Purnell Talks about the Gamecocks

Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell addressed the media Friday on the Tigers' upcoming game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. "South Carolina is a similar team to Purdue, they are a quick athletic team that can get out in the lanes and pressure you some," said Purnell.

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Oliver Purnell Press Conference (12:13)

Coach Purnell Comments
"Obviously an important basketball game for both teams, and the rivalry makes it more important. But both teams are embarking on a season and it's early and you are trying to establish your team. We are coming off of a loss at Purdue and we want to see how we respond after a game like that."

"South Carolina is a similar team to Purdue, they are a quick athletic team that can get out in the lanes and pressure you some. It's not like a totally different style that you have to prepare for. Hopefully we are able to learn from what happened in this game this week. We talked long and hard about this rivalry in this state. You are either for Clemson or for South Carolina if you live here, so we know it's important. Just getting around the state and talking to people, it always comes up. It's very obvious that over the course of the spring and the summer and the fall how important this rivalry is."

"You really want to re-focus after a loss. You want to be able to learn from a loss. This year's team, that's important and in my mind it's always important to bounce back after a loss."

Chris Hobbs Comments
"We just have to play our game plan. We can't let them dictate what we do. We don't really rely on what the other team does and that's what we are faced with this year. We know South Carolina is athletic and can do a lot of things. It's a rivalry game, and anything can happen, and these kinds of games are usually really close."