Friday, November 29, 2019

UNC Basketball: Carolina suffers first loss at the hands of Michigan, looks to salvage 3rd place against Oregon



Michigan 73-UNC 64

Carolina got off to a hot start, shooting the lights out early to jump out to a 13-4 lead with the starters on the floor.  It was all downhill from there.

Michigan came back immediately once UNC put a few subs in the game, outscoring the Tar Heels 25-14 over the last 10 minutes of the first half to take a 39-34 lead to the break.


The Wolverines came out of the locker room on fire, outscoring the Tar Heels 21-2 to start the second half and essentially put the game away with eleven minutes to go.  Michigan used great team-work and ball- movement to blow the game open, and just like in UNC’s loss to Michigan last season, Roy Williams waited a few minutes too long to call timeout to stop the run. 


Carolina was clearly rattled and Michigan was scoring at will, but the Hall of Fame coach chose to stand back and watch as his team played themselves out of the game.  It may not have mattered much even if he had called a timeout earlier, but at 60-36 the game was basically over.


To their credit the Heels never stopped fighting.  Cole Anthony ramped up the aggression, leading a big run that got his team back to within eight with three minutes to go.  Anthony finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, and showed the kind of competitive will that’s going to lead him to a successful NBA career.  


Garrison Brooks chipped in with 13 points and 8 rebounds, but UNC didn’t get enough from the rest of the supporting cast to have a chance in this one.


Michigan was led by Eli Brooks, who finished with 24 points on 9-14 shooting and scored in a variety of ways from nearly every spot on the floor.  Senior leader Xavier Simpson spent the second half in foul trouble and fouled out with five minutes to play, but David DeJulius filled in admirably at the point and helped the Wolverines hold off the Heels down the stretch.


Michigan will go on to face Gonzaga tomorrow in the championship game, while Carolina will face Oregon for 3rd place.





Game 6: Oregon




Oregon lost a heartbreaker to Gonzaga in the semifinals, falling a point short in overtime after erasing an early 17-point first half deficit.  The Ducks fell behind by 19 in the second half a night earlier against Seton Hall before storming back to win by two, so clearly no lead is safe against this Oregon team.


After failing to dominate inside for the first time all season against Michigan, Carolina should once again have a substantial advantage down low against Oregon.  Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks will have a big size and strength edge in the post, and the Tar Heels should look to feed them early and often.


This game will feature the 3rd straight big-time point guard matchup for Cole Anthony.  


Peyton Pritchard is one of the toughest, most experienced and competitive point guards in the country.  He’s a great ball-handler who attacks the rim and finishes well around the basket.  He has the ability to create his own shot, and he’s a very good shooter with incredibly deep range.  He wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line, and more often than not he’s gonna make a play to get the win.  


Pritchard is a relentless fighter who will keep coming at you.  He creates for himself and his teammates, and stopping him is essentially cutting off the head of the snake.  If Cole Anthony can win this matchup, Carolina should win the game.


Chris Duarte might be Oregon’s best NBA prospect.  He’s extremely long and athletic with a well-rounded skill-set, and Leaky Black should be the guy tasked with slowing him down. 


Duarte is a phenomenal defender who does all the dirty work.  He’s capable of grabbing a rebound and taking it coast-to-coast, and he finishes very well around the rim.  He’s able to create his own shot, and he’s good driving to the basket or pulling up for jump-shots.  He has three-point range, so he can really do a little bit of everything offensively.


Outside of Pritchard and Duarte, Oregon doesn’t have a whole lot of good ball-handlers or shot-creators.  Will Richardson is a decent driver and finishes well around the basket.  Anthony Mathis and Addison Patterson are good spot-up shooters, while Oregon’s best interior threats C.J. Walker and Shakur Juiston can rebound and hit threes as well.


C.J. Walker is another guy who could end up in the NBA one day.  He’s a phenomenal athlete who rebounds well and defends the rim.  He has three-point range and finishes well around the basket, and I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he could become.  Oregon will likely need a big game from either Walker or Juiston to come out on top.


This game will probably be pretty close, and it will be extremely important for the Tar Heels not to give up wide-open three-point looks.  UNC would be smart to stay put on the shooters and let Bacot and Brooks do most of the helping when Oregon drives, forcing the smaller Oregon players to finish at the rim instead of kicking it out for easy three-point opportunities.



One more update to the Top 30 Team and Player Ranking Lists…



2020 Team Rankings Games Seen Last
1 Louisville 1 11/5/2019
2 Arizona 1 11/28/2019
3 Michigan 2 11/27/2019
4 Kansas   3 11/27/2019
5 Dayton 4 11/27/2019
6 Gonzaga 2 11/28/2019
7 Tennessee 2 11/16/2019
8 Ohio St. 2 11/13/2019
9 Duke 4 11/26/2019
10 Iowa St. 1 11/27/2019
11 Washington 2 11/16/2019
12 Auburn 2 11/8/2019
13 UNC 4 11/27/2019
14 Baylor 1 11/8/2019
15 Oregon 2 11/28/2019
16 Seton Hall 1.5 11/15/2019
17 Cincinnati 1 11/6/2019
18 Villanova 1.5 11/13/2019
19 Virginia 1 11/6/2019
20 VCU 1.5 11/13/2019
21 LSU 2 11/22/2019
22 West Virginia 2 11/27/2019
23 Georgetown 2 11/21/2019
24 Indiana 0.5
25 Butler 1 11/12/2019
26 Stanford 1 11/25/2019
27 Clemson 2 11/24/2019
28 TCU 2 11/24/2019
29 Maryland 1 11/9/2019
30 Arkansas 0.5


2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings




Rank Player Position Team Height Weight Year
1 James Wiseman PF/C Memphis 7'1" 240 Freshman
2 Obi Toppin PF Dayton 6'9" 220 Sophomore
3 Zeke Nnaji PF Arizona 6'11" 240 Freshman
4 Isaiah Stewart PF Washington 6'9" 250 Freshman
5 Josh Green SG/SF Arizona 6'6" 205 Freshman
6 Jaden McDaniels SG/SF Washington 6'9" 200 Freshman
7 Harlond Beverly PG Miami 6'4" 185 Freshman
8 Cole Anthony PG UNC 6'3" 190 Freshman
9 Tyrese Haliburton PG Iowa St. 6'5" 175 Sophomore
10 Anthony Edwards SG Georgia 6'5" 225 Freshman
11 Tyrese Maxey SG/PG Kentucky 6'3" 198 Freshman
12 Jordan Nwora SF Louisville 6'7" 225 Junior
13 Precious Achiuwa SF Memphis 6'9" 215 Freshman
14 Vernon Carey Jr. PF/C Duke 6'11" 260 Freshman
15 Oscar Tshiebwe PF West Virginia 6'9" 258 Freshman
16 Kofi Cockburn PF/C Illinois 6'10" 290 Freshman
17 Filip Petrusev SF/PF/C Gonzaga 6'11" 235 Sophomore
18 Steven Enoch PF/C Louisville 6'10" 255 Senior
19 Trayce Jackson-Davis PF/C Indiana 6'10" 235 Freshman
20 Joel Ayayi SG/SF Gonzaga 6'5" 180 Sophomore
21 Aaron Nesmith SG/SF Vanderbilt 6'6" 213 Sophomore
22 Brandon Rachal SG/SF Tulsa 6'6" 220 Junior
23 Yves Pons SF Tennessee 6'6" 215 Junior
24 Samuell Williamson SG Louisville 6'7" 200 Freshman
25 Nico Mannion PG Arizona   6'3" 190 Freshman
26 Myles Powell SG Seton Hall 6'2" 195 Senior
27 Isaac Okoro SG Auburn 6'5" 200 Freshman
28 Landers Nolly II SG Virginia Tech 6'7" 230 Freshman
29 Isaiah Livers PF/SF Michigan 6'7" 230 Junior
30 Nahziah Carter SG/SF Washington 6'6" 205 Junior






No comments: