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.

2nd Edition of Breaking College Basketball into Tiers

With only a few weeks left in the regular season, I think two teams have separated themselves at the top of college basketball, with a long list of others right behind them.  Trying to rank the teams in order is a much too arduous task, as the parity on this level would result in constant modification.  Instead I've put together my 2nd version of breaking basketball into tiers.

Tier 1 (National Championship Favorites)
Ohio St
Texas

Tier 2 (Final Four Contenders, and With Some Huge Breaks Possible Champions)
Kansas
Duke
UNC
Pittsburgh
Purdue
Georgetown
Villanova
Syracuse

Tier 3 (Final Four is a Stretch, but These Teams are Capable of a Nice Run)
Kentucky
UCONN
Notre Dame
Wisconsin
Washington
Louisville
Missouri
Arizona
Baylor
St. John's
San Diego St.
Xavier
Florida
Temple
Vanderbilt
Illinois
BYU
Kansas St
Tennessee

Tier 4 (Sleeper Teams)
George Mason
Missouri St
Minnesota
Marquette
Cincinnati
Virginia Tech
VCU
Wichita St
Michigan St
West Virginia
Washington St
Georgia
Utah St
Butler
Coastal Carolina
UCLA
Maryland
Belmont
Texas A&M
Old Dominion