Ken Davis

Clemson coach Oliver Purnell could be laying a lot of attitude on us, the way so many coaches do these days.

He could tell us that he knew the Tigers were going to be this good. He could tell us the only opinions that matter are the ones inside his locker room. Purnell could talk about a lack of respect and everything that goes with that mentality.

The fact that Purnell has avoided that approach should tell you a lot about the man. And the path Purnell has selected when his team was the only unbeaten team in Division I should tell you even more.

Clemson’s 17-0 start matched the best in school history. Yes, the Tigers suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday to Maryland and didn’t fare well against North Carolina, but the Tigers are still irresistible as our choice for Surprise Team of the (Early) Season.

The national spotlight is on Purnell and his players now. It’s part admiration and part anticipation, because no one expects Clemson to run the table. But Purnell isn’t running away from the bright lights. He is telling his players to embrace the attention and enjoy the march through history.

“But at the same time, as you’re embracing it and enjoying it, understand that if you want to keep it going, you have to do the things that got you here,” Purnell said after the win in Raleigh, N.C. “They’ve done a pretty good job of that. ... I think they’re embracing it, but at the same time they’re staying grounded.”

The last time Clemson started 17-0 was in 1986-87. That was Horace Grant’s senior season. The way today’s players view history, that period in time might as well be the days of Ulysses S. Grant.

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Purnell’s only interest in history might be the fact that Clemson hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998. Barring a total disaster between now and March, the Tigers appear ready to snap that string. No one would have predicted that before the season.

In fact, a survey of four prominent preseason magazines reminds us just how surprising this start is for the Tigers. The highest ACC forecast for Clemson was eighth place. Another tabbed the Tigers ninth, with a comment that it would be “another unremarkable season for Clemson.” The other publications picked the Tigers and 11^th and 12^th in the 12-team conference.

Clemson is notorious for false starts, but this time is different. The Tigers were 11-0 last season, then fell apart in ACC play. But that had more to do with the academic ineligibility of center James Mayes. Clemson went on to lose 10 of 13 games without him. Eight of those losses were by six points or less.

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Now Clemson is 28-1 with Mays in the lineup. His defensive presence allows Purnell to play an aggressive style that features pressing defense and transition offense. Vernon Hamilton is a top-notch point guard who can also score. He led the Tigers with 21 points at N.C. State. And sophomore guard K.C. Rivers is just one of several players with tremendous athletic ability.

Road victories at Florida State and N.C. State have silenced the critics that said Clemson would collapse when ACC play began.

Despite the loss to Maryland, the Tigers still figure to be a major player in the ACC race. The best news for the Tigers is that they don’t play at North Carolina this season. Clemson has lost 52 consecutive times in Chapel Hill.