Clemson copycats clash with Tigers
Clemson plays up-tempo game like their Tiger counterparts from Columbia.
Published March 16, 2010
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Coach Mike Anderson speaks about his reaction to Missouri's bid for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night in Mizzou Arena. MU will play the Clemson Tigers on Friday in Buffalo, N.Y.
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Freshman forward John Underwood celebrates with his teammate during the announcement of MU's invitation to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night at the Clinton Club. This is Missouri's second consecutive tournament invitation.
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At the Clinton Club inside Mizzou Arena on Sunday, the men's basketball Tigers sat with family and friends patiently awaiting their name to be read and learn their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
When Missouri was called, sounds of delight and relief filled the room. It wasn't long after that relaxation turned into preparation.
Receiving a No. 10 seed in the East Region, Missouri will go against No. 7 seed Clemson at 1:45 p.m. Friday at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y.
In interviews after the announcement, talk quickly turned to how the two squads have similarities beyond sharing the same team name.
Like Missouri, Clemson runs a press defense and features an up-tempo style of play. Both teams are in top 10 in the nation in steals.
"I think it's going to be exciting," senior guard Zaire Taylor said. "Two teams that like to press. They like to get after it. They like to run."
Clemson heads into the tournament with a 21-10 overall record and a 9-7 mark in ACC play. Led by first team all-ACC senior forward Trevor Booker (15.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg), Clemson will be making its third consecutive trip to the tournament.
"They get out there just like we do, and hopefully we get after it a little bit more than they do," sophomore forward Laurence Bowers said.
Getting after Clemson will require Missouri to shed the problems it faced in the tail end of the regular season and in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Shooting woes plagued the Tigers; they averaged 35.4 percent from the field in their last four games. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Tigers dropped three of the contests and had to go to overtime to take down Iowa State.
Since falling to Nebraska last week in the Big 12 Tournament, Missouri has used its time off to refocus on playing better basketball.
"I think we got out of the fog," coach Mike Anderson said. "It seemed like we were in a fog in the Nebraska game, and I think they had a chance to sit down and realize what took place. If you don't show up and play, you're not going to win. That's the bottom line."
The abrupt exit left Missouri with time to evaluate what went wrong.
"It let us refocus and see what we did wrong in Kansas City," sophomore guard Kim English said. "We didn't come out with that fire mentality, how teams have been playing all of championship week. It just let us learn that you have to seize the moment when the moment is there."
Another moment is here for Missouri, with a chance to recreate the magic of last season's Elite Eight run.
Starting Friday in Buffalo, the team has the chance to build a new season, one game at a time. The Tigers know if the intensity isn't there the first time in the NCAA Tournament, there might not be another chance to get it back.
"Practice seems like it's been a game these past few days," Bowers said. "We've been really getting after it. I think we are going to take our frustration out from the Nebraska loss on Clemson."
