THE ROAR: Fifty| Diamond Tigers | Into the Spotlight

FIFTY.

Clemson’s win over North Carolina 63-50 was a welcomed "W" after the TIgers had fallen on tough times recently on the hardwood.

The 50 points by the Tar Heels are the fewest a Clemson team has allowed against North Carolina since Jan. 30, 1985. It also tied for the fewest points scored in the matchup by the Heels since 1940.

After the game, Brad Brownell called the game a “rewarding win,” and the fight we saw throughout was what had been missing in several contests recently, especially on the defensive end of the floor. 

Clemson led 33-21 at the break and used a 21-12 run in the final 9:21 to ice the game. 

Had North Carolina shot better than 11 of 21 from the free-throw line, the game could have shifted in the Tar Heels direction, but oh well-- Tigers' fans have seen their share of poor free-throw shooting performances throughout the years.

Yesterday, I wrote the following:

“Brad Brownell needs to coach this game like his job depends on it-- because it might. I’ve defended him for the past three or four seasons when the tide got tough, or momentum started swinging against him, but it’s time for Brownell, his staff, and his team to swing for themselves.”

And while it wasn’t pretty-- the Tigers were dialed in defensively. Take that Chapel Hill! Three out of four, baby! 

DIAMOND TIGERS.

The Tiger baseball team is getting ready for the upcoming season, and Assistant SID Brian Hennessy put together some great notes on the 2021 Tigers. Below you will find a portion of the attached story.

With so much uncertainty in the era of COVID-19, one aspect of the Tigers is certain…their depth in 2021. And that depth is one of many reasons the Tigers are ranked as high as No. 25 by Collegiate Baseball in the preseason polls.

Head Coach Monte Lee, in his sixth season as the leader of the Clemson program whose 182 wins are tied for 13th most in the nation during that time, returns players who accounted for over 95 percent of the starts made in 2020, including every player who started a game in the batting order. Clemson also welcomes the No. 16 recruiting class in the nation, according to D1Baseball.

With second-year Volunteer Assistant Coach Jared Broughton, who specializes in his ability to teach the aspect of baserunning, the rest of the staff and the players, Clemson is primed for a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, with its sights set on a deep run.

The Tiger pitching staff must replace three of its top pitchers in Sam Weatherly (third-round draft pick), Spencer Strider (fourth-round draft pick) and closer Carson Spiers (free-agent signee). The trio were big reasons Clemson was 14-3 overall and 6-0 in one-run games in the shortened 2020 season.

“We were poised to have a great second half of the 2020 season with the likes of Sam, Spencer and Carson as well as many other pitchers and hitters,” said Lee, whose five Tiger teams have combined for a 51-24 record in one-run games. “My biggest takeaway from the 2020 team was its toughness and the way we battled. We were excellent in close games, and our goal is to carry over that toughness and mindset into 2021.

“I’m also excited to see the continued development of our hitters and fielders. We return everyone in the field from last year, and with the work we were able to get in during the fall, I can’t wait to see the team we put on the field this season.”

The 2021 schedule features 50 regular-season games, 28 home games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium and 12 ACC series. The Tigers play South Carolina at Fluor Field in Greenville and Georgia Southern in North Augusta as well. The season begins on Feb. 19 with a three-game home series against Cincinnati.

Looking forward to grabbing a Mountain Dew and some sunflower seeds real soon! 

INTO THE SPOTLIGHT.

Well, today is officially National Signing Day, and while we don’t think there will be much noise around the Tigers, one rising star on the gridiron was recently featured in a documentary on Amazon.

Maybe I’ve been under a rock, but you can find quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei in their Prime Video catalog, on a documentary called “Into The Spotlight.” The half-hour documentary follows the historic high school championship of D.J. Uiagalelei, 2019's No. 1 pro-style and No.1 overall quarterback.

According to the IMDB description:

The documentary follows Uiagalelei throughout his senior season at St. John Bosco, one of the nation's most elite high school football programs. The film includes interviews with Tennessee Titan Adoree Jackson and Washington Football Team's Peter Richardson. Viewers will get a close-up look at the training and support system behind the country's No. 1 high school QB.

Well, chalk that up as the next thing I’m watching.

SONG OF THE DAY. 

- ”Carolina In My Mind” -  James Taylor -

A BIT OFF THE PATH. 

The news that EA Sports was bringing back NCAA Football yesterday had fans of the series excited, but I’ve cooled significantly since looking into it further. At this time, players and their likeness will not be accurate and the number of teams in the game isn’t satisfactory, in my opinion, as there will be a lot of teams left out. 

But worst of all, the game isn’t NCAA Football, it’s called EA Sports College Football...ugh.

EA says the new game "will include the rights to more than 100 institutions featuring the logos, stadiums, uniforms, gameday traditions, and more that fans have come to know and love."

In addition, EA Sports Vice President and General Manager Daryl Holt said the new game "won't happen this year."

So I’ll just say it, is it really a reboot? Sounds disappointing to me.

Have a great Wednesday!

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