trapp 6′4″, 2o3 lb. Sr. and rather animated sideline showman extraordinaire. As “all the world’s a stage” and Trapp plays many roles here. As an athletic combo-G who nets you 4 ppg with 5 caroms and a couple of dimes (2.2 apg) dropped. This with 29% when dialing long-distance and adding more and more distance to the same (length on his J). Trapp does enjoy an AAAA So.Carolina state championship bling though he had more of a distributing scholastic rep’ and a tag for stepping it up in his bigger H.S. games. (UPDATE: had a blown off-season A.c.l. last year; may St.Nikhon bless!) Versatile 3-position playar… Pt.Guard, Off-G, and Wing trinary alike.

 6′11″, 235 lb. true-C, and rookie season Lynn Kidd is not kidding around. At least not play right away turnkey cookie-cutter paint-sized metrics wise. Athletic, rim-protector who can ‘board and finish near the rack. ESPN’s #77 baller last year. We/VeeTee were on this kid pretty hard; may need a year or three as he is offensively a bit undercooked. Kinda like a poor man’s John Sally or something akin to that. Tho’ he is second in swats (.7 bpg) while being 14th in mpg! So, you know the springy defensive rep’ is straight.

R.A.T.T. ...beating slight favorite Clemson in the A.c.c. opener is code for what(s)?

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Illationconclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Tigers who could claw @Tech=8.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…

…the Fuente’s ain’t taking anything, anywhere!
As sourcing is hinting that Bab’s Whitlock has (suddenly) gone power-wet of late… and that…

…oh, wait… which article am I in inside of WordPress?

“Neigh, neigh, neigh b.street!”

As there Eye go yet again… putting the cart out in front of the, horse.


Now, as actually hoopology takeaways go…

…we don’t ‘Nova show-up here and Clemson might just show-out and we could get Penn.State, took.

No shite. As this is a pretty deep and a very defensively good Clemson hardwood squad that would truly be sprung if they only had even a medium-sized big-O. A pretty balanced team, that does not really do much of -if anything- all that ‘rong. The kinda team you have to line-up and just plum beat.

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a callback in just another couple of games after we enter A.c.c. round-robin play full-tilt.

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… The Tigers are up an interesting +7% in shooting percentage margin overall (nearly all of which was purr their D), with the Tigers up an even better +11% in 3-point percentage margin (again; nearly all of this was on their prowling halt-unit), and yet the Hokies are up a nice +5 carroms in rebounding margin year-to-date (more so on the offensive fiberglass curiously enough).

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… in shooting percentage margin, in 3-point percentage margin and in rebounding margin… all conspire to say: “Wait, and …ask game #6 b.street!”

Clemson is up +2% at the charity stripe for the year.
VeeTee is up nearly +1 week in R&R in the last fortnight of runs.
VeeTee is a .667 host; whereas Clemson has yet to play this year as a guest.

The Call

No.49 Net Ranking Clemson @ no.52 Net Ranking Virginia Tech:

Vegas says that we are a whole, entire, whooping single-point home u.dog here.
Virginia Tech+1 in defense of our very own Cassell.

And frankly, I’ma not super inclined to disagree.

As there was a post-P.S.U. vibe that P.S.U. gave us a Big-10 P.hD. in physicality.
i.e., the Nitty Lions pushed us around a bit and off our pet spots on O.
And these Tigers ain’t exactly pussy-cats or easy to tame.

oOo

Right now, with my head still spinning (Fū Manchu) “Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!” wise…

6:30 PM kickoff!

…me and coach Mikey Keaton are not real sure which VeeTee is the real VeeTee, or; will the real VeeTee: “Please stand-up, please stand-up?

That (modest) throwing of ‘shade’ aside… Coach Young does not play a fast tempo’ and neither does Clemson.

That should help.

However, the fact that the All Coaching Conference vibes also connote, posit and aver… that this may be Bradball’s seminal team in 1.1 decades of Clemson play does not.

And in as much as Clemson has only allowed more than 56-points once this year (due to a hot shooting Purdue 2nd-half); I’d have to say this is a Smokey and the Bandit kinda contest.

i.e., a hotly and defensively contested contest.

Whereby the first team to outpace
double-nickels (55-points), wins.

🏀👊🏀

(55% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=64, Clemson=66

please support the VT F.C.A.!

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**