My Top 100 Players in the 2011 NBA Draft

2011 NBA MOCK DRAFT (Foreign-born players not at NBA Combine not included) TOP 100

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight
1	Enes Kanter	PF/C	Ineligible	6'11	255
2	Derrick Williams	PF	Arizona	6'8"	240
3	Kemba Walker	PG	UCONN	6'1"	180
4	Klay Thompson	SG/SF	Washington St.	6'6"	202
5	Kyrie Irving	PG	Duke	6'2"	185
6	Marcus Morris	SF/PF	Kansas	6'9"	232
7	Alec Burks	SG	Colorado	6'6"	185
8	Marshon Brooks	SG	Providence	6'5"	190
9	JaJuan Johnson	PF/SF/C	Purdue	6'10"	216
10	Norris Cole	PG	Cleveland St.	6'2"	185
11	Kawhi Leonard	SF	San Diego St.	6'7"	225
12	Brandon Knight	PG	Kentucky	6'3"	185
13	Jordan Williams	PF	Maryland	6'10"	250
14	Tobias Harris	PF/SF	Tennessee	6'8"	220
15	Nikola Vucevic	C	USC	6'11"	260
16	Iman Shumpert	PG	Georgia Tech	6'5"	209
17	Shelvin Mack	PG	Butler	6'3"	215
18	Jordan Hamilton	SG/SF	Texas	6'7"	226
19	Kenneth Faried	F-C	Morehead St.	6'8"	228
20	Markieff Morris	SF/PF	Kansas	6'8"	235
21	Jimmy Butler	SG/SF	Marquette	6'7"	220
22	Reggie Jackson	PG	BC	6'3"	208
23	Jon Leuer	SF/PF	Wisconsin	6'11"	230
24	E'Twaun Moore	SG/PG	Purdue	6'4"	190
25	Cory Joseph	PG	Texas	6'3"	185
26	Chandler Parsons	SF	Florida	6'10"	218
27	Jacob Pullen	PG	Kansas St.	6'0"	200
28	Isaiah Thomas	PG	Washington	5'9"	185
29	Travis Leslie	SG	Georgia	6'4"	202
30	Keith Benson	PF	Oakland	6'11"	225
31	Charles Jenkins	PG/SG	Hofstra	6'3"	220
32	Tristan Thompson	PF	Texas	6'8"	230
33	Chris Singleton	SF	FSU	6'9"	225
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight
34	Jimmer Fredette	PG	BYU	6'2"	195
35	Justin Harper	PF	Richmond	6'10"	225
36	Diante Garrett	PG	Iowa St.	6'4"	190
37	Nolan Smith	PG/SG	Duke	6'2"	185
38	Jamie Skeen	SF/PF	VCU	6'8"	240
39	Jeremy Tyler	PF/C	Tokyo	6'11"	245
40	Malcolm Lee	PG	UCLA	6'5"	190
41	Trey Thompkins	PF	Georgia	6'9"	247
42	Darius Morris	PG	Michigan	6'4"	190
43	Jeremy Hazell	SG/SF	Seton Hall	6'5"	188
44	Malcolm Thomas	SF/PF	San Diego St.	6'9"	220
45	Tyler Honeycutt	SF	UCLA	6'8"	183
46	Steven Gray	SG	Gonzaga	6'5"	208
47	Jereme Richmond	SG/SF	Illinois	6'7"	205
48	Gary Flowers	F	Southern Miss	6'8"	214
49	Ryan Rossiter	PF	Siena	6'9"	236
50	Denzel Bowles	PF/C	James Madison	6'10"	255
51	Andrew Goudelock	SG	Coll of Charleston	6'2"	200
52	Ben Hansbrough	SG/SF	ND	6'3"	203
53	Kyle Singler	SF	Duke	6'8"	230
54	Brandon Bowdry	F	Eastern Michigan	6'6"	230
55	Rick Jackson	PF	Syracuse	6'9"	240
56	Gilbert Brown	SF	Pittsburgh	6'6"	215
57	Lacedarius Dunn	SG	Baylor	6'4"	205
58	Josh Selby	SG	Kansas	6'1"	180
59	Frank Hassell	PF	Old Dominion	6'9"	255
60	Demetri McCamey	PG	Illinois	6'3"	200
61	Brad Wanamaker	PG	Pitt	6'4"	210
62	Matt Howard	F	Butler	6'8"	230
63	Mike Davis	PF	Illinois	6'9"	225
64	Vlad Moldeveanu	F	American	6'9"	215
65	Scotty Hopson	SG/SF	Tennessee	6'7"	205
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight
66	DeAndre Liggins	G	Kentucky	6'6"	202
67	Ravern Johnson	G	Miss St	6'7"	175
68	Tracey Smith	PF	NC State	6'8"	255
69	Troy Gillenwater	SF	New Mexico St.	6'8"	234
70	Andrew Warren	G	Bradley	6'5"	208
71	Corey Fisher	PG	Villanova	6'1"	200
72	Kevin Anderson	PG	Richmond	6'0"	175
73	Demontez Stitt	PG	Clemson	6'2"	180
74	Lavoy Allen	PF	Temple	6'9"	225
75	Adrian Oliver	SG	San Jose St *	6'4"	210
76	Cameron Jones	G	Northern Arizona	6'4"	185
77	Jon Diebler	SG/SF	Ohio St	6'6"	205
78	Matthew Bryan-Amaning	PF	Washington	6'9"	240
79	Taylor Battle	PG	Penn St	6'0"	170
80	Xavier Silas	G	Northern Illinois	6'5"	198
81	Greg Smith	PF/C	Fresno St	6'10"	250
82	Malcolm Delaney	PG/SG	VT	6'3"	190
83	Andy Ogide	PF	Colorado St	6'9"	245
84	Bill Amis	F	Hawaii	6'9"	235
85	Justin Holiday	SG/SF	Washington	6'6"	185
86	Austin Freeman	SG	G'Town	6'3"	227
87	Soloman Bozeman	PG	Ark LR	6'0"	183
88	Alex Tyus	PF	Florida	6'8"	220
89	Damian Saunders	SF/PF	Duquesne	6'7"	205
90	Augustus Gilchrist	PF/C	South Florida	6'10"	245
91	DeAngelo Casto	PF	Washington St	6'8"	255
92	Joe Trapani	SF	BC	6'8"	232
93	Derwin Kitchen	PG	Florida St	6'4"	204
94	David Lighty	SG	Ohio St	6'5"	220
95	Sam Williard	PF	Pacific	6'9"	225
96	Kalin Lucas	PG	Michigan St	6'1"	190
97	Preston Knowles	PG	Louisville	6'1"	190
98	Anatoly Bose	G/F	Nicholls St	6'6"	200
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight
99	Terrence Jennings	PF	Louisville	6'9"	220
100	Donald Sims	G	App St	6'1"	170

Back After A Long Hiatus: NBA Finals Update

After UNC let a huge opportunity to steal a National Title slip away, it took me a while to want to write another blog.  After watching the NBA playoffs up to this point, I decided to make a comeback.

The playoffs have gone just about as I expected, except for the ease with which the Mavs took out the 2-time defending champion Lakers in the conference semis.  I correctly predicted the finals matchup in my February 19th blog at the all-star break, and after taking a 2-1 lead on Sunday night, it looks like the Heat will make my championship pick correct as well.  I hope I'm wrong so Dirk and JKidd will get a title, but it just seems like the Heat have too much talent for the Mavs to deal with.

Miami has two of the best players in the league (arguably the two best) in Wade and James.  Both players are spectacular on both ends of the floor, and each one is capable of making a play for themselves or their teammates at any time.  These two guys just play at a completely different level than anyone else on the floor, and it looks like they aren't going to be denied.  Dirk Nowitzki is clearly one of the best players in the league as well, but he's not nearly as explosive and isn't as good on the defensive end. 

The only thing keeping the Mavs in this series is the Heat's propensity to relax when they jump out to a big lead.  Miami has run out to leads in each game, only to fall asleep and let Dallas back in the game time and time again.  When it comes down to the waning seconds, the Heat are often getting wide open looks, while Dallas is usually forced into a contested fadaway from Dirk Nowitzki.  While Dirk is playing unbelievably well and makes an absurd amount of those kinds of shots, it's looking like he's just not going to have enough help for Dallas to get the ring that's barely eluded them over the years.  The Mavs are being overwhelmed by younger, faster, more talented players, and it appears they are going to fall just short yet again.  I hope the wily veterans on the Mavericks can find a way to win the next two games and force the series back to Miami with a 3-2 lead, but my gut's telling me the Heat will get at least one and close this one out.  If Miami does indeed win the title this year, it will likely be just the start of a dynasty that could last for a while.

Best 50 Coaches in NCAA Basketball

After one of the worst NCAA National Championship games in history, and inspired by a power rankings list of NFL head coaches I saw on ESPN.com and the recent coaching search of N.C. State, I decided to make a list of the top 50 coaches in college basketball.  My list simply shows who I feel does the best job of getting the most out of their players, while doing the best job they can of recruiting based on the University at which they coach.  Every variable is taken into consideration

1. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke  
2. Jim Calhoun, UCONN
3. Brad Stevens, Butler
4. Tom Izzo, Michigan St
5. Roy Williams, UNC
6. Bill Self, Kansas
7. John Calipari, Kentucky
8. Thad Matta, Ohio St
9. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
10. Billy Donovan, Florida
11. Jamie Dixon Pittsburgh
12. Sean Miller, Arizona
13. Shaka Smart, VCU
14. Mark Few, Gonzaga
15. Ben Howland, UCLA
16. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin
17. Rick Barnes, Texas
18. Steve Fisher, San Diego St
19. Mike Brey, Notre Dame
20. Jim Larranaga, George Mason
21. Bob Huggins, West Virginia
22. Dave Rose, BYU
23. Anthony Grant, Alabama
24. Bobby Cremins, Charleston
25. Greg Marshall, Wichita St
26. Leonard Hamilton, Florida St.
27. Buzz Peterson, Marquette
28. Sydney Johnson Princeton (now Fairfield)
29. Randy Bennett, St. Mary's
30. Stew Morrill, Utah St
31. Greg Kampe, Oakland
32. Ed Cooley, Fairfield (now Providence)
33. Chris Mack, Xavier
34. Fran Dunphy, Temple
35. Chris Mooney, Richmond
36. Steve Lavin, St. John's
37. Jay Wright, Villanova
38. Blaine Taylor, Old Dominion
39. Billy Gillespie, Texas Tech
40. Steve Donahue, Boston College
41. Tommy Amaker, Harvard
42. Ed "Buck" Joyner, Hampton
43. Cuonzo Martin, Missouri St (now Tennessee)
44. Lon Kruger, UNLV
45. Billy Kennedy, Murray St
46. Dave Paulsen, Bucknell
47. John Thompson III, Georgetown
48. Kevin Stallings, Vandy
49. Mike Young, Wofford
50. Cliff Ellis, Coastal Carolina

Dodging Bullets

When the 2011 NCAA Tournament draw came out on Selection Sunday, I knew UNC would be too big for Long Island in the first round.  I didn't like what I saw after that.  Washington plays a style that would give the young Heels trouble, and if the game wasn't to be played in Charlotte, I think I would have picked the Huskies to win that game.  Two of what I believed would be the toughest matchups in the country for UNC loomed in the East bracket as well in #3 seed Syracuse and #1 seed Ohio St., so my expectations were tempered for this tournament coming in.  After an exciting and upset-filled first weekend, things have changed just a little bit.

As has been the case for most of the year, Carolina would have the advantage inside against Washington, and they would need to exploit that in order to get through to the Sweet 16.  Tyler Zeller was spectacular in the post with his jump hook yet again, John Henson altered shots and passes on the defensive end, and everyone played pretty well numbers-wise as the North Carolina Tar Heels once again found a way to win a close game, pulling out a thrilling 86-83 win against the Huskies to reach the Sweet 16.  The Heels did just enough down the stretch to stay in the tournament, but this game continued a disturbing trend of lackluster starts in early tip-offs for this team.  This Carolina team has lacked energy, been beaten to loose balls, and given up a plethora of open looks early in each of it's last four games that started before 2pm, and if the Heels get by Marquette (7:15 pm tip), I really hope their Elite Eight game takes place at night.  If not it will likely be the end of the road for UNC and its group of night owls, as the opponent will be too good to spot them a double-digit lead.

Once Carolina finally woke up against Washington, they began playing much better defense and making smarter decisions on offense.  Kendall Marshall was sensational yet again, setting a UNC record for most assists in a tournament game with 14 to go with his 13 points.  I truly believe Kendall Marshall is one of the best point guard prospects for the NBA (although he could definitely benefit from at least one more year of college), but I'm happy that no one is talking about him being drafted.  He just has an innate feel for the game, and usually makes the right plays at the right time.  He's also a very underrated defender.  Sunday he knew where his team's advantages were, and he fed Zeller and Barnes in positions where they could be the most successful.  Tyler Zeller ended up with 23 points and 5 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes chipped in 22 points while effectively shutting his man down on the defensive end.  Barnes has been flying up my NBA mock draft, and has a very real chance of ending the season as my #1 pro prospect.  Despite that, I have a feeling that Harrison wants to leave a lasting legacy at UNC, so I think he will be back unless the Heels cut down the nets in Houston.

Dexter Strickland appears to finally be overcoming a little talked about knee injury, as his airtight defense on speedy 5'9" point guard Isiah Thomas was one of the major keys to the game.  He also played well in the other facets of the game, finishing with 13 points and 6 boards, including two huge free throws to make it a three point game with five seconds to go.  If he can avoid ever taking an outside jumper, he will be a very efficient player for us.  I've been down on Strickland a little of late, but after learning of his injury I've changed my tune a little bit.  He's obviously extremely important to us on defense and in transition, and his clutch free throws showed he can be counted on in the big moments.


John Henson had another sub-par game on the offensive end of the court, but his tremendous length allowed him to make a few key plays down the stretch to help UNC hold on.  His deflection of an inbounds pass with seven seconds to go was arguably the biggest play of the game, and his four blocks and countless other altered shots were instrumental in making life difficult for Washington's big guys down low.  While he's very good on defense, Henson has to learn to take the ball strong to the basket on offense.  Too often he jumps in the air, then pulls the ball down around his shoulder to avoid a defender to get the shot off.  When you're 6'10" and have arms as long as Henson, you should never be altering your shot in this fashion.  He needs to make sure he's always leaning toward the basket, and he has to attempt to power through anyone who gets in his way.  It may not always work, but more often than not he will either finish the shot or be fouled.  Taking it weakly is so frustrating to watch, and I hope he ditches this awful habit soon.  He, like Strickland, should also never take an outside jumper.  Henson has much to do to tighten up his game in these areas before he's even close to being ready for the NBA.

If the first bullet was dodged by squeaking out the win against Washington, the second one was avoided when Marquette was able to upset Syracuse.  Syracuse is one of the few teams in the country that can match the length of Carolina, and the Orange's zone defense would have surely given the Heels major problems.  In addition to that, the next two games are scheduled for Newark, New Jersey, so Syracuse would have had a major home-court advantage.  Fortunately for UNC, Marquette won the game, and the Golden Eagles are a great matchup for the Tar Heels.  Marquette has a very good guard in Darius Johnson-Odom, but I feel very comfortable with Dexter Strickland hounding him all around the court for 40 minutes.  Strickland limited Washington's Isiah Thomas to only two field goals while he was guarding him, so I fully expect Dex to make DJO work extremely hard for everything he gets.  They also have another future pro in Jimmy Butler, who has a high basketball IQ and does pretty much everything well.  He's a little too passive and timid most of the time however, and he will be matched up with a very similar but better version of himself in Harrison Barnes.  Marquette plays an up-tempo game much like UNC, except the Heels just do it much better.  The Golden Eagles are very athletic and play extremely hard, but they just don't have the talent level inside that Carolina has.  The Heels will once again have a major advantage in the paint and in transition, and as long as nothing unexpected happens Carolina should be moving on to the Final Eight, where they will meet the winner of Kentucky-Ohio St.  I expect to meet the Buckeyes there, as they have been the best team in the country all year and are clearly playing at their best right now.

Ranking the NCAA Tournament Teams, 1-68

I ranked my final four picks as 1-4, then ranked the rest of the teams in order of how good I think they are.

1. Ohio St.
2. Kansas
3. Pittsburgh
4. Connecticut
5. Syracuse
6. Purdue
7. Texas
8. Duke
9. UNC
10. Louisville
11. Notre Dame
12. Kentucky
13. Florida
14. Arizona
15. Old Dominion
16. San Diego St
17. Kansas St
18. St. John's
19. George Mason
20. Washington
21. West Virginia
22. Marquette
23. Cincinnati
24. Xavier
25. Texas A&M
26. Richmond
27. Vanderbilt
28. Missouri
29. Tennessee
30. Belmont
31. UNLV
32. VCU
33. Georgetown
34. Oakland
35. Morehead St
36. Wisconsin
37. Florida St
38. Villanova
39. Butler
40. Clemson
41. Michigan St
42. UCLA
43. Temple
44. BYU
45. Gonzaga
46. Georgia
47. Illinois
48. Penn St
49. Michigan
50. Memphis
51. USC
52. Utah St
53. Long Island
54. Princeton
55. Wofford
56. UAB
57. Bucknell
58. Indiana St
59. St. Peter's
60. Texas-San Antonio
61. Akron
62. UCSB
63. Northern Colorado
64. UNC-Asheville
65. Hampton
66. Boston Universtiy
67. Arkansas Little Rock
68. Alabama St

ACC Tournament Projection and Regular Season Awards

The ACC regular season ended this weekend, with Carolina taking the title with a record of 14-2.  While some UNC fans are mad that there weren't any Tar Heels on the All-ACC first team, I was fine with the selections.  The Tar Heels were pretty bad for the first half of the season, and I really think Roy Williams cost Harrison Barnes a 1st team selection by playing Drew so much.  Once Marshall took over at the point, Barnes was clearly one of the best players in the league and would have made it had Kendall been playing those minutes all season.  The Heels did get the first three guys on the 2nd team, and if it were me it would have been 4 (Kendall Marshall over Jeff Allen of Virginia Tech).  Other than that, I think the media got it right with the players.  I've already given my thoughts on the coaching award, so I'll leave that one alone here.  Here's the 3 teams, with predictions for the ACC Tournament below.


1st team
Nolan Smith, Duke *(player of the year)
Jordan Williams, Maryland
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
Kyle Singler, Duke
Reggie Jackson, Boston College

2nd team
Tyler Zeller, UNC
John Henson, UNC
Harrison Barnes, UNC
Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech
Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech

3rd team
Chris Singleton, Florida St.
Demontez Stitt, Clemson
Joe Trapani, Boston College
Malcolm Grant, Miami
Kendall Marshall, UNC

ACC Tournament Projections

First Round
Virginia (8) over Miami (9)
Boston College (5) over Wake Forest (12)
N.C. State (10) over Maryland (7)
Virginia Tech (5) over Georgia Tech (11)

Second Round
UNC (1) over Virginia (8)
Boston College (5) over Clemson (4)
Duke (2) over N.C. State (10)
Florida State (3) over Virginia Tech (5)

Semifinals

UNC (1) over Boston College (5)
Duke (2) over Florida State (3)

Final
UNC (1) over Duke (2)









  

Never a Doubt...UNC takes the ACC Regular Season Title in Style

Carolina dominated Duke just as I expected, using their superior speed, length, and athleticism to overwhelm the Blue Devils in Chapel Hill 81-67.  UNC dominated the boards 40-32, led by John Henson's 12.  The Heels also ended the game with twice as many assists as their counterparts from Durham, led by 11 from Kendall Marshall.  Marshall was spectacular once again, scoring 15 points on 5-8 shooting and continuing to be the main cog behind the rise of UNC's offense and transition game back toward 2009 levels.  His court vision and phenomenal decision making have turned Carolina from an average team into a final four contender, and it's really amazing that it took over half the season and Larry Drew's self-removal to give him control of the team.


Roy Williams received the ACC Coach of the Year award today, but for the reason above I don't think it was warranted.  He would have had no shot at the award had Larry Drew never left UNC, so really he owes that award to Kendall Marshall and Larry Drew himself.  Williams' mistake of playing Drew over Marshall for much of the season was the sole reason why Carolina took so long to reach their current level of play, so I look at it like this...would you give the player of the year award in the ACC to Harrison Barnes?  Right now he's probably the best player in the ACC (Nolan Smith might still have it), but my feeling is the final conference awards are based on a season's worth of results rather than what they have done recently.  This is why Barnes is on the 2nd team, and Leonard Hamilton of Florida State should be the coach of the year (I have Roy in 3rd).  Hamilton has much less talent to work with, and he led his team to a 3rd place finish in the ACC despite losing his star player to injury in early February.  Second place would go to Mike Krzyzewski, who also lost one of his best players, but kept his team in the top 10 all year long and still has them in contention for a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.  I keep hearing people say this is possibly Roy Williams' best coaching job in his career, a statement that makes me cringe at the lack of knowledge and vision of these so-called "experts."  UNC should have been a great team all along, but because the coach made some huge errors early on to create a dramatic turn around when those mistakes finally corrected themselves, he's supposed to be given the award?  Come on.

But enough about that, back to Saturday's beatdown.  Harrison Barnes once again outplayed Kyle Singler, this time in emphatic fashion.  Barnes finished with 18 points on 7-17 shooting and added 5 rebounds, while holding Singler to 3-14 shooting for just 8 points and 6 rebounds.  Barnes is just an all-around better player, and at this point that fact is pretty obvious.  Tyler Zeller had another good game inside, helping to shut down the Plumlees and scoring 14 points on 7-11 shooting and adding 5 boards.  Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland also played solid games, providing the extra scoring punch this team desperately needs from the shooting guard position.  I still wish McDonald would get more minutes since I think he's much more efficient on the offensive end, but Dexter plays extremely hard and is a great leader by example.  His exclamation point dunk at the end of Saturday's game really earned him some bonus points with me.


The Tar Heels enter the ACC Tournament in Greensboro as the #1 seed, and there's really no reason why they shouldn't coast into the finals.  They have a great draw with Clemson as the #4 seed and Boston College as the #5, and a loss to either of those two teams would be pretty unexpected.  I'm hoping for a 3rd matchup between UNC and Duke in the finals, a game I would once again expect Carolina to win handily.  The Heels have been the better team for 3 of the 4 halves played between the two teams this season, and Carolina is clearly still improving while Duke appears to have reached their ceiling.  If the Heels can follow up their regular season title with a tournament championship, they still have an outside shot to earn a #1 seed for the NCAA tournament.  That said, UNC has seemingly taken the ACC tournament very lightly in recent years, so I'm hoping they play with a bit more urgency this year.  For the first time in several years I'll be in attendance for the ACC Tournament, so I'm excited to see it all unfold in person.  We know there will already be one new banner added to the Smith Center after this season, but will there be more?

Living Up to the Hype

Harrison Barnes is a special player, and just an impressive human being in general.  He came to Carolina with astronomical expectations, being anointed preseason All-American without ever playing a college game.  After a very tough start to the season in which he was hampered by some bad shot selection and an inept point guard, Harrison Barnes is now playing like the guy we all expected to see.  His confidence never wavered, even after shooting less than 50% in the majority of his games over the first half of the season. That stretch included an 0-12 performance against Minnesota in only his 3rd game.  Whenever Barnes was asked about his struggles he always replied with a poised response, something about learning experiences or continuing to get better.

There's no doubt he's definitely getting better, and he's one of the clutchest players in basketball...at any level.  This guy has an incredible ability to focus at the most important moments, seemingly willing the ball in the basket with the game on the line.  Few players really excel in these moments, as most people are simply not able to control their nerves under such intense pressure.  Barnes seems to have everything in the proper perspective as an 18-year old college freshman, and I just get the feeling we are seeing the rapid development of the next great Tar Heel in the NBA.

With the Heels trailing the Seminoles by 1 with only a few seconds left, there was never a question who should take the last shot.  Barnes got the ball at the top of the key, took a dribble or two then pulled up for the game winning 3-pointer with 3 seconds to go.  It hit nothing but net, moving Carolina to 13-2 in the ACC and into a monstrous matchup with Duke in Chapel Hill for the regular season ACC Championship.

Games like these just have a sense of magic to them.  You know you're about to watch an epic battle, and there's no better place to witness it than Chapel Hill.  The energy on campus is electric, and the tension and excitement grow as tip-off gets closer.  Everyone in the city shares a common bond, and it's really something special to be a part of.  I try to watch all the biggest UNC games within the city limits of Chapel Hill, and I'm gonna get to campus in the early afternoon and just take it all in.  I fully expect Carolina to take down the hated Blue Devils and hang another championship banner in the Dean Dome, and there's no way I would miss the celebration of such a big event in a year where no one thought it was possible.  LET'S GO HEELS!

NCAA Tournament Preview Continued...Ohio St.

Contender: Ohio St.
Right now the Buckeyes are my choice to win the National Championship.  They are the most complete and consistent team in the country with only two losses all season, both coming on the road to teams with undefeated home records.  Ohio St. features a Player of the Year candidate in Freshman Jared Sullinger, a man who should definitely be a top 5 pick in the NBA draft this year.  He came in to college a polished post player, and he's only getting better.  He reminds me a lot of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who made the NBA All-Star team this season and currently leads the league in rebounding.  They both use their bodies extremely well to grab tons of rebounds, as well as establish great position in the post.  Like Love, Sullinger can also shoot from the outside (although he doesn't do it much), and he's a great team player.  No one in the country can stop this guy, but he also has plenty of help just in case.

Jared Sullinger

William Buford and David Lighty have been very good on the wings, and both have a chance to make it to the next level (I like Buford more).  They've bought in to the team system, and both are a threat to drive or hit the outside jumper.  Jon Diebler is the Big Ten all-time leader in 3-pt field goals made, and he's knocking down 47% of his 3's this season.  Freshman Aaron Craft has done a tremendous job running the team, and fellow freshman Deshaun Thomas provides a big lift on the bench.


My main concern if I was a Buckeye fan would be on the boards.  While they have one great rebounder in Jared Sullinger, they typically go with a smaller lineup and rank 208th in the nation on the glass.  Senior Dallas Lauderdale can provide some more size off the bench, but he's down to 17 minutes per game this season so head coach Thad Motta clearly favors the smaller lineup.  Lauderdale could end up playing a huge role in the tournament if Ohio St. is matched up against a big team that crashes the boards (think Pittsburgh or UNC).  Despite the lack of size inside, the Buckeyes have been the most consistent team all year long, and if the tournament started today they would most likely be my pick to win it all.

NCAA Tournament Preview...Notre Dame

With the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, it's time to start separating the contenders from the pretenders.  Much like last year, many teams have a shot at making the final four, and there's a long list of teams capable of winning a few games.  Over the next 2 weeks I'm going to breakdown some of the teams in the mix, listing their strengths, weaknesses, and a general prediction of how they will do in the tournament.

Contender: Notre Dame
Notre Dame was phenomenal last night, picking apart Villanova en route to a 93-72 beatdown of the Wildcats.  The Fighting Irish hit 20 3-pointers, including 9 by Tim Abromaitis and 7 from Ben Hansbrough, but they are more than just great shooters.  This team has played together forever, and it is obvious in their execution.  They have tremendous ball movement and seemingly always know where each other will be.  They know their strengths, and they actively look to get the ball in the best positions to be successful.  Effort is never a question, as Senior Ben Hansbrough is just as competitive as his brother Tyler, and he refuses to let his team slack off.  They play fantastic TEAM defense, a concept that seems foreign to many teams in college basketball as well as nearly all young players around the country.  The game is becoming more and more focused on the individual, and it's good to see a team play together to get the most out of their abilities.


My only question with this team is athleticism.  Although they have done extremely well in the very difficult Big East Conference and are currently only a half game out of first place at 13-4, they have struggled with quick, athletic teams.  While they have pulled out the majority of these games in the end, many of them have been very close and could have gone either way.  This says two things.  One, Notre Dame has been great at making the key plays down the stretch to win the close ones.  Ben Hansbrough loves taking big shots, and his extreme competitiveness often-times wills his team to victories.  On the other hand, the Irish have been extremely fortunate in winning most of these, and you have to think they are overdue for things to go against them in a late-game situation. They've been blown out on the road at Marquette, St. John's, and Syracuse, and were beaten soundly at home by Kentucky earlier in the season.  Much like Duke last year, if they can get a great draw they are capable of making a deep run, but there are many teams the Irish don't want to see on a neutral court.  A fast, long, athletic team that pushes the tempo and pressures the ball handlers could give Notre Dame serious problems, so we will just have to see how the draw shakes out before determining how far the Irish can go.

ACC Title There for the Taking

After easily dispatching N.C. State and Maryland this week, Carolina is one game away from a home game against Duke for the regular season ACC Championship.  If the Heels can take care of business against a Florida State team playing without it's best player, they will be in a position that no one thought possible coming into the season...controlling their own destiny for an outright ACC Championship with one game to go.  Duke was supposed to be the unstoppable force in the ACC this year, but the injury to Kyrie Irving combined with Larry Drew's decision to leave UNC completely changed things.

Carolina started very slowly on Wednesday in Raleigh, spotting N.C. State an early lead before coming back to win handily and beat the Wolfpack for the 10th straight time.  This game was a little different than the past few, as the guards led the way on offense for a change.  Kendall Marshall had several timely drives to the basket and finished with 14 points, while Dexter Strickland ended his string of poor offensive performances with 13 points on 5-8 shooting.  John Henson had his standard game of 8 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocks, and the Heels got good contributions from Zeller and Barnes to get by with a 75-63 win.  N.C. State fell to 4-9 in the ACC with the loss, and calls for Sidney Lowe's job grew louder and louder as the game drew to an end.

On Sunday Maryland had no answer for the Heels inside, as Tyler Zeller had 25 points and 6 rebounds while Henson finished with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks.  Zeller has really been asserting himself down low and in transition on the offensive end lately, while Henson is dominating the game on defense.  Opposing teams are struggling to get anything going inside with the incredibly long Henson patrolling the paint, and he seems to block or alter almost every shot in his vicinity.  Opponents are forced to be constantly concerned with the whereabouts of #31, and you can see it effecting every decision they make around the basket.

Harrison Barnes had another strong game with 21 points and 6 boards, although he's still settling for way too many 3-pointers than I'd like.  He's extremely hard to stop when he's attacking the rim, and I think he's slowly starting to realize it. Other than that Barnes has been great, and he seems to get better every game.  I'm excited to watch this kid improve, and I have a good feeling he's going to win a National Championship before he leaves Chapel Hill.


Kendall Marshall was once again instrumental in running the team, finishing with 4 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals.  He just has an incredible feel for the game, and instinctively does what is needed of him in different situations.  If the team is struggling to score, Marshall gets more aggressive and looks to get to the basket.  If someone is hot, he gets them the ball in positions to succeed.  He knows when to push the tempo and when to slow down, and although he doesn't put up staggering numbers, he has a huge impact on the game.




Dexter Strickland followed up his stellar game against N.C. State with a solid game as a facilitator and defender against the Terps, finishing with 8 assists and only one turnover.  He made all 6 of his shots from the free throw line, but missed all 6 from the field.  Meanwhile Leslie McDonald broke out with 15 points on 6-10 shooting, including 3-5 from downtown, in only 20 minutes versus Dexter's 29.  This game made it obvious that McDonald needs to be the man at the shooting guard position, as Reggie Bullock just can't seem to break out of his horrific slump.  Bullock only saw 7 minutes of action against Maryland, and managed to go 1-8 in that time.  I still believe in Reggie, but he's making it pretty hard for Roy to give him more time.  If McDonald and Strickland switched minutes, this team would be operating at close to an optimal level coming into the final week of the regular season.


Carolina travels to Tallahassee to take on the Seminoles on Wednesday at 7pm, and if they can win that one the match-up with Duke will be for the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament.  Florida State star Chris Singleton is out for the season with a broken foot, so the Seminoles really shouldn't have the fire power to knock off the Heels.  If UNC can get off to a quick lead and take the crowd out of the game early, they should be able to get out of the Civic Center with a victory and set the stage for Saturday night's monster game against Duke.

Winning Ugly

The Carolina-Boston College game last Saturday was another brick-fest, as the Tar Heels shot 37% from the field, 18% from 3, and 50% from the line.  A spectacular UNC defense won yet another game for the 20-6 (10-2 ACC) Heels, as they limited the Eagles to 14-52 shooting (27%) and held on for an extremely ugly 48-46 win.  So far Carolina is squeaking by in the very weak ACC by dominating inside and on defense, and this game was more of the same.  Tyler Zeller was once again UNC's best player on offense, scoring time and time again off his patented baby hook and on run outs in transition.  He runs the court as well as any big man in the country, and Kendall Marshall is great at finding him with the full court pass.  Marshall was a little sloppy in this one, but still played a solid game and finished with 10 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.


John Henson once again had a huge impact on the game inside, effectively discouraging BC from even bringing the ball in the paint.  Henson has to be considered for not only ACC defensive player of the year, but also for the national award as well.  He's grabbing double-digit boards in almost every game (12 against BC), blocking over 3 shots a game, and completely demoralizing the opponents' big men in the post.





Harrison Barnes had another off shooting day, but still contributed in every facet of the game with 10 points and 9 rebounds.  Barnes always plays extremely hard, and whenever he decides to start taking it to the basket more, his shooting percentage will begin to climb.  He's staying in the same bad habit of gunning 3-pointers right out of the gate, and if he would just try to get an easy bucket early off a drive or a free throw, I think the 3's would start to fall a little more often.

Dexter Strickland was once again irrelevant on the offensive end of the floor, finishing 0-1 from the floor for 1 point, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers in 25 minutes.  He did a great job matched up against Reggie Jackson on defense for a large part of the game, but Carolina needs a scoring punch from the shooting guard position, and Strickland just isn't capable of providing it.  McDonald and Bullock both struggled again from the field in their standard ~15 minutes a game, but I would still love to see them get more time and see what happens.  If the Tar Heels are going to make a run in the tournament, one of those two is going to have to play more and keep the defense honest by knocking down some outside shots.

Carolina travels to Raleigh tonight at 9pm to take on the Wolfpack.  A few weeks ago I was certain UNC would take care of business in this one, but the way we've been playing lately has me a little worried.  N.C. State is 14-12 (4-8 ACC) and has been playing much better of late, getting a win over Clemson and playing Maryland tough in College Park before ultimately falling just short.  Freshman C.J. Leslie is finally starting to play like the guy everyone thought he was going to be, putting up 18 points and 8 rebounds against Maryland and 18 and 10 against Clemson.  He will need another similar performance for the Wolfpack to take down the Heels, and he will need the help of a few teammates as well.  Senior forward Tracy Smith is always consistent and will probably play well, but N.C. State will need to find a 3rd contributor to pull off the upset.  Lorenzo Brown is the leading candidate for that role, as he put up 20 points and 7 assists in the first meeting between these teams.  This is the biggest game of the year for the Pack, and I expect an intense environment and a closely contested battle throughout.

NBA Season Reaches the All-Star Break

The NBA season has reached the All-Star break, which means all the games from here on out will have much more meaning.  The players will step up their intensity as the playoffs get closer, and I'll be tuning in to watch a little more frequently.  Below are the current standings in each conference, with a brief analysis and projection for each team.

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics (40-14)
The Celtics are getting old and are usually a little banged up, but all that matters for these guys is that they are healthy for the playoffs.  I think they lose the #1 seed to Miami by season's end, but Boston still has a great chance to make the finals.

2. Miami Heat (41-15)
Love 'em or hate 'em, the Heat are very exciting to watch.  When you put two of the world's best athletes on the same team, great things are bound to happen every night.  I expect the Heat to enter the playoffs as the 1 seed, but Miami has yet to beat Boston this season so they need to get better if they plan on beating the Celtics in a 7-game series.  If the Heat can get everyone healthy by playoff time, I'll probably be picking them to win the title.

3. Chicago Bulls (38-16)
In just his 3rd season, Derrick Rose might already be the best point guard in the NBA.  Despite injuries to both of his best big men for a large chunk of the season, the Bulls are still playing great and are only 2 games out of first going to the all-star break.  I'd be extremely surprised if they won the East, but if they can get the whole team healthy they've got a chance.


4. Orlando Magic (36-21)
The Magic have struggled to find consistency after the blockbuster trade that brought Hedo Turkoglu, Gilbert Arenas, and Jason Richardson to Orlando.  After an appearance in the finals a few years ago, it sure looks like the Magic don't quite have what it takes to win the Eastern Conference this season.

5. Atlanta Hawks (34-21)
The Hawks aren't playing particularly well but they have a nice cushion over the teams behind them, making it likely that they'll find themselves in the 4/5 matchup in the first round of the playoffs.


6. New York Knicks (28-26)
The Knicks are a hard team to understand.  Just when you think they are playing great and might make a move into the upper echelon of teams in the East, they lose 5 or 6 in a row and drop back in the pack.  If they can add Carmelo without giving up too much, this team has a chance to do some damage.  If the rumors continue to circulate without anything happening, the unpredictable play will likely continue.

7. Philadelphia 76ers (27-29)
After a terrible start to the season, the 76ers have hit their stride.  They have recent wins over the Spurs, Hawks, and Knicks, and look to be a young team on the rise.

8. Indiana Pacers (24-30)
We've known about Danny Granger for a while, but the emergence of Roy Hibbert as a true force in the middle has turned the Pacers into a playoff contender.

9. Charlotte Bobcats (24-32)
After Larry Brown left and Paul Silas took over, the Bobcats have been a much improved team.  Gerald Henderson is starting to break out, and if Stephen Jackson can keep his head in the game, Charlotte could be back in the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row.


10. Milwaukee Bucks (21-34)
The Bucks have had some injuries and haven't played very well this season, but they are still only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot.  They've lost 8 of their last 10, so their not exactly in good form at the moment.  They'll need to pick it up soon if they want to move in to the top 8.

11. Detroit Pistons (21-36)
The Pistons are a big man away from being a decent team.

12. New Jersey Nets (17-40)
The Nets are a work in progress, and they will only be relevant if they can somehow trade for Carmelo Anthony.

13. Washington Wizards (15-39)
The Wizards have lost 10 of their last 12, so you can't exactly say they're improving.  John Wall is going to be a great player in this league, but Washington is still missing too many pieces to compete for a playoff spot.

14. Toronto Raptors (15-41)
The Raptors have lost 17 of their last 19 games, including a stretch of 13 in a row.  Andrea Bargnani is a scoring machine and Jose Calderon has been getting lots of assists, but it hasn't added up to wins.


15. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-46)
The Cavs set an NBA record with 26 losses in a row.  It's safe to say they miss LeBron James.

Western Conference


1. San Antonio Spurs (46-10)
Every year is supposed to be the one where the Spurs are too old and they finally miss the playoffs.  This year is definitely not that year, as they enter the all-star break with the league's best record.  Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the NBA, and the Spurs are the best run franchise.  It's not even really close.


2. Dallas Mavericks (40-16)
The Mavs struggled badly when Dirk Nowitzki was out with an injury, but they enter the break winners of 13 of their last 14 games.  Dallas has been as good as anyone this year, and they are one of a handful of championship contenders.  As of right now, they are my pick to win the West.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (38-19)
The Lakers are having some major problems right now.  Despite that, as long as they have a guy named Kobe Bryant on their team, L.A. will always be on the short list of championship contenders.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-19)
Kevin Durant is once again leading the NBA in scoring, and this year he's running away with it.  Now that Russell Westbrook has raised his game to an all-star level, this team is capable of beating anyone.

5. Portland Trail Blazers (32-24)
The emergence of LaMarcus Aldridge as an elite player has helped Portland overcome the absence of Brandon Roy.  Aldridge has been putting up huge numbers in the Blazers current 6-game win streak, and if he continues to play at this level, this team could put a scare into one of the West's top teams.

6. New Orleans Hornets (33-25)
The Hornets are extremely streaky.  They've had win streaks of 8 and 10 games already this season, but they've currently lost 7 of 8 and are struggling badly.  You never know what you're going to get with this team.


7. Denver Nuggets (32-25) 
Given all the speculation and rumors about possible trades for Carmelo Anthony, it's pretty impressive that the Nuggets have done this well.  If he ends up staying Denver can contend in the West.  If he's traded, you will see the Nuggets slide down the standings and start the rebuilding process.

8. Utah Jazz (31-26)
Things are coming unraveled in Utah.  The Jazz just lost their Hall of Fame coach to retirement, and they've lost 13 of 17 entering the all-star break.  Utah certainly doesn't look like a playoff team right now.

9. Memphis Grizzlies (31-26)
The Grizzlies look to be the beneficiaries of the collapse in Salt Lake City.  While the Jazz have been losing consistently, Memphis has won 12 of their last 15 and looks poised to make the playoffs.  Zach Randolph is dominating the boards, and the Grizzlies are getting balanced contributions from nearly everyone in their recent stretch of wins.

10. Phoenix Suns (27-27)
The brilliance of Steve Nash has kept this team competitive without Amare Stoudamire, and if they were in the East they'd be in the playoffs.  Unfortunately for them, they aren't.

11. Golden State Warriors (26-29)
The Warriors have won 7 of 9 games entering the break.  This team has the talent to be much better than they have been, and it looks like they are finally starting to put it together.  Monte Ellis is among the league leaders in scoring, and if his coaches can convince him to play team ball every night, Golden State could be a playoff team in the very near future.

12. Houston Rockets (26-31)
It's time for the Rockets to plan for life without Yao Ming.  While it looks like Yao's career could be over, Houston has a good core of young talent to build on.  Kyle Lowry is blossoming into a great player and has taken over the point guard position for this team, and Luis Scola is a workhorse down low.  The Rockets need to find another big man to replace Yao, as well as teach SG Kevin Martin how to play a little defense and take better shots.  Houston isn't too far away from being a playoff contender.

13. Los Angeles Clippers (21-35)
The Clippers are a team on the rise.  Blake Griffin has been a human highlight film all season, and he's going to be one of the most exciting players to watch for years to come.  When healthy, the other team in L.A. can be very good.  The Clippers really miss Eric Gordon right now, but the future looks bright for this team.

14. Sacramento Kings (13-40)
DeMarcus Cousins has been a bright spot for this team, but there hasn't been much else to cheer about in Sacramento.  Tyreke Evans is a talented player struggling with a foot issue right now, further adding to the Kings' list of problems.  Shooting guard is a major need for this team.


15. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-43)
The one positive for Minnesota has been Kevin Love, who made the all-star team and is on the verge of breaking the record for most consecutive double-doubles.  Other than that, it's been pretty ugly for the T'Wolves.