ACC Roundup – Clemson’s Big Opportunity

SB Nation

Geographically, the doldrums are in the Tropics where the winds just didn’t blow and the old sailing ships were stuck with nowhere to go.

In college basketball, the doldrums are in mid-December, encompassing

exam breaks and the holidays. Then, more or less after the New Year, conference seasons begin in earnest.

And the ACC obviously is part of that. On Tuesday, there are three games and two are dogs: Virginia plays Maryland Eastern Shore and Cal plays D-II Dominican, delightfully known as the Penguins. Who doesn’t love penguins? C’mon – you know you do.

Both should be routs that Genghis Khan would have been proud of. The only decent game on Tuesday is Clemson vs. BYU in Madison Square Garden for the Jimmy V Classic. And that one could get interesting.

As you will recall, Clemson gave Alabama a tough game in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

The Tigers, as always, are well-coached and while everyone has to rebuild every year now, Brownell seems to have done a pretty good job of it (again).

BYU of course is highly regarded with Robert Wright, Richie Saunders and perhaps most of all AJ Dybantsa, who is widely projected as a Top 3 pick next summer.

But Clemson is hardly helpless and they deserve a shot at playing in the Garden. It’s not that this particular team does, but Brownell has built a sturdy program and he’s a terrific defensive coach. He also tends to get good guards, as he’s done since he was at Wilmington, and for our money, he’s one of the best developers of talent in the country.

All that and a chip on the shoulder could add up to give BYU a tougher test than expected. It’s a tougher test than a lot of schools are willing to chance this time of year.

Tuesday’s ACC Action