WBB vs Clemson Jan 21

The #14 Ladies host Clemson Sunday at noon. The game is on the CW network. Clemson is 7-10 and 1-5 in the ACC. Their one win was was at home against Duke, the team that just destroyed us. They are on a 5 game losing streak, losing to #14 Louisville and #12 FSU at home and #24 UNC, GA Tech and Syracuse on the road.

The Tigers have 6 players averaging 20-28 min/game and 4 more averaging 11-15. Their tallest starter is #3 6'3" forward Elmore, who plays 25 min/game and scores 4.6 points while collecting 6.7 rebounds. They have no freshmen and only one sophomore that play regularly; so they are a mature team.

They have 5 players averaging 33 to 42% from beyond the arc and make 7.6 threes per game. All of their players except #34 Freeman and #21 Inyang will step out and shoot a three; those two have not attempted a three this year. With so many players in the rotation, foul trouble is probably not going to affect who's on the floor. Only three players average double digit scoring; but everyone who plays scores.

The Hokies should not take Clemson lightly. Their record is not good; but they have played a difficult schedule. Of their 10 losses, 4 have been to ranked teams, including #1 South Carolina. And two others Syracuse and Auburn receive votes; only GA State is a bad loss. If we play like we did against Duke, we will lose this game.

The good news is I think I saw a clip of Amoore practicing with the team. If she can play and has no ill effect from being elbowed in the head, the Ladies should be a better team than they were in the second half against Duke. And if she can't play, at least they have had a few practices to try and develop some chemistry.

It's time for this team to start gelling into the team they should be. Someone other than Kitley and Amoore needs to step up and be a consistent contributor. Several players have shown flashes of ability; but no one has been consistent. Wenzel, especially, has been very tentative; she is very good and she need to realize that and play like she can. Ekh has also looked good at time; but she needs to be a more consistent contributor on offense. MIcheau and Summiel have also shown flashes. As have Summiel and Carys Baker. Even Cayla King has been inconsistent. We have a bunch of ladies scoring 4 or 5 points per game. And what we need are for at least 2 to step up and contribute to the offense. When you only have two offensive threats in Kitley and Amoore, we don't put enough pressure on a defense. And our defense has to improve, also. We absolutely could not stop any Duke player from scoring almost at will.

Hopefully this is the game when things start to come together. This game and GA Tech in the friendly confines of Cassell should give us a chance to regain our form and start playing like a top 20 team again.

LET'S GO HOKIES!