It wasn't pretty, but UNC outlasts Wisconsin

Its easier to slow a game down than it is to speed a game up.

Remember that. Controlling pace is as much of an equalizer as the three-point shot, particularly for a team playing on the road. You limit the number of possessions, you keep your opponent from getting into a rhythm and, if you're playing on the road, you keep the crowd from getting into the game.

And that is why it wasn't until an 18-5 run midway through the second half that North Carolina, who was the No. 1 team in the country prior to their loss to UNLV in Vegas on Saturday, was able to gain control in Wednesday's 60-57 win over Wisconsin.

No team in the country is able to control the flow of a game like Wisconsin can. Want proof? Wisconsin went into Chapel Hill as the slowest team in the country. Literally. They were averaging just 58.9 possessions per game. North Carolina? They were the fifth-fastest team in the country at 73.9 possessions per game.


And this game? It had 59 possessions. In other words, the ball changed hands once every 20-or-so seconds.

That's what Wisconsin does. That's how they win. That's why Bo Ryan can always put a team on the floor that is going to win 25 games and finish in the top three or four in the Big Ten without the aid of future first-rounders. That's why every fall, Wisconsin is picked lower in the preseason than where they finish the year.

When the Badgers are playing their best basketball, they are taking 20-25 seconds off the shot clock before they even look at the rim. They then run one of their sets, and if nothing is open, the ball is put into the hands of their all-american point guard Jordan Taylor, and they allow him to make a play. They protect the basketball and avoid turnovers as well as any team in the country, and, more often than not, they end up getting a good look at the rim after forcing you to defend for most of the shot clock.

And on Wednesday, after weathering an early flurry from UNC -- the Tar Heels took a 19-10 lead in the first nine minutes of the game and looked to be on the verge and blowing the Badgers out -- that is precisely what Wisconsin did. For the next 19 minutes of game-time, the Badgers executed to perfection, taking the air out of the ball and hitting big shot after big shot. The only difference was that the guys making those shots were Ben Brust, Ryan Evans, and Jared Berggren, not Taylor.

At the 11:44 mark of the second half, Wisconsin had turned that 19-10 deficit into a 36-31 lead, using a 26-12 surge over the course of both halves to take complete control of the game.

UNC was on their heels. They were completely out of rhythm offensively and looked lost defensively. The performance was bad enough that it had people asking just how good this team actually is.

But Wisconsin gave the Heels an opening, and Roy Williams' team struck.


The Badger's next five shots all came way too early in the shot clock. At the same time, Harrison Barnes hit back-to-back jumpers to get UNC into a bit of a rhythm offensively, and that sparked their 18-5, game-changing run as they were able to open up the floor a little bit. Barnes had 10 of his game-high 20 points in that run, and when Dexter Strickland hit a seventeen-footer from the wing with 5:36 left to put the Heels up 49-41, this game was over for all intents and purposes.

That's why this is an impressive win for the Heels.

UNC had an off-night against a top ten team -- a team that is going to win 25 or 30 games and give Ohio State its stiffest test in the Big Ten -- and had allowed that team to take complete control of the game, but their best player made a couple of big shots and the Heels were able to strike when given an opening. Good teams win games even when they don't play their best, and UNC did just that on Wednesday night.


What we learned:

Wisconsin:

- The Badgers are going to cause a lot of people a lot of problems if they are able to hang with North Carolina on the road while getting a subpar effort out Jordan Taylor and Mike Bruesewitz. Yes, the all-american finished with 18 points, four assists and four rebounds, but he shot 6-20 from the floor and padded his stats with a couple buckets late in the game. Taylor struggled a bit when Dexter Strickland was switched onto him, but he also missed a bunch of open looks that he will knock down the majority of the time.

- Bruesewitz, on the other hand, was a no-show. He was in foul trouble which may have made it difficult for him to get into a rhythm, but off the top of my head, I cannot think of one good thing that he did for the Badgers tonight. That cannot happen, especially when Bruesewitz could have been a matchup problem for UNC's big men at the offensive end.

- That was the best that I've ever seen Ryan Evans play. He was active on the glass, he made some shots and he picked up a couple of blocks.

- Jared Berggren will be able to fill the role of the pick-and-pop center for Bo Ryan. He finished with 14 points and eight boards, which included a couple of triples and two gorgeous drives to the rim from the three point line.

- Ben Brust needs to rein in his shot-selection at times -- its a rule of basketball that you can't take heat-checks on back-to-back possessions if you miss the first -- but he's a talented kid that can shoot the ball and is fun to watch. Badger fans should be confident that they'll have another talented playmaker to follow in the footsteps of Taylor and Trevon Hughes.


North Carolina

- Dexter Strickland is probably a better defender than I realized. He's got length, he's quick laterally, he's athletic and he looks like he genuinely enjoys defending. His development will be important, because Kendall Marshall -- hell, the rest of the Tar Heel perimeter rotation -- has trouble defending a stop sign. Strickland's foul trouble is where you saw Leslie McDonald's value; the only time Taylor really got it going was at the end of the first half when Kendall Marshall was guarding him.

- I really hope that Harrison Barnes becomes a killer. And not in the Charles Manson sense of the word, in the Tu Holloway sense of the word. His height makes his pull-up jumper unguardable for perimeter defenders at this level. He came up big on Wednesday, hitting the two jumpers that sparked UNC's run.

- I don't think struggling is the correct word for North Carolina's half court execution. Clueless is a better word, as in they look like they've never even diagrammed a half court set on the whiteboard, let alone gone over it in practice. They stand around and swing the ball on the perimeter until someone over penetrates or settles for a jumper.

(because...)

- Roy Williams is famous for his secondary break, which is essentially a system to run once the ball has been pushed in transition but no shots have opened up. The beauty of the secondary break is that it can be run off of makes as well as misses. When UNC gets bogged down offensively its the result of a breakdown in their secondary break.
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UNLV upsets No. 1 UNC: A few quick thoughts

And No. 1 goes down.

North Carolina went into Orleans Arena and got dropped by a hot-shooting UNLV team, 90-80. The Runnin' Rebels shot 13-32 from three point range and made a number of big plays down the stretch -- momentum killing threes, key defensive stops, seemingly every loose ball. Since its late on a Saturday night and I don't have the energy to make this into a well-written, flowing post, we get ... BULLET POINTS!


- Mike Moser's addition to the Rebels might be even greater than we thought. He had 16 points, 17 boards and six assists playing against one of the best front lines in the country. His ability to hit the glass and stretch the floor offensively makes UNLV's offense that much more dangerous.

- Kendall Marshall cannot guard anyone. He's incredible at getting his teammates open looks, but he was absolutely torched by Oscar Bellfield tonight. Bellfield finished with 18 points and nine assists, getting into the paint at will and creating wide open threes for his teammates.

- North Carolina looked flustered when they got down in the second half. They did not respond well to the 14-0 run UNLV went on at the start of the second half. Part of the reason was that UNC was forced to become a half-court team; with UNLV hitting shot after shot, the Heels could not get out and run -- the best way to slow down a fast breaking team is to score. But UNC also made some really bad decisions in the half-court. They forced some shots, they missed some free throws and, frankly, they looked rushed and overwhelmed.

- UNLV wasn't much better down the stretch. They dodged a couple of bullets by getting lucky bounces off the offensive glass down the stretch. There were four or five possessions in the closing minutes where the Rebels fired away on threes way too early in the shot clock. When you are up by ten on the No. 1 team in the country with three minutes left -- particularly when that team is known for their ability to score in bunches -- quick threes are not the smartest way to try and protect the lead.

- You think UNC is worried about Wisconsin on Wednesday and Kentucky next Saturday now?

- Its very, very easy to pick-nits about how this game was played. But the bottom line is this: UNC did not play their best game, but a (large?) part of their struggles can be credited to the play of UNLV. The Rebels threw the first punch in both halves and had enough juice to hang on and win.

I'll have more on this tomorrow and Monday after I get a chance to a) rewatch the game and b) think about this without leftover tryptophan running through my veins.

(Image via bubbaprog. Great to have you back grabbing college hoops screenshots, Tim!
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Thoughts on UNC, Michigan State and the Carrier Classic

There is plenty to take out of North Carolina's 67-55 win over Michigan State on Friday night.

But the details of the game come secondary to the experience of the event. And I was a good 3,000 miles away from the USS Carl Vinson, watching the game couchside in my drafty apartment instead of courtside in the Coronado, California.

I mean, we got President Obama to come to a mid-November basketball game that included an unranked team! Granted, it took playing the game outdoors on an aircraft carrier to commemorate Veteran's Day, but the setting just made the game that much more incredible. There was legitimate concern about the game being rained out. Harrison Barnes voiced concern over the sun being in his eyes while he played. The court became slippery when the sun went down and the temperature dropped because of the condensation that formed.


And of course, there was the wind. Because, as Sidney Dean so memorably told us, out there on a boat, the wind can push the ball to the left or the right 6-8 inches.

Everything about the game and the setting was so perfect and so cool and tastefully done. The focus, of course, eventually ended up on the game, but the fact that ESPN was willing to broadcast 40 minutes worth of pregame ceremonies -- which included a speech from Obama and a delay in the first half for the Retiring of the Evening Colors -- was a nice touch that ensured there was plenty of emphasis on the real stars of the night: our veterans.

But there was an actual basketball game played, and seeing as this is a college basketball blog, it would probably make some sense to discuss it.

It would be silly to read too much into the results of Friday night. Not only was this the first game of the season, but it played on an outdoor court in front of the smallest, but easily the most important, crowd that either team will face this season. As such, I think we can reserve judgement on the shooting troubles -- particularly Michigan State's -- and the turnover issues that both teams had.

That said, there are a couple of things that we can take away from this game:


- North Carolina needs to find a way to get tougher inside. John Henson and Tyler Zeller can both do a lot of different things on a basketball court, but those two are approaching 14 feet of front court player and combined, may not crack 450 lb. It showed against Michigan State. While Henson managed to chalk up nine blocked shots, he finished with just seven boards in 31 minutes. Zeller only had six. In the meantime, the Spartans grabbed 24 offensive rebounds (48% OR) and, at times, physically overwhelmed UNC inside. If the Spartans didn't shoot so horribly, the Tar Heels would have been in some trouble. James McAdoo may eventually be the answer for UNC, as he's built like a tight end, but he's clearly still learning how to put his physical tools to use.

- Kendall Marshall threw some absolutely gorgeous passes tonight, and not all of them led to an assist. There are not many players in the country that are as good as he is as taking an outlet pass and, without using a dribble, passing ahead and hitting a streaking wing in stride. Some of the passes he threw were strikes, fitting the ball in an impossible window. The problem with taking some risks like that, however, is that those passes aren't always successful. Marshall finished the game with five turnovers. As much as I love when the difficult pass is thrown perfectly, the easy pass is usually the right pass.

- Michigan State is going to be just fine this season. While there is not the level on talent on this roster that there has been in recent years, this group is perfect for Tom Izzo. I've been saying it all preseason. They are physical defensively and they attack the glass on both ends of the floor. Yes, they had their issues offensively, but with so many new players this year -- and with so many returners playing new roles -- its understandable they would struggle. Keith Appling is in his first season as the starting point guard. Brandon Wood is playing his first season in the Big Ten. Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix are no longer part-time role players. Playing the No. 1 team on national television in front of the President is not exactly a pressure-free start to the year.

- I expect more out of Draymond Green. While the work he did on the back boards was thorough and he played admirably on the defensive end against a bigger and more athletic front line, his decision making offensively was fairly questionable. And I'm not just talking about late in the game, when he had to force things as the Spartans scrambled to try and mount a comeback. Even early in the game, there were times he forced the issue, took ill-advised shots (did he really think he could get off a turnaround jumper against John Henson on the block?) and turned the ball over. Again, tough conditions so I'll reserve judgement, but that will be something to keep an eye on. If Green is the star and the go-to player on this team, is he still going to be able to play within himself?
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North Carolina can withstand McDonald's injury

By now, you've likely heard that UNC guard Leslie McDonald, a rising junior, suffered a torn acl over the weekend playing in the NC Pro-Am.

I feel for McDonald. No one -- not even Duke fans, I'd hope -- wants to see a kid suffer an injury like this. Making it all the more heart-breaking is that McDonald was set to play a large role on a team that will be battling with Kentucky for the label of National Title favorites all season long.

"Not good. Basketball is very important to him, but I told him his whole life isn’t basketball and he’s going to be OK," McDonald's father told Gary Parrish when asked how Leslie was handling the injury.


North Carolina should be able the whether this blow, however. Forget the fact that this team will have a front line chock-full of future draft picks -- Tyler Zeller, John Henson, James Michael McAdoo -- and forget that the most important back court player on the team is point guard Kendall Marshall, the Heels are as deep as any team in the country on the perimeter.

Harrison Barnes will be a first-team all-american on every preseason team worth paying attention to. Dexter Strickland started over McDonald last season and was second on the team in assists. Reggie Bullock, a five-star recruit in the class of 2010, has been cleared after offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus that bothered him during the season. And incoming freshman PJ Hairston has reportedly been tearing up the very same summer league that McDonald was injured in.

You ever hear of the saying too many cooks in the kitchen?

This may be a blessing in disguise for McDonald. If he does miss the season, he'll be granted an extra year of eligibility where he will be able to get more minutes and more shot opportunities. He'll have two years left to play on a team that will could send as many as five players to the first round of the 2012 draft.

I also want to address something I saw quite a bit on twitter after McDonald's injury.

UNC fans were upset that McDonald suffered the injury playing in a summer league. Frankly, its an idiotic notion. These guys have to play during the summer. Simply working out -- getting up jumpers, perfecting ball-handling, developing new moves, lifting weights -- is not enough if you don't have the chance to learn how to use those new skills in a game-setting against quality competition.

There isn't a place to play during the summer where you will get competition much better than the NC Pro-Am, a league that features the best high school and college players in North Carolina that also gets a number of professionals returning.

And the way that McDonald injured his knee -- having it buckle when he was trying to take a step-back jumper -- could have happened anytime.

Its a freak injury. But don't blame it on a kid trying to get better during the summer. That's exactly what you want him to be doing as a fan.
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The ending was a disappointment, but this was still a great season for UNC

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

The season may have come to a disappointing end, losing to Kentucky 76-69 in the East Regional final, but this was not a disappointing year for North Carolina.

In fact, if I had told you on January 17th -- the day after North Carolina lost to Georgia Tech by 20 points -- that the Tar Heels would win the ACC regular season title and make it to the Elite 8, I think that every single Carolina Blue clad fan would have been ecstatic.

Last season, North Carolina skidded their way to a .500 season, finishing 5-11 in ACC play and ending up in the NIT. In the offseason, they lost Ed Davis to early entry, the Wear twins to a transfer, and Will Graves to a violation of team rules. Despite all of that drama, there was still plenty of talent of the roster. And as a stockpile of McDonald's all-americans tends to do, the expectations for this team built.


The Heels were considered one of the top 15 teams in the country in the preseason. They were thought to be Duke's one true contender for an ACC title. But, once again, North Carolina fizzled at the start of the season. A 12-5 start combined with a couple of underwhelming wins against overmatched opponents dropped the Heels all the way out of the top 25.

It looked like North Carolina was once again going to be headed to a disappointing finish to the season.

But thanks to a midseason switch at the point, from Larry Drew to Kendall Marshall, the Heels suddenly were a power house. Their fast break was clicking. Tyler Zeller and John Henson became a formidable front line. And Harrison Barnes finally found the rhythm that had all the analysts predicting he would be an all-american during the preseason.

I'm not big on moral victories, especially when dealing with a program like North Carolina, whose blue-blooded pedigree and endless recruiting budget puts them at an advantage over just about every one of the 345 other D-I programs.

That said, disappointed and frustrated Tar Heel fans need to remember where this team was two months ago.

North Carolina had a fantastic finish to the season. In a year full of disappointing finishes and underperforming powerhouses, the Tar Heels were a bright spot. Two freshmen injected life into this team midway through the season and made North Carolina relevant in the national title picture.

Carolina fans have a right to be disappointed. You should never be happy with a loss.

But when those kids arrived back in Chapel Hill tonight, I hope that they got a heroes welcome. They gave you something to cheer about until late March. There are a lot of teams that wish they could say that.

And hey, you still made it farther than Duke. That counts for something, right?
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VIDEO: UNC comes back from 19 down to beat Miami FL on a buzzer beater

North Carolina never led.

Miami jumped out to a 15-8 lead, forcing UNC into 14 first half turnovers and aggravating Roy Williams to the point that the Tar Heel head coach put in five walk-ons for a few possessions midway through the first half.

Simply put, it was ugly. Miami was up 31-22 at the half and pushed that lead to 53-34 with 9:56 left on the clock. That's when it all started to come unglued.

North Carolina caught fire from beyond the arc and Miami, well, collapsed. Over the last nine minutes, the Hurricanes were 1-13 from the floor. They turned the ball over four times. After UNC had tied the game at 59 for the first time since it was 7-7, Miami proceeded to throw the ball out of bounds, setting up an exciting final possession for the Heels:





The Heels survive and advance to face the winner of Clemson and Boston College, leaving open the possibility that they can capture a one seed on Sunday.

For Miami, this trip to the NCAA Tournament epitomizes this team and, perhaps, the program under Frank Haith. Yesterday, the Canes came back from 10 down in the final forty seconds to knock of Virginia after scoring just 43 points in the first 39:20 of the game.

Today, they blew a 19 point lead in the final ten minutes of the game against UNC with a dizzying display of offensive ineptitude.

The talent is there, but the execution, the chemistry, and the confidence is missing.
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Previewing the Madness: The ACC

The unlikeliest conference finish of the season belongs to the ACC, where North Carolina, the team that everyone had left for dead heading into conference play, is champ.

Duke was the favorite coming into the season. Not the favorite to win just win the ACC, but to win everything. Hell, if was just three months ago that we were talking about the possibility of the Blue Devils going undefeated. Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?

The rest of the ACC has been mired in mediocrity all season long, with teams like Florida State and Virginia Tech going from ranked in the top 25 to the bubble conversation. And while that mediocrity has made for, at times, some ugly basketball, it hasn't caused a like of excitement or intrigue heading into the league tournament.

With three teams -- Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Clemson -- sitting on the bubble's cut line and a fourth -- Maryland -- a run to the final away from a bid, there will be plenty decided over the next four days in Greensboro Coliseum.

Where: Greensboro, NC

When: March 10th-13th

Final: March 13th, 1:00 pm, ESPN


Favorite: Duke Blue Devils

I know, I know, I know. North Carolina just ran Duke off of the court in the regular season finale, locking up the regular season title in the process. And while North Carolina is currently the hottest team in the conference, if not the country, I am not yet ready to hand over the title of tournament favorite just yet. Duke is experienced. They've won titles before, including last year's national title. For my money, the national player of the year is on Duke's roster in the form of Nolan Smith. Seth Curry is turning into a dangerous complimentary scorer. And Kyle Singler? Well, if you remember, last year's Final Four most outstanding player had a relatively ho-hum regular season in 2009-2010 as well.

• Other Contenders: Having said all that about the Dukies, if they are the favorite, then North Carolina is the favorite with an asterisk. Since Larry Drew was benched in favor on Kendall Marshall, the Tar Heels are one bad half away from winning out. Harrison Barnes is finally living up to the hype he had coming into the season. John Henson and Tyler Zeller are playing as well as they have in their entire careers. But winning under pressure is a learned skill. North Carolina has a young roster that hasn't experienced much success in their careers. I may end up looking foolish here, but I am not ready to hand over the title of tournament favorite just yet.
  

Sleeper: Virginia Tech Hokies

Ugh. I hate putting any kind of faith in Seth Greenberg's teams late in the season. But at some point, they have to come away with some big wins, right? Outside of Duke and UNC, the Hokies are probably the most talented team in the conference with Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen on their roster. They also knocked off Duke two weekends ago, which gives me some faith that this team can still wake up before the season is over.

• Deeper Sleepers: Can I call Florida State a sleeper? Even if Chris Singleton comes back for the tournament? He's been participating in some non-contact drills, so may his foot heels up in time. Regardless, this team has been better on the offensive end of the floor without Singleton and they still have size inside and some good defenders on the perimeter. Boston College's Reggie Jackson could very well be the best player in the ACC not named Nolan Smith, and when he gets help in the form of Joe Trapani, Corey Raji, and Biko Paris, the Eagles are a tough out.
  

Players to Watch:

• Jordan Williams, Maryland: Williams may very well be the best big man in the ACC. He's physical on the block, he can create position, and he is an excellent rebounder. When he is finishing inside and hitting his free throws, Williams is a legitimate 20-10 guy.
• Reggie Jackson, Boston College: I'm not talking about Mr. October. Jackson is an excellent scorer with range that can create for his teammates as well. He is also a tremendous leaper that has his share of poster dunks in his career.

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POSTERIZED: Dexter dunks on defensless dukie

There aren't many things in college basketball better than the Tobacco Road rivalry. Except when the game decides the ACC regular season title.

So the stage was set for something special.

And Dexter Strickland delivered.



(H/T The Tar Heel Fan)

But was it as good as one of these?:

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Reggie Bullock out for the season

UNC got some bad news this afternoon when it was discovered that one of their prized freshmen, 6'7" wing Reggie Bullock, would be out for the season with a torn meniscus. He will undergo surgery on the knee.

"I am just heart-broken for Reggie," UNC coach Roy Williams said in a prepared statement. "He had surgery on the same knee last year and that has bothered him at various times throughout the season. There's no doubt that is why he has struggled somewhat with his shot over the last few weeks, but at the same time he's played really well defensively, helped us on the boards and often gave us a nice spark off the bench."

"He's had a great attitude all year. Plus, he's gone through so much with the loss of his grandmother in January, whom he was so very close to. Every person on this team will support Reggie and help him get ready for next year."


Bullock hurt the knee in the first half of Sunday's win over Maryland, but its not the first time he has had a problem with it. He missed the UNC-Asheville game earlier this season and sat out a couple of practices after the Clemson game in January. He had surgery on that knee last season.

Bullock has been inconsistent this season. He's had a couple of games where he found his shooting stroke, but largely he's been an erratic jump shooter, possibly because of the knee.

This puts UNC in a bit of a quandary. Thanks to the defections of the Wear twins and Larry Drew and the decision to kick Will Graves off the team back in October, Roy Williams will be down to just eight scholarship players.
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Kendall Marshall's interesting superstition

By now, we have likely all heard about Kendall Marshall's terrific performance as North Carolina's featured point guard in Sunday afternoon's 89-69 win over Florida State.

In case you missed it, he had 16 assists -- not 16 points, 16 assists, which is a record for UNC players in ACC play -- in 36 minutes while turning the ball over just three times.

Wrap your head around that. Playing his first game as North Carolina's lone option at the point, Marshall set a school record for assists in a conference game. He also set a record for freshmen. The only Tar Heels to ever record more assists in a game? Raymond Felton, Ed Cota, and Jeff Lebo. That's pretty good company. Keep in mind, Marshall didn't do this against Wake Forest. He did it against Florida State, who came into the game rated as the second best defensive team in the country.

And you wonder why people were calling for him to start since early in the season?

None of that, however, is the best part of this story. Dan Wiederer explains:

Marshall wasn't totally overcome with anxiety. And despite playing 18 minutes in the first half, he wasn't completely gassed either. But somewhere along the line in his basketball career, Marshall began throwing up as a way of hitting the reset button, a habit he had throughout high school and revisited Sunday.

"I told myself I needed to throw up if I was going to play in the second half," Marshall said. "So I went into the bathroom, threw up and came out ready to play."

Ok, then.

Maybe Roy Williams should invest in a couple of bottles of ipecac to keep in the locker room.
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2/7 - College Hoops Week in Review: UNC's back, baby!

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

Game of the Week: Arizona 107, Cal 105 3OT

Arizona was in control for much of the early portion of Saturday's Pac-10 tilt with the Golden Bears. They took a six point lead into halftime and pushed it to nine midway through the second half. But Cal wasn't going anywhere, as they used an 11-0 run to turn a 59-51 deficit into a 62-59 lead. The Bears eventually would take a 75-70 lead with less than a minute left. That is when the Momo Jones show starter.


Jones found Kevin Parrom for a three with 33 seconds left that cut Cal's lead to two, and after a Brandon Smith free throw, Jones scored an and-one with 16 seconds remaining that forced overtime. At the end of the first overtime, Allen Crabbe scored four straight points that tied the game at 87 and forced a second extra frame. In the second overtime, Jones was once again the hero, hitting a three with six seconds left that tied the game at 98 and forced a third extra frame.

Then, in the third overtime, Jones scored on a layup with 1:06 left that put Arizona up for good 104-103. Kevin Parrom, who had a career-high 25 points to support the career-high 27 that Jones had, hit three free throws down the stretch to seal it. Cal had a chance to tie the game, but Arizona fouled them with two seconds left up three points.



It must be noted: Harvard 83, Penn 82

In one of the best games in recent Ivy League history, Penn came back from 18 points down in the second half to force two overtimes against league heavyweight Harvard. In the second OT, Harvard was down by three points with 90 ticks left on the clock, but they got three consecutive stops and a bucket from Oliver McNally that eventually won the game.



I would go more in depth, but John Ezekowitz did me one better with a terrific write-up for College Hoops Journal.


Player of the Week: Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer, Wisconsin

The Badgers strung together two really nice wins this week, knocking off Purdue at home to pull into a tie in second place in the Big Ten standings before blowing out Michigan State at home by 26 points. And while I wish I could pick one of these two to name the player of the week, they were both that impressive.


Taylor was better against Michigan State, lighting up Kalin Lucas to the tune of 30 points on 9-13 shooting while also handing out six assists and turning the ball over just once. Jon Leuer had a respectable 20 points and six boards in the blowout of the Spartans, but he was better against Purdue, finishing with 24 points and 13 boards while outplaying Purdue star JaJuan Johnson. Taylor had 15 points, seven boards, and five assists against Purdue.

Leuer and Taylor have both been terrific all season long. They will need to be on Saturday, as Ohio State visits Madison.

The all-they-were-good-too team:

• G: Andrew Goudelock, Charleston: Goudelock averaged 27.0 ppg as the Cougars blew out both Wofford and Furman, taking over sole possession of first place in the SoCon.
  
• G: Kendall Marshall, UNC: The performance of note was Marshall going for nine points and 16 assists (a UNC record for ACC play) with just three turnovers in 36 minutes against Florida State. Larry who? Harrison Barnes also deserves a mention, as he averaged 21.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg for the week.
  
• F: Chandler Parsons, Florida: Parsons has been a different player since conference play began, and this week he played two of his best games of the season. In wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky, Parsons averaged 17.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, and 3.5 apg.
  
• F: Ryan Pearson, George Mason: Pearson was one of the biggest reasons that the Patriots swept Hofstra and Old Dominion and have moved into a tie in first place in the CAA. He averaged 18.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg.
  
• C: Mason Plumlee, Duke: Plumlee had his two best games of the season since Kyrie Irving was injured, finishing with 12 points and 11 boards in 36 minutes against Jordan Williams of Maryland and then going for 16 points and 12 boards against NC State. Plumlee had four steals and three blocks for the week while shooting 13-15 from the floor.
  
• Bench: Ben Hanbrough, Notre Dame (24.5 ppg, 4.0 apg in a 2-0 week); Marshon Brooks, Providence (43 points, 10 boards in loss to Georgetown); Anthony Hill, Milwaukee (29 points, 15 boards vs. Green Bay); Scootie Randall (20.5 ppg in a 2-0 week, including 27 points, seven boards vs. Rhode Island); Alex Young, IUPUI (27.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg in 2-0 week including 31 points, nine boards in a win over Oakland); Anthony Nelson, Niagara (10 points, 10 boards, 14 assists vs. Marist); Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State (37 points, 19 boards, six blocks vs. Coppin State)
  

Team of the Week: North Carolina Tar Heels

UNC had an eventful week. It started off with a road trip Boston College in a snow storm that resulted in the Heels beating the Eagles 106-74. Harrison Barnes was on fire for the second straight game, scoring 26 points on 9-15 shooting, Reggie Bullock hit four threes in the span of three minutes, and, most importantly, the Heels got their best game out of their point guard rotation, as Larry Drew and Kendall Marshall combined for seven points and 15 assists while turning the ball over just three times.


Then on Friday, Drew quit. He up and left the team without warning, putting the Heels in what appeared to be a tough spot. Marshall was forced to play a career-high 36 minutes, and made quite a few folks down in Chapel Hill forget about Drew. He had 16 assists (a record for UNC players in ACC play) and just three turnovers while helping UNC score 89 points against the nation's second best defensive team.

North Carolina blew out their third straight opponent and, at least for now, appears to have become Duke's only legitimate contender for the ACC regular season title. We will know by Wednesday, when UNC will play their first game against the Dukies.


Who else had a good week:

• Florida: After beating both Vanderbilt and Kentucky this week, the Gators have moved a game ahead of Tennessee in the SEC East and two games ahead of the rest of the division. For a team whose biggest question mark is the decision making of their back court players, the Gators have proven to be a very good team in the clutch, winning a lot of close games against good teams. They've won 10 of 12 since their loss to Jacksonville, including a four point win at Xavier, a six point OT win at Tennessee, a five point win at Auburn, a double overtime win at Georgia, and this week's four point win against Vanderbilt and two point win at Florida.


• Wisconsin: The Badgers may not be able to win away from the Kohl Center (honestly, who can this season), but they certainly are proving their dominance at home. After beating Purdue on Tuesday night, the Badgers pounded Michigan State on Sunday. With Jordan Taylor playing like an all-american and Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil proving to be the matchup nightmare we all knew they would be, the Badgers look like a team you don't want to play in March.
  


• Villanova: The Wildcats bounced back from losing three of four to sweep Marquette and West Virginia this week. Those wins became all the more important when Pitt's Ashton Gibbs sprained his mcl, which will force him out of the lineup for the next two weeks. Villanova is one of three teams sitting two games back of the Panthers in the Big East standings, and the Wildcats get Pitt on Saturday.


• Oregon: The Ducks, who have the talent of a team that would struggle in the WAC, are currently sitting at 5-6 in the Pac-10 after sweep the Washington schools at home this week. Joevan Catron has developed into one of the best post players in the conference, and Dana Altman has to be in the conversation when you talk about the best coaching jobs this season.

• Alabama: Believe it or not, the Crimson Tide sit all alone atop the SEC standings at the midway point of conference play. They are 7-1 after winning at Tennessee in overtime on Saturday and beating Mississippi State at home on Wednesday. As we wrote on Saturday, the most interesting part about Alabama's start to the season is that they are far from a lock to earn an at-large bid, and could very well be kept home from the tournament should they win the SEC regular season title.


• Syracuse: The Orange bounced back from a four game losing streak -- and managed to play off the rumor and innuendo surrounding their program -- by going into Hartford and knocking off UConn. The Orange followed that up with a win over South Florida in Florida.


• Charleston: The Cougars took control off the SoCon's southern division by routing both of the other contenders. Charleston beat Wofford by 28 points -- outscoring them 45-15 in the second half -- before knocking off Furman by 19. The Cougars also took sole possession of first place in the SoCon thanks to a loss by northern division leader Chattanooga.


• George Mason: The Patriots knocked off both Hofstra and Old Dominion this week, and in convincing fashion. They beat the Pride by 19 points and took out the Monarchs at home by 17. Mason has now won nine straight games to move into a first place tie with VCU, who lost at Northeastern on Wednesday.

• UCLA: The Bruins knocked off both St. John's and USC this week, meaning that they have now won seven of their last eight games and moved all alone into second place in the Pac-10 thanks to Washington's tough week.


• Coastal Carolina: The Chanticleers took a full two game lead in the Big South thanks to a win over Liberty. CCU has now swept the Flames, and have won 20 straight games since losing to Georgetown in the Charleston Classic.


• Princeton: The Tigers jumped into first place in the Ivy League this week after sweeping Harvard and Dartmouth. Princeton sits a game in front of both the Crimson and Penn in the Ivy League standings. The last two games of the Tiger's season? At Harvard and at Penn.

Matchups of the Week:

• 2/7- 7:00 pm: Pitt @ West Virginia
• 2/7 - 9:00 pm: Missouri @ Kansas
• 2/8 - 7:00 pm: Xavier @ Georgia
• 2/8 - 7:00 pm: Penn @ Princeton
  
• 2/8 - 9:00 pm: Tennessee @ Kentucky
• 2/9 - 7:00 pm: Louisville @ Notre Dame
• 2/9 - 7:00 pm: Georgetown @ Syracuse
• 2/9 - 9:00 pm: UNC @ Duke
• 2/10 - 7:00 pm: UConn @ St. John's
• 2/10 - 9:00 pm: Illinois @ Minnesota
• 2/10 - 9:00 pm: Alabama @ Vanderbilt
• 2/12 - 12:00 pm: Syracuse @ Louisville
• 2/12 - 1:00 pm: Kentucky @ Vanderbilt
  
• 2/12 - 2:00 pm: Ohio State @ Wisconsin
• 2/12 - 6:00 pm: Tennessee @ Florida
  
• 2/12 - 9:00 pm: SDSU @ UNLV
  
• 2/12 - 9:00 pm: Pitt @ Villanova
• 2/13 - 1:00 pm: Marquette @ Georgetown
• 2/13 - 1:00 pm: Minnesota @ Illinois
  

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Turning point for UNC wasn't the switch at the point

One of the preeminent talking points of this college basketball season has been the struggles of the ACC.

As a whole, the league is down, riding the success of Duke to keep them above the likes of the Pac-10 in conference pecking order. But with the embarrassing loss handed to the Blue Devils by St. John's on Sunday afternoon, questions regarding the overall strength of the ACC grow louder and louder.

That said, Duke's disappointing performance since Kyrie Irving went down -- which I detailed in this post -- has done more than just force us to question how many ACC teams will eventually make the tournament.

It may have opened the door for their Tobacco Road rivals to make a run at the ACC title.


North Carolina didn't exactly have a dominating start to the season. They lost their first four games against notable competition, and while their win over Kentucky back in early December was nice (and aided by an ill-timed Terrence Jones nap), the Heels struggled to knock off lesser competition. After less than impressive wins against Virginia and Virginia Tech, the Heels were essentially written off nationally when Georgia Tech swept the floor with them in a 20 point beatdown.

It didn't help matters that North Carolina was coming off of a season in which they crumbled during ACC play and were relegated to the NIT.

After that Georgia Tech loss, Roy Williams finally made a change. He promoted freshman Kendall Marshall to the starting lineup while sending junior Larry Drew II to the bench. It was a move that Carolina fans had been calling for for a long time and one that has, well, been relatively unimportant. Regardless of who has started for the Heels, both Marshall and Drew essentially split time at the point. Neither has seen a dramatic improvement or drop off in the three games since the change, and down the stretch against both Clemson and Miami, Williams opted to go offense-defense, bringing in Drew every time Marshall was on the floor for a defensive possession and putting Marshall back in when UNC had the ball.

I know that this change happened to coincide with three straight UNC wins, but I don't think that the change is what has sparked this winning streak. Replacing one mediocre point guard with another slightly-better-but-still-far-from-great point guard doesn't change the course of a season.

If I had to pick a turning point in the season, it would be the last minute of UNC's win over Miami. As he has been essentially all season, Harrison Barnes was struggling with his jumpshot. He was 2-9 from the floor, he had just six points, and UNC was down 71-69 with just 1:13 left on the clock. Barnes proceeded to knock down a jumper shot to tie the game, and one possession later he hit a three with just 6.6 seconds on the clock that turned out to be the game-winner.



Now the general consensus on what has ailed Barnes, the first freshman to ever be named a preseason AP all-american, this season has been confidence more than anything. Based on his play against NC State, those two late jumpers against the Hurricanes gave Barnes that confidence. The freshman had 25 points on 10-16 shooting against the Wolfpack on Saturday.

Now I know that is just one data point, and one data point is no where near a large enough sample size to draw any kind of conclusion. But its worth talking about. That game was the first time that Barnes scored more than 20 points in his collegiate career. It was the first time he made more than seven field goals. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, his best performance as a freshman, and probably not a coincidence that it came just three days after he won a game for the Tar Heels.

UNC's issue this season, ironically, has not been on the defensive end of the floor. According to Kenpom's rankings, they are actually the seventh-best defensive team in the country. While John Henson and Tyler Zeller aren't as burly as you would like, they are both long, athletic, run the floor, and do an admirable job protecting the rim and rebounding the ball given their physical limitations.

Where the Heels struggle is on the offensive end of the floor. Its no secret why. Roy Williams likes to have his team run in transition and relies on a point guard that can create shots -- whether they are dunks for his big men or open threes for his shooters. As of now, however, UNC fans are going to need to accept the fact that they are probably going to have less-than-optimal play from their point guards this season. It happens. Drew isn't very good offensively, and as well as Marshall passes the ball, he turns the ball over way too much and may actually be a worse jump shooter than Drew.

As a result, the Heels are just the 72nd most efficient offense in the country.

If Barnes can find a rhythm -- well, build on the rhythm he found on Saturday -- on the offensive end of the floor, it makes the Heels a much more potent offensive team. Struggles or not, there is a reason that everyone that saw Barnes play in high school thought he was going to be a star at this level. How many teams would love to be able to add a potential all-american to their roster at the end of January?

Which brings me back to Duke.

The has been almost no positive buzz surrounding UNC this season, but the Heels are currently all alone in second place in the ACC, a game behind Duke in the win column.

Once again, one data point is not enough to draw any reliable conclusions, but it should serve notice that UNC had their best game of the ACC season against NC State when Barnes went off.

The Tar Heels have a back loaded ACC schedule -- they still have to play Florida State, Boston College, and Duke twice each.

But keep an eye on the Heels.

With Harrison Barnes playing like the high school all-american Harrison Barnes, UNC is capable of making a run at the ACC title.

And if they do, remember the moment that turned their season around.
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Conference Play Primer: The ACC

Favorite: Duke Blue Devils

I'm not expecting too much of an argument on that one. Not only is Duke the No. 1 team in the country right now -- even without Kyrie Irving -- but the rest of the ACC has been just pitiful. People are legitimately discussing whether or not Duke has a chance to go undefeated this season, and I guarantee that there are more people that think Duke won't lose a game than think the Blue Devils won't win the ACC.


Player of the Year: Reggie Jackson, Boston College

There are a number of legitimate Player of the Year options in the ACC at this point in the season, but I'm going with Jackson. He's second in the conference in both scoring (19.2) and assists (5.0) while grabbing 4.4 rpg and shooting an obscene 50.9% from three. He's also been the catalyst in BC's resurgence under Steve Donahue, carrying the team to a 10-2 mark here early in the season, which includes a win on the road against Maryland in their ACC opener. As crazy as it may sound, BC might just be the second best team in the ACC. And Reggie Jackson is the reason why.

All-Conference Team:

• G: Nolan Smith, Duke: 17.1 ppg, 5.4 apg, 4.6 rpg
  
• F: Kyle Singler, Duke: 17.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
  
• F: Chris Singleton, FSU: 14.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.1 spg, 2.4 bpg
  
• F: Mike Scott, UVa: 15.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg (takes Kyrie Irving's spot)
  
• C: Jordan Williams, Maryland: 18.2 ppg, 11.9 rpg
  

Biggest Surprise: Virginia Tech Hokies

Boston College has probably been the only team in the conference that has been a surprise in a positive way. Since I don't want to talk about the Eagles, I'll go the other direction. This was supposed to be Virginia Tech's year to breakthrough. With senior Malcolm Delaney leading this way, the Hokie's were going to have the supporting cast around the ACC Player of the Year as they gave Duke a run for their money atop the conference. That was the plan, anyway. Then Allan Chaney had a heart condition discovered, JT Thompson tore his acl, and Virginia Tech struggled through the non-conference portion of their schedule before finding out that Dorenzo Hudson, last year's leading scorer, would miss the rest of the season due to injury. Without a quality win, and with very few quality wins available in the ACC this year, it looks as if the Hokies will once again miss the NCAA Tournament.

Biggest Disappointment: Harrison Barnes

Since I'm not going to simply answer "the conference as a whole" (because that would be too correct accurate easy), I'll go with Barnes. Barnes has been far from bad this season. He is the Tar Heel's second leading scorer at 12.3 ppg, which, as an incoming freshman, is commendable. The problem is that with the hype bestowed upon this young man this season, "commendable" is not good enough. Barnes was named CBSSports.com preseason national Player of the Year and became the first freshman to ever be named an AP Preseason All-American. Its not his fault that he had this much hype coming in, but he certainly hasn't lived up to those expectations. Its not an issue of talent, it seems more to be an issue of confidence. Barnes is not playing as aggressive as many expected him to, and he certainly isn't shooting the ball all that well. There is still time for him to turn things around. Personally, I'm hoping he will; Barnes seems like a genuinely good kid.


Teams to keep an eye on:

• NC State: Don't write off the Wolfpack just yet. If you remember, last year's leading scorer and rebounder, big man Tracy Smith, is still out of the lineup with a knee injury he suffered early on in the season. With as much young talent as Sidney Lowe has on that roster, missing your best and most experienced player was expected to yield some growing pains.
• Florida State: Chris Singleton is probably the best individual defensive player in the country. With the Seminole's size, they are one of the best half court defensive teams in the country as well. Offense is their problem, as they don't seem to run anything at that end of the floor, but Singleton looked improved on that end at the Diamond Head Classic.
• Maryland: The Terps have talent on their roster, especially in the front court where Jordan Williams anchors an athletic front line. Their issue is in the back court. Two freshmen and Adrian Bowie have been sharing point guard duties, and it hasn't gone all that well. Maryland has four losses, but all four were winnable games that the Terps cost themselves with poor decision making down the stretch.
• North Carolina: There is just too much talent on this team to ignore. Will they put it all together? I don't know. But December is too early to write off a team with seven Burger Boys on the roster.
• Miami FL: Two great guards, a hoss in the middle, and a couple of athletes on the wing? What more does a team need in this conference?
  

Teams to forget about:

• Virginia Tech: Injuries and illnesses have just decimated this team's depth and talent level. Malcolm Delaney is a player, but there just isn't enough on this roster.
• Georgia Tech: The loss to Kennesaw State was bad, as that team as not won a game since then. But then three days before Christmas the Yellow Jackets went to Siena and lost to a Saints team that was without Clarence Jackson and that had a banged up Ryan Rossiter in the second half. Paul Hewitt is lucky he got the contract he did after that Final Four season.
  

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UNC's struggles continue, is it time to start the freshmen?

The question was asked about 35 times last night on my twitter feed, but it deserves to be repeated: has any team ever struggled this much with seven McDonald's all-americans on the roster?

Because that is what Roy Williams is working with this season.

Seriously, count them up:

1. Harrison Barnes, 2010
2. Kendall Marshall, 2010
3. Reggie Bullock, 2010
4. John Henson, 2009
5. Dexter Strickland, 2009
6. Tyler Zeller, 2008
7. Larry Drew, 2008

With that much talent on the roster -- remember, there was seven burger boys on the UNC roster last season with Ed Davis and David and Travis Wear -- its almost inconceivable that the Tar Heels could once again be headed to a disappointing season.*

*(One issue that many people have is with the voting for the McDonald's all-american teams. Simply put, it is a flawed system that does not seem to have the right people voting. It places undo expectations and pressure on kids that may not be good enough to handle it.)


But it appears they are after Illinois handed UNC a 79-67 defeat in Champaign on Tuesday night. That final is closer than the game actually was; the Illini held a lead well into the double digits for the majority of the second half.

Less than two weeks ago, I wrote about the issues with this Carolina team, and none of them have changed -- although I would recommend being a bit more concerned if I was a Tar Heel fan. I guess the next step is to ask how we can right this ship.

For starters, I think its time to hand the reins over to Kendall Marshall at the point. Its clear that right now, Larry Drew is not the answer. He may be a better fit ideally in the UNC system than Marshall, but he is simply not playing the way a starting point guard has too. In seven games this season, Drew has just 24 assists compared to 17 turnovers, and those numbers got a big boost from the 7 assists, 3 turnover game he had against Illinois. He's taken just 27 shots this season, scored just 25 points, and -- get this -- made just six field goals.

Six field goals! In seven games! From your starting point guard!

That's unacceptable.

Having Marshall run this team is not ideal. He's not the best fit and he is just a freshman. But right now he is the better option. Drew is a talented kid, but he is just not playing with any confidence. And while benching him may destroy what's left of that confidence, it is better than digging a hole that the Heels cannot work their way out of. Getting Marshall some experience being the No. 1 point guard against top quality competition before the ACC season kicks off may be the answer.

Its also time to take Dexter Strickland out of the starting lineup. He looks just as lost as Drew does. Reggie Bullock, another freshman, may not be ready to handle being a starter yet either, but he at least is coming out firing.

This is what is sticking out in my mind from last night's game for the Heels. On more than one possession, Strickland caught the ball wide open at the three point line and did nothing. He didn't shoot and he didn't attack the basket. He just stood there with the ball. That, to me, shows either a lack of ability or a lack of confidence in his ability, neither of which are a good thing. Bullock has been shooting well and is scoring more than Strickland. When he got a chance in the second half tonight, he missed his first three shots. A few possessions later, Bullock found himself open from three. He immediately pulled the trigger and knocked the shot down.

Maybe its me, but I would rather have the ill-prepared freshman out there playing confidently than the sophomore who is in line to start that is playing tentatively.

As for Harrison Barnes, Roy Williams is simply going to have to wait that one out. He's too talented, and his struggles seem, by all accounts, to be more of a result of the burden of expectations than anything.

There is no way that Roy Williams will get fired from North Carolina. Not when he has won two of the last six national titles.

But if he continues to swing and miss on these talented recruits and continues to lose with a roster full of high school all-americans, eventually his ability as a coach is going to begin to be called into question.
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No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels

To browse through the rest of our Top 50 Countdown, click here.

Last Season: 20-17, 5-11 (t-9th ACC), lost to Dayton in the finals of the NIT

Head Coach: Roy Williams

Key Losses: Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, Travis Wear, David Wear, Will Graves

Newcomers: Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, Reggie Bullock, Justin Knox

Projected Lineup:

• G: Larry Drew, Jr.
  
• G: Reggie Bullock, Fr.
  
• F: Harrison Barnes, Fr.
  
• F: John Henson, So.
  
• C: Tyler Zeller, Jr.
  
• Bench: Justin Knox, Sr.; Kendall Marshall, Fr.; Dexter Strickland, So.; Leslie McDonald, So.; Justin Watts, Jr.
  

Outlook: North Carolina was arguably the most disappointing team in the country in 2009-2010. Despite losing three first round picks and four starters from their 2009 national title team, the Tar Heels were expected to compete for the ACC title, and possibly a Final Four, on the strength of a talented front line and a loaded recruiting class. Instead, UNC never found a rhythm, struggled mightily to replace Ty Lawson's leadership at the point, and found themselves buried at the bottom of the ACC.

As they were forced to do last season, the Heels will be have to replace quite a bit of talent this year, especially in the front court. Starters Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are gone, as are the Wear twins. The two guys that do return up front, Tyler Zeller and John Henson, both seem to be in line for big seasons. Zeller has the potential to be the Heel's rock inside. A legitimate seven-footer, Zeller has battled injuries his first two seasons. But when he is healthy, he has a solid post game. He can score with either hand, has a nice touch around the rim, and has a good feel for taking advantage of what the defense gives him. With increased touches next season, Zeller is going to need an improved repertoire in the paint but he should be able to handle being a focal point offensively.

Henson is a guy that could develop into a star. He really struggled early last season when Roy Williams tried using him as a three. He's not a three, he's a post player that needs to add mass and strength. When Ed Davis broke his wrist and Henson got more consistent playing time in the paint, he performed much better. He physical profile is very similar to that of Brandon Wright, the former UNC star and lottery pick. If Henson can put it all together, he has to potential to be that kind of player as well. The key to this season may end up being under-the-radar transfer Justin Knox. The former Alabama forward graduated and thus was allowed to transfer without sitting out a season, meaning he immediately becomes the third -- and only back up -- big man on the roster.

On the perimeter, this is a team with seemingly limitless talent. The question is whether or not that talent can come together as a team. It starts with freshman Harrison Barnes. Many people in the know believe Barnes to be the best player in the country this season. At 6'8", Barnes is a slasher built in a Paul Pierce-like mold. He thrives in the mid-range, where he length and athleticism allow him to get his shot off against most anyone. He's a fluid, fundamental player with a developed offensive arsenal, especially when it comes to putting the ball on the floor. He could stand to improve the range on his jumper and his consistency from three, but that will come with time. Barnes is a big-time scorer with big-time potential, a kid who, despite all the talent in the ACC, could end up being the conference's -- if not the nation's -- player of the year.


But its going to take a lot more than just a big-time perimeter scorer to fix UNC's problems. The biggest issue they had last season was at the point. Its tough to argue with a guy who averaged 6.0 apg as Larry Drew did last season, but it always seemed as if something was missing. He was erratic as a ball-handler and it seemed like he didn't quite grasp what Williams was looking to do when the team ran the floor. Freshman Kendall Marshall, and even potentially sophomore Dexter Strickland (who, admittedly, is more of a combo-guard), should push Drew for minutes at the point.

With Ginayrd and now Graves, who was kicked off the team, gone, the wing spot is going to be played by kids without a ton of experience. Freshman Reggie Bullock is a sharpshooting two-guard that should start immediately. Behind Bullock will be Leslie McDonald, a sophomore who never quite found his confidence or his shooting stroke as a sparsely-used freshman, and Justin Watts, a 6'4" junior that has seen limited minutes throughout his career.

North Carolina will be young and inexperienced, which is what generally occurs when you lose four starters for two seasons in a row. That said, this is a supremely talented team. If Harrison Barnes is as good as advertised, Zeller and Henson develop, and the point guard situation gets an answer, UNC has the potential to be a Final Four contender. If those things don't happen, UNC could once again find themselves slipping down the ACC standings.
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John Henson is packing on the pounds, or at least trying to

John Henson was a consensus top ten recruit coming out of high school. That's what happens when you are 6'10" with a ridiculous wingspan and the athleticism to get out and run the floor.

But in the day and age where freshman, especially those considered the best recruits in the country, are expected to contribute immediately, Henson had a somewhat disappointing freshman campaign. While you could see flashes of his talent -- whether he was swooping in for an emphatic block or finishing a break with a dunk -- it was clear that Henson has some potential.

That said, Henson averaged just a measly 5.7 ppg and 4.4 rpg in his first season at Chapel Hill.

Why?

He was too skinny. At just 183 lb, Henson got tossed around in the paint by the behemoths of the ACC, and despite Roy Williams' attempts to move him to the perimeter, it was clear that Henson was most effective in the post, and that he needed a good 40-50 pounds added to his frame.

That extra weight will become all the more important next season, as he the UNC front court won't be as loaded as it has been the past two seasons. Other than Henson, the Tar Heels will have Tyler Zeller, who has yet to play an injury-free season, and Alabama-transfer Justin Knox.

That's it.

To his credit, some of the work seems to be paying off for Henson. This AP report says that Henson has already worked his way up to 210 pounds this off-season, which is a good start considering he still has a full three months before Midnight Madness. Take a look at Henson's diet:

His breakfast Tuesday morning consisted of six eggs with cheese and grilled chicken. Then over the past month, he would typically hit Subway after going to summer school classes, then stop by Chipotle for a burrito after study hall. From there, he’d come to workout with [strength and conditioning coach Jonas] Sahratian for around two hours before downing a protein shake and chasing that with a big dinner a short time later.

I've never had a problem putting on weight (quite the opposite in fact, I'm pushing 230 lb these days), but the difference is that Henson is a finely tuned athletic machine. Henson likely works out more before lunch than I do in a week, which means that he burns off most of the calories he eats.

Henson is a work in progress. Changing your body is not something that happens overnight (unless you're Brady Anderson). If Henson can get up to 220 lb this offseason, and keep that weight and strength on during the season, with his length and athleticism he can be a very good player in the ACC.

And as a college basketball fan, its great when you see a kids hard work pay off.

I just hope his teammates don't get a hold of this quote from Sahratian:

He’s got the most minuscule joints you’ve ever seen. His waist is like a wasp’s waist. Most girls would kill for it.

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James McAdoo to return to high school, enroll at UNC in 2011

Remember all that talk about James McAdoo enrolling at North Carolina a year early?

Well, we can put it to rest.

"I'm going back to high school," McAdoo told Adam Zagoria. "I made that decision like a week ago."

"I was telling myself that I wanted to go to Carolina, and that I really wouldn't mind missing my senior year and the McDonald's game. But once I thought about it, its something that I really wanted to do"

Personally, I think this is the right decision. During your senior year in high school, there are a lot of experiences that are once in a lifetime. Prom, graduation, senior week, the chance to be the star of his high school. You don't want to pass those up. I would love to be able to go back to college, but I'd never give up my senior year in high school to do so.

I understand the argument for enrolling early. It's incredibly impressive that McAdoo has prepared himself physically and academically to get to college a year early. He deserves praise for that. I also understand that he would face infinitely better competition in Chapel Hill than in high school not just in games but every day in practice.

But McAdoo is too young to be able to enter the NBA Draft until next season. And based on what we have seen from Andre Dawkins and Daniel Hackett, the last two players to enroll in school early, its not a guarantee to be successful.

Finish out high school. Enjoy your senior year and senior season. Come to UNC in 2011 and dominate against your age group.

There's no need for a 17 year old kid to rush his childhood.
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James McAdoo may enroll at UNC early, making early entry into college offically a trend

Prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, Duke looked like they were going to be in trouble.

With Greg Paulus graduating, Gerald Henderson heading to the NBA, and Elliot Williams transferring out of the school, Duke had just two true back court players on their roster -- Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer. But they did have class of 2010 recruit Andre Dawkins committed to the school. Dawkins elected to enroll at Duke a year early, providing valuable minutes as a back up and knocking down some big shots as Duke ended up ACC champs and won the national title.

Could UNC do the same thing this year?

James McAdoo is the nephew of Bob McAdoo.
(photo credit: Inside Carolina)

The Tar Heels lost David and Travis Wear to UCLA, Ed Davis to the NBA, and Deon Thompson to graduation. Roy Williams was left with just two front court players on this roster -- John Henson and Tyler Zeller.

UNC has enough talent in their back court to be considered a Final Four contender, but it is difficult to seriously put the Heels in that discussion when the only two big men they have on the roster are Zeller and Henson.

Williams addressed the problem when he convinced Alabama transfer Justin Knox to finish his career in Chapel Hill. Its not a knock on Knox, but the big man averaged a meager 6.3 ppg for Alabama last season. He isn't exactly an all-american.

But James McAdoo is.

McAdoo is a top five recruit in the class of 2011, a 6'8" forward with length and athleticism for days. He's also committed to North Carolina, where he should flourish in the Heels uptempo system. And with the opening in UNC's front court, McAdoo is now considering enrolling a year early at UNC.



"This type of decision is very personal and is laden with both pros and cons, Janey McAdoo told the Dagger in an email. "When we have made a final decision, we will release that information to the press. We would like it to be known that we approached North Carolina with this prospect and it was in no way initiated by anyone at The University of North Carolina."

McAdoo will be at least the third player this year that would have skipped their senior years in high school in order to get to college a year early. Scottie Wilbekin is graduating from The Rock School in Gainesville in order to enroll at Florida early. Matt Carlino, a guard from Bloomington, Indiana, will enroll early at UCLA as well.

It is a bit of a confusing trend.

On the one hand, it is completely understandable that a recruit is going to want to get to college earlier. I mean, its college. You get to play college basketball (at UNC, Florida, and UCLA for these three kids, that's pretty awesome), go to college parties, and meet college girls. Isn't that the dream of every high schooler?

It is also a chance to better themselves basketball-wise. Instead of spending a year playing against high school competition where these kids dominate -- let's not be foolish, anyone going to a high major is a star at the high school level -- they spend a year in college, getting the best coaching in the country and playing against the best competition in the country.

And as long as the kid isn't an 18 year old junior, its not a loophole to the NBA, either. The rule is that you have to be a year removed from high school and 19 years old. McAdoo turns 19 on January 4th of 2012, which means he would have to spend two seasons at North Carolina.

So McAdoo gets to college -- the coaching and the college life, which at North Carolina doesn't seem that terrible -- a year early, but Roy Williams gets to keep him there for two years?

Win on both sides, right?

Yes, it is, but the worry is that these kids are growing up too quickly. Leaving high school early is now officially a trend, and its not necessarily a good one. Think about your senior year in high school. There are a lot of experiences during that year that are once in a lifetime. Senior prom. Graduating with your classmates. The parties. The memories.

Its a great year. And these kids are missing out on it because they are not patient enough to wait the normal four years it takes to get through high school.

Is compromising one of the best parts about growing up worth becoming a college basketball player a year early?

Its the player's decision, and what he believes is in his best interest, who am I to argue. But what I will do is point out that the two players that have made the jump in recent years -- Dawkins and Daniel Hackett at USC -- didn't exactly become all-americans and lottery picks. Dawkins had a so-so freshman season individually (one that could have been a lot better had he not been forced to deal with the death of his sister), and Hackett played three seasons as a role player for USC before declaring for the NBA Draft. He went undrafted and is now a pro in Italy.

And we all know how Jeremy Tyler's decision to leave high school early worked out.

So while the bright lights of the Dean Dome, Pauley Pavilion, the O-Dome, and ESPN may be tempting, getting to college a year early is not exactly a gateway to the NBA.

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Luke Cothron signs with Auburn, and how that decision effects Kadeem Jack

Back in March, Tony Barbee left UTEP to take the head coaching position as Auburn, and while Auburn is an SEC school, its not one that is really known for being a powerhouse factor in basketball.

Barbee has a long road ahead him. Auburn won just 15 games last season and hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2003.

But Barbee seems to be well on his way towards being able to sell Auburn as an up and coming program, especially in the state of Alabama. Late last week, he landed his second recruit out of Huntsville, AL. The first, Josh Langford, was a three star recruit that was pursued by a couple of other high majors in the south. But the real coup came when Luke Cothron, a consensus top 50 recruit that had received a lot of interest from UConn, Tennessee, and even Kentucky, signed with the Tigers.

Luke Cothron signed with Auburn.
(photo credit MUScoop)

When you are trying to build a program to relevance, one of the keys is to keep the talent in your backyard local. Auburn isn't a school with the national recognition of a Kentucky or a UConn -- they aren't going to be landing many top 50 players from New York City or California -- which is why being able to land a kid like Cothron is so important.

The more interesting part is that Cothron is now the third elite power forward that Calipari has missed on in this class. First, it was CJ Leslie's decision to play at NC State. Next came Terrence Jones, who committed to Washington earlier this month.

And while its debatable how much interest Kentucky actually had in Cothron -- if you believe the rumors, Calipari is still recruiting Jones -- what isn't debatable is the gap that the Wildcats have at the power forward spot. How many people thought that Coach Cal was going to miss not only on Leslie and Jones, but that Cothron would opt to go to Auburn over Kentucky?

It seems that Kentucky has now set their sites on 6'9" Rice forward Kadeem Jack.

Late last week, Jack announced that he would not be committing to a college, instead opting to go the prep school route. Its not a terrible decision; Jack was drawing interest from schools like Arizona, Miami, and Arkansas, but he could really use a year to mature both his game -- he's quite athletic and long, but very raw offensively -- and his body -- at 6'9", he is checking in at just 210 lb.

Having said that, Jack may want to rethink his decision to attend prep school.

With Kentucky's hole at the four, and with the Wear twins deciding to transfer out of the UNC program and leave the Heels with just two post players, both blue bloods have scheduled visits with Jack.

Jack isn't talented enough right now to be the answer; there's a reason that Leslie and Jones with top 15 recruits Jack isn't on many, if any, top 100 lists. But he is 6'9", and he is a high major player, which means that he should be talented enough to plug the hole both programs have up front.

Don't be surprised if Jack jumps at one of these opportunities.

How often do you get a chance to play for one of the most storied college basketball programs?
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