Tigers try to take next step

CLEMSON -- Oliver Purnell does not think he will feel a weight lifted if he secures his first NCAA Tournament win Friday.

"But," said the Clemson basketball coach, qualifying with the addition: "let's get (a win) and find out."

Purnell has said an NCAA win "is just another step." It speaks to his belief that turning around programs like Clemson takes time and patience. Still, some in Clemson Nation are growing weary of the amount of time it's taking to reach the next step -- an NCAA win.

The Tigers have not advanced to the second round of the NCAAs since 1997. Clemson has endured first-round failures the last two years. And Purnell is 0 for 5 in the tournament.

For all the similarities shared by first-round opponents -- 10th-seeded Missouri and seventh-seeded Clemson -- recent postseason success is not among them.

Missouri coach Mike Anderson led the Big 12 Tigers to the Elite Eight last year, and led UAB to the Sweet 16 in 2004. Purnell has yet to reach the second round, though he has taken Clemson, Dayton and Old Dominion to the tournament.

Is there an underlying issue Purnell has discovered to explain the tournament woes?

"Good teams, close games," Purnell said. "You can analyze it and analyze it. You just have to make plays down the stretch."

In order avoid a third consecutive loss in the NCAA Tournament, Purnell laid out three key objectives on Tuesday:

--Purnell expects the game to be close, so Clemson must make free throws at a high percentage. The Tigers are shooting 66 percent on the year from the line. Missouri is shooting 73 percent.

--The Tigers have to make jump shots to soften Missouri's defense for Trevor Booker. And there will be plenty of chances for 3s when beating Missouri's pressure or against its 2-3 zone.

--Poise is another key for Purnell. Missouri's full-court pressure will create scoring runs; the key is for Clemson to weather such situations and not get rattled.

While Purnell said he is not feeling pressure from past postseason letdowns, his players are.

When asked if the postseason losses have become a psychological burden, point guard Andre Young didn't disagree.

"Year after year it seems like Clemson gets put out early in these tournaments -- that's definitely on your shoulders," Young said. "The pressure of trying to come out and prevent that from happening again."

Sophomore Tanner Smith didn't realize the extent of Clemson's NCAA drought until he chatted with teammate David Potter, a senior, at practice on Monday.

"We don't have anyone on the team who has an NCAA Tournament win," Smith said. "The first time I really thought about it was (Monday). We were practicing and I was talking to (Potter), and he kind of said he never had gotten a win.

"I didn't know coach Purnell didn't have a win either."

In the days prior to the NCAA Tournament, Purnell is playing coach and psychologist.

Purnell said his club can have the negative mindset of "we lost the last two, is it going to happen again?"

Or the resolute approach: "by God, we lost the last two, we are going to get this one."

Not again -- or -- not this time.

A drought-continuing loss -- or -- a drought-ending win.

Purnell is hoping for the latter scenarios, and believes the outcome rests on choice and execution not fate.

Reach Travis Sawchik at tsawchik@postandcourier.com and check out his Clemson blog at www.postandcourier.om/blogs/tiger_tracks.