Heels assume command.
- Two crucial things happened last night. UNC took solo possession of first place with the win at Duke and NC State knocked off Wake Forest. This is important because Wake must be at least one game behind UNC to avoid the tiebreaker. Now Wake is two games back in the loss column. BC is three back following the loss to Clemson and the Heels now have a leg up on Duke and Clemson. All that means UNC can afford a loss as long as it is not to Duke during the 2nd game in Chapel Hill. Even that may not matter because there is a good chance Duke loses another one between now and then.
- My how the might Demon Deacons have fallen. A few weeks back they were the toast of the ACC now they are finding February to be most unkind either that or Wake is worthless on the road or adjusts their level of play based on the competition. You can really take your pick on any of those. Whatever the case, Wake is facing a similar situation as Duke with a season in decline with a lot of basketball left.
- Clemson recovered from their loss to FSU by winning at Boston College showing some toughness when BC staked a lead in the 2nd half. Clemson is tied in the loss column with Duke and could end up 2nd since they own the tiebreaker with the Devils.
- FSU did not wilt with a ranking in front of their name taking care of business at UVa. Unfortunately for the Seminoles the schedule is all bumps from here on out.
- Virginia Tech joins Clemson and FSU at 6-3 just a half game behind Duke.
- And to think we were all freaking out when the Heels were 0-2 in the ACC.
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All we have to do is finish out the side, maybe a loss, as long as Duke loses as well.
Wow, Louisville is getting annihilated by Notre Dame, right now by over 30 points. Who saw that coming?
Well..that, Duke and Wake losing, Marquette losing should make for interesting times on my blogpoll ballot this week.
Is there a mock ncaa bracket out right now? I am curious if it impairs UNC’s chances at all if they wind up being a number 2 seed, and who would we match up with at this point being a number 1 or 2 seed in the tourney.
“All that means UNC can afford a loss as long as it is not to Duke during the 2nd game in Chapel Hill.”
Only half true. So long as Clemson stays in 3rd, UNC just has to win 5 of 6. Even if that one loss is to Duke, it wouldn’t matter.
Looks like UConn just lost their 2nd leading scorer Jerome Dyson.
Dyson was averaging 14 ppg and playing 28 ppg. He also led the team in steals. UConn does not have a lot of depth so it will be interesting to see how they handle losing a key guard.
J,
At this point UNC is nearly a lock as a #1 seed assuming they take care of business down the stretch.
CM,
That may not even matter. I think Clemson will finish 2nd at this point and UNC owns the tiebreaker with them.
Latest Bracketology has UNC #1 in the Midwest (UNC’s preferred region this year) with L’ville as their #2. Obviously, with the egg L’ville laid tonight, that will change.
Does anyone here fear UCONN? Thabeet?
Not even remotely. Thabeet is as overrated as they come… Jarvis Vanardo is a better player, IMO.
Thabeet is a bit of a concern. Obviously that is likely to be a Final Four game and he could make like difficult for UNC. Lawson, Green and Ellington would need to be big in a game versus UConn. A key would be whether Hansbrough could get Thabeet in foul trouble and also if Deon Thompson could play a huge game on the weak side or hitting some jumpers. If UConn has indeed lost one of their better perimeter defenders it weakens them in a matchup with UNC.
Concerning Thabeet, maybe not fear but certainly concern. He’s at the top of his game and a dominant defensive presence down low. The rest of the team is manageable. Dyson’s loss is no small thing as he may be their best perimeter defender, but replacements for his position have been logging significant minutes (one of them is a freshman, though a talented one). No doubt their stamina may take a hit because of having to redistribute 28 mpg, which should theoretically play into our hands,
THF: memphis, mich st and clemson need to replace all those losers. i’m also looking for ucla to drop one tonight to sendek’s crew (currently losing 20-28).
thabeet is a game changer, in terms of rebounds and blocks and just changing the trajectory of shots inside. but foul trouble (as THF points out) AND our transition speed (thabeet is slow to get back) can neutralize the guy. he also talked smack about tyler over the summer (“i don’t see anything special,” paraphrased).
I’ve watched UConn a lot. Losing Dyson is the equivalent of UNC losing Ellington for the rest of the year. It is an enormous loss for them and IMO, makes Pitt the clear favorite in the BE.
Just checked a little more on Dyson. First in steals, second in assists, 13 ppg, 4 rb’s, and a junior. That’s a significant loss. Sometimes other players step up but I agree with C.Michael, that does seem to put Pitt in great position. The game Monday night should be very interesting.
UConn’s not a real deep team, either. Pitt is similar to UNC in that their bigs aren’t real tall and Fields is a stockier version of Lawson, so how they do against UConn may be telling.
uconn is 11-1 vs. 3 others at 9-2 (pitt, marquette and louisville). but they have to play pitt twice, at marquette and host ND. does uconn drop 2 more before the BE tourney? then who are the #1 seeds? unc, pitt, ou and then WHO? everyone’s dropping like flies.
And it could get even crazier, heeledsoul. I think OU will lose to either Texas or Missouri, though probably not both, but still grab a #1. An under-the-radar team to watch is Memphis because of it’s less-demanding schedule and the attrition of everyone else. Ain’t college basketball great.
I would not be shocked to see Pitt get UConn 2x. I think the BE could get 2 #1′s depending on who wins the Reg Season and Tourney.
OU has such a weak schedule, they basically need to win out and win the B12 tourney to get a number 1. UCLA could get one if they win out. Honestly, if Clemson runs the table, finishes #2 to UNC, and then meets UNC in the ACCT final, they could get a #1, too.
If the ACC boasts the most teams then why not two #1s?
JBowling — I am concerned about Thabeet, yes. Hansbrough has had some trouble with taller players, and Lawson, even taking account of his spectacular performance against Dook, cannot be expected to be as reliable finishing if the guy standing there is 7’3″.
Indeed, I am sufficiently concerned about Thabeet that I now favor doing something I previously opposed, to wit, bringing back Zeller. Zeller is a good offensive player; if he’s in the game, Thabeet is going to have to guard him, which will create more freedom for TH.
Not for nothing do coaches recruit 7 footers, and ours could have an important role should it come to pass that we play UConn to get to the national title.
The Hansbrough effect with taller players is what worries me a little. He seemed fine against Roy Hibbert 2 years ago though. Thabeet seems stronger to me than Hibbert was.
I thought Hibbert was overrated, and Thabeet might be too, but the guy has a lot of blocks, and 7’3″ is REALLY tall.
What’s your take on bringing back Zeller?
Hibbert was a lot better all-around player. Don’t buy the hype, guys… Thabeet really isn’t that good. Harangody went for 24 and 15 against him this year, after going for 36 last year. Adrien and Dyson are (were) the really stud on that team.
If you want to see a real hot blocker, watch Jarvis Vanardo. Best shot blocker I’ve ever seen, and it may not even be close.
I like to monitor the Mock Draft updates as a way to give myself some “unbiased” opinion of where UNC players stand. This is as of 2/10:
Draft Express:
2009 – Round 1: Lawson (13), Hansbrough (30)
2009 – Round 2: Green (15)
2010 – Round 1: Henson (5), Davis (11)
2010 – Round 2: Ellington (1), Thompson (20)
NBADraft.net:
2009 – Round 1: Lawson (21), Hansbrough (27)
2010 – Round 1: Davis (11), Ellington (18)
2010 – Round 2: Thompson (9)
Interesting piece in the N&O this morning by Tudor and Giglio about Roy Williams. They discuss how , yes, he has out recruited Duke but you don’t win games on talent alone. His halftime changes in the Duke game (spreading court and letting Ty take over) and his confidence in Bobby Frasor were given due credit. They went on to say that despite his sentimentality and orneriness with the call-in crowd, he knows what he’s doing. I especially liked the part where they said he has finally made Coach K cry uncle. I thought I had heard a faint moan coming from the direction of Durham Wed. night.
Looks like Roy is opening his mind to running something “different” that being the “clear out”……. Heck I’d run it for TY, Wayne and Danny.
If we end up playing UCONN, the strategy might be to try and get Thabeet in foul trouble early but if the refs aren’t calling anything, it might be a thought to pull Tyler away from the basket and use the “clear out” strategy.
I was THRILLED that Bobby hit those threes. I think it’s very important that he has to be considered a threat. Same for Deon.
HP,
I agree about UConn. Thabeet’s only fouled out once this season, but he has several games with 4, and games are usually called tighter in the tourney than they are in the BE. (Actually, games are called tighter on the playground than they are in the BE, but that is a different rant…)
Pulling Hansbrough out was essentially the strategy they used against a very tall L’ville last year, and that worked out ok!!
I think I’ll call Roy with my suggestions!! On second thought…………..
Ha! Although I have to admit, if a someone asked me about my strategy for beating my competition, I’m not sure I would be real keen on giving too much of an insightful answer, either.
I can tell you I will stay away from making any suggestions! I simply say “Roy, you’re doing a daggum good job!” That a way to beat those Freaking Dukies!
Seriously, I wish we could come to some consensus on what is the ideal way to handle fan’s suggestions and insight. Some things do need to be shot-down, as they are worn out and even clicheish at times. But some, on the other hand, do warrant an answer. I know one thing, I do want UNC to continue to be an environment that makes Roy happy, we could do a lot worse, we have seen it with our own eyes. I guess losing 5 games in almost 2 years should garnish nothing outside of praise, and maybe I’d be a little ticked if I had the rate of success as him, only to have fans tell me what I need to do differently. I do not want to have a situation of indifference between coach and fans, as that could be walking a tightrope. Duke could be on its way to 3 mediocre seasons, and I have yet to see K’s fanbase tell him what to do.
I personally don’t think fans should be asking about strategy, as there are really only two possible outcomes: Roy gets annoyed, or he answers it and puts his team at a disadvantage. I seriously have never understood why fans of any team think it is a good idea to ask those types of questions…
Yeah, that may be one of those things that should be off the table. Most coaches don’t and shouldn’t go into detail about that, unless they are being dishonest!
This fickle relationship that a coach has with his/her fan base has gone on for a long time. Oddly enough, it can be tense even when things are going great. Only at places like UNC, where expectations and standards are so high, do people criticize players and a coach who have only lost 2 games at this point in the season. I would never be presumptuous enough to personally suggest lineup or strategy changes to any coach, much less one who is at the top of his game. But once you open yourself up to the crazy cross-section of ideas that come with a call-in radio show or a press conference, you need to approach it with a certain amount of grace and diplomacy. True, you shouldn’t have accept being insulted, and it’s fine to have a feisty response to off-the-wall comments, but you generally have take more than you give…it just goes with the territory.
heeledsoul mentioned that Thabeet is slow getting back, and boy is he ever. I honestly believe that is one of the biggest knocks against him in a game vs. the Heels. He is definitely a huge defensive presence in the paint, but he has to be there to do it. We’ve shown without a doubt that our break and secondary break could make him a non-factor on several possessions. And, if he hustled to get back, he’d be worn out by halftime.