By Will Vandervort.
If Clemson wants to win tonight’s 7 p.m. game against rival South Carolina at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, then it is going to have to get physical.
The Gamecocks have won three straight games, including an impressive 26-point victory over previously undefeated Oklahoma State on Dec. 6. Carolina held the Cowboys’ top three scorers to just 22 points on 7-of-39 shooting from the field, while blocking eight shots and grabbing 49 rebounds.
“They definitely are a physical team, one of the more physical teams we will play against,” Clemson center Landry Nnoko said. “We have to prepare for it and we have to be tough.”
Nnoko needs to be more than just tough – he also has to be smart. The Gamecocks, especially with their three-and-four guard in-and-out style, will attack Clemson’s best post player, knowing with him out of the game they will increase their physical advantage inside.
Forward’s Demetrius Henry (6-9, 227), Laimonas Chatkevicius (6-11, 250) and Mindaugas Kacinas (6-7, 227) will try to bang the Tigers around a little bit inside. Kacinas came off the bench against Oklahoma State to grab 12 rebounds, block two shots and scored nine points.
“I have to try not to give any cheap fouls,” Nnoko said. “I have to move my feet and try not to get tangled up with any of their players.”
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell says USC (5-3) is a big, strong physical team that is playing really good basketball right now. The Gamecocks are also getting good guard play from Sindarius Thornwell, Tyrone Johnson and Duane Notice.
A sophomore, Notice has been especially impressive as of late. He followed up a 27-point effort in a win at Marshall with a 20-point night against Oklahoma State.
“Their big guys inside do a great job of rebounding and posting and I think their guard play has improved. They are more experienced. Sindarius Thornwell is a great player and does a lot of different things. Duane Notice, Tyrone Johnson and even the freshman (Marcus) Stroman are playing well.
“They certainly have a lot of guys they can put out on the perimeter and really drive it to the basket well. They are big, strong, physical guards that get into the paint and really create problems for you.”
Clemson guard Rod Hall says he and the rest of the Tigers are looking forward to the challenge.
“I know that they are a tough team and they are competing hard,” Hall said. “I know most of their baskets, they are trying to finish in the lane and get dump-downs to their big men so we are going to do the best we can and stick to our game plan.”
The Tigers (6-3) come into the game with a two-game winning streak and winners of five of their last six games. The key to that is their improve play on defense, especially in the second half. In wins over 18th-ranked Arkansas and Auburn, Clemson played more focused and physical in the second half.
“They are a little more physical than both those teams,” Brownell said about the Gamecocks. “They are playing a little bit more zone than they have in the past. This will be a different kind of game, I think. It will be more physical in nature and you will have to play more in the paint and around the rim.”