Can I get a smile, Leonard Hamilton?
Florida State’s coach entered the year somewhat embattled and at least on the “warm seat” after last year’s season once again failed to live up to many fans’ expectations.
He finds himself a bit more comfortable after a solid start to the year, but life could still be a bit better for the Seminoles. Hamilton’s young men seem to be a bubble team year after year, and 2008-09 is looking no different. Read the rest of this entry
(Note: You can also read this article and other NCAA basketball articles at Bleacher Report.)
It is time to look at the next batch of conferences in this series that honors the true forces in NCAA basketball, the fruitcakes who like to play Jekyll and Hyde, and the frauds that have been exposed (or are in the process of being exposed) as overrated.
This edition examines the Big Ten, Big XII, CAA, and Conference USA. The analysis continues to move in alphabetical order to avoid any charges of bias.
For complete definitions and a thorough look at the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big East, and Big South, click here. To quickly wrap up what has already been discussed, I’ve provided the following table, with a couple of sentences for the conferences not already examined in-depth. Read the rest of this entry
This is a somewhat painful article to write as a devoted UNC graduate living and working in Chapel Hill, but I feel it is the truth. Read the rest of this entry
After a little over two months of the college basketball season, there is now enough information, including a few conference matchups, to make some early judgments on where the teams stand vis-a-vis their preseason expectations.
After looking at the major and many of the mid-major conferences, I have concluded that nearly every one of them has at least one “force,” one “fraud,” and one “fruitcake” (a team that would make Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde proud).
The definitions are as follows:
The Force: This is a team that much is or was expected of, and they are delivering on those expectations. They are not just winning now; they will continue to win. They must be a legitimate threat to win the regular-season conference title. They need not have been a preseason favorite, but they need to have proven that they are “the real thing.”
The Fruitcake (pictured above): This is a team that you don’t want to place any wagers on. One day, they might take down a top-5 team; the next, they may lose to a mediocre team from the Atlantic 10. They are the Jekylls and Hydes…one can never be sure which team will show up on any given day.
The Fraud: This is a team that either has a gaudy record because they have been beating up on inferior opponents or has been thoroughly underwhelming not because they lack the talent, but because they were overrated to begin with. They may or may not have been exposed yet, but are candidates for a one-and-done in March, if they are playing in the NCAA tournament at all. Read the rest of this entry
For North Carolina, the way to spell relief after an 0-2 start in ACC play was V-I-R-G-I-N-I-A.
Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Danny Green were the key elements in an 83-61 victory in which UNC returned to playing “Carolina basketball,” and a collective sigh of relief was released by the fans in Chapel Hill and Tar Heel coach Roy Williams, to be sure.
The formula is not difficult:
1. Ty Lawson, take care of the ball and get back to the form that allowed you to lead the nation in turnover to assist ratio. Get the ball to Hansbrough (see No. 2). Please, please move your feet on defense.
2. Tyler Hansbrough, flail that gigantic booty around as well as your sixteen arms and elbows. Get in the lane, grab rebounds, act like the opponent stole your favorite childhood toy out of your garage (the basketball), and get it back. Keep going up and grabbing the ball until they can do nothing more than hack you and then punish them by hitting more than 80% of your free throws. Read the rest of this entry
At least the ridiculous talk of an undefeated season can end.
UNC joined the likes of Oklahoma, Connecticut, and Duke in losing a stunner to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten.
North Carolina reverted to the poor form it displayed in losses last year at home to Maryland and Duke, as well as the devastating loss to Kansas in the Final Four.
They also showed that no one will breeze through the ACC, including a team that returned all five starters from a national championship contender in 2007-08.
Don’t take anything away from Boston College; they played better than the unanimous No. 1 team on this night, and they fully earned and deserve this victory.
Let’s look at what I listed as the keys to a North Carolina victory, see how well the Heels did in achieving them. Afterward, I’ll hand out some offensive and defensive grades. Read the rest of this entry
Conventional wisdom has it that three conferences (the ACC, Big East and Big Ten) have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
Bleacher Creatures appear to see it differently, clearly tiering the conferences into just two at the top and three more a significant step behind. Read ahead to find which conferences fall where in the first installment of the Conference Rankings, compiled from lists submitted by fans from coast to coast.
If you would like to read the original version of Conference Rankings (which were my own rankings only), you can read the long version here or the short version here. If you like a good background story, it will get you up to speed on most of what happened in November and December. Read the rest of this entry
Aw, shucks, Roy Williams. It’s time for some dadgum Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Unanimous No. 1 North Carolina (13-0) opens play at home against Boston College (12-2) on Jan. 4, and the Tar Heels would be wise not to underestimate this potentially dangerous team.
The Eagles have slipped up just twice this season, with consecutive losses late in November. The loss to St. Louis was embarrassing for BC, but they have poured it on since then, losing a hard-fought 71-64 contest to then-No. 10 Purdue before reeling off nine in a row, including close wins over Iowa, Massachusetts, UAB, and Providence. Read the rest of this entry
North Carolina (12-0, 0-0 ACC) continued what could be a fairy-tale season by drubbing Big East foe Rutgers (9-4, 0-0 Big East) 97-75 Sunday evening. Rutgers closed within 12 points in the second half, but could not sustain enough momentum to get the lead to single digits.
Senior All-American and Player of the Year candidate Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting (.667) and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. He was also perfect from the charity stripe, hitting all six of his free throw attempts.
Read the rest of this entry
Hakeem Nicks did all he could for North Carolina (8-5, 4-4 ACC).
He took three of T.J. Yates’ passes for touchdowns and totaled 217 yards in a performance that will likely increase the likelihood that Nicks departs for the greener pastures of the NFL. He may, in fact, corral quite a bit of green as a potential 2nd-round WR pick.
A fourth-quarter fumble by Shaun Draughn on the Mountaineers’ 29-yard line and an interception carelessly tossed by Yates in the final possession were the final nails in the coffin, but the Tar Heels also failed to stop West Virginia’s passing game and 3rd-down offense.
West Virginia quarterback Pat White was an incredibly efficient 27 of 33 for 334 yards. He also ran for 56 yards on 21 attempts, though UNC was much more effective at stopping his legs than they were his arm. The Mountaineers continuously converted short third downs (12 of 19 overall), and yet the Heels still had more than enough opportunities to win the game.
Draughn’s fumble can mostly be excused. He was wrapped up and almost down, with his legs bent awkwardly under him. He held tight to the ball, but it was ripped away before any elbow, buttock, knee, arm, etc. could find the turf first.
Yates’ interception, on the other hand, was totally inexcusable. He stared down his receiver, threw into heavy coverage, and was easily picked off.
This is the way the regular season went. When North Carolina secured the football, they won, compiling a +8 turnover margin in their eight wins. In the four games they lost, the Tar Heels had a far less impressive -4 turnover margin.
This team, and their leader Yates, will be presumably more mature and obviously more experienced when they take the field next fall. Hopefully, there will be a lower incidence of unacceptable mistakes like Yates’ 4th-quarter interception.
Though they will lose senior playmaker Brandon Tate and possibly Nicks (to the NFL), there are plenty of reasons for UNC to be hopeful for 2009, including another strong recruiting class on the way.
Butch Davis might want to duct tape a football to every single offensive player’s hands in the offseason. The lesson is simple. Give the ball to the other team and you are going to lose.
