UNC 75-Elon 61
Elon came out of the locker room on fire, hitting seemingly everything from three-point range for most of the first half. Marcus Sheffield was the best player on the floor, and Carolina consistently gave up open shots and trailed 33-32 at the half.
UNC came out inspired to start the second stanza, led by freshman big man Armando Bacot. Bacot had by far the best game of his young career, dominating Elon inside and on the glass on his way to 22 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Bacot played with tremendous effort and aggression. He was simply too big and strong for the Phoenix to deal with, and if he can continue bringing that mentality he should be able to have success against almost anyone.
Bacot tried to dunk every chance he got, but he also showed a nice touch with the jump hook around the rim. He played great defense as well, and I’m now a lot more excited about his potential after this performance.
Cole Anthony had an off-shooting night and only scored nine points, but this was arguably his best game in other aspects. Anthony got others involved and saw the court extremely well, making a few passes I wasn’t even sure he was capable of. He showed he’s more than just a one-on-one scorer, and I’m excited to see his progression over the course of the season.
Game 5: Alabama
I originally thought Alabama would be a step up in competition, but after seeing a few of their games I’m not so sure. The Crimson Tide will definitely be the most athletic team UNC has faced, but they’re sloppy and don’t do anything particularly well.
Alabama tries to apply pressure defensively, but they leave a lot of open opportunities if you can take care of the ball. Carolina has to be decisive and aggressive offensively and wait for the Alabama defense to make mistakes. Alabama overplays defensively, leaving themselves extremely susceptible to pump fakes and screens. It usually only takes a few passes for several driving lanes to open up, and the undisciplined nature of their defense ends up allowing lots of easy looks at the basket.
Alabama isn’t very impressive offensively either. They’re turning the ball over way too much, and they don’t have many good ball handlers or passers.
Point guard Kira Lewis is by far their most dangerous weapon. His battle with Cole Anthony is the most intriguing part of this game, and it will be a major measuring stick for NBA scouts.
Lewis has great size and is extremely quick, long, and athletic. He’s dangerous driving to the basket and finishes very well around the rim, but he often waits too long to get aggressive.
Lewis has typically started slow and waited until the second half to go on the attack, but he’ll need to put pressure on the defense from the opening tip in this one for Alabama to have any hope of winning this game. His speed and lightning-quick first step make him very difficult to defend, and he shoots it pretty well from three-point range too.
Alabama doesn’t have many good ball handlers outside of Kira Lewis, so they aren’t a huge threat to drive the ball to the basket. They lack an inside scoring threat as well, so this team should be very easy to defend. Keeping Kira Lewis out of the lane and getting out on three-point shooters should be the main objective for Carolina defensively, and if they can do that this should be an easy win for the Tar Heels.
John Petty and James “Beetle” Bolden are good three-point shooters and are the main guys you can’t leave open. Petty is able to create his own shot off the dribble, but he’s also prone to making some very questionable decisions with the ball in his hands.
Freshman Jaden Shackleford is another guy who can hit the three, but he’s been very inconsistent so far. He’s shown glimpses of an all-around game and plays extremely hard, and it will likely take a breakout performance from him for Alabama to get the win. UNC’s next game against Ohio State is where the real test will begin.
College Basketball Update
In other news around the country, there’s a new national championship threat and it’s not a team you’d normally think of. A few days ago I wrote about Obi Toppin, the power forward from Dayton who just might be the best player in college basketball. He’s a great talent who should definitely be a top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he’s got some good players around him as well. Dayton is playing great basketball in the Maui Invitational, and I actually think they will keep it up and knock of Kansas to win the title. I can’t say I saw this coming into the season, but I now think the Dayton Flyers have a legitimate chance to win the NCAA Championship this season.
Here are my updated rankings…
| 2020 Team Rankings | Games Seen | Last | |
| 1 | Dayton | 3 | 11/26/2019 |
| 2 | Louisville | 1 | 11/5/2019 |
| 3 | Arizona | ||
| 4 | Tennessee | 2 | 11/16/2019 |
| 5 | Gonzaga | 1 | 11/15/2019 |
| 6 | Texas Tech | 1.5 | 11/21/2019 |
| 7 | Duke | 4 | 11/26/2019 |
| 8 | Kansas | 2 | 11/8/2019 |
| 9 | Ohio St. | 2 | 11/13/2019 |
| 10 | Michigan | 1 | 11/12/2019 |
| 11 | Oregon | 1 | 11/12/2019 |
| 12 | Washington | 2 | 11/16/2019 |
| 13 | Baylor | 1 | 11/8/2019 |
| 14 | Georgetown | 2 | 11/21/2019 |
| 15 | Penn St. | 1 | 11/14/2019 |
| 16 | Butler | 1 | 11/12/2019 |
| 17 | Villanova | 1.5 | 11/13/2019 |
| 18 | Indiana | 0.5 | |
| 19 | Cincinnati | 1 | 11/6/2019 |
| 20 | Auburn | 2 | 11/8/2019 |
| 21 | UNC | 3 | 11/20/2019 |
| 22 | Virginia | 1 | 11/6/2019 |
| 23 | VCU | 1.5 | 11/13/2019 |
| 24 | LSU | 2 | 11/22/2019 |
| 25 | Clemson | 2 | 11/24/2019 |
| 26 | TCU | 2 | 11/24/2019 |
| 27 | Utah St. | 1 | 11/22/2019 |
| 28 | Virginia Tech | 3 | 11/26/2019 |
| 29 | Maryland | 1 | 11/9/2019 |
| 30 | Arkansas | 0.5 | |
2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings
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||||||
| 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 | Jaden McDaniels | SG/SF | Washington | 6'9" | 200 | Freshman |
| 4 | Harlond Beverly | PG | Miami | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman |
| 5 | Zeke Nnaji | PF | Arizona | 6'11" | 240 | Freshman |
| 6 | Isaiah Stewart | PF | Washington | 6'9" | 250 | Freshman |
| 7 | Cole Anthony | PG | UNC | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman |
| 8 | Anthony Edwards | SG | Georgia | 6'5" | 225 | Freshman |
| 9 | Tyrese Maxey | SG/PG | Kentucky | 6'3" | 198 | Freshman |
| 10 | Filip Petrusev | SF/PF/C | Gonzaga | 6'11" | 235 | Sophomore |
| 11 | Jordan Nwora | SF | Louisville | 6'7" | 225 | Junior |
| 12 | Jahmi'us Ramsey | SG | Texas Tech | 6'4" | 195 | Freshman |
| 13 | Vernon Carey Jr. | PF/C | Duke | 6'11" | 260 | Freshman |
| 14 | Isaiah Livers | PF/SF | Michigan | 6'7" | 230 | Junior |
| 15 | Brandon Rachal | SG/SF | Tulsa | 6'6" | 220 | Junior |
| 16 | Yves Pons | SF | Tennessee | 6'6" | 215 | Junior |
| 17 | Samuell Williamson | SG | Louisville | 6'7" | 200 | Freshman |
| 18 | Precious Achiuwa | SF | Memphis | 6'9" | 215 | Freshman |
| 19 | Nico Mannion | PG | Arizona | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman |
| 20 | Landers Nolly II | SG | Virginia Tech | 6'7" | 230 | Freshman |
| 21 | Steven Enoch | PF/C | Louisville | 6'10" | 255 | Senior |
| 22 | Trayce Jackson-Davis | PF/C | Indiana | 6'10" | 235 | Freshman |
| 23 | Justin Smith | SF | Indiana | 6'7" | 230 | Junior |
| 24 | Wendell Moore Jr. | SG/SF | Duke | 6'6" | 210 | Freshman |
| 25 | Trendon Watford | SF/PF | LSU | 6'9" | 236 | Freshman |
| 26 | Nahziah Carter | SG/SF | Washington | 6'6" | 205 | Junior |
| 27 | LJ Figueroa | SF/SG | St. John's | 6'6" | 195 | Junior |
| 28 | Ochai Agbaji | SF | Kansas | 6'5" | 210 | Sophomore |
| 29 | Cassius Stanley | SG | Duke | 6'6" | 198 | Freshman |
| 30 | Josh Green | SG/SF | Arizona | 6'6" | 205 | Freshman |
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