College basketball thread...

Look, Clemson isn't close to hugging the ACC cellar. It's Duke, then Chapel Hill, then I think Maryland finishes with a flourish to end up third. Clemson probably finishes somewhere between fourth and seventh.

That won't put Oliver Purnell in any trouble.

 

I'd just like to take this moment to say, for the rest of the Chicken fanboys, ...

MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAH.

 

I like how they signed off with "Is there anything better than ACC basketball?" Well, yeah, I've seen plenty of games better this season.

And it may be a far-out thought, AP, but if the guy can't get it done in the Carolinas against the better teams, why not try for someone who can? I've been trying since you posted the message to back up my thoughts with facts, but the Clemson Web site is all going to hell. If I remember correctly, the Tigers are atrocious in his reign against Duke and UNC.

Where I'm from, if you're a middling program with no chance against beating the local rivals, let alone winning the conference crown, that's enough to get you axed.

 

North Carolina is definitely not the same team without Lawson. Having said that, the Heels just don't play defense at an elite level. I don't see them making it to San Antonio.

 

Take a look at what Purnell took over when he got there. As bad as Clemson has ever been, and that's saying something. Rick Barnes had a good program, but Larry Shyatt ran it into the ground (and then fell ass-backward into a great gig as an assistant at Florida), and Purnell had to pick up the pieces. And he's done a HELL of a job.

 

Open your eyes. Everyone is awful against Duke and Chapel Hill. Firing one coach after another will do more to scare away potential recruits and coaches than anything else.

The only Atlantic Coast Conference coach with much of any success against Duke and Chapel Hill is Gary Williams. It's no surprise ... he and Mike Krzyzewski are easily the best pure coaches in the league. Roy Williams is a great recruiter but he can't outcoach Gary Williams yesterday, today or probably tomorrow or next year.

No one from the other little school in the Triangle has had much luck, and don't you know Herb Sendek was reminded of that by every moron wearing red for a decade.

Also, Clemson considers itself a football school and Terry Don Phillips will spend whatever is deemed extra in the athletic coffers on Tommy Bowden and his coaching staff in an effort to get back to the Danny Ford cheating days. They'll take what Oliver Purnell is doing and smile.

 

Zebra,

I hate Clemson as much as anyone possibly can ... and even I think you're full of it.

 

Rick Barnes knew he had done just about everything he felt that program was going to do ... and there were those two schools in North Carolina that he wasn't going to overtake anytime soon. Better to run to Austin, where he would deal with only Kansas on a perennial basis and where he didn't have to deal with ACC academic standards, which are above the Big XII and NCAA minimum guidelines.

 

basketball at clemson is akin to football at kentucky -- graduate your guys, don't get in any trouble, give us a team we can get excited about a little bit.

Purnell is succeeding on that level. I lived there for 3 years when they had their last team as good as this one with McIntyre, Jamison, et al, and the fans loved it. yeah, they knew they weren't going to win the ACC, but them playing well was what they wanted. keep them happy until baseball season starts. Purnell is doing that. He's getting solid recruits now (Stitt and Oglesby are great pickups for them) and he doesn't whine and bitch about every call like Krzyzewski, even though he has good reason in games like tonight.

Clemson will never fire him, he'll leave for a great job first, similar to Barnes.

 

Sam, you're right on. He KNEW he never would overtake those two and he gave Clemson fans to cheer about when the Tigers beat UNC in the ACC tournament and he went face-to-face with Dean Smith. He made the only move he could if he wanted to be with an elite program.

 

I think there's more passion for UK football than Clemson hoops, but I'll generally go along with that. There are a great number of great UK football fans. They're a miserable lot, but also passionate.

 

Is Royce coaching again? If so, where's he at??