Similarities in Clemson and UGA

I posted last year on one of the message boards about the similarities between Clemson and UGA basketball.

At the time, Clemson was having much more success than Georgia, but I considered UGA to be about a year, maybe two, behind where Clemson was. Since Georgia went on its SEC Tournament Championship run, the case for the comparison was improved.

Here's a good article on what Clemson is expecting to do this year:

Clemson

Common Elements

1. Players Recruited

Clemson brought in for 2008 the following players: Andre Young, Tanner Smith, and Caitlin Baiciu.

The first two are players from Georgia, who were recruited by Georgia, and whom Georgia would have signed, except for the fact that Georgia chose Dustin Ware and Drazen Zlovaric first. Caitlin Baiciu is a foreign exchange student, who is a 7'2" player with good skills who will need some seasoning. Sounds a lot like 2009 Georgia commit, Daniel Miller.

2. Achievements Last Year

Clemson went to the finals of their conference's tournament. Georgia went to the finals of the SEC tournament and won it.

Clemson went to the NCAA's for the first time in 10 years. Georgia went to the NCAA's for the first time in numerous years.

3. Style of Play

Clemson will defend first. So will UGA. Without Sundiata Gaines, Georgia will likely not be as good defensively as they were last year. Coach Felton may need to try some traps, or rely on the 1-3-1 zone scheme a bit more, but his approach and the approach of Coach Purnell will remain consistent.