Mailbag: Clemson-NCAA lock, Kenny Payne-Louisville, beef with Tony Bennett?

I was wondering, and maybe you can answer my question. How in the world is Clemson still at #6 in the latest bracket for the NCAA Tournament after finishing #6 in the ACC and getting destroyed last night?

UVA is at #11 and finished #3 in the ACC standings.

Experts say that only four will be taken from the ACC this year, and Clemson is already a lock.

I would like to see the explanation on  how they could skip over the #4 and #5 seeded ACC teams and lock in Clemson. I saw them play last night and wasn’t impressed at all.

Something weird going on!!

David

It’s going to sound sarcastic, but it’s the truth – Clemson is solid because they were really good before Christmas.

They have one good win since Christmas – at UNC last month.

They racked up some computer ranking points with some nonconference wins in November.

That’s literally it.

No, it makes no sense.

 

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Don’t know if one can call Kenny Payne coaching stint an era, more like a hiccup.

I was thinking to myself while watching parts of the Louisville games, that they could be a most improved team next year. Was this his third year? Portal can make it tough on teams that lose players. Maybe he was losing players year-to-year. But I thought his backcourt was young, like freshmen. Maybe thinking of another team.

Will Wade is taking his new team, McNeese State, to the dance. I think he is a tool. A cheater like Kelvin Sampson, Bruce Pearl. But guys like that can sell ice to Eskimos. Ken Payne seems like a nice guy getting thrown under the bus.

Kevin

This was Payne’s second year. Short leash there, but Louisville is desperately clinging to the idea that they are relevant, though it’s been a minute, as the kids say.

They’ll throw big money at somebody else, probably Mick Cronin at UCLA.

They may be less inclined this time to go with somebody who does it the right way, like Payne was trying to do. Louisville is at its best when it toes the line of acceptable/unacceptable. Which is why they were never a good fit in the ACC.

 

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I read your daily comments as I live over in Charlottesville and your topics are usually of local interest.  Rarely do I totally find your opinion to be wildly different from my own but I just wanted to say that I feel you struck a nerve with me recently with your comments regarding, first, Tony Bennett.

I am not an expert but I have 37 years experience as a high school then college basketball official. Coach Bennett is a class person and an excellent coach. His style is remarkable and, in my opinion, not going down the tubes. Having run that 94 feet from one end of the court to the other for over 2,000 games after playing myself, I have a relatively good perspective of what works and what doesn’t. I think Coach Bennett’s philosophy is time-tested and here to stay.  I certainly respect your position as a class journalist, but I question your expertise in being an expert in judging college basketball coaches.  Thanks for at least listening.

Richard

I’m not one who feels his system is going down the tubes. My sportswriting cohort here at AFP, Scott German, has been expressing that opinion – watch out for that bus I’m backing up over you there, Scott – as have numerous fan writers whose thoughts I share in my Mailbag columns.

I think that I get what Tony’s style is better than anyone outside his inner circle – to me, he plays basketball the way hockey coaches coach their sport. His offense is never out of position to take away fast-break opportunities. He wants to control pace so that if you beat him, you beat him playing the game he wants it played, not the way you want it played.

What I suggest (often) is minor tweaks to the offense within how he wants to play to better utilize his players – more ball screens at the top to create dribble-drives for guards, to create roll opportunities for bigs and kickouts to shooters on the wings, and more four- and five-out sets to allow for backdoor cuts and drives.

I’ve written in response to readers who muse aloud, why not fast break more, to let them know, that doesn’t fit the overall scheme.

Tony wins games the way he wins games.

I have come to appreciate and enjoy the way he wins games.

Not sure why you’d think otherwise.