HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: #24 CLEMSON (5-0) VS VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (4-1) 630PM ACCN
PRAYERS UP!!
Thinking & praying for @Keyontae & his family π https://t.co/SHNd3p19UEβ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 12, 2020
Good News Per ESPN: University of Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson remains in critical but stable condition and is "following simple commands," according to a statement Monday from the school.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Dec 15th 2020 630 PM
Opponent: Clemson
Site: Cassell Coliseum
ACCN, Dave O'Brien (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (analyst)
Virginia Tech Sports Network. Jon Laaser (play-by-play) and Mike Burnop (analyst)
ACC play for us begins tomorrow night in Cassell π#StoneByStone | #Hokies π¦β Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 15, 2020
Lions, Tigers and....
The Hokies come into this contest having fallen to receiving votes in the latest AP Poll (
28). The Hokies are 21-16 against Clemson going into their 38th meeting. The Hokies come into this matchup 4-1 after allowing Penn State to do whatever it wanted.
Another this big opportunity!!
The Tigers are coached by Brad Brownell, who has been at Clemson since 2010. He has finished with winning teams in all but one year guiding the Tigers. They are a consistent middle of the ACC team throughout his tenure. Brownell is 189-142 in his time at Clemson, leading them to the post season in five of ten seasons. Overall, he is 356-227 as a head coach with prior stops at Wright State and UNC Wilmington.
Coach Brownell's Tigers are 5-0 with wins over Purdue, Maryland, Alabama and Mississippi State. So they are 2-0 against the SEC and 2-0 against the Big Ten with four victories over top-85 KenPom teams. The Tigers bring great momentum into Cassell.
Coach Brownell lost Tevin Mack and Curran Scott to graduation. Khavon Moore and Trey Jemison transferred out. These four accounted for about 22 points per game over 65 minutes per game. Mack really is the big loss as a backbone player for Clemson.
The Tigers come into this season with a highly touted recruiting class, that ranked 20th nationally and 4th in the ACC. This included players like P.J. Hall who was the top player in South Carolina, the top international player in Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and another four-star recruit in Lynn Kidd.
Defensively, they play primarily man-to-man defense, varying their levels of pressure depending on personnel and their opponent, in terms or how hard they guard, how far they extend the court. An occasional zone but not the norm for the Tigers.
Offensively, Coach Brownell is running what he refers to as Gap Attack Zone Offense, a variable on Motion Offense, which puts an emphasis on dribble penetration to draw multiple defenders to create an open shooter, lead to defensive fouls or baskets at the rim. They will push the ball on misses and turnovers which leaves them vulnerable on extended missed shots. Brownell expects his team to constantly be in motion.
Tigers Backcourt
Nick Honor (#4, SO, G, 5-10, 205 lbs) 9.8 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 2.0 Ast. Shooting 60% inside and 36% from the perimeter. He is the Tigers primary ball handler. He sat out last year after transferring from Fordham
Another this big opportunity....
Al-Amir Dawes (#2, SO, G, 6-2, 180 lbs) 9.4 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 2.4 Ast, shooting 60% inside and 21% from the perimeter but not for lack of trying as he puts up 4 triple attempts per game.
After hearing the this big stories from Coach Brownell....
John Newman (#15, JR, G, 6-5, 197 lbs) 5.4 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.2 Ast, shooting 43% inside and 27% from the perimeter. This is the Tiger the Hokies want to have shooting the ball.
Clyde Trapp (#0, SR, G, 6-4, 194 lbs) 5.0 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 2.2 Ast, shooting 53% from inside and 29% from the perimeter.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (#10, FR, G, 6-8, 218 lbs) 3.6 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast, shooting 60% inside and 14% from the perimeter. This is a freshman learning the hard way what its like to try to shoot against real defenders. His ceiling though is extremely high, which we dont want to facilitate.
Alex Hemenway (#12, SO, G, 6-3, 180 lbs) 3.4 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 0.2 Ast, shooting 75% from inside and 43% from the perimeter.
Tigers Frontcourt
Do you feel how smooth my legs are?
Aamir Simms (#25, SR, F, 6-8, 240 lbs) 11.6 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 2.4 Ast. Simms is shooting 63% from inside and 40% from the perimeter but his outside shot is the keep a defense honest rather then consistently looking for it.
Umm excuse me ref, so sorry
Hunter Tyson (#5, JR, F, 6-8, 211 lbs) 6.6 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 0.2 Ast, shooting 57% from inside and 50% from outside. Tyson is not the one the Hokies should let get started. Essentially the Clemson much larger version of Cattoor.
Jonathan Baehre (#1, SR, F, 6-10, 209 lbs) 4.6 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.4 Ast; shooting 50% inside and 29% from the perimeter
PJ Hall (#24, FR, F, 6-10, 235 lbs) 5.3 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast, shooting 73% inside and 25% from the perimeter.
What to expect from Clemson?
As a team the Tigers are shooting a surprisingly low 32% from the perimeter on 23 attempts per game. Nick Honor and Hunter Tyson are the two the Hokies need to be concerned about on the perimeter. Inside the perimeter is a totally different story, where the Tigers are shooting an incredible 53% inside. Three starters are shooting 60% or better.
Clemson is very well-balanced scoring wise this season with 10 players contributing 3.4 points per game or higher, three at or near double figures. 11 players are getting 10 or more minutes a contest. They have won high scoring affairs as well as a couple defensive battles so appear able to adjust to their opponents. Aamir Sims is the driving force behind this team.
Clemson struggles when it comes to rebounding, being outrebounded in four out of five games, double figure differences in three of the games. This is balanced out though in their paint touches and scoring by forwards. Their bigs are contributing 29 of their 68 points a game, mainly off dribble penetration and a dump off pass by their guards.
Clemson will constantly be running fresh players into the game. Expect two or three substitutes at every stoppage. Brownell uses this to keep opponent defenses from getting a good bearing on what to expect. They have worn down opponents at the end of games, allowing them to pull away in the last few minutes of each game.
Clemson is allowing the 2nd fewest points in the NCAA through five games at 51.4 ppg. This was aided by their game against SC State but their other wins are against a 4-1 Maryland squad, a 4-2 Purdue team, and 3-2 Alabama. The biggest take away is the variety of opponents they have beaten from a huge Purdue roster, a mixed Alabama roster and an extremely fast Maryland team.
It's gameday!#StoneByStone | #Hokies π¦(Β» @bullnbones)β Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 15, 2020
The Hokies
The Hokies must push the pace in this contest. They have shown they struggle when the game gets bogged down. The faster they move the more in sync their shooters seem to get, which also opens Aluma inside. Cone definitely looked much more comfortable in his second game.
Hopefully Hunter Cattoor is healthy for this game after his bout with strep throat. The Hokies need him defensively as well as on the perimeter to keep the Tigers honest when he is on the floor.
If the Hokies shoot like they are capable, taking advantage of Clemson's sloppy ball-handling, poor rebounding and poor free throw shooting they should be able to control this game. That said, Clemson survived against Alabama after committing 20 turnovers, shooting 45% from the line and shooting 26% from outside.
The Hokies defensively got killed on the perimeter against Penn State. Not closing out on the third pass, allowing clean open looks at the basket. This game that extra step will see the Tigers drive inside, trying to draw the reach of finding an open passing lane to a big in the paint.
We keep waiting on Diarra to deliver the big game offensively but I am not sure that the fit is there. He seems to thrive in transition or when his teammates clear out inside. This creates the problem of the opponent having clear easy rebounds if Diarra misses.
Highlight of the Penn State Game
Next game is a week later
ππππ© π©ππ ππππ’ π @AlumaKeve Learn more about our forward who used sitting out last year to his advantage#StoneByStone | #Hokies π¦ pic.twitter.com/jfFSqPjjgRβ Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) December 14, 2020
In Closing
The Hokies work the ball inside, win the rebounding battle and outscore the Tigers inside. They also find a rhythm on the perimeter, giving them a scoring edge there as well. The problem will be in the mid-range jumpers and the difference at the free throw line.
Aluma inside and Cattoor outside are critical to how this game turns out. Radford and Alleyne create the space. Cone in critical moments in the second half finds open looks from outside.
Hokies push the pace but the Tigers can match them step for step. Clemson unfortunately escapes with a 64-58 win. This is one of the contests where not having fans in Cassell makes a huge difference.
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