TAMPA, Fla. -- Call it Tampandemonium.
After all of Thursday's games yielded just one upset that wasn't an 8-9 game, Tampa gave us four in a row on Friday.
If you're religious, today was Good Friday. If you're a hoops fan, it was great.
TAMPA, Fla. -- If you like upsets, this is the place for you. Tampa was Upset City on Friday, and Villanova capped it off with a 75-69 win against fifth-seed Clemson.
After trailing by as many as 18 in the first half, the Cats stormed back and took the lead for good with 11:00 remaining.
Continue reading "Cats complete Upset Day with comeback win" »
TAMPA, Fla. -- Scottie Reynolds has made play after play to fuel Villanova's comeback, and now his efforts are building a lead.
Reynolds has ceased to be the shooter and become the dealer. His latest assist came from his knees while recovering a loose ball. He scooped it to Antonio Pena for an and-1 layup.
Clemson has gone stagnant on offense, and they need some kind of a spark to reclaim the lead.
As of now, the Cats are running away.
It's 63-55 VU with 5:28 on those cool, flatpanel clocks here at the St. Pete Times Forum.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Corey Fisher hit a 3 as the shot clock hit zero to break a 52-all deadlock. (It's a good day to shoot 3's if you're a Fisher).
Then he drove and drew a foul on the next possession that sent Trevor Booker back to the Clemson bench with four fouls.
He slipped up on the ensuing Tigers drive by fouling Terrence Oglesby (who is actually white) on a 3-point attempt. Oglesby hit all three shots.
Dante Cunningham answered with a driving layin to make the Nova lead 3, Clemson threw away a fast break and that's where we stand, 58-55 Villanova with 6:53 to play.
TAMPA, Fla. -- We've got some solid competition here now.
Reynolds banked in a 3 on his way back to the ground after getting fouled to give Nova the lead, 50-49 with 11:56 left.
A quick recap of the last few minutes:
Reynolds hit an unbelievable double clutch layup to bring Nova within 1 at 44-43.
The Cats then got the ball back and had momentum, but a traveling call sent it back the other way.
VU center Dante Cunningham picked up his fourth foul. He only has 4 points, but it's good to have a big body inside anyway, especially the way Clemson likes to attack the basket.
Stitt hit a 3 for Clemson, and Antonio Pena responded with a layin on the other end.
Pena hurt his leg a few plays later. He was limping and wincing for the next minute or so and Jay Wright subbed him out.
Then, Dwayne Anderson got hurt after getting fouled on his way to the basket. Another leg injury and two Nova big men are sitting.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Nova keeps cutting Clemson's lead to 5 or so, but the Tigers always answer.
Scottie Reynolds is heating up from 3-land. He has hit two in the second half to give him 13 points on the day.
The crowd is really getting into it now, and the back-and-forth scoring is starting to create quite an atmosphere.
This game doesn't have that underdog edge to it, but there's nothing like a shootout.
44-39 Clemson with 15:55 to go.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Here come the Cats.
Nova came out of the gate and scored 5 quick points to cut Clemson's lead to 7, 39-32.
Scottie Reynolds just hit a 3 with 18:59 left, and we've got a ballgame.
A dart to the staff member who made the stomach-painted Nova girls who were standing behind press row go back to their seats.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson's up 12 at the half.
The Tigers have taken 17 3's now and hit seven. They are led by Demontez Stitt with 9 points.
This one is far from over, it has just been pretty boring. There were a few big plays, but not a whole lot of competition.
Villanova almost converted a full-court alley-oop at the halftime buzzer.
The Table Leaper award goes to the Tigers' James Mays:
Chasing a loose ball, Mays leaped onto the first table on press row, jumped to the second and then jumped on each of the first three rows of seats (empty of course). It was the most impressive thing I've seen yet in this game, which is quickly becoming a snorer.
TAMPA, Fla. -- I'm gonna switch to autopilot for a little while. It's late, I'm emotionally drained and this game isn't living up to the others. Clemson leads 29-16 with 7:36 left.
They're more energetic, making shots and just generally better than Villanova right now.
Raymond Sykes had a big follow-up jam a second ago. There was noone even remotely close to blocking him out.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson has more fans here than Nova, but it remains to be seen which side the casual viewers will take. In the Drake-Western Kentucky game, fans basically rooted for overtime and then whoever was behind.Clemson is clearly enamored with 3-point shooting, but that's no surprise. The Tigers have hoisted 3's like they're going out of style all season. Right now, they're 4-8 and hold a 22-12 lead with 11:31 remaining.
TAMPA, Fla. -- I feel like I'm in basketball's Disneyworld.
Three upsets in three games, and this game is supposed to be the exciting one.
Clemson leads Villanova 12-7 with 14:58 to go in the half.
The Tigers have already taken six 3's (they made two) but are 3-3 from the rest of the field.
Let's see if this can live up to the other games. At this pace, Nova should be considered a heavy favorite.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The third time wasn't the charm for Clemson. After losing narrowly twice to North Carolina in the regular season, the Tigers were hoping to get their revenge by winning the schools' first ACC Tournament title. Instead, it was the the Tar Heels who came away with the 86-81 win for their record 17th tourney title and their second in a row.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Hansbrough just got called for a charge, but Clemson couldn't convert at the other end, so UNC has a chance to add to tis five-point lead with 3:45 to go.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - So much for that Carolina lead. Clemson is back within seven and had cut it to five a moment ago. More bad news for the Tar Heels: Danny Green just committed his fifth foul.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Well, if six seemed like a big lead a few minutes ago, North Carolina's current 13-point advantage must feel downright huge. First Ty Lawson drove for a bucket to give this game its first double-digit lead for either side, and then after a Clemson charge call, Danny Green came down and spun in a three to make it 72-59 with less than eight minutes to go. If Clemson can't recover fast, the Tar Heels might just go into put-away mode.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The tempo is so quick right now, it's amazing the public-address announced has time to catch his breath between baskets. And that's not too much hyperbole there. UNC leads 63-55 as the teams just run up and down like mad.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game hasn't had much in the way of separation, what with seven ties and eight lead changes in the first half, so North Carolina's six point lead -- courtesy of a rebound and putback by Danny Green -- is fairly significant. That's not to say we won't be tied again in a couple of minutes, but the current Tar Heel run forced Oliver Purnell to call timeout and get his team settled.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The North Carolina fans on the baseline are really letting the refs have it over the calls (or lack thereof) for Tyler Hansbrough. UNC's big man was clearly fouled but there was no whistle. Then Hansbrough got the rebound laid it up and got fouled -- this time with a call. One fan shouted, "I know Clemson's a football school, but this is basketball!" Another yelled, "Thanks for making Tyler mad!" Thanks to that free throw by Hansbrough, the Heels lead 47-46 four minutes into the second half.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson's 3-point shooting and their highly effective full-court pressure and trapping were crucial to the Tigers' success in the first half. For the Tar Heels, it was Wayne Ellington who was big, coming up with 14 first-half points. Clemson has done a good job taking Tyler Hansbrough out of the equation after his two early baskets, and leads 39-38 at the half.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There is a definite intensity to this game, not just because it's the tourney final. Both teams seem sort of frantic, though not necessarily in a bad way. It's more about how they're going after rebounds and loose balls, as if every basket could be the one that decides the game. With the score 32-31 UNC with four minutes to go in the first, they might be right.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson has gotten a steal with full-court pressure on Carolina's last two inbounds, resulting in back-to-back threes. And that's with Ty Lawson in the game. The Tigers have a 25-21 lead.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - First it was UNC's Wayne Ellington. Then two in a row from Clemson's Terrence Oglesby. Then another from Carolina's Danny Green. And after the last four baskets -- all 3-pointers -- it's 16-16.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tyler Hansbrough picked up right where he left off yesterday, getting his first point by knocking down a jumper. Then he got a steal and layup. The pace is fast, and Carolina has an 8-6 lead three minutes in.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Clemson Tigers will be looking for revenge in today's ACC title game, which will tip off in two minutes. North Carolina beat them twice this season -- once in OT and once in double OT -- and the Tigers seemed to have the top-ranked Tar Heels dead to rights both times. Will the third time be the charm, or will Carolina come out strong knowing just how tough Clemson can be?
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After his team beat Duke for the first time since 1997 -- a span of 22 games -- Clemson senior Sam Perry was anything but at a loss for words.
"We've seen on SportsCenter, Bob Knight and Dick Vitale, we've seen them talk about the Duke-North Carolina rematch. They haven't even mentioned our name," Perry said. "I tell you what, they have to mention our name now. We looked at USA Today or whatever paper it was, we were on the 12th page. Didn't even say nothing about us. I think we'll be on the first page tomorrow. We ain't done yet. They're talking about the Duke-North Carolina rematch, and I think they forgot all about us, but it's all right. Rematch with North Carolina and Clemson now."
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After 22 losses in a row at the hands of the Blue Devils, Clemson picked a perfect time to win. The Tigers grabbed a 78-74 semifinal victory and advance to take on North Carolina in the title game. More to come...
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson went up six on a James Mays and-one, and forced a Duke miss before calling timeout with 4:15 to go. Everyone's banged up: Gerald Henderson is noticeably limping, and Clemson's Sam Perry looks like he rolled his ankle on the last rebound.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're tied at 66, and Clemson just got a big stop, after which Oliver Purnell called timeout. As the Tigers headed to the huddle, Purnell sprung out of his seat yelling, "Let's go!" in a bid to fire up his team. They could really use a bucket here with six minutes to go.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Both teams are employing a full-court press now, but there's still 11 minutes to go. We could really see a pair of tired teams when this game gets to the final minutes, which could be a factor if this game stays as close as it is. The Tigers are up 49-46 at the moment, though they were up seven only moments ago. Duke has the ability to go on a tear quickly, so perhaps the pressure is part of Oliver Purnell's strategy to avoid that.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Duke's inside play has been a concern all season, since their big men are more perimeter guys. Right now, the Clemson forwards are certainly taking advantage. Back to back baskets, including a nasty dunk, by Trevor Booker put Clemson up eight points. Duke has since gotten a pair of free throws from Gerald Henderson, but the Tigers have lots of confidence early in the second half.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson missed a three at the buzzer, so they go to the locker room trailing the Blue Devils 31-30. But at this point it looks like we might be on the way to yet another great semifinal finish.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson's Cliff Hammonds just hit a three and Brian Zoubek traveled at the other end, getting the orange-clad Clemson fans in the house something to cheer about. Before that, all they had was complaints about the officiating in this 20-19 Duke-led game.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Greg Paulus' first points of the day came on a 3-pointer that put the Blue Devils up 14-12 against Clemson, though Paulus' next three ball was way off the mark. Clemson hasn't beaten Duke since 1997, so the Tigers will want to stay close to have a chance to snap that streak.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The ACC Tournament hasn't exactly been what you would call "competitive" for the most part so far, so Clemson's dismantling of Boston College seemed to be a perfectly appropriate ending two the quarterfinal round.
The only way 11th-seeded Boston College was close to third-seeded Clemson was alphabetically, as the Tigers ho-hummed their way through the second half on the way to a 82-48 victory and a date with Duke in the semifinal round.
Continue reading "ACC: Good night and good ... well, nothing else was good" »
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Man, the Bobcats Arena is a ghost town right now. Even the ghosts probably decided, "Well, this game has been over for about the last hour; let's go grab a beer!" Because ghosts love beer. Either that, or I'm delirious after four games, the last of which is dragging on excruciatingly. That's why anyone with any sense has long since bolted (except loyal Clemson fans, who get a pass for sticking around). There are still nine minutes to go somehow, and the Tigers are up 65-42 on Boston College. Unless a brawl breaks out, nothing of interest is going to happen here. Promise.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Clemson fans are giving themselves a round of applause after executing a back-and-forth "Clemson" ... "Tigers" chat just now. Seriously, that's all there is to say. Clemson is up 58-35, and were it not for the fact that time has gone off the clock, I could swear it was 15 minutes ago. Ooh, hey, the Eagle mascot is doing a sweet Riverdance while the band plays. See? Updates galore over here.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - If you were expecting that Al Skinner had a great halftime speech planned for Boston College, forget it. The Eagles have picked up right where they left off, giving up the first eight points of the second half to fall behind 50-25. Yuck.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game is an absolute rip job right now. Clemson is up 42-25 at the half, and Boston College even scored the last seven points of the half. I realize it's a No. 3 vs. No. 11 matchup seed-wise, but come on. You wonder how BC even got into the quarterfinals (until of course you remember that yesterday all they had to do was beat collapse-arific Maryland to advance).
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Boston College Tyler Roche might want to check his luggage to make sure he brought his brain on this road trip south. For reasons that would surely boggle the mind, Roche decided to wrap up Sam Perry in the air on the way to the basket after Perry picked off a pass. So instead of a layup, or two free throws, or -- worst case -- an and-one, Clemson got the free throws plus the ball (which resulted in Jerai Grant going to the line). Just an example of why BC is down 27-13.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Back to back buckets by Raymond Sykes, including a thunderous jam, have Boston College on its heels a bit. The Clemson defense is pressuring hard and is a big reason for the 14-6 lead. The last two possessions, BC hasn't made the midcourt line, turning it over on a steal and a charge.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's an intense start to the day's final game here. Not necessarily the best shooting display by either side, but lots of scrapping for loose balls, etc. So far, it's working out for Clemson, which has a 10-6 lead over Boston College.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- All off-season, Wayne Ellington had to remember the shot he missed against Georgetown in North Carolina's NCAA Regional loss last year. Now he's got a new memory to replace it with.
This one was a last-second three-pointer that gave his No. 1 Tar Heels a 90-88 overtime win against No. 19 Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Wayne Ellington hit a three-pointer with four-tenths of a second left to give No. 1 North Carolina a 90-88 overtime victory against Clemson. UNC's Ty Lawson hit a pair of free throws with 49 seconds remaining, and then Clemson's Demontez Stitt matched him with 13.9 seconds to go to give Clemson an 88-87 lead in overtime. Roy Williams called timeout with 5.4 seconds left to set up a play, and Wayne Ellington buried the three.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson is up by one here in overtime, but North Carolina has the ball after a loose-ball scramble that resulted in Ty Lawson calling a timeout while Wayne Ellington had the ball. This one looks like it could come down to the last shot, though two minutes is still a long ways to go.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- We're headed to overtime. After yet another Clemson missed free throw, Danny Green came down and buried a three-pointer to pull UNC within one, 81-80 with 1:37 to go. With a minute to go, Tyler Hansbrough went to the line and missed one before hitting the second to tie the game at 81. At the other end, Hansbrough drew a charge and suddenly the Tar Heels controlled their own destiny with 47 seconds to go. But Wayne Ellington missed and at the other end, a flurry of putback attempts rolled off the rim.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- You can taste the upset in the air now. Clemson leads, 76-70, with 3:41 to play and James Mays headed to the free-throw line after the TV timeout. Roy Williams looks flustered and frustrated with his North Carolina team, and the crowd here isn't doing the Tar Heels any favors.
UNC's offense can't get going inside -- Tyler Hansbrough has just nine points -- and there are no fast-break points to be had right now. This place is less than four minutes from breaking out in madness.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Missed free throws are killing Clemson right now. The Tigers have missed nine in the game, including three of five here in the second half, yet they still lead North Carolina, 70-67. K.C. Rivers is hot right now, having just bagged another three-pointer, but if UNC gets its break going in the final seven minutes, those misses at the line might come back to haunt Clemson.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- This game continues to get more and more physical, which about two weeks ago, might have favored the Tar Heels and their extensive depth. But with Alex Stepheson in California with an ill family member and Bobby Frasor lost for the season, UNC's depth has been depleted. That means Roy Williams' team will have to suck it up in a hostile environment if they hope to overcome Clemson's four-point lead midway through the second half and stay undefeated.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- These teams seem to love starting off halves at breakneck pace. Clemson came out with a big dunk by Trevor Booker before UNC rattled off six quick points in less than a minute. Carolina guard Wayne Ellington already has scored seven points in the opening four minutes of the second half, but the Tigers have been relentless and now own a 54-49 lead.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- The orange-clad crowd sporting the shirts that say O.P.P. -- Oliver Purnell's Posse -- are extremely excited at the half, and with good reason. K.C. Rivers scored the last basket of the half, and Clemson went into the locker room leading the No. 1 Tar Heels, 41-38.
Neither team is shooting great, but Carolina was also unable to capitalize on any of Clemson's misses for its usual fast-break offense. Despite the Tigers shooting 37.5 percent, the Tar Heels had just six fast-break points. Meanwhile, Clemson was able to score 15 points off of nine UNC turnovers. Clemson could really be in control of this game had it not missed six of 14 free-throw attempts in the first half.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- At one point, Clemson led, 22-18, but since then the Tar Heels have gone on an 11-1 run and now lead by six. That forced Oliver Purnell to take a timeout to try to rally his troops. One thing North Carolina will have to watch out for, though, is foul trouble. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green each have a pair of fouls so far.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- The good news for North Carolina is that Quentin Thomas is back after a two-game absence with an ankle sprain. The bad news is he isn't handling Clemson's press as well as Ty Lawson did since entering the game. But the Tar Heels have gotten their big men some touches and now have a narrow lead, 16-15, here at Littlejohn.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- The start to this game has been ridiculously fast. Ridiculously. With Clemson trying to press in the backcourt and UNC point guard Ty Lawson breaking the press almost single-handedly, the teams have been trading layups for the first four minutes, with the exception of a K.C. Rivers' three-pointer that has the Tigers up, 13-10, at the first TV timeout.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Last season, Clemson started out 17-0 before fading in conference play and falling short of the NCAA Tournament. In 2007-08, the No. 19 Tigers are 12-1 and have a perfect opportunity to make a statement in conference play. But it won't be easy since that statement will have to be made at the expense of top-ranked North Carolina.
