Heels Entering Murky Waters

UNC played a decent game on Tuesday against UNC Asheville.  The Tar Heels took control after a slow start and led by as many as 22, but they let the Bulldogs close to within 6 late in the game before holding on to win 80-69.  The UNC forwards made great use of their size advantage down low, as Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Justin Knox, and Harrison Barnes all had good games.  Zeller scored 23 points and pulled down 7 rebounds, while Knox contributed 10 points and 8 boards in 18 minutes off the bench. John Henson recorded another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and moved up to 8th in the nation in blocks with 5 more in this one.  Harrison Barnes threw in 13 points and 7 rebounds, including a 3-3 performance from three-point range.

The guards struggled again, with the starting backcourt of Larry Drew II and Dexter Strickland committing 8 turnovers to just 6 assists.  Strickland did get to the line 10 times and finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds, but if the Heels want to be a top-tier team they will have to get more efficient production from the guard position.  Kendall Marshall was once again much more calm and collected handling the ball, as he finished with 4 assists to just one turnover in his 15 minutes of playing time. 

I really hope Roy Williams stops ignoring the obvious and starts playing Marshall much more, because if he doesn't, UNC could be in for a rough week.  The College of Charleston comes to Chapel Hill tomorrow, and star guard Andrew Goudelock comes in averaging 23 points a game.  Forward Jeremy Simmons has had a great season so far as well, so the Cougars could easily pull a repeat of last year and knock the Tar Heels off again.  Reggie Bullock was held out of the Asheville game to rest his knee, and UNC will need him back and playing significant minutes if they hope to beat Charleston.  The Tar Heels travel to Illinois on Tuesday to take on the #19 Illini, then return to Chapel Hill to host #9 Kentucky on Saturday.  All three of these teams are good, and a 2-1 record for the week would be an impressive feat.

A.N.T.B. Index (College Basketball Top 25)

College basketball is underway, and after getting a week to watch some of the teams I'm putting out the first addition of the A.N.T.B. (America's Next Top Bracketologist) Index, my version of the Top 25.
           

Rank Team Record Last Note 1  Duke 5-0 Defending national champs are better than last year.  They play harder and smarter than everyone, and are more talented than they've been in years. 2  Kansas 4-0 This team has all kinds of weapons, led by the Morris brothers inside.  Once freshman Josh Selby comes back, this team will be even more dangerous. 3  Ohio St 4-0 Very dangerous inside-out combo with freshman Jared Sullinger and guard David Lighty 4  Kentucky 4-0 Calipari reloaded after losing most of his team to the pros.  Kentucky will once again be led by their talented freshman, especially forward Terrence Jones and guard Brandon Knight. 5  Texas 4-1 Sophomore Jordan Hamilton and Freshman Tristan Thompson will likely both be lottery picks. 6   Pittsburgh 6-0 The Panthers have one of the best backcourts in the nation, as well as the experience to be a great team. 7  Villanova 4-0 Villanova will once again be led by its talented guards. 8  Illinois 5-1 Guard Demetri McCamey is one of college basketball's best players. 9  Baylor 4-0 The Bears are loaded with NBA talent, and are a capable of beating anyone. 10  Purdue 4-0 JaJuan Johnson and E'Twan Moore should lead this team to a great season, even after losing Robbie Hummel for the season. 11  Georgetown 5-0 Georgetown's veteran group of guards should carry them a long way this season. 12  Washington 3-1 The Huskies are an extremely quick team,  and can put up points in a hurry.  They should have an easy time in the Pac 10. 13  Kansas St 4-1 They have struggled in the early going, but Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly should lead this team to good things. 14  Michigan St 3-1 They have really struggled in the early part of this season, but the Spartans always step it up come tournament time. 15  Syracuse 4-0 Scoop Jardine has NBA talent at the point, and Rick Jackson is a beast inside. 16  Florida 4-1 Lots of talented, fast guards on this team, but their shot selection has been suspect. 17  Minnesota 5-0 Tubby Smith has taken this program to heights it hasn't seen since Bobby Jackson took them to the final 4 in the 1996-97 season. 18  San Diego St 5-0 Very good team, already got a win at Gonzaga. 19  Gonzaga 3-2 Guard Steven Gray will be a great pro, the kind of player that can completely take over a game. 20  Maryland 4-2 The Terps had a good showing in New York, dropping two close games to Pitt and Illinois. 21  Memphis 5-0 The Tigers have several talented freshman to go along with Junior Wesley Witherspoon,  and should be a force in Conference USA yet again. 22  Louisville 3-0 Rick Pitino has a balanced group, and the Cardinals already have an impressively easy win against last year's runner up Butler. 23  BYU 4-0 Guard Jimmer Fredette is a scoring machine, and BYU will once again be strong in a very talented Moutain West conference. 24  North Carolina 3-2 UNC has looked very young and sloppy so far.  Once freshman Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock start getting more time, this team will improve fast. 25  UNLV 3-0 UNLV has quietly been very good for quite a while now, and they proved this year is no different with an early season victory over Wisconsin. On the Radar Missouri Notre Dame Arizona UCLA Marquette UCONN Wisconsin Tennessee Butler West Virginia Indiana Temple Northwestern Vanderbilt Florida St Utah St Texas A&M Stanford California South Carolina Wichita St Xavier Mississippi St Richmond VCU Central Florida Southern Miss Georgia App St San Jose St Dayton San Jose St Dayton Georgia App St San Jose St Dayton
Dayton