As mentioned yesterday, the major theme entering tonight's game against Boston College is how Clemson will defend the Eagles' funky motion offense run by first-year coach Steve Donahue.
That matchup seemed to be dominating Brad Brownell's thoughts yesterday, and veteran Tanner Smith also said it's going to be a difficult test for the Tigers.
I grabbed Smith for a one-on-one interview to get some more of his thoughts on tonight's game and the aforementioned matchup.
TI: What's the difference between Clemson's motion offense, Boston College's and Michigan's?
SMITH: "They're very similar. B.C. puts a guy right at the free-throw line, so you're always looking for that backscreen. They run like a 2-3: two guys at the top, a guy at the free-throw line, and two guys on the wing. So anytime they throw it to the wing, you've always got to be ready for a backscreen. And then off that, they have so many actions they can do with playmakers like Trapani and Reggie Jackson.
"Michigan's was a little more fine-tuned, I guess, because they've had a few years to do it. But Boston College's coach has done a good job of doing a few things like that, but also allowing their playmakers to make plays. You can't really scout that. It's not like, 'They're not looking to score on this pass.' Every pass, they're looking to score. So we've really got to be aware."
TI: It seems like Boston College runs their motion at a really high speed. Is that what you've observed as well?
SMITH: "They are a very fast team. When you put a guy like Trapani at the 4 or the 5, that puts a lot of speed on the floor. So we're going to have to do a good job of getting back in transition and just playing guys to their strengths and weaknesses. They're going to put four or five shooters on the court at all times, and we're going to have to do a really good job of knowing the guys we're guarding and taking away things they like to do."
TI: If the defining characteristic of Boston College's motion offense is putting a guy in the high post, what's the defining characteristic of Clemson's motion offense?
SMITH: "I don't know. You might have to ask another team that. I guess we're just so used to it now. The good thing about our motion offense is there's so many different things we can do to start it off, and we can end it with different things. I've really enjoyed learning the different aspects of the motion offense that coach has brought.
"So I don't know. Maybe it's the continual movement that we have. In some games, you see that when we don't have that movement, that's when we struggle. So if we have that continual movement, we're tough to guard."
TI: So maybe a more conventional motion offense here, compared to B.C. and Michigan?
SMITH: "It is. They just do some different things. As a defender, you're so used to -- Georgia Tech does more of a motion offense that we would use: double away screens, and things like that. B.C. doesn't really do that. They have different aspects of their offense, so as a defender you're not really used to it. So you have to really work on watching some film and getting used to the things that they like to do, rather than what you've been practicing the whole year."
TI: Do you guys run more sets than those guys, as opposed to their constant motion?
SMITH: "They have things they like to do, and then off that there's so many options. So you kind of go off, 'OK, this is what they like to do, and then off this they'll have like four or five different options.' It makes it difficult to guard. Hopefully we'll find a few things they like to do and take away the open 3s.
"With our offense, it's not as much sets as calls off of the motion offense. With our motion, each pass is a scoring pass just like B.C.'s is. So it's tough for teams to kind of scout against. If you run a set every time -- kind of like we did in the halfcourt last year -- teams will be like, 'Oh, they're not really looking to score off that first pass,' and they could kind of hang back. So motion is a little bit harder to guard."
TI: Is the reason there's concern about guarding them because Clemson's defensive style is about overplaying and extending beyond the perimeter, tactics that could theoretically be exploited by all their cutting?
SMITH: "It's a little concerning with that, but the coaches do a great job of changing game plans. We'll have to change the game plan a little for this. They'll probably tell us not to extend as much, or they might not. We might have a different game plan; I don't know. But they do a great job in-game and before games of really mixing things up and putting us in a good position to win."
TI: Looks like B.C. shoots a ton of threes.
SMITH: "They do. They have some good shooters. So then it allows a guy like Southern in the post to have a one-on-one matchup. Jerai's going to do a good job for us down there, I know. So we've got to make sure we do a good job at taking away open threes."
LW
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