[dlw902]

"Clemson a top 10 team? Come back to me when they crash and burn in conference play like usual. South Carolina hasn't beat anybody. I'm surprised they're ahead of Baylor but they still arent that good"

Clemson is now mid-way through the ACC with wins over Duke, Miami, and Virginia Tech. The only real test that Clemson has left is Wake Forest at Wake... lol looks like Clemson might finally be crowned as the ACC Regular Season Champion.

South Carolina is 5-3 in conference play with wins over Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Baylor, and still have Tennessee and Kentucky at home the second time around. South Carolina has a pretty easy schedule to finish at the top of the SEC as well since they have no tough road games left.

Start eating your words buddy!!!

[007Fatty]

hmm.. someone likes revenge..

[dlw902]

He asked me to come back when they "crashed and burned" during regular season.. I'm back.. and the only one that is crashing and burning is mr powell's prediction.

[unde0087]

dlw, don't worry about it, UNC will win the ACC as Clemson is tied in the loss column right now but UNC routed them in the only game they will play in the regular season. Clemson isn't going to outplay UNC down the stretch, no way no how.

[dlw902]

North Carolina will still lose at least 1 more game... Clemson could very well win out... therefore, the tiebreaker likely won't be a factor. Regardless, Clemson will finish either first or second in the ACC this year... so where is the collapse??? Clemson only has Wake Forest left.. I expect Duke to take 1 of the 2 from the Tarheels this year... which would put Clemson as the #1 seed in the tournament.

[unde0087]

North Carolina will still lose at least 1 more game... Clemson could very well win out... therefore, the tiebreaker likely won't be a factor. Regardless, Clemson will finish either first or second in the ACC this year... so where is the collapse??? Clemson only has Wake Forest left.. I expect Duke to take 1 of the 2 from the Tarheels this year... which would put Clemson as the #1 seed in the tournament.

Look I like them, I am an ACC guy, they just aren't going to win the conference, if UNC wasn't in the conference they would be in great position but UNC holds the tie breaker by whipping their ass. Clemson will not outplay UNC down the stretch.

[dlw902]

You've gotta look at the schedule and it favors Clemson... I don't think Clemson will lose again.. like I said, UNC will. That wasn't really the point of this thread anyway, it was to point out that TPowell didn't know wtf he was talking about when he made such a bold statement... looks like he's tip-toeing around and trying to stay away from the thread.. kinda funny... Two teams that he called garbage basically are in position to win the conference.. gotta love it.

[unde0087]

dl, we shall see, I don't think Clemson will go undefeated the rest of the way and I just dont see them coming in ahead of UNC. If they win I will congradulate you but I don't think it is going to happen.

P.S. Don't let Powell get to you, he is all about the Big East

[TPowell]

my bad guys, I'm never on here on Fridays because of the lack of NCAA games. The year is not over yet, but I will admit that I underestimated Clemson. I think I said that they would finish in the middle of the pack of the ACC? I can still see it happening, but more than likely they will be in the top 5 of the conference. Also, South Carolina will probably finish either 1st or 2nd in the SEC East which doesnt really say much. You do realize that SC and Clemson are capable of losing to ANY team they play because of the way they play dont you?

[Dfjay9]

Tpowell... What you got for tomorrow especially in the early cuse nova game?

[TPowell]

also, I'd still be VERY surprised if either Clemson or South Carolina made it past the first weekend of March Madness. Neither sets up very well for tournament play IMO. South Carolina is too perimeter oriented and Clemson is a ticking timebomb. I've seen Clemson play and they just dont have something that the other great teams have

[dlw902]

my bad guys, I'm never on here on Fridays because of the lack of NCAA games. The year is not over yet, but I will admit that I underestimated Clemson. I think I said that they would finish in the middle of the pack of the ACC? I can still see it happening, but more than likely they will be in the top 5 of the conference. Also, South Carolina will probably finish either 1st or 2nd in the SEC East which doesnt really say much. You do realize that SC and Clemson are capable of losing to ANY team they play because of the way they play dont you?

Clemson can beat just about any team in the nation if the work from the inside out... the only games that they've been in trouble they never tried to establish an inside game. I think just about every team in the nation are capable of losing to ANY team.. for example..

Pittsburgh vs. Villanova (Nova really is NOT that good)
Louisville vs. Western Kentucky, UNLV, and Minnesota
Syracuse vs. CLEVELAND STATE???
Notre Dame vs. ANYONE.
Connecticut vs. Georgetown

The reason I pick the big east schools is because you are a big east supporter.. Duke RAPED Georgetown, as long as just about everyone else who played GT. The fact of the matter is that almost all of the teams are vulnerable this year, not just Clemson and South Carolina.

As far as South Carolina.. going from worst to first is a pretty damn good job in the SEC. Sure, the SEC isn't that great but South Carolina will make a run in the tournament if they get the right draw. They have by far one of the best, if not the best, point guard in the nation in Devan Downey. They play a very exciting brand of basketball... I'd much rather watch South Carolina than Louisville on TV... because Louisville has one of hte most pathetic offenses that I've ever seen.

I think from top to bottom, the Big East is stronger than most from top to bottom but I'd take the powers in the ACC (UNC, Duke, Wake, and Clemson) against the top guys in the Big East anyday.

Mark it down, Clemson will finish in first or second in the ACC this year and South Carolina will likely win the SEC-overall title. I said Clemson would win it at the beginning of the year and thought South Carolina had a great shot early... both are just a couple games away from happening.

[TPowell]

I like how you use losses from non conference games for Louisville. Think they'd lose to any of those teams now? UConn lost ONE game at Georgetown and have followed that up with playing INCREDIBLE basketball. Notre Dame has fell off, everyone knows that. Pitt is still a solid team, a couple road losses against top 25 teams doesnt change that. Cleveland State isnt exactly terrible, but anyways Syracuse may be a little overrated.

OF COURSE you would rather watch South Carolina play than Louisville. Exciting doesnt always lead to wins though does it?

Lastly, UConn would beat any ACC team on a neutral court. I'd take Louisville over all of them except maybe UNC. Pitt, UConn, and Louisville match up pretty even with Wake, Duke, and UNC IMO

[dlw902]

um what else are you supposed to use? I'm pretty sure that you take the season as a whole and Louisville has proven that they can lose to bad teams. LoL so you're trying to tell me right now that you think Duke is better than Clemson after they THRASHED and EXPOSED DUKE like 2 days ago? UNC is probably the most talented team and balanced team in the ACC... Clemson is the second best team.. they are very balanced and like I said.. I think any of the top 4 could play with the top 4 in the Big East. Like I said, the onyl games that they have lost, they went away from their bread and butter and didn't play from the inside out. Even though you don't want to admit it, Clemson is the second best team in the ACC...

Duke is very much like South Carolina, except USC has the better point guard. Downey can beat people off the dribble, duke doesn't really have that kind of PG... kinda hard to believe Paulus was rated higher than Downey out of high school. If Duke is hitting thier shots, they can beat anyone... same for South Carolina.

[dlw902]

By the way, it's just a matter of opinion... it just really surprises me that this Clemson team has beaten a lot of good teams this year and people still refer to them as "5th best in the ACC"... which isn't even close... Clemson would beat Duke on a neutral court 8 out of 10 times... they have no answer for the guys in the paint. I'm sure you'll defend your Louisville team, which I personally don't think will make it that far because they can't score... good defense is important but if you shoot like $hit every game, it'll eventually catch up with you.

[TPowell]

except Duke has a top 5 defense in all of college basketball right? Have you lost it? Rick Pitino doesnt coach for wins in November and December. They'e obviously evolved since those early season slip ups. Wake Forest is better than Clemson btw. One game doesnt make Clemson the greatest thing since sliced bread. Duke and Clemson are pretty similar in terms of talent. Duke just struggles against teams like Clemson.

[TPowell]

are you still talking about Louisville playing so bad against UConn? UConn is on fire right now and Earl Clark just didnt show up. How many post players in the nation can play well against the giant Thabeet and Adrien?

[dlw902]

Wake is not better than Clemson... they did beat them head to head but that team is a mess. Clemson had one of their worst games of the season against them... Wake couldn't beat VT, Miami, or GT... hell Clemson beat all three of them soundly. I am not a big fan of comparing game by game but seriously.. I think it's pretty obvious who the better team is.. As for Louisville, no I've watched them plenty of times this year... haven't been that impressed. UConn is the only great team that I have seen coming out of the Big East... Thabeet is a beast on the inside.. defensively... not too polished on the offensive end. I think Pittsburgh and Marquette are both very beatable.

You can diss the SEC all you'd like but dont' forget, your Louisville team barely beat UK on your own court. I think the SEC is pretty average but again, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, and LSU can all compete outside of the conference IMO. I think they'll have a decent showing in the tournament. Of the 4, I think South Carolina and Tennessee are the best... never been too impressed with Florida.. Calathes is pretty much Florida.

[TPowell]

so one game doesnt show a lot but you use the UL/UK game as your example? That game is so big that its near impossible to blow the other out. Also, Louisville had the game from start to end pal. Tennessee isn't better than last year and Louisville absolutely DEMOLISHED them in March last year. I'd be surprised if the SEC has a Sweet 16 team to be honest. Season isnt over yet, rub my face in the ground after it is if you want

[dlw902]

As far as Duke goes... sure, they have a top 5 defense.. but who have they played? They are now within a stretch with the best teams in the country. Trust me, I was born right outside of Durham... I've always been a Duke basketball fan but I know for a fact that this team is not as good as they have been made out to be. Athletic teams that have good players in the paint will kill Duke time and time again. The only two teams they've played (off the top of my head) that have good post players are Clemson and Wake Forest.. and they lost both of those games... Clemson completely dominated them. This team could very well lose to Miami tomorrow... I hope not but I wouldn't be surprised if they did...

[TPowell]

I cant figure out why you're riding Clemson so hard, Duke can play with a lot of teams but they are terrible with dealing with active presses. It'd be a trainwreck if they played Louisville. I thought Duke played Wake pretty good to be honest.

[dlw902]

You may be right... Like I said.. The SEC teams could fall flat on their face.. I'm just saying that I could see them being able to play with a lot of the teams in the tournament. I actually was just bringing up the point that obviously Louisville isn't that much better than one of the top dogs in the SEC... but I understand it's a heated rivalry and all but if you're that superior, it shouldn'l come down to one basket. Last year is last year... Tennessee may not be as good but they may put the pieces together right before the tournament. South Carolina has the exact same team that they had last year and have made a complete 360 from the bottom of the conference to the top.. a lot of it has to do with coaching, as Horn is a much better coach than Odumb... I just think Tennessee has the potential to do well in the tournament...

[TPowell]

how though? They may be the stupidest team in college basketball. Memphis looked like Rhode Scholars compared to them. They play no defense and rely on a couple of guys to do everything

[dlw902]

Duke trailed the entire game at Wake Forest... Wake just didn't put them away when the had the chance at the FT line.. I think Wake Forest has shown a lot of weaknesses in the last couple weeks... Me riding Clemson has more to do with the fact that I really believe that they are the best team in the ACC... They had a bad stretch against North Carolina and Wake Forest but otherwise have proven to be a great team. If you watched either game, the self-destructed and it had nothing to do with anything North Carolina or Wake did. Clemson just didn't come out for the second half against North Carolina, not sure what the deal was but there are a lot of history with that team not winning in Chapel Hill, so I don't know that anyone believed they had a shot winning there..

[dlw902]

I agree, they are a pretty dumb team.. and sometimes they don't play defense well at all.. but at other times, they play very good defense... seems like it's a flip of a coin whether they are going to play defense or not. Pearl has a lot of talent on that Tennessee team.. Of all of the teams that I'm scared of in the SEC as a USC fan, it's Tennessee becuase I feel like they have a lot of talent that they are not putting to good use. I feel like if they could get it together, they could do well in the tournament. They hammered Marquette and Georgetown, only to lose to Temple and Kansas... just not sure what to expect from them.

[TPowell]

anybody= Florida State

[dlw902]

, I went to the South Carolina game today... was on my way home (2 hr drive) and was listening to the Clemson game... they dominated the entire game only to allow FSU to come back from down 19 to win the game! Unbelievable. I think they said Clemson scored 2 pts in the final 9 minutes of the game... so much for them winning the ACC.. that's all but over now... very big loss in terms of winning the conference... huge win for the Noles though.

[TPowell]

I knew Downey was a stud but the Frederick kid has been the shocker to me. I think I said Clemson would finish 4th at best. I haven't looked at their schedule lately but it should be close

[dlw902]

Yeah, Downey is nasty... Zam Fredrick was a very touted recruit out of high school.. he originally went to Gerogia Tech when GT was actually good at basketball, but transferred back after his sophomore year. Downey originally went to Cincinatti but transferred back after the Cincy coach got fired. Zam has good and bad qualities... he can shoot lights out some nights but at other times, he shoots way too much and doesn't get close. You almost know if Zam is in isolation, he's going to lean in and take a step back jumper. Very predictable. Both Downey and Fredrick were named South Carolina Mr. Basketball's their senior year. The team is really coming together nicely. South Carolina looked very good early in the game against UGA tonight and kinda cruised the rest of the way. I think this team has something special.. I don't think they are world beaters by any stretch but if the cards fall right, they could get a good draw and make a good run in the tournament. Muldrow and Holmes are starting to really dominate on the inside and are being complimented extremely well on the outside with Fredrick and Bannilius. Downey is just Downey... I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't named the SEC POY and although I don't think he is the best player in the nation, I couldn't name many players better than him or that have as much of an impact on their team than Devan does.