By Sean Kennedy
Today’s Action
8:00 PM: Temple (1-2, 0-0 AAC) @ Clemson (3-0. 0-0 ACC)
Thursday night will mark the first of 3 games in 4 days for the Owls as part of the Charleston Classic, an ESPN event started in 2008. Although Temple finds itself in the easier half of the 8-team bracket, with New Mexico, UAB, and Massachusetts all on the other side, their first-round foe is an extremely tough defensive squad in the Clemson Tigers. Clemson is led by junior small forward, K.J. McDaniels, who leads the team in scoring (17.3), rebounding (7.3), and blocks (4.3). McDaniels has an amzing innate ability to block shots for a 6’6″ guy who often finds himself on the perimeter; the block totals from this season are not a pure product of small sample size, as he averaged over two per game last season. Having started the season 3-0 with one quality win over South Carolina, the Tigers look toward the Classic as a way for their program to make a statement following a disappointing 2012-13 season that saw them lose 10 of their final 11 games.
Clemson will be the toughest test of what has been a disappointing start for the Owls. Anthony Lee will need to bring his ‘A’ game against what is a huge frontline for the Tigers, and it will be interesting to see if Will Cummings can continue to score in the paint against a larger opponent. If Temple is to come away with a win in this contest, those two guys will need someone to really step up and offer some help, be it Dalton Pepper, Quenton DeCosey, or someone else. Nevertheless, the Owls haven’t shown me enough thus far in the campaign for me to believe they’re ready for this stage. Clemson takes this first-round match-up.
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