Hoops Preview: Clemson Travels to Miami

When: Saturday, 2pm

© Ken Ruinard-United states Nowadays Sports activities

In which: Miami

Tv set: RSN

If you are anything at all like me, you are searching for distractions immediately after the disappointing blowout decline by the football crew in the Sugar Bowl Friday night. I’ll be getting down Xmas decorations and using in some Clemson basketball, hoping for some positivity. The Tigers notched a massive win over FSU to make improvements to to 7-1 and 1-1 in the ACC. A earn nowadays would definitely have Clemson back again in the leading 25.

Miami generally worries me as an individual who follows the Tigers in basketball. Just like Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes have sent some lousy losses on the Brad Brownell period teams. This year’s Hurricanes have had to deal with the injury bug to guards Chris Lykes and Kameron McGusty, posts Rodney Miller and Sam Waardenburg, which is a big reason they are just 4-3 and -2 in the ACC right now. Even with these losses, the Hurricanes erased a 16 point deficit to almost upset Virginia Tech in Blacksburg very last time out. The Canes are a risky crew, and the Tigers unsuccessful their very first legitimate road check this season. Clemson basically has to earn this video game if it genuinely has visions of a leading 5 finish in the ACC this season.

Clemson’s bench electricity and protection have carried the workforce therefore much. Even the deep Seminoles observed their bench outperformed by Clemson’s back on Tuesday. That a person decline to VT is the only time the bench actually didn’t offer significantly output. Clemson unquestionably needs to use its vastly remarkable depth to don down a beat up Hurricanes squad in this recreation.

We will see if Lykes is in a position to perform coming off an ankle damage. He has been a critical difficulty for Clemson during his profession and can explode as a scorer when he’s ideal. Isaiah Wong has accomplished a large amount of the weighty lifting in the meantime. Wong has scored at the very least 16 points and gone for in excess of 20 a few of the last 4 game titles. Clemson will want to make absolutely sure Wong is accounted for on the defensive end, in particular if Lykes just can’t engage in.

Jim Larranaga is an outstanding mentor. He’s dealing with some harm luck related to what Brownell had to deal with the previous two seasons. Clemson is the superior group as it stands today, but a flat work or any lack of target can effortlessly direct to a disappointing defeat. You simply simply cannot eliminate games like this if you actually want to contend for one thing in this league. Virginia Tech is heading to be a factor all year, so that decline really doesn’t damage that considerably, but this one particular certainly would.

Clyde Trapp experienced his ideal match as a Tiger against FSU. It was substantially needed as John Newman continues to not be thoroughly again in sort. I nonetheless consider that Newman is a guy that needs to generate if this staff would like to make a operate, so hopefully we will see signals of that in this match. It absolutely is good to have a male like Nick Honor who can explode at any time in the course of a recreation with a scoring spree. Honor is not afflicted in the minimum by slow starts off and usually thinks the following shot is heading in. He and Al Amir Dawes are completely fearless.

KenPom likes Clemson in a near game 68-64. I normally say that the first group to 60 will win the sport.