Pence's Quick Thoughts
Clemson Purdue is another game that may not be the most pleasant to watch. The Tigers host the #50 Pomeroy ranked Purdue Boilermakers who sit at 2-3 on the season. Their losses have come to Oregon State, Villanova, and Bucknell, which are all top-100 teams according to Pomeroy.
Purdue is ranked 23rd in offensive rebounding %, and near bottom among division one schools in 3 point %. Defensively is where they make their mark, ranking 27th in eFG% allowed.
Clemson has played pretty well early on in the season with their only loss coming to Gonzaga by 8. The Zags are currently ranked #2 by Pomeroy. The Tigers 4 wins are all against teams with Pomeroy ranks greater than 150, so a win over #50 Purdue would help the resume.
I have a feeling this one will be won in the paint. I like Clemson's chances and see the Tigers winning by 3.
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Brad Brownell's Preview of Purdue
Once again, it’s time for the ACC/B1G Challenge. Clemson doesn't play until Wednesday night at 7:15 (ESPNU), but the challenge kicks off tonight. The B1G has taken over the top 25 in the early dawn of this season, while the preseason favorites from the ACC have looked less than stellar. But don’t count the ACC out just yet, as the next two days will be a special display of strength vs. strength. If for no other reason, you should follow these games just to see how the polls are affected. The B1G currently has 5 top-25 teams, with 3 teams filling 3 of the top 4 spots. The ACC also has a top-5 team in Duke, while UNC and N.C. State have landed in the mid-teens.
Tuesday night has two big matchups in #18 N.C. State @ #3 Michigan at 7:30pm and #15 UNC @ #1 Indiana at 9:30pm, both on ESPN. Also, if you get bored watching Michigan trounce the Puppies, Maryland @ Northwestern (7:15 on ESPN2) should be a good match-up. Honestly, the only really exciting game on Wednesday night (other than ours, of course) is the marquee game on ESPN. #2 Duke and #4 OSU are likely both on track to go deep into the Tourney this season (fingers crossed for another Lehigh-esque 2nd round upset). This game will be a close one and could go either way, but don’t be surprised if Coach K rallies the troops to a W at home against a solid Buckeye corps.
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CLEMSON — When Brad Brownell looks at Purdue, he sees some very familiar signs.
A stingy, defense-first team. A team with good shooters. A young team, still working to find its way in the season’s early weeks.
A team much like his own.
“Purdue is a mirror image of us,” Brownell, Clemson’s third-year head coach, said Tuesday.
The doppelgangers – er, Boilermakers – come to Littlejohn Coliseum Wednesday for Clemson’s portion of the annual ACC/Big 10 Challenge. Clemson (4-1) hosts Purdue (2-3) in a 7:15 p.m. game televised by ESPNU, and the similarities should be abundant.
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