Louisville can't overlook surprising No. 25 Clemson (Jan 06, 2018)
Clemson basketball doesn't mind being a little brother to the football program -- for now. The Tigers figure respect will come with time and after the best start in the Brad Brownell era, plenty of people are taking notice.
The No. 25 Tigers (13-1, 2-0 ACC) are ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in eight years and have no intention of going anywhere, but up. Standing in the Tigers' immediate way is one of college basketball's bluebloods -- the Louisville Cardinals, who invade Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday.
First-year coach David Padgett brings his Jekyll-and-Hyde Cardinals (11-3, 1-0) into Littlejohn feeling pretty good about themselves after rebounding from an embarrassing loss to arch-rival Kentucky -- their worst in nearly 30 years to the Wildcats -- on Dec. 29.
Three days of hearing how they lacked focus, lacked energy, lacked enthusiasm and lacked heart, the Cardinals came out and whipped Pittsburgh on Tuesday. From an emotional standpoint, the win was huge and brought the team closer together.
"It was good to see them respond that way," Padgett told the Louisville Courier Journal. "You can never predict how a game's going to go, but I would have been surprised if we didn't come out with a little bit of an edge (Tuesday), just based on how the last three days have been."
Maintaining that edge against a team that was voted to finish near the bottom of the ACC but might be the biggest surprise so far, is going to be the challenge for Padgett.
For Brownell, his team might still feel a little disrespect, but Padgett's Cardinals have his attention.
"We're going to play a very talented Louisville team. David's done a good job with the group," Brownell told The State. "They're off to a great start. ... They're playing very similarly to how they played under coach Pitino, and they looked pretty comfortable and are playing pretty well."
Speaking of comfortable, Brownell could be describing his own squad.
The Tigers have won nine straight -- the only blemish being a loss to Temple. Eleven of their 13 wins have been by double digits. Clemson went into Boston College and eked out a 74-70 win against a gritty Eagles squad.
Five players average double figures for Clemson, with Marcquise Reed at 15.3 and senior Donte Grantham at 15.2 points per game leading the way. Grantham has made a big leap; as a junior he averaged 7.3 points per game.
Playing perhaps his best game of the season, Grantham knocked down 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while recording five assists and making three steals in the win against Boston College.
"I think just getting a lot of stuff at the rim, just really building my rhythm," Grantham said of what's been the difference for him this year. "I think just me rebounding the ball gives me a lot of confidence."
Deng Adel averages 15 points per game to lead the Cardinals, who also are one of the best rebounding teams in the country at 40.4 per game. Padgett has his squad playing solid defense as well, giving up only 65.4 points per game.
Brownell knows the Tigers will have their hands full if they want to remain in the Top 25.
"They still have great players. ... They've got all those guys back from a lot of winning teams," Brownell said. "I think their staff has done a great job of keeping the noise away from their team, and their kids just want to play."
