By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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Asked when he finally got to his hotel room after beating UAB in Ohio in an opening-round game late Tuesday night, Clemson senior forward Jerai Grant said he couldn't remember the exact time his head hit the pillow. "It was pretty late … or early," he said Wednesday evening, smiling at the whirlwind 24 hours that had passed in the quick turnaround before today's 12:15 p.m. game against fifth-seeded West Virginia at St. Pete Times Forum.
As part of the new "First Four" games in Dayton, Clemson didn't tip off with UAB until after 10 p.m., and after interviews, a fuel delay and a flight to Tampa, it was about 5 a.m. Wednesday when the Tigers got to their hotel. Coach Brad Brownell let his players sleep until noon, though he admitted that after watching West Virginia on his laptop during the flight, he only slept three hours.
"And it wasn't good sleep," he added, noting that the turnaround is much like a conference tournament, except that in that scenario, the next opponent is usually a team you've already faced and know well.
It seems cruel that the NCAA would hand Clemson the first of four games at the Times Forum, rather than an evening slot, but Brownell said he won't make any excuses. His seniors have been to the NCAAs all four years, but Tuesday was their first tournament win.
"I'm not going to talk about the negatives," he said. "Our mind set is that we should be fine, we should be fresh, should be ready to play. It's not ideal. We certainly wish maybe we were playing a night game and had a little more time. We basically have to wake up and play. We'll do what we've got to do."
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins wasn't sure which team he'd be playing until late Tuesday night, but he said today's players are energetic enough that the quick turnaround shouldn't be a major factor in the game's outcome.
"Kids today, they play at 2 o'clock and they go get a hamburger and french fries and a chocolate shake and they come back and play at 6," he said. "It's kind of a different breed of athletes, I think. I think they'll be fine."
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