The OP Stat of the Game: Andre Young, 4-4 3pg, 12 pts.
The fans in the ATL echo the sentiment of the Clemson Fan Base.OP addressed any concerns about his leaving in the GT pregame press conference, with video from the Greenville News.
On to the game, while the stat of the game could have gone to KC, Booker, or Young, I chose Young because of he provided a spark from the bench. Booker and Rivers should be playing like they did today. Young, though, really stepped up his game. While he had two careless turnovers, his scoring more than made up for the mistakes.
Today's game began a bit ominously, as the Tigers started slowly- again- it looked like the Virginia game all over again. Georgia Tech moved ahead early and lead by as much as 12, 27-15, with about 7 minutes to go in the first half. The yellow jackets were hot for most of the first half, shooting 62%.
The Tigers cut the lead and went into the half tied at 33.
The opening minutes of the second half belonged to Clemson. The Tigers forced several turnovers and KC few big shots, a 3pg and an FG within the first 21 seconds of the 2nd half. The pace quickened a bit throughout the second half, as GT would let the Tigers move more than a few points ahead. Lewis Clinch had a career game today and was almost single-handedly responsible for the Yellow Jackets staying close.
In the end, the Tigers proved they can actually play on Sunday, or on the weekend. This coupled with the maturation of Young and Stitt (9 pts, 7 ast, 1 to) should help us in the upcoming weeks.
Noticeably absent from today's game was Terrence Oglesby, who was playing with the flu- I also didn't see dreadlocks guy, though he was in the Raycom pregame video. And while Oglesby did not have a great game, David Potter stepped up and played efficiently today. Hopefully, the Tigers are ready for this tough stretch run before the ACC tournament.
Up next, the Tigers play Virginia Tech Wed, followed by a surging(?) FSU team, Virginia, and they conclude at Wake.
Go Tigers!
