Tigers Down the Spartans

UNCG 67 - #22 Clemson 89

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Clemson Athletics

I will have a completely separate post for my thoughts on the move to the Greensboro Coliseum. But for now I'll just comment on the game itself.

A 17-2 Clemson run turned a very competitive game into a rout. Luckily, the Spartans never quit (they haven't all year) and made the second half fun for everyone to watch.

Positives
- Tempo --- This may sound odd, but I think UNCG did a good job of keeping this game from turning into a full-on track meet. Clemson's press is designed to turn the game into a sloppy, up-and-down affair. UNCG for the most part didn't fall into the trap. I thought the guys did a good job of picking their spots on when to attack. It just seemed like too many of those shots wouldn't fall.
- Brandon Evans --- Brandon finished with a team high 17 points. Also, the alley-oop from Kyle Randall to Brandon was #2 and Sportscenter's Top 10 on Friday night.
- Ben played big --- As I re-watched my DVR'd copy of the game this morning, the announcers kept saying about Ben Stywall what most UNCG fans already know ... he plays bigger than his actual size. Ben's ability to get boards and get to the free throw line really kept UNCG in the game early.
- UNCG is not in the ACC --- All joking aside, I'm really glad that the Spartans get to play some teams not in the ACC for a while before having another 3 game stretch with them in late December.

Negatives
- Turnovers --- I don't think is really a secret to anyone that saw the game. 23 giveaways is just too many.
- Missing open shots --- It seems like the Spartans missed a lot of open looks last night. Kendall Toney and MIkko just couldn't get a few open 3's to drop. When I re-watched the tape today, I noted that UNCG missed 3 lay ups during Clemson's big run. I think Coach Dement's halftime speech would have been different if the score would've been 42-30 instead of 42-24.

Anyways, it was a fun night and I'll get to that soon enough. From a basketball stand point, UNCG is now to the part in it's out-of-conference schedule where it need to get a few wins. I really think they can do that starting this Tuesday.

Go Spartans !!!