View From the Student Section

Looking Ahead to the Second Half of the UNC Season

2011-10-08T20:53:00.004-04:00

Dwight Jones (aka Megatron Lite)

I just got back from attending my first UNC football game of the season which UNC won 14-7 against Louisville despite being completely dominated everywhere but the scoreboard during the first half of the game. Midway through the season the Tar Heels sit at 5-1, having won all the games they were supposed to win and lost a close game in Atlanta to a strong GT team. There is a lot to be happy about including the emergence of Gio Bernard, a solid start punctuated by flashes of brilliance from Bryn Renner, and Dwight Jones continuing to do his best Calvin Johnson impression. The defense is strong but inconsistent and UNC continues to employ the maddening "bend don't break" philosophy which allows teams to rack up stats. For all but those expecting a BCS championship it's hard to be too upset with starting the season 5-1. However the difficulty of the schedule ramps up for the second half. Here's a quick stock preview of the remaining opponents on the Tar Heels Schedule.

Miami (10/15, Chapel Hill)
Miami came into the season with a new coach and a lot of scandal. They dropped their opener to a now putrid Maryland team and beat a Ohio State team currently in shambles. Miami's other two losses came to ranked opponents in Kansas State and Virginia Tech. Jacory Harris remains bipolar in his performance but certainly has the potential to torch a suspect UNC secondary. The Miami defense though seems able to be exploited and Bernard and Jones could have big days next weekend.
Degree of Difficulty- 6/10

Clemson (10/22, Clemson)
The Tigers have been the surprise of the ACC season thus far. The offense is loaded with weapons that first year QB Tajh Boyd has made effective use of. With wins against Auburn, FSU, and at Virginia Tech, Clemson has emerged as the frontrunner for the ACC championship. Clemson plays Maryland next week, so there is a good chance UNC will be playing a 7-0 Clemson team that may be ranked in the top 5 in a couple weekends. UNC's front seven may be athletic enough to match up with Clemson's offense but the secondary is in danger of getting seriously burned.
Degree of Difficulty - 10/10

Wake Forest (10/29, Chapel Hill)
Before the season Wake looked like on of the "safe" wins for Carolina. However, with wins over FSU and NC State propelling the Deacons to a 4-1 record a UNC win vs Wake is anything but assured. Tanner Price has emerged in his second year as quarterback and Josh Harris is a formidable running back. Wake may be at risk of looking ahead to a home game against Notre Dame the week after playing UNC, but I would still expect the Deacon's best shot. Furthermore, UNC officials will have just met with the NCAA so the Heels could be distracted as well. Winning at home against Wake is crucial if Carolina hopes to finish 9-3 or better, but doing so is going to be a lot tougher than previously thought.
Degree of Difficulty - 6/10

NC State (11/5, Raleigh)
There is no denying that State has owned their rivalry wit UNC for the past 4 years. That said, for 3 of those years State had Russell Wilson who is currently putting up Heisman numbers after transferring to Wisconsin. The Wilson-less Wolfpack has not been impressive in the first half of the season, losing to all the legitimate teams they have faced. Of course Tom O'Brien really seems to get State fired up for Carolina, so a win on the road in Raleigh is far from guaranteed. Given UNC's superior talent though it would really sting to lose a 5th straight game to the wolfpack.
Degree of Difficulty - 5/10

Virginia Tech (11/17, Blacksburg)
There is only one team to ever win a Thursday night game at Lane Stadium. That team was UNC two years ago when Casey Barth hit a game winner in a sloppy game. The Hokies also are 5-1 but like Carolina have been less than dominant in achieving that record. VT got dominated at home by red hot Clemson and barely pulled out a win against Miami this afternoon in an exciting game which featured much less defense than matchups between the Hokies and Hurricanes usually do. Virginia Tech looks like a team UNC could beat if they play well, but winning at Lane Stadium is always extremely difficult.
Degree of Difficulty - 8/10

Duke (11/26, Chapel Hill)
Duke started off the season like they usually do, dropping their first game to Richmond and getting pounded by Stanford. Since then however, Duke has won three games they were supposed to win and could be a sneaky team in the second half of the season. Nevertheless, there is no way Carolina should lose to Duke in Chapel Hill. This is the one remaining game that should be able to safely be counted as a win.
Degree of Difficulty - 3/10

Gio Bernard is on pace to be UNC's next 1000 yard back

So what can you take away from this? Carolina has a pretty daunting schedule remaining for the second half of the season. Games against Clemson and Wake Forest look significantly more daunting than they did in the preseason. Winning out looks highly unlikely so I'd say the best case (realistic) scenario is that Carolina wins against Miami, Wake Forest, NC State and Duke then manages to pull an upset at either Clemson or Virginia Tech and finishes 10-2. Worst case (realistic) scenario is that Carolina goes into a tailspin and finishes 1-5 in the second half of the season, barely making a bowl. Though since Carolina always seems to finish 8-4 and may very well again, the optimist in me expects Renner and the defense to elevate their performance in the second half of the season and finish with a 9-3 record.

One last thing. As today was the first game of the season I have attended, it was the first time I saw the Blue Zone. The addition looks amazing and Kenan is elevating itself to one of the best stadiums in the country. Unfortunately the same thing cannot be said for the Kenan crowds thus far. I realize the combination of noon games, a poor economy, unexciting opponents, and the whole Butch Davis-Holden Thorp debacle has contributed to the diminished attendance and excitement, but if Carolina is going to make a push for 9-3 or 10-2 they are going to need more fan support in the stands. I'll get off my soapbox now. Go Heels!

On what constitutes fandom

2011-10-05T21:51:00.002-04:00

Tonight I was accused by a friend of being a bandwagon fan because I was cheering for the Cardinals in the baseball playoffs. I could see where he was coming from. I don't talk about the Cardinals much. Before the last couple weeks and the unexpected wild card run, I had probably watched 5 Cardinals games all year. I own one Cardinals shirt which I rarely wear. Contrast that with my debatably over-the top fan support of UNC athletics. I take advantage of any opportunity (and when there is no opportunity I create one) to talk about Carolina athletics. My wardrobe rivals the amount of Carolina Blue in the Dean Dome Rafters. I rarely miss a football or basketball game. Consequently, compared to my support of the Tar Heels, I can't really blame my friend for questioning how much of a fan of the Cardinals I really am.

My ties to the Cardinals are surprisingly strong however. My dad's entire side of the family is from a small town one hour outside of St. Louis and all grew up avid Cardinals fans. In fact my dad himself was an all-state pitcher and was invited to try out for the Cardinals farm team at the old Busch Stadium. He still follows and cheers for the Cardinals and most of his family still lives in or around St. Louis, so I am in the city at least once a year and have had the opportunity to go to a significant number of Cardinal games in my life. That said, I grew up most of my life in basketball country and my father's love for baseball never really took. Cardinals fandom is in my blood, and while I want the team to do well every year (thus am not a bandwagon fan), I don't usually want to spend my time watching regular season baseball. Instead during the season I check standings at least several times week and also check the stats to see how the Cardinals players are doing (Pujols in particular). I can name most of the starters but could tell you little about the relief pitchers and nothing about the farm system.

So can I call myself a Cardinals fan? I'll hate to use this phrase but... it depends. The term "fan" is derived from the word fanatic. I doubt anyone would qualify the way I follow the Cardinals as fanatical (UNC on the other hand...). On the other hand, colloquially "fan" is used more synonymously with "follower" of a team. By that definition I think I qualify as a fan of the Cardinals. Still what constitutes "following" a team is ambiguous. Does one have to watch the team on TV every chance they get? Is it necessary for the outcome of a game of a team I am a "fan" of to have an emotional impact? To what extent must a "fan" outwardly demonstrate and proclaim their loyalty? I closely follow UNC recruiting and waste time on the Inside Carolina message boards, but I would not consider those who don't do these things not to be fans. Ultimately fandom is not hypertension, there is no diagnostic criteria for being a fan.

That said we have come up with a few terms to identify what we consider false fans. They are:

Bandwagon Fan (see also: frontrunner) - one who does not have any previous ties or rooting interest in a team who begins cheering for that team due to recent success, or in some cases a feel-good story (i.e. the Detroit Lions this year)

Fairweather Fan - one whose allegiance is to one team, but whom only supports that team when the team is doing well and is otherwise apathetic towards or even distances themselves from the team when the team is not doing well

Both of these terms have negative connotations. Neither really accurately describes the way I follow the cardinals. Fairweather fan is closer. I jokingly told my friend I was a "playoffweather fan." Perhaps that needs to be a real term. Or perhaps there doesn't need to be a term. That's the great thing about sports. My loyalty to the different teams I follow is varied in degree and expressed across a spectrum that ranges to nervous anticipation before a UNC basketball game to watching a couple innings of a Cardinals regular season game then flipping the channel. Friday night I'll be watching the Cardinals-Phillies game. I'm not sure if I'll be watching it as a true fan or not. Either way I'll enjoy it.

The Triumvirate

2011-09-12T22:56:00.002-04:00

With all apologies to Andy Murray, there are only three players in the world that matter when it comes to the Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments, and honestly if you can't name them you should probably just stop reading now. Rodger Federer (the greatest player the sport has ever seen), Rafa Nadal (Federer's kryptonite, and the greatest clay court player of all time), and now Novak Djokovic (who is in the midst of one of the most dominant seasons of tennis in history) make up a trio of tennis greats all in different phases of their career. The one thing they have in common? Outside of Juan Martin Del Potro's US Open title in 2009, you have to go back to 2005 to find a Grand Slam men's singles trophy that doesn't have the name of one of the three men on it. In stark contrast to women's tennis, the land of #1 ranked players without any major titles (I'm looking at you Safina and Wozniacki), the men's game has been an oligarchy, where the aforementioned triumvirate have dominated the majors. Consequently, I would much rather spend this post talking about the dynamic of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic and just assume ignore the rest of the field.

Where to begin but with Federer. Earlier this summer my brother and I were reflecting on whether it is possible to script a career better than that of Rodger Federer. Federer broke onto the scene at 19 years old by beating Pete Sampras (the greatest player in history at the time) at his favorite tournament in a surprising five set match that saw an end to Sampras' 31 match winning streak at Wimbledon. Fed wouldn't win a major title until two years later at Wimbledon which few at the time realized was the beginning of one of an unparalleled era of dominance. Federer made it to at least the semifinals of 23 straight majors, has accumulated 16 major titles, and has completed a career grand slam. Were it not for a man named Rafael Nadal he would have 4 more French Open titles and perhaps be considered one of the best to ever play on the red clay of Roland Garros. These accomplishments alone distinguish him as the best the sport of tennis has ever seen but to stop there would be a serious disservice to the elegance and mastery of Federer's game. It is almost impossible to find a single flaw with Federer's game and during Federer's prime the only person who could bring him down was a Spaniard whose overwhelming topspin was only exceeded by his willpower and fitness. Outside of being named Rafael Nadal there was no real obvious strategy one could think of that would take down Federer.

As someone who cheered against Federer during the period of time when he owned the game of tennis, over the past two years it has been strange to see him relinquish his deathgrip on the title of "best tennis player in the world." Unlike Pete Sampras whose era of dominance ended more abruptly Federer has continued to compete and win majors even as his successors ascend the throne. 2011 will mark the first time since 2002 the Federer Express failed to bring home at least one major title, but even so it does not seem at all implausible that Fed could win another two majors. While at this point Federer never seems likely to beat Nadal at the French, he still may be the second best player in the world on the surface and could win the tournament should Nadal falter/be beaten by Djokovic. Likewise, it took the current top player in the world a couple miracle shots to knock off Federer in five sets this past weekend at the US Open. While Nadal remains a matchup nightmare for Federer and takes him out of his comfort zone, Djokovic plays a game that allows Rodger to showcase his full arsenal. While I think Federer could have a couple years left in the tank, I think there would be something so appropriate with Federer winning his final Grand Slam at Wimbledon next year against Novak Djokovic (I REALLY want to see this matchup in next year's Wimbledon final). Regardless, by the time his career is said and done I think Federer will take a place aside Nicklaus and only behind Michael Jordan among the most dominant athletes to play any sport.

If Federer is the greatest of all time then it is hard to know what to call the man who has dominated the rivalry with him. Rafael Nadal and Rodger Federer are two of the classiest players to ever play the sport of tennis, but that is where the similarities in their games end. Nadal's grinding, never-give-up style is in many ways the antithesis of Federer's graceful and seemingly effortless game. The fact that Nadal loves soccer is reflected in his midfielder-esque undying motor. While he has toned down his on court fashion from tight capris and sleeveless shirts to more normal attire, his game is as unique now as ever. His left handed, ultra western grip forehand generates a shot with insane topspin that seems custom modeled to destroy Federer's graceful one-handed backhand. Before Nadal, the idea that Federer could be taken out his comfort zone was unthinkable, but Rafa has for the most part owned the rivalry with a 17-8 edge on Fed. Among the many great matches between the two Nadal has been much more, however, than just Federer kryptonite and also has won a career Grand Slam and taken down Djokovic and Murray in the process. While is only 25 and seems likely to add to his Grand Slam title count of 10, injuries resulting from his style of play and the emergence of the newest member of the Triumvirate, Novak Djokovic may keep Nadal from making what otherwise would be a very plausible run at Federer's record of 16 (and counting) Grand Slam titles.

Just as Nadal's game is tailor-made to take down Federer, Novak Djokovic is becoming equally effective in dealing with the unorthodox style Rafa employs. With his long arms, penetrating groundstrokes, and drastically improved fitness, the Djoker is one a select few who has the tools to hit Nadal off of the court. Djokovic's personality stands in stark contrast to that of his companions in the triumvirate. He has earned his nickname (the Djoker) with his lover for impersonating other tennis players, and emanates a fiery swagger on the court that was no more evident than when he raised his arms to the crowd and smiled after saving a match point against Federer this weekend. While Djokovic earned his first title at the 2008 Australian Open, he didn't establish himself among the Triumvirate until last year's US Open when he defeated Federer in the semifinals before falling to Nadal in four sets in the final. Novak built on that performance and this year has turned in the best season of tennis in recent memory, winning 3 out of 4 majors (culminating with tonight's win over Nadal in a match that was much more epic than the score reflected) and only losing 2 matches to date. With Federer in the twilight of his career and Djokovic suddenly owning his matchups with Nadal, the Djoker is poised to potentially dominate the sport over the next few years.

While their careers are at different points, its hard to remember a time when the top three players in the world were so consistently dominant. Each has his own style and wows you with their play in a different manner. From a fan perspective I have been antagonized by my brother (a Federer fan from the beginning) for changing my rooting interests among the three between tournaments and even within matches. I don't care. Long live the Tennis Triumvirate!

Top 10 Can't Miss Games on the UNC Basketball Schedule

2011-08-25T18:55:00.004-04:00

Because I'm in the midst of the my first week back to medical school classes I'll keep the introduction brief. The 2011-2012 basketball schedule for UNC was released earlier this week and given that the Tar Heels will likely enter the season as preseason #1, the hype machine will be operating at full capacity from the get go. Once we get closer to the actual start of the season I'll be posting a lot more about team/player expectations but for now here is my top 10 countdown of UNC regular season games.

10) North Carolina vs UNLV (Las Vegas Invitational Final)* - November 26, 2011
This one gets an asterisk because it is dependent on both UNC and UNLV winning their first round games (UNC plays South Carolina, UNLV plays USC). Both should be favored (UNLV's chances increased when USC's Jio Fontan tore his ACL) and if they do meet, Carolina will be facing a potential Top 25 team in what essentially will be a home game for UNLV. Carolina has failed to win the past two preseason events it has participated in, so it would be nice for the team to get off to a good start here.

9) North Carolina @ Maryland - February 4, 2012
Maryland may have lost their best player and their coach, but College Park is never an easy place to play as the 2009 National Champion Tar Heel team can attest. It will be interesting to see what Mark Turgeon can do in his first year as coach at Maryland. Keep an eye on rising Maryland sophomore Terrell Stoglin, who scored 28 against Carolina last year in Chapel Hill.

8) North Carolina @ NC State - February 21, 2012
State has a new coach in Mark Gottfried and fans in Raleigh hope that he can bring more success to a struggling basketball program than his predecessor Sidney Lowe did. In his 5 year career at State, Lowe managed only one win against UNC. Gottfried inherits a team with a decent amount of talent as CJ Leslie and Lorenzo Brown both could be poised for breakout sophomore seasons. Carolina will clearly be the better team but this could be a dangerous trap game for UNC as tournament time approaches.

7) North Carolina @ Florida State - January 14, 2012
If Carolina comes out of their non-conference schedule with a big fat 0 in the loss column, this seems like a decent bet for the first loss of the season. Florida State lost Chris Singleton and Derwin Kitchen but retained a considerable amount of talent and again looks to be ferocious on defense. Recall that the Seminoles dealt the then undefeated Blue Devils their first loss in Talahassee last season. FSU will be ready and willing to bring down Carolina should they stumble. I'm sure they haven't forgotten what happened the last time they played Carolina at home....

6) Texas @ North Carolina - December 21, 2011
Texas had now beaten UNC two years in a row, but it will be an uphill battle for the Longhorns to extend that streak to three after the loss of Corey Joseph, Jordan Hamilton, Gary Johnson, and Tristan Thomson. Still the Longhorns will have considerable talent with J'Covan Brown returning and the addition of highly rated recruiting class led by 5-star point guard Myck Kabongo.

5) Wisconsin @ North Carolina - November 30, 2011
While many were probably hoping for a UNC-OSU matchup in the Big 10-ACC challenge, Carolina was instead paired with the Wisconsin Badgers. Given the stark contrast in style of play it will be interesting to see if Wisconsin can get the Tar Heels bogged down in their slow as molasses style of play or if UNC will run the Badgers out of the gym.

4) Duke @ North Carolina - February 8, 2012
The first matchup between Duke and UNC is in many respects the opposite of the first matchup between the teams last season. North Carolina enters the season as a national title favorite while Duke will be talented but unproven. It would be a minor shock if the Blue Devils won in Chapel Hill. Of course fans over on the Duke Boards are claiming Ryan Kelly is the next coming of Dirk so you never know. Perhaps the biggest question is how much Dexter Strickland will try to take advantage of the newly expanded charge circle (yes I'm still bitter)

3) North Carolina vs Michigan State (on USS Carl Vinson) - November 11, 2011
It's hard to start the season with a bigger bang than playing the first ever game on the deck of an Aircraft Carrier (and not any Aircraft Carrier, but the one that dropped Bin Laden's corpse into the sea) on Veterans' Day. There is no shortage of storylines with this game. It will be the first glimpse of what is likely to be the #1 ranked team in the nation. The elements will be another thing to watch, as any breezes could potentially make life difficult for outside shooters. Roy Williams has dominated Tom Izzo in the past (hell UNC even beat them with Larry Drew at point guard), and Michigan State is in a minor rebuilding period so there is a decent chance that UNC runs away with this one. Either way its a game on a f***ing AIRCRAFT CARRIER!

2) North Carolina @ Duke - March 3, 2012
Two years ago Duke laid a beatdown for the ages on Carolina in Cameron Indoor. Last year UNC squandered a 14 point halftime lead at Duke. Will UNC be able to exorcise those demons this year or will Duke announce they are a Final Four contender in this game the same way UNC did at the Dean Dome in the last game of the regular season last year? Austin Rivers enters the season as the most hyped freshman in the country and along with Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, Tyler Thornton, and fellow freshman Quinn Cook makes up a formidable Duke backcourt. While they may not be matched up against one another, seeing Barnes and Rivers face off could be something special. Also while I have no expectations for Carolina to go undefeated, winning in Cameron would be a hell of a way to cap off a no loss regular season.

1) North Carolina @ Kentucky - December 3, 2011

Its once in a blue moon that UNC-Duke is not the biggest game on Carolina's schedule, but then again its not every year you get teams like the ones UNC and Kentucky are going to have this year. The Tar Heels return pretty much their entire team from last season (minus Leslie McDonald) and add top recruits James McAdoo and PJ Hairston. The Wildcats lost key contributors Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins, and Josh Harrellson but return Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones and add a ridiculous recruiting class that features the #1, #3, #7, and #18 recruits in the country. This will be a battle to claim the spot as the top team in the country and will feature more NBA talent than the Cavs vs. the Timberwolves (okay maybe a bit of exaggeration). Carolina will be looking to exact revenge for the loss Kentucky dealt them in the Elite Eight and were this game in Chapel Hill or on a neutral court I would give the Tar Heels the edge. However, as this game is going to be played in front of what is sure to be a raucous Rupp Arena crowd it the Wildcats may actually be favored in this game. I have no idea what will happen, but there will be more talent on the floor than any game in recent memory. December 3rd can't come soon enough.

Impact of Butch Davis being fired on this football season

2011-07-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

No caption necessary

Last week I began working on a UNC 2011-2012 season football preview post. I wrote from the angle that because of all the hoopla surrounding the NCAA's investigation, people were somehow ignoring a team that could build on the previous season's success and compete for an ACC title. Included in what I had written last week was this quote:

Also, despite the cries by some media members for Butch Davis's head, I think his job is safe at least for this season. Despite all of the allegations Davis still has plausible deniability, regardless of whether John Blake was doing some pretty devious stuff. Also if UNC was going to fire Davis they would have done it already. It would make no sense to fire Davis with only a little over a month before the season kicks off.

Fast forward to Wednesday evening at about 5:00 PM. Over the last 24 hours Butch Davis was suddenly fired without any real warning (unless you believe Art Chansky has a huge pull on Holden Thorpe) and UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour basically fell on his sword, announcing that he would step down as AD as soon as his replacement was found. My immediate reaction to all of this?

Lest you think this overstatement, remember the state of UNC football before Butch Davis was hired. UNC was bringing in mediocre recruiting classes and putting together 3-11 seasons (trust me I was there for it my first two years at Carolina). Given how this went down and the NCAA allegations cloud still ominously looming over the football program, UNC fans shouldn't expect any blockbuster hire. UNC's recruiting, which Davis helped elevate to a level of competing for (and actually gaining commitments from) 4 and 5 star prospects, is about to take a serious nosedive. UNC also is liable to lose some of their better young players to transfer. Ultimately, even if Carolina can come away with a surprising hire, the Tar Heels are almost guaranteed a few lousy years in the not too distant future, and if things go wrong they could end up in the same place NC State basketball has been over the past 5 years.

Consequently, the current season could be a last hurrah for what looked only a little more than a year ago to be such a promising future for the UNC football program. The Blue Zone has been completed, but if things go poorly this season the sight of the sparsely filled seats of the massive expansion in the east end zone could simply add salt to the already festering wounds of the UNC fanbase. At least for one season it is IMPERATIVE that the seats be full, and for that to happen Carolina is going to need to go out with a bang.

While no one would really fault this year's team if this firing coupled with the NCAA investigation ultimately proved to distracting to allow success on the field, the fact remains that even minus a head coach UNC has a pretty talented roster. Defensive Coordinator Everett Withers has been promoted to head coach and it is conceivable that Davis' firing may not have too much of an impact on in-game play calling given that Withers and Offensive Coordinator John Shoop remain in place. There is always the possibility that the NCAA comes down hard on UNC in October, delivering a postseason ban and ending any hope for "one last run," but my guess is they will avoid that particular punishment now that everyone associated with the scandal has resigned, graduated, been deemed ineligible, or been fired. Now with regards to the actual football team...

Renner's play will dictate how good UNC is on offense

On the offensive end of the ball, the Tar Heels will have a (relatively) new face at quarterback with Bryn Renner set to take over after a couple years of waiting in the wings. Renner has received almost unanimously positive reviews while at Carolina, and going into last season some expected him to usurp the starting position from TJ Yates. That said, Renner remains an unproven commodity and the Heels will go as far as he takes them this year. Renner with be facing the biggest uphill battle mentally given that in addition to the pressures of any new started, Renner also has to deal with the distractions of the looming NCAA investigation and the firing of his head coach a week before camp. Luckily for Renner he is surrounded by a strong supporting cast on offense. Dwight Jones really broke out during the second half of last season and could be one of the best receivers in the nation in 2011. Erik Highsmith and Jhay Boyd have both shown flashes of brilliance in their first two seasons but could really help the team out by becoming consistent threats. The backfield is not as deep as last season, but has talented experience with Devon Ramsay and Ryan Houston. Not surprisingly Renner's play will be the real tipping point here. If he struggles Carolina will be mediocre at best on offense. If he plays to the flashes of brilliance he has shown in the past two springs UNC could have a dangerous offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, Carolina will field what could be the nation's best defensive line with leas season's breakout star Quinton Coples at one end position and another potential breakout star in Donte Paige-Moss at the other. At the tackle positions Tydreke Powell, Jordan Nix, and newcomer Sylvester Williams make up a pretty fearsome trio. The next level of the defense should also be strong with Zach Brown and Kevin Reddick returning at linebacker. While standouts Quan Sturdivant and Bruce Carter graduated, both Brown and Reddick looked ready to step in and be stars last season and will likely be joined by sophomore Darius Lipford. The secondary is much more of an area of concern after the departures of Duanta Williams, Kendric Burney, and Da'Norris Searcy. Charles Brown returns after missing last season due to suspension as a result of the NCAA investigation and he will be joined at the cornerback spot by sophomore Jabari Price who showed flashes last season in a few starts. At safety Jonathan Smith will be joined by either Tre Boston (moved from CB) or Brian Gupton. Carolina's success on defense will be contingent on solid play from some young players in the secondary combined with the ability of the defensive line to create constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Ultimately the future of UNC football that seemed to shine so brightly only slightly more than a year ago has been replaced by anger, frustration, and perhaps what is worst of all, the threat of slipping back to irrelevance. Writing those last two paragraphs gave me hope that perhaps a memorable season can be salvaged from all this wreckage. A lot of that is contingent on how much the players are able to distance their thought from these massive distractions and focus on football. One way we as fans can help is to show up to games and give the team the unyielding support they will need. All the online threats of wanting season tickets back and boycotting the program/administration is understandable but ultimately detrimental to the players and the program we love. Kenan Stadium should be packed and as loud as ever as we cheer on what still could be a very exciting team. Hell it may be the last chance for us to do so for a long time.

The Top 10 Television Drama Seasons (That I've watched)

2011-06-22T19:22:00.000-04:00

Following Dallas' defeat of the Miami heat we entered the doldrums of the year with regards to sports. With the exception of the NBA draft, for the next few months Sportscenter will be dominated by MLB highlights from relatively meaningless games, NFL/NBA lockout discussion, and in all likelihood a unrelenting dissection of why LeBron's fingers are still conspicuously lacking of any jewelery. As I find any one of these topics as boring as the next, I figure it is time for my third non-sports related post (which is quickly becoming an annual summer tradition). In a nice twist of irony my breakdown of the LOST finale last summer remains the most viewed entry in this website's history. While LOST may be over, another show has captivated an hour of my time on a weekly basis. Indeed, LeBron's title hopes were not the only source of drama over the past few Sundays. HBO's new series Game of Thrones just wrapped up an excellent first season this past Sunday night. Consequently, I decided ranking the best single TV seasons would make for a fun break from sports posting.

Before I begin with the rankings, let me announce a few stipulations.

Firstly, I am only ranking television seasons that I have watched, so while I don't mind people sharing their feedback on their favorite seasons, don't rip me for not including a season of Mad Men, The Sopranos or Breaking Bad. I'm sure those are excellent shows and ones that I would love to watch had I infinite time, but at the moment I do not and thus they are not included in the list.

Secondly, I have limited this list to only include television drama, because I feel including drama and comedy shows in the same category is comparing apples and oranges.

Lastly, because the write ups for the seasons on the list are SPOILER heavy, I have split them onto separate pages which you can access by clicking on the title of each season on the list below. I know this may be slightly obnoxious, but it was the only way to ensure avoiding accidentally spoiling great seasons of televisions for readers of this post. Having said that, if you want to avoid having a show spoiled for you, don't click on that particular link in the countdown. With that said let's begin!

Honorable Mention: Heroes, Season 1

10) House Season 1

9) 24 Season 1

8) LOST Season 4

7) Dexter Season 1 - Guest Written by Daniel Tobben

6) Game of Thrones Season 1

5) The Wire Season 1

4) 24 Season 5

3) Band of Brothers (Mini Series) - Guest Written by Michael Tobben

2) The Wire Season 4

1) LOST Season 1

NBA Mock Draft 2.0

2011-06-21T20:03:00.000-04:00

The Commish will likely be reading Irving's name first

I wanted to update my mock draft since the draft is Thursday, but I don't have time do in-depth writeups for each player like I did for the initial version. I have included just a sentence for any changes that were made in version two.

1) Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving (Duke)
While an argument can be made for either Irving or Derrick Williams as the most deserving of the #1 pick, Irving is the no brainer pick for the Cavs who came out of draft lottery night as the big winner. Irving spent much of his season injured but was spectacular before his injury and looked impressive in his couple NCAA tournament games. Baron Davis is clearly not intended to be a long term option at point guard and chances are Irving will have a chance to start from day one.

2) Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams (Arizona)
There is a very good chance that Minnesota trades this pick Williams is by consensus the best prospect after Irving. However, Minnesota already has Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph as combo forwards and unless they move one or both of them, Williams is not a good fit. Still I think the Timberwolves either trade before picking (Cleveland seems like a possibility) or take Williams and use him as a trade chip.

3) Utah Jazz - Brandon Knight (Kentucky)
The Jazz find themselves in an interesting position. Kanter is probably the best prospect on the board, but with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors on the roster, Utah really doesn't need to take a post scorer. Thus Brandon Knight gets taken a little higher than probably he had even hoped due to the void at point guard left by Deron Williams. Knight is a smart player who can score in a variety of ways, but he may struggle with consistency early on.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Enes Kanter (Turkey/Kentucky Practice Squad)
I am very intrigued by the possibility of the Cavs acquiring the #2 pick and getting Irving AND Williams, however, since the trade has not been finalized, I gotta stick with what we have. While Varejao is fills a solid role as a poor man's Joakim Noah, the Cavs need to go with the best prospect on the board here and take Kanter. Kanter is a bit of an unknown, but he is one of the top 3 prospects in this draft. Given that Kentucky made it to the Final Four with a frontcourt of Josh Harrellson, Terrence Jones, and no one else, it leaves one to wonder how good the Wildcats could have been had Kanter not been ruled ineligible.

5) Toronto Raptors - Kawhi Leonard (SDSU)
Thanks to Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, and Perry Jones, this is where the draft drops off. Foreign prospect Jonas Valanciunas may be the best prospect available, but he is doubtful to give the Raptors much more than Andrea Bargnani. Leonard may be a slight reach, but the Raptors are thin at the SF position and Leonard seems like he has a Gerald Wallace-esque upside and is less of a risk than Valanciunas who some think may be in a Ricky Rubio like situation in which he does not immediately come to the NBA.

6) Washington Wizards - Jan Vesely (Czech Republic)
Outside of John Wall, there are really not any positions on the Wizards that couldn't use an upgrade. Apparently Washington is high on Vesely who is a combo forward. Recently it seems like every year there are at least 2-3 European combo forwards in the draft, but Dirk remains the only one who has become an NBA superstar.

7) Sacramento Kings - Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
As I said a couple of picks ago this draft drops off quick and a lot of players who aren't lottery-caliber will end up being taken in the lottery this year. However, I think Kemba Walker is a perfect fit for the Kings. Walker would allow Evans to move to off-guard and would give the Kings a strong personality who has led a team to a championship. Walker is the same age as Evans and is a year older than Cousins. Evans and Cousins need a point guard to distribute them the ball and keep both happy with the amount of touches they get (which may be an impossible task) but I think Walker may be up to the challenge.

8) Detroit Pistons - Tristan Thompson (Texas)
Thompson has also seen his stock rise a bit and is a safer pick than Biyombo

9) Charlotte Bobcats - Klay Thompson (Washington State)
Klay Thompson has seen his stock soar and the Bobcats seem like a likely destination

10) Milwaukee Bucks -Alec Burks (Colorado)
While I followed college basketball closely over the past year, I only saw Alex Burks a couple times and from what I remember he was impressive. While Burks has NBA size and is a natural scorer, he is not by any means a great shooter and probably wouldn't be a lottery pick in most other drafts. That said, he seems to be a good fit for the Bucks at 10.

11) Golden State Warriors - Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania)
While Jonas (I'm calling him by his first name since I hate typing his last name), does have questions about his buyout and when he will come to the US, he is a true post prospect that the Warriors have lacked. Since this is such a weak draft I think it makes sense for the Warriors to make him the pick and take the risk.

12) Utah Jazz -Chris Singleton (Florida State)
This pick could go in a lot of directions. Most of the top rated prospects available at this point are big men and the Jazz are already deep in the post. While fate seems to issue that Fredette is the pick, I doubt they go all David Kahn and pick two point guards in the lottery. Singleton could end up being one of the best defenders in the NBA in a few years and many feel his game translates better in the NBA than it did to college ball. With Kirilenko most likely on his way out, Singleton is the pick.

13) Phoenix Suns - Jimmer Fredette (BYU)
Fredette has also seen his stock rise a bit and would be the heir apparent to Steve Nash

14) Houston Rockets - Bismack Biyombo (Congo)
Biyombo falls to the Rockets who have a need for some toughness at center.

15) Indiana Pacers - Marcus Morris (Kansas)
I originally had the Pacers taking Marcus's brother, but they get the slightly higher rated of the two twins here

16) Philadelphia 76'ers - Markieff Morris (Kansas)
Markieff Morris just seems like he should be a 76er and his toughness and attitude would work well with Philadelphia's team

17) New York Knicks - Donatas Motiejunas (Lithuania)
Amare could use some help in the frontcourt and Motiejunas falls a bit to New York in this projection

18) Washington Wizards - Jordan Hamilton (Texas)
Hamilton and Vesely will give John Wall some nice scoring options on the wings

19) Charlotte Bobcats - Nikola Vuceic (USC)
The Bobcats need help in the frontcourt, and Vucevic is one of the biggest players in the draft

20) Minnesota Timberwolves - Marshon Brooks (Providence)
Wayne Ellington hasn't been a star for the T-Wolves (though I think he could be better in a different situation), so they go with the red-hot Marshon Brooks

21) Portland Trail Blazers - Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech)
Shumpert has been rising up draft boards and is a tough defender who can play point for Portland

22) Denver Nuggets - Kenneth Faried (Morehead State)
Faried falls a bit until the Nuggets snatch him up as a less tatted up replacement for the Birdman

23) Houston Rockets - Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA)
Some think Honeycutt came out a year too early, but he is a talented prospect who could probably be a solid rotation player if things pan out. He's worth the gamble for the Rockets.

24) Oklahoma City Thunder - Tobias Harris (Tennessee)
Harris falls to OKC who I no longer have picking Singler (thank god, because I really like the Thunder)

25) Boston Celtics - Jeremy Tyler (High School/Japan)
With Perkins traded, KG aging, and Shaq retiring the Celtics need help in the frontcourt. They will most likely attempt to acquire it via trades or free agency but I think they take a gamble here and go with Tyler who is young and has been misguided by his parents (his decision to skip college and play in Europe backfired) but has a lot of talent and potential.

26) Dallas Mavericks - Kyle Singler (Duke)
I hate it after cheering for them throughout the playoffs, but I think the Mavs go with Singler here to augment an already explosive bench

27) New Jersey Nets - Josh Selby (Kansas)
Selby had a completely underwhelming season and was thought by many to be crazy for leaving after one thoroughly mediocre season. However, he has seemingly redeemed himself a little in workouts and could go in the end of the first round to a team like the Nets who may pair him with Deron Williams in the backcourt.

28) Chicago Bulls - Charles Jenkins (Hofstra)
Jenkins is the pick here as the bulls try to improve their scoring from the shooting guard spot. While Jenkins may be a bit undersized he was one of the elite scorers in college basketball this past season.

29) San Antonio Spurs - David Bertans (Latvia)
Yawn. Another 6'10 forward from Europe who shoots from outside. But since the Spurs are picking him he'll probably end up being really good.

30) Chicago Bulls - Jimmy Butler (Marquette)
I'm not going to lie, I'm rooting for the kid.

NBA Mock Draft

2011-06-02T15:36:00.001-04:00

This is the first year ever where I felt more comfortable with my knowledge of the NBA draft than my knowledge of the NFL draft. Admittedly I am not an NBA scout and know a lot more about the college prospects as compared to the international prospects. That said, I have included my rationale for each pick so you can get an idea of where I am coming from. Anyways no need to blabber on, with the first pick....

1) Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving (Duke)
While an argument can be made for either Irving or Derrick Williams as the most deserving of the #1 pick, Irving is the no brainer pick for the Cavs who came out of draft lottery night as the big winner. Irving spent much of his season injured but was spectacular before his injury and looked impressive in his couple NCAA tournament games. Baron Davis is clearly not intended to be a long term option at point guard and chances are Irving will have a chance to start from day one.

2) Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Williams (Arizona)
There is a very good chance that Minnesota trades this pick. Unless Kanter really picks up steam, Williams is by consensus the best prospect after Irving. However, Minnesota already has Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph as combo forwards and unless they move one or both of them, Williams is not a good fit. Still I think the Timberwolves either trade before picking (Cleveland seems like a possibility) or take Williams and use him as a trade chip.

3) Utah Jazz - Brandon Knight (Kentucky)
The Jazz find themselves in an interesting position. Kanter is probably the best prospect on the board, but with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors on the roster, Utah really doesn't need to take a post scorer. Thus Brandon Knight gets taken a little higher than probably he had even hoped due to the void at point guard left by Deron Williams. Knight is a smart player who can score in a variety of ways, but he may struggle with consistency early on.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Enes Kanter (Turkey/Kentucky Practice Squad)
I am very intrigued by the trade rumors of the Cavs acquiring the #2 pick and getting Irving AND Williams, however, since the trade has not been finalized, I gotta stick with what we have. While Varejao is fills a solid role as a poor man's Joakim Noah, the Cavs need to go with the best prospect on the board here and take Kanter. Kanter is a bit of an unknown, but he is one of the top 3 prospects in this draft. Given that Kentucky made it to the Final Four with a frontcourt of Josh Harrellson, Terrence Jones, and no one else, it leaves one to wonder how good the Wildcats could have been had Kanter not been ruled ineligible.

5) Toronto Raptors - Kawhi Leonard (SDSU)
Thanks to Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, and Perry Jones, this is where the draft drops off. Foreign prospect Jonas Valanciunas may be the best prospect available, but he is doubtful to give the Raptors much more than Andrea Bargnani. Leonard may be a slight reach, but the Raptors are thin at the SF position and Leonard seems like he has a Gerald Wallace-esque upside and is less of a risk than Valanciunas who some think may be in a Ricky Rubio like situation in which he does not immediately come to the NBA.

6) Washington Wizards - Jan Vesely (Czech Republic)
Outside of John Wall, there are really not any positions on the Wizards that couldn't use an upgrade. Apparently Washington is high on Vesely who is a combo forward. Recently it seems like every year there are at least 2-3 European combo forwards in the draft, but Dirk remains the only one who has become an NBA superstar.

7) Sacramento Kings - Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
As I said a couple of picks ago this draft drops off quick and a lot of players who aren't lottery-caliber will end up being taken in the lottery this year. However, I think Kemba Walker is a perfect fit for the Kings. Walker would allow Evans to move to off-guard and would give the Kings a strong personality who has led a team to a championship. Walker is the same age as Evans and is a year older than Cousins. Evans and Cousins need a point guard to distribute them the ball and keep both happy with the amount of touches they get (which may be an impossible task) but I think Walker may be up to the challenge.

8) Detroit Pistons - Bismack Biyombo (Congo)
Biyombo is a huge risk, but at the moment is as good a pick as any for the Pistons and may be the best prospect available. Biyombo dominated in the Nike Hoop Summit and can come into the NBA and make and impact rebounding and blocking shots. I think the Pistons take Biyombo to pair with Greg Monroe and hope he develops into a Serge Ibaka type player.

9) Charlotte Bobcats - Marcus Morris (Kansas)
This pick could go a million different ways as there are several frontcourt prospects available. Due to questions of when he will come over I mentioned before I doubt Jordan will take Valanciunas. Tristan Thompson has higher upside than Morris but is also a much more raw prospect. Personally I think Morris has NBA size and an NBA skill set and is by far and away the best pick for the rebuilding Bobcats.

10) Milwaukee Bucks -Alec Burks (Colorado)
While I followed college basketball closely over the past year, I only saw Alex Burks a couple times and from what I remember he was impressive. While Burks has NBA size and is a natural scorer, he is not by any means a great shooter and probably wouldn't be a lottery pick in most other drafts. That said, he seems to be a good fit for the Bucks at 10.

11) Golden State Warriors - Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania)
While Jonas (I'm calling him by his first name since I hate typing his last name), does have the aforementioned questions about his buyout and when he will come to the US, he is a true post prospect that the Warriors have lacked. Since this is such a weak draft I think it makes sense for the Warriors to make him the pick and take the risk.

12) Utah Jazz -Chris Singleton (Florida State)
This pick could go in a lot of directions. Most of the top rated prospects available at this point are big men and the Jazz are already deep in the post. While fate seems to issue that Fredette is the pick, I doubt they go all David Kahn and pick two point guards in the lottery. Singleton could end up being one of the best defenders in the NBA in a few years and many feel his game translates better in the NBA than it did to college ball. With Kirilenko most likely on his way out, Singleton is the pick.

13) Phoenix Suns - Tristan Thompson (Texas)
If Thompson is available he makes by far the most sense here for the Suns as he fills a need (a true, defensive-minded 4) and is probably the best prospect available at this point. One different route would be for the Suns to take Jimmer Fredette and groom him as Steve Nash's protege.

14) Houston Rockets - Donatas Motiejunas (Lithuania)
For the second straight year Donatas Motiejunas is in my mock draft and for the second straight year I haven't seen a minute of film on the guy. Houston is kind of in a shitty spot here as their obvious need is at center but all of the true center lottery prospects are taken. Donatas makes since here and I'm cheering for him just so I don't have to think about spelling his name in next year's mock draft.

15) Indiana Pacers - Markieff Morris (Kansas)
The Pacers could use depth at both forward spots and I think they go with the best available prospect here and take Marcus's brother Markieff, who some scouts apparently like even more than Marcus.

16) Philadelphia 76'ers - Kenneth Faried (Morehead State)
When drafting in the mid to late teens, especially in a weak draft, for the most part you are hoping to find someone who can be a solid rotation player. Faried will never be a star in the NBA, but he is elite at a skill (rebounding) that is absolutely necessary to a team's success. He also brings a toughness that will fit the 76ers well.

17) New York Knicks - Jimmer Fredette (BYU)
Who knows if this happens. What I do know is that:
a) Jimmer is the best prospect on the board
b) Billups' empty light is getting brighter by the day
c) Jimmer, Carmello, and Amare = ridiculous scoring
d) New York basketball is getting exciting again and Jimmer is an exciting pick

18) Washington Wizards - Klay Thompson (Washington State)
Neither Thompson nor current Wizard Jordan Crawford are likely to be superstars, but together they give the Wizards a nice young combination of talented scorers at the SG position to pair with potential superstar point guard John Wall.

19) Charlotte Bobcats - Jordan Hamilton (Texas)
While many mocks have the Bobcats going with Tobias Harris, I think Hamilton will be the pick here if he falls this far. He is a talented shooter with NBA size and would pair nicely with Stephen Jackson on the outside for the Bobcats. Hamilton looked great for Texas early in the year before fading a bit later (of course a Texas team with DJ Augustin and Kevin Durant faded in the offseason, so Rick Barnes may be the real culprit).

20) Minnesota Timberwolves - Nikola Vuceic (USC)
With Rubio apparently coming to play for David Kahn and the Timberwolves shopping their #2 pick, I would not be surprised to see this pick also shopped. If they keep it I think they reach a bit and go for Nikola Vuvecic who is one of the few remaining talented big men and hope they can pair him with Kevin Love.

21) Portland Trail Blazers - Darius Morris (Michigan)
Morris is a bit of a gamble for the Trail Blazers but is probably worth it here with no great post prospects remaining and depth needed at point guard. This would certainly be an upside pick.

22) Denver Nuggets - Tobias Harris (Tennessee)
The Nuggets need some changes in the frontcourt, but that is more likely to be addressed in free agency or through trades. I think the Nuggets go best available here and take Tobias Harris who is raw but has point forward skills.

23) Houston Rockets - Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA)
Some think Honeycutt came out a year too early, but he is a talented prospect who could probably be a solid rotation player if things pan out. He's worth the gamble for the Rockets.

24) Oklahoma City Thunder - Kyle Singler (Duke)
SinglerUNC fans I'm not going to kill the kid for wanting to come back to college and try to repeat as champions. Singler failed to live up to expectations this past season, but I think the Thunder pick him here since he is a known commodity and will allow Durant to take a couple minute breather a few times per game.

25) Boston Celtics - Jeremy Tyler (High School/Japan)
With Perkins traded, KG aging, and Shaq retiring the Celtics need help in the frontcourt. They will most likely attempt to acquire it via trades or free agency but I think they take a gamble here and go with Tyler who is young and has been misguided by his parents (his decision to skip college and play in Europe backfired) but has a lot of talent and potential.

26) Dallas Mavericks - Marshon Brooks (Providence)
This is a bit of a luxury pick for the Mavs, who take the best player available and someone who can give them even more scoring off the bench.

27) New Jersey Nets - Josh Selby (Kansas)
Selby had a completely underwhelming season and was thought by many to be crazy for leaving after one thoroughly mediocre season. However, he has seemingly redeemed himself a little in workouts and could go in the end of the first round to a team like the Nets who may pair him with Deron Williams in the backcourt.

28) Chicago Bulls - Charles Jenkins (Hofstra)
Jenkins is the pick here as the bulls try to improve their scoring from the shooting guard spot. While Jenkins may be a bit undersized he was one of the elite scorers in college basketball this past season.

29) San Antonio Spurs - David Bertans (Latvia)
Yawn. Another 6'10 forward from Europe who shoots from outside. But since the Spurs are picking him he'll probably end up being really good.

30) Chicago Bulls - Nolan Smith (Duke)
This pick could go in many different ways. The Bulls could use an upgrade at backup point guard as I am not at all sold on CJ Watson. Reggie Jackson, Malcolm Lee, Shelvin Mack, and Norris Cole are all possibilities. If they want to go frontcourt instead, Justin Harper and Trey Thompkins are still available. I have them taking the Duke player I feared most since JJ Reddick in Nolan Smith. Smith could back up either guard spot and has a good outside shot as well as a nice midrange game.

The Post Where I Talk About the NBA Finals

2011-05-30T16:22:00.000-04:00

The most unstoppable shot in the NBA

While I have failed to post about it, I have been following these NBA playoffs as close as any in recent memory. While I have enjoyed watching most of the games, the only series that has really lived up to expectations is the Thunder-Grizzlies series. These playoffs seem to be occurring right in the midst of an intriguing shift in power in the NBA. The Celtics, Lakers, and Spurs all were ousted by younger teams on the upswing. The Grizzlies showed that an old school style emphasizing frontcourt play can still be effective in the NBA. The Bulls and Thunder showed their tremendous talent and potential, but both collapsed at crucial moments when the pressure was on in the Eastern and Western Conference finals. While I have no passionate rooting interests, I had hoped for a Thunder-Bulls final simply because of the tantalizing prospect of seeing Westbrook and Rose go head to head in the NBA Finals. Instead the Miami Heat, who have been riding a roller coaster of expectations and criticism ever since "The Decision" were able to overwhelm the competition with a non-traditional, but overwhelmingly talented roster and Nike is rejoicing that they can finally dust off the LeBron puppet from a couple years ago now that he is in the NBA finals. On the other end Dirk has been the best player in the playoffs behind an unstoppable one footed fadeaway that I have yet to successfully replicate behind numerous attempts.

What we are left with is a psuedo-rematch of the 2006 finals in which the Heat were able to beat Dirk and the Mavs. I say psuedo-rematch because, aside from Wade and Haslem, the Heat are a completely different team than they were back in 2006 when they featured Shaq, Alonzo, and Gary Payton. While that team was likable, this team seems to finally have embraced the role of NBA villain after struggling early in the season in attempt to understand why so many cheered against the Heat. LeBron has been prancing after big plays, gesturing and yelling to the crowd, and trash-talking opposing players. Despite how annoying this may be to some (including myself) he has been absolutely dominant in these playoffs, especially in closing out games against the Celtics and Bulls. To me its somewhat sad, because had LeBron elected to take a route other than teaming up with two other top 20 players (and Wade is probably top 5), I would be cheering him on as he laid waste to the hopes and dreams of opposing players and fanbases. Instead he had an hour long special about where he was going, then managed to top it with a victory parade in which he and his teammates literally celebrated like they, and not the Lakers were champions 8 straight titles before even winning one. Whether it was his intention or not, LeBron has come to be defined by his decision to forsake the alpha dog superstar route in order to create the "Super Team" with Bosh and Wade.

Now we just need a Dirk puppet

Its a shame really, because as much as everyone pounced on Scottie Pippen for saying LeBron may one day be better than Jordan, I can see where Pippen is coming from. Do I think LeBron will ever get there? Absolutely not. He lacks the competitive fire (bordering on insanity) that Jordan had that drove him to continuously improve and want to destroy his competition. To be fair to LeBron I'm not sure anyone will ever reach Jordan's competitiveness, with Kobe coming the closest since #23 called it quits. The reason I don't blame Pippen though is that LeBron is an athletic freak even moreso that MJ was. He is an amazing passer, can play point forward effectively, and is nearly unstoppable in transition. In a way perhaps the best chance of a Jordan-esque competitive fire being lit under King James would be for the Heat to lose this series and LeBron to realize joining forces with Wade and Bosh doesn't guarantee him championships. Were he to really use the offseason and possible lockout to fill the holes in his game he could be even better than he is now (which is a scary thought). And LeBron certainly has holes in his game. For how well he gets to the line, he shoots only about 75% from the line (add a couple more points per game for him if he bumps it to 85%). Given his size, were he to spend a summer working in the post with Hakeem he could be even more effective scoring in the half-court. Lastly, his three point shooting could take a similar jump that Jordan's did were he to really commit to improving it over the next couple years. So perhaps it was for these reasons that Pippen saw potential for LeBron to be better than Jordan... or perhaps he was just taking a playful swipe at an old friend and teammate.

Despite what this post so far and ESPN's coverage my have you believe however, there are more players involved in the NBA finals than just LeBron. Dirk Nowitski has recovered from the Mavs 2006 finals collapse and the embarrassment at the hands of the Golden State Warriors the following season. Dirk, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Jason Terry are all looking squarely at what may be their best chance of winning a title. The Mavs don't have a star in the middle but do have Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood, both of whom need and should be able to dominate the boards for the Mavs. Ultimately, the matchupsmatchup) but nevertheless it should be an exciting series. Ultimately while I personally would like the Mavs to win, I can't pick against James and Wade the way they are currently playing.

Prediction - Heat in Seven

ACC Offseason Stock Report

2011-05-03T13:45:00.001-04:00

Hopefully more of the dots are in the tournament next season

The ACC has had an eventful month since the college basketball season came to a close with the worst title game in the history of title games. UNC's big three returned, new coaches were hired at Miami, NC State, and Georgia Tech, Duke convinced another junior to jump to college early, and Debbie Yow released a statement saying that their coaching search was being hurt by the fact that no one wants to coach at NC State (and Gary Williams). While there are a few players from the league whose draft futures remain undecided (Jordan Williams, Reggie Jackson, Reggie Johnson, Iman Shumpert) the dust has settled for the most part and we are beginning to get a picture of what next year's ACC will look like.

I for one, hope it looks a lot better than last year's ACC. While the conference proved in the tournament that they are as powerful at the top as any conference, the league as a whole was the weakest it has been in recent memory. The ACC only received an embarrassing 4 bids into the NCAA tournament last year. While the league will once again be top heavy, no one should expect the ACC to immediately jump back into contention for "best conference in the county" next season. Part of the issue is that so many teams are in a building stage with new coaches. In fact at the moment 7 out of the 12 teams in the league have coaches that were hired in the past 2 years. Still there is some hope for progress among many of the teams in the league and one would expect the conference to improve their number of NCAA tournament bids next season. What follows is a look at how each individual team in the ACC is trending going into the 2011-2012 season.

Rock Solid

Hide yo kids, Hide yo wife

North Carolina
As soon as Harrison Barnes announced he would be joining John Henson and Tyler Zeller in forgoing the draft and returning to Carolina next season the Tar Heels became prohibitive favorites. While Carolina faced high expectations last season, after they stumbled early they were able to play under the radar (at least as under the radar as UNC can be) for most of last season. Next year the Heels will have the target on their back from day one. While the team is significantly more experienced than last year's team, Carolina will still be depending on contributions from freshmen and sophomores if they hope to cut down the nets in New Orleans. Whether or not UNC lives up to their lofty expectations, it looks as if the debacle that was the 2010 NIT season was only a blip on the radar for a program that has perennially been at the top of the league since Roy Williams came over from Kansas.

Duke

While (much to my pleasure) the Blue Devils failed to meet last seasons title expectations, Duke will almost certainly be competing for the ACC title as long as Coach K is in Durham. Next year the Blue Devils may have some games where they show their inexperience, Duke should be a top 10 team and will most likely present the only real obstacle to UNC winning the ACC (regular season) for a second consecutive year. Austin Rivers will provide Duke with a flashy scorer to fill the void left by Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, and Kyrie Irving and his cocky swagger could elevate him to an ACC public enemy status previously held by Hansbrough and Redick. How Coach K manages minutes in a crowded backcourt and whether the Plumlees can develop into strong frontcourt players remain in question for next season. Either way though Duke will be a strong team once again.

Rising Fast
Florida State
While Derwin Kitchen and Chris Singleton were significant losses, Florida State return pretty much everyone else from a squad that made the Sweet Sixteen last season. Furthermore, the Seminoles add a strong recruiting class that includes 3 ESPN 100 four star recruits. Leonard Hamilton is in my opinion one of the more underrated coaches in the country. While his forte may not be X's and O's he has done a great job of recruiting athletic players and getting them to buy into building their identity on uber-tough defense. Florida State should have a great chance of once again making the NCAA tournament and winning games once there.

Reason For Optimism
Virginia Tech

No caption necessary

The Hokies are quickly becoming the annual tragic figure of the ACC. For the past four years Seth Greenberg has fielded solid, if not stellar, squads that have fallen on the wrong side of the bubble. The Hokies lose a lot next year with Jeff Allen, Terrell Bell, and Malcom Delaney all graduating. On the other hand the Hokies bring back Erick Green, who had a breakout season, and Dorenzo Hudson and Cadarian Raines will both be back from injury. Moreover, the Hokies bring in a top 15 recruiting class led by 5 star small forward Dorian Finney-Smith. The class also includes ESPN 100 recruits Robert Brown and C.J. Barksdale which really makes me wish that Bell had not graduated so that VT could have Bell and Barksdale on the floor at the same time and I could make a bunch of references to The Wire during Hokie games. While the loss of Allen and Delaney will be felt, it seemed they were cursed when it came to making the tournament and perhaps their departure will lift the jinx that had Seth Greenberg fuming the past four Selection Sundays. To make the tournament this season they will need big contributions from freshmen, but either way the future looks promising for the Hokies.

Clemson
The Tigers surprised people this season in their first year under coach Brad Brownell. While the Tigers lose their top scorers in Demontez Stitt and Jerai Grant, they return pretty much everyone else of significance. Rising junior Milton Jennings, who may have been most famous this season for being the guy that Harrison Barnes posterized, seems poised for a breakout season next year. Clemson's incoming class doesn't have much star power, but is deep. Really the main thing that would make me optimistic about the Tigers if I was a Clemson fan is Brownell. In his first year he was able to get his team to buy in, play tough defense, and make the NCAA tournament.

Virginia
The Cavaliers are an interesting case. They went an unimpressive 7-9 in conference and finished 16-15 on the season. In fact those numbers are not too far off from those of the '09-'10 Tar Heels. Also like that Carolina team, the Cavaliers were decimated by injuries. Their best player, forward Mike Scott, was lost to injury before the ACC season kicked into gear and sharpshooter Sammy Zeglinski also battled injuries much of the season. While UVA does lose Mustapha Farrakhan and Will Sherril, the team will return Scott as a 5th year senior as well as impressive freshmen Joe Harris and KT Harrell. The Cavs also add two ESPN 100 recruits in Malcolm Brogdon and Paul Jesperson. Coach Tony Bennett has done a good job of building up the UVA program and, alongside Brownell, appears to be one of the best new coaches in the league.

Miami

I'm still confused how Miami got the best coach

NC State, Georgia Tech, and Miami all hired new coaches this offseason. Now raise your hand if you thought Miami would be the one that would get the biggest name. When Frank Haith departed from Miami this offseason the Hurricanes seemed to be in a position of uncertainty. However, last week Miami managed to lure away Jim Larranaga from George Mason. For anyone doubting this hire, consider that Larranaga now joins Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, and Gary Williams as the only coaches in the ACC to lead a team to the final four. If Larranaga can convince big man Reggie Johnson (and I mean big man, he's over 300 pounds) to pull his name out of the draft for next season, he will have inherited a talented and underachieving roster that also includes sharpshooting guards Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant. The recruiting class only includes one three star big man, but since the only player Miami loses for sure next season is Adrian Thomas, Larranaga will be coaching perhaps more talent than he ever had at George Mason.

Sell, Sell, Sell
Boston College
I actually like BC coach Steve Donahue, but the Eagles are losing 8 seniors to graduation and in all likelyhood will lose guard Reggie Jackson as well to early entry into the NBA draft. Of the players returning, none played more than 17 minutes a game last season. Boston College does bring in a six man recruiting class led by ESPN 100 power forward Ryan Anderson, but Boston College may end up being the cellar dweller of the ACC next season. In the long term I think BC will be a good team under Donahue, but the same cannot be said for next season.

Maryland
Maryland is a tough team to assess. Maryland could jump up alongside Florida State if Jordan Williams were to return to school, but at the moment it sounds like that will not be the case. While I really like Terrell Stoglin and think the Terrapins have some young talent, Maryland is losing a lot more than they are bringing in next season. Maryland lost the recruiting battle with UNC for Desmond Hubert and really needs to win the competition for Kansas State transfer Wally Judge. I don't want to count out a Gary Williams team, but I don't see Maryland as a tournament team next season if Jordan Williams remains in the draft.

The Enigmas
NC State

CJ Leslie

After the debacle that was Debbie Yow's coaching search, recruit Joseph Uchebo's decommittment, and Ryan Harrow's transfer, it would be pretty easy to assume that State is going nowhere but down. However, I am not so quick to completely dismiss State's chances. While the loss of Harrow and Tracy Smith will hurt, NC State brings back much of the talent that made many consider them a up and coming team in the ACC going into last season. While Mark Gottfried is far from the impact hire State fans had hoped for, it would be hard for him to do much worse than Sidney Lowe who seemed gifted at getting as possibly from his players' talents. I actually think Lorenzo Brown can do a good job as the primary ball handler and if CJ Leslie matures and takes a John Henson-esque leap from his freshmen to sophomore season, the Wolfpack at the very least should be more competitive in the league next season. I wouldn't bank on a tournament appearance, but a winning ACC record is not out of the question.

Georgia Tech
Its hard to know what to make of the Yellow Jackets. The school bought out coach Paul Hewitt's controversial contract and hired Brian Gregory from Dayton. While Georgia Tech had underachieved (except against UNC) under Paul Hewitt, Gregory has a reputation of making the NIT at Dayton which doesn't exactly seem like an upgrade. If Iman Shumpert decides to not enter the draft, Georgia Tech will lose virtually nothing and will add a 4 star ESPN 100 power forward in Julian Royal. The one thing I see working in Gregory's favor is that it seemed like his Dayton teams were oriented on tough defense and Georgia Tech led the ACC in steals last season. Like State, Georgia Tech has some talent on their roster, but they also have some major question marks heading into next season.

Nowhere to go but up
Wake Forest
Ah Wake Forest. When I decided to attend medical school here I figured I'd have the benefit of being able to watch a solid ACC program that I could enjoy watching and cheering for (albeit not anywhere to the extent I did for UNC). Instead the Demon Deacons fired Dino Gaudio and replaced him with a coach who had accomplished virtually nothing at Colorado and had one less unnecessary "z" in his name than Coach K. What followed in the first year of the Jeff Bzdelik was nothing less than an unmitigated disaster. Wake stumbled to an 8-24 record and lost most of their games in the ACC by double digits. The Demon Deacons lose Gary Clark (to graduation) and Ari Stewart (to transfer). Stewart was pretty much made expendable anyways by freshman Travis McKie, one of the few bright spots for Wake this past year and JT Terrell should hopefully be able to take advantage of more available minutes due to Clark's departure. The Deacons don't bring in much recruiting wise, as three star sharpshooter Chase Fischer is the best incoming freshman for Wake. Wake's young talent should mature next season into at least a more competitive team, but I really don't see this team returning to ACC contender status until Bzdelik is gone.

UNC 2011-2012 - Fun with Rosters

2011-04-22T14:08:00.001-04:00


The Black Falcon is Back, and he will have plenty of help

As you undoubtedly know by this point, Harrison Barnes announced on Monday that he would be returning for his sophomore year. It proves that Barnes is a unique type of superstar and has goals for his college basketball career beyond making it to the NBA. While Barnes is being lauded for passing up sure money people also need not forget about John Henson and Tyler Zeller who also passed up guaranteed first round money to come back and make a run at the national championship next season. I'm holding off on proclaiming UNC the undisputed preseason #1 until it is assured that at least Knight and Jones (and hopefully Liggins as well) are done at Kentucky, but at the moment it does look like UNC will be expected to cut down the nets in New Orleans.

Since the expectations for UNC and Barnes' decision have been discussed ad nauseum, I figured I'd go a different way with this post and play around with some possible lineups UNC could throw out on the floor. In addition to having a star-studded starting lineup, UNC has one of the deepest rosters in the nation. Justin Knox was the only player who saw significant minutes this past season who won't be on the team in 2011-2012 and the Heels get back a (hopefully) healthy Reggie Bullock as well as a 5 man recruiting class ranked #4 in the nation by ESPN.com. Consequently the number of lineup possibilities are endless.

Starting Five - no real explanation required here.

PG: Kendall Marshall
SG: Dexter Strickland
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: John Henson
C: Tyler Zeller

UNC should be starting the exact same lineup they started this past season. The only concern with this group remains 3 point shooting, but I would expect Marshall and Barnes to both improve in that category. Strickland keeps the starting shooting guard spot due to his defense. He showed at times how dangerous he can be in transition and when attacking the rim. If he improves his shooting and becomes more assertive driving to the basket, he could perhaps be the most improved player on the team next year. The frontcourt is absolutely loaded. They could barely be stopped last season and might become completely unstoppable next year.

Make it Rain - The ultimate 3 point shooting lineup

PG: Kendall Marshall
SG: Leslie McDonald/PJ Hairston
SF: Reggie Bullock/PJ Hairston
PF: Harrison Barnes
C: James McAdoo

I'm not sure we see this lineup much, but with these players out on the floor, UNC has good shooters at every position. McAdoo showed off his three point range in both the McDonald's all All American game and in the Jordan Classic. McDonald, Bullock, and Hairston are all pretty interchangeable at this point with regards to shooting. As mentioned above, Marshall will probably be an improved shooter as well, but his main role in this hypothetical lineup is finding the open shooter (which shouldn't be too hard).

Murderous Press- stealing this one from Bill Simmons' book, in which he took the idea from Rick Pitino, who said that if he went back into the NBA he would take 5 of his bench players and have them press relentlessly 5 minutes each half. It doesn't seem likely UNC will do this next year, but I like the idea and think it would be interesting if UNC adopted the concept and went to this lineup a couple times a game.

PG: Stillman White
SG: Dexter Strickland
SF: Justin Watts
PF: Jackson Simmons
C: Desmond Hubert

White, Hubert, and Simmons are all middle to lower level recruits coming in next season who probably won't see significant playing time. I put Strickland on the press due to his great defense/to have a second ball handler. Justin Watts may see his minutes diminish this year but he would be PERFECT for this press. Hubert could be replaced with Henson if he isn't able to execute this, but I wanted it to be mainly composed of bench players

The Monstars - Go big or go home

PG: Kendall Marshall
SG: Harrison Barnes
SF: James McAdoo
PF: John Henson
C: Tyler Zeller

This lineup has been talked about quite a bit already and ESPN's Eamonn Brennan's called it the "'screw it, I'm doing it' video game lineup" in one of his chats earlier this week. While I doubt we actually see this lineup much on the floor, Barnes could potentially play the 2 guard and McAdoo is thought by some to be a hybrid forward along the lines of Marvin Williams. They may have issues keeping up with smaller guards on defense, but on the offensive end a lineup with 4 players 6'8" or over would be a nightmare for opposing teams.

Lockdown Defense
PG: Dexter Strickland
SG: Reggie Bullock/PJ Hairston
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: John Henson
C: Tyler Zeller

Dexter Strickland takes over at point for Kendall Marshall whose one weakness is on the defensive end. Once again if Bullock is healthy he could give opposing shooting guards problems with his 6'7" frame. Alternatively Hairston is 6'6" and also seems like a solid defender from what I've seen.

Crunch Time -the lineup in the last minutes of a close game when UNC needs to score/make free throws

PG: Kendall Marshall
SG: Leslie McDonald
SF: Harrison Barnes
PF: James McAdoo
C: Tyler Zeller

A good case for Strickland, Hairston, or Bullock could be made at the 2 guard position, but I ultimately think that I may trust a junior Leslie McDonald the most to knock down a big shot. Marshall, Barnes, and Zeller are no-brainersMcAdoo the edge at power forward due to having a better offensive game and being a better free throw shooter than Henson.

and just for fun The Best Biscuits Lineup Ever!
PG: Stillman White
SG: Patrick Crouch
SF: Justin Watts
PF: Jackson Simmons
C: Desmond Hubert

Outside of crouch I actually think all of these players are/will be solid college contributors, but with the talent UNC has on their roster they may not see the floor too much until mop up time. Still this is definitely a roster that can get you from 94 points to 100 points in the last couple minutes.

UNC Basketball 2010-2011 Season Wrapup: Part II

2011-04-11T18:37:00.002-04:00

Note this is part 2 of a 2 part season wrapup. For part one, click here.

Lowlight #5: Oh Offense, offense, wherefore art thou offense?
UNC rebounded from their disappointing second half in Durham with wins against Clemson and Wake Forest, neither of which were particularly pleasing from an aesthetic point of view. Their next game was against Boston College who they had managed to score 106 points against in their previous meeting. This time the Heels failed to score half that, tallying 48 points, the lowest of the Roy Williams era. Luckily BC scored two points less and Carolina got the win, but it was an ugly game that made people wonder whether Kendall Marshall was hitting a wall and whether the team had peaked too early. It also was just a painful game to watch.

Highlight #6: Black Falcon Blood > Tigerblood

The Tar Heels answered their doubters with back to back double digit victories at NC State and at home against Maryland (and in the meantime Charlie Sheen's antics captivated America, thus the). Their next matchup was against Florida State in Talahassee, the site of Duke's first loss of the season. The game was neck and neck the whole way through and with 18 seconds remaining Derwin Kitchen hit a free throw to give the Seminoles a one point advantage. To the surprise of some, Roy Williams called a timeout with 10 seconds left. Barnes was given the ball about 8 feet from the top of the key and went iso with his man, looking like he would drive to the hoop. Instead he pulled up from three and hit an absolutely cold blooded three pointer to give UNC the win. Perhaps the most surprising thing was how muted Dickie V's response was to the shot. Perhaps he genuinely had come to expect that from Barnes, but I would bet he would have yelled and waxed poetic for a good five minutes had Singler or Smith made the shot.

Highlight #7: ACC Regular Season Champions in the Sweetest Way Possible

With both Duke and UNC coming into the final game of the regular season at 13-2, the rematch in Chapel Hill had the added stakes of being for the outright regular season ACC title. Now time for a confession. I wasn't able to watch this game in its entirety. I was in Charleston with a group of friends from medical school on spring break, and everyone decided to get dinner at 8:30. Consequently I was stuck getting up from the table every five minutes to go watch the game on the TV at the bar. To be fair I caught all of the final 5 minutes and probably slightly over 50% of the rest of the game, but I hate missing any of a Duke-UNC game. As for the game itself, UNC made an early statement by starting three walkon seniors who proceded to help UNC to a 3-0 lead before being pulled. Kendall Marshall was the star of the game with 15 points, 11 assists and only 2 turnovers. Harrison Barnes hassled Singler into only 8 points on 3-14 shooting. Dexter Strickland also put an exclamation point on the victory with a thunderous dunk on Miles Plumlee (13:55 in the above video).

Highlight #8: 40 for 40

After capturing the regular season title, UNC had their letdown in the ACC tournament with three consecutive slow starts. Carolina was down 19 to Miami in the second half of their ACC tournament game before a furious comeback was capped by a Tyler Zeller buzzer beater with time expiring. The Heels then proceeded to fall behind early again in their third meeting with Clemson in the ACC semifinals. With the Heels down 5 and 1:23 remaining on the clock, Barnes hit a three to bring UNC within two (Zeller scored the tying bucket), then scored 15 points in overtime to finish with 40 points, tying Tyler Hansbrough's single game freshman scoring record.

Lowlight #6: A Dish Served Cold

Carolina's ACC tournament habit of surrendering big leads early against came back to bite them in the ACC tournament finals against Duke. It was a game I had a bad feeling about as soon as the matchup was set and UNC was thoroughly outplayed by a Duke team that looked like a bunch of seasoned veterans. Nolan Smith bothered Kendall Marshall all game and Duke shot 9-20 from beyond the arc. While the refs were not as awful as some Carolina fans claimed, there was an atrocious charge called on a Dexter Strickland posterization of Kyle Singler that did kill some early momentum from Carolina. In many ways it may have been best had UNC lost to Clemson in the semifinals.

Highlight #9: John Henson Also Likes to Live Dangerously

After an opening round game against Long Island that was closer than it should have been for much of the first half, Carolina faced off against the PAC-10 tournament champ Washington Huskies. Washington jumped to an early lead, then the game was back and forth. John Henson came up with a huge play with five seconds remaining and Carolina up one when he deflected Washington's inbound pass to Dexter Strickland, who appeared to seal the game with two free throws. However John Henson attempted to catch Venoy Overton's desperation shot, only to drop it out of bounds with a second left. Washington inbounded the ball to Isiah Thomas whose shot was off mark. Henson for some reason attempted to goaltend the shot (he didn't touch the ball) which would have been the dumbest decision in college basketball history had Thomas's foot not been on the line and had the ending of the Pitt-Butler game not occurred only a night earlier.

Highlight #10: Derrick Williams Dominates Duke, UNC Dominates Marquette

A night before UNC's sweet sixteen game the Blue Devils faced off against the Arizona Wildcats. Duke seemed poised for a blowout in the first half and the only reason I kept watching was Derrick Williams' buzzer beating three to cut Arizona's halftime deficit to six. In the second half Arizona looked like the Monstars in the first half of the space jam game, thoroughly dominating Duke including a couple sick jams to upset the Blue Devils. The next night the Tar Heels eviscerated the Marquette Golden Eagles, who were never able to find any semblance of offense against UNC's length.

Lowlight #7: Kentucky en Fuego
With a final four field that already included VCU, Butler, and Connecticut, I felt like Carolina suddenly had a chance to cut down the nets in Houston if they could get past the Kentucky Wildcats in the elite eight. Kentucky had upset overwhelming favorite Ohio State in the sweet sixteen, but I figured Carolina had a good chance since they had already beaten Kentucky once and since it would be hard for the Wildcats to reproduce their 9-21 shooting beyond the arc from the previous matchup. I was wrong. Kentucky shot a ridiculous 12-22 from 3 and John Henson spent most of the game on the bench in foul trouble. UNC did roar back in the final minutes due to an 8-0 run by Harrison Barnes, but down one with 1:02 left, DeAndre Liggins blocked a Kendall Marshall layup and then converted on the other end with a three to win the game and end the UNC season.

Final Thoughts

Despite the fact the season ended with a lowlight, it was one of the most enjoyable seasons of Carolina basketball I've witnessed. We saw an inconsistent team full of young talent mature into a Final Four contender, in part due to the departure of Larry Drew II. In a year where Duke was penciled in as the best team in the ACC all year, UNC managed to capture the ACC regular season title by beating the Blue Devils in the Dean Dome. Despite the ups and downs of the season, Carolina finished ranked exactly what they were ranked in the preseason, #8. If the rumors are true and Barnes comes back, next year could be something special. However, there will also be enormous expectations that at times may take some of the fun out of watching UNC next season (trust me I was there for 2009). On the flip side the NIT debacle last season makes one really appreciate how much fun it is to see a UNC team like this year's team. I will never forget 2010-2011.

UNC Basketball 2010-2011 Season Wrapup: Part I

2011-04-08T19:04:00.004-04:00

Note: This is part 1 of a 2 part season recap.

Kendall Marshall taking over at point guard was a turning point in the season

With the college basketball season coming to an end this week, I figured now was as good as a time as any to look back once more on the past season for UNC before focus completely shifts to next season (which it will as soon as Barnes makes his announcement).

To set the stage, the 2010-2011 season came in on the heels of one of the most disappointing Carolina basketball seasons ever. In what may have been one of the worst title defenses of all time a team that was ravaged by injuries and never seemed to gel on or off the court stumbled to a 16-16 regular season record (5-11 ACC) and ended up losing in the final of the NIT. To make matters worse, Duke, with the help of an advantageous draw, cut down the nets in Indianapolis to bring the Devils within one national championship of UNC. One of the few high moments what was otherwise an unmitigated disaster from a Tar Heel fan point of view was the commitment of top recruit Harrison Barnes, the nation's top recruit and perhaps the most heralded high school senior since LeBron.

Entering this season it was apparent that the roster contained a substantial amount of talent, but nearly all of it was unproven. The natural leader of the team, redshirt senior Will Graves, was kicked off the team prior to the start of the season. Larry Drew II, a junior point guard who had faced significant criticism the previous season was the only returning starter. In fact the previous season there were even rumors of him transferring (*foreshadowing*). Tyler Zeller was also a junior who had shown promising flashed but had spend much of his first two seasons injured. John Henson, Dexter Strickland, and Leslie McDonald were the remaining pieces of what had been a highly heralded and highly disappointing (at least to some impatient UNC fans) freshman class. Justin Knox was a graduate transfer from Alabama, who seemed like a useful stopgap without true star power. Lastly, Barnes was joined by fellow highly rated freshmen Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock who many hoped would make an immediate impact to restore the program to national prominence after a one year leave.

The offseason was characterized by high expectations from the media and intense debate among fans. Despite the dearth of proven qualities on the roster, the Tar Heels were ranked #8 in the preseason rankings, largely in part to the stratospheric expectations for Harrison Barnes who was voted a preseason All-American and even picked by some to end up national player of the year. Among fans, debates raged about starters and playing time, with a particular emphasis on the point guard position. Due to Larry Drew's poor play the previous season and moments that some fans thought reflected a lack of commitment to the program, many fans advocated starting freshman Kendall Marshall over Drew. In what was not a surprise to anyone who knows Roy Williams' tendencies as a coach, Drew got the starting nod to begin the season.

I could continue recapping the season in this manner, but if you are reading this post you probably already know rest of the story. So instead I'm going to go through the major highlights and lowlights in a sequential manner (complete with youtube links when appropriate).

Lowlight #1: Puerto Rico: Land of Sunshine and Disappointment
After dispatching Lipscomb and Hofstra in their opening two games, Carolina faced Minnesota in the Puerto Rico tournament semifinals. Larry Drew was unimpressive, the frontcourt was bullied by Ralph Sampson and Trevor Mbakwe and Harrison Barnes went 0-12 from the field. Just two days later, Vanderbilt sent the Tar Heels to a 2-2 record. Barnes was again unimpressive shooting and looked lost and Drew failed to inspire much confidence. Tyler Zeller was the only Tar Heel to impress in Puerto Rico, but had moments where he appeared timid in the paint. Puerto Rico was certainly not encouraging to many Tar Heel fans who still had the previous season's NIT debacle etched into their mind.

Highlight #1: Tyler Zeller gets UNC its first signature win

Things didn't get immediately better for the Heels after Puerto Rico. The Heels did avenge the previous season's loss to College of Charleston, but Illinois beat Carolina by 12 in Champaign in the Big 10-ACC challenge. The next game was against the Kentucky Wildcats, who like the Tar Heels carried high expectations but little experience. In a game staged in front of a raucous Dean Dome the score was always close, though Kentucky held the advantage for most of the game. However, the Wildcats had to battle foul trouble and Tyler Zeller, who seemed to hold a grudge against the team that injured him his freshman year. John Henson's length rendered freshman superstar Terrence Jones ineffective. Josh Harrelson (pre-steroids and magical coordination pills) was a nonfactor for the Wildcats. In fact the only reason Kentucky was able to hold the advantage for most of the game was the fact that they shot 9-21 from beyond the arc (*more foreshadowing*). Harrison Barnes remained underwhelming but did manage a nice run in the second half punctuated by the putback dunk shown above. In the end Zeller's free throws down the stretch made the difference and Chapel Hill was able to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Highlight #2/Lowlight #2: Dammit Cory Joseph

A couple weeks later UNC faced off with Texas in Greensboro. The game was well played by both teams, and for the first time, Carolina showed off their potential. After Texas came back to take the lead in the final minutes, Harrison Barnes showed the first glimpse of a clutchness that would define the rest of his season by hitting a huge 3 to tie the game. However, fellow freshman Cory Joseph of the Longhorns hit a Kobe-esque turnaround jumper from the free throw line to give the Longhorns the victory. All in all it was not a performance to be ashamed of, but it prevented UNC from returning to the rankings for the next month.

Lowlight #3: Beatdown in A-town
Following the Texas loss, UNC won five straight including their first two ACC games in come-from-behind victories against Virginia and Virginia Tech. Both of those games were ugly and featured slow starts from UNC, but nonetheless the Heels seemed poised to reenter the top 25 if they could beat 8-8 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Nothing of the sort happened and instead the Yellow Jackets outhustled and manhandled UNC, forcing the Heels into 18 turnovers and 27.6% shooting from the field (which I thought was the worst a team could shoot until I saw Butler in the National Championship game). In the end Georgia Tech beat Carolina by 20 which sparked both good things (the switch to Kendall Marshall as starting point guard) and bad things (IC temporarily turning into an insane asylum, Roy Williams making some angry comments on his radio show). While I consider myself a pretty reasonable and realistic fan, even I was worried that UNC may miss a second consecutive NCAA tournament.

Highlight #3: Enter Black Falcon

UNC beat Clemson in a close game at home to keep the Tigers winless in Chapel Hill then traveled to Miami to play the Hurricanes. UNC again started slow but managed to keep the game neck and neck for most of the second half. With the score tied at 71 and 8 seconds on the clock, Barnes hit a three to win the game for Carolina. He followed his clutch antics by putting up 25 against NC State (the first time he broke 20 points) and then 26 in a 32 point beatdown against Boston College. Barnes' breakout propelled the Tar Heels back into the top 25 and made Tar Heel fans aware of his nickname "The Black Falcon" (which while I have embraced it, still comes across as trying a bit too hard to be Kobe).

Highlight #4: Larry Who?

The switch to Kendall Marshall at point guard after the GT game seemed to go more smoothly than expected. Drew gave UNC a defensive boost off the bench in the four games following Kendall Marshall's promotion. Then, out of nowhere, word came out that Larry Drew had left campus in the middle of the week and would be transferring. In retrospect the decision to leave in the middle of the season still seems bizarre, but it has become more and more clear that his parents (especially his psycho mom) had a lot to do with the decision. With questions of whether a freshman point guard would be able to carry the increased load, Kendall Marshall put on a passing clinic for the ages against Florida State, a team with one of the best defenses in the nation that had beaten Duke just a week earlier. Marshall finished with 16 assists, 9 points, and only 3 turnovers and helped make UNC the first team all season to shoot above 50% against the Seminoles.

Highlight #5/Lowlight #4: Heels Make a Statement in Durham then Nolan Smith Makes a Louder One
While Carolina was suddenly starting to play to their potential, they were still considerable underdogs going into their matchup against Duke in Durham. While Duke had lost freshman phenom Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith was playing at a national player of the year level. So when the Tar Heels came out and jumped out to a 14 point lead at the half in Cameron Indoor, most people were stunned. In the first half, UNC flexed their superior talent and Duke seemed unable to match UNC's athleticism. However, Nolan Smith and Seth Curry led a furious comeback in the second half which was aided by poor perimeter shooting from the Heels. While it stung to lose a game to our arch-rivals in which we held a 14 point lead at halftime, the game proved that Carolina could compete with any team in the nation when playing to their potential.

We'll stop here. Make sure to check out part two.

Is the Black Falcon Back? No Decision Yet (Update)

2011-04-04T12:32:00.005-04:00

UPDATED: 4/5, 3:18
Between Barnes' comments yesterday and Roy Williams' comments on the Dan Patrick Show today it looks like no decision has been made. Tirrell remains adamant that he has the right info, but his already questionable credibility seems to be dwindling. At this point the best thing is to just hold off on making any conclusions until we get word from Roy Williams or the players themselves.

UPDATED: 4/4, 6:04 PM
The Daily Tar Heel's Jonathan Jones just wrote that John Henson announced he will have a decision made by Saturday, while Barnes said the following:

“It’ll probably be in at least a week, week and a half or so”

While I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility that this is an attempt to divert people from potentially true rumors, it seems that perhaps Tirrell had bad info. We won't know for sure until an announcement is made either way.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: This is not any attempt to "break" a story. It is simply meant to be a compendium of the rumors that have been swirling over the past 24 hours.

Ever since the final seconds of Carolina's elite eight game against Kentucky wound down, the pressing question in the mind of most Tar Heel fans was whether Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Tyler Zeller would return next season to chase a championship. While all are projected first round picks, Barnes seems to be a consensus lottery pick and some draft services project him to go as high as 3rd. As one would expect there has been no shortage of fans on UNC message boards speculating, dissecting, and even claiming insider insights into the decisions of the three players. While there does seem to be a preponderance of rumors pointing toward Carolina's Big 3 returning (and a potentially significant lack of rumors about them leaving), nothing more than message board speculation existed until yesterday.

Enter Marty Tirrell, a sports radio host from Des Moines, Iowa. His credibility is not that of ESPN or Sports Illustrated, but I would rate it a level above Inside Carolina. He was previously known for being the first to "officially call" Harrison Barnes to UNC during Barnes' recruitment. Anyways here is a string of tweets starting yesterday afternoon:

martytirrell Harrison Barnes to make it official Tuesday.... Back to Heels-

martytirrell Harrison Barnes commits to "work left to be done" at NC Tells family and friends wants and feel Heels can move forward and " win a title "

martytirrell Not going ... Fact

martytirrell He's going back to Chapel Hill dude !

As you can see Tirrell is pretty adamant about the fact Barnes will be wearing #40 in carolina blue next year. Furthermore, on a radio show with Gregg Doyel (of CBS Sports) he claimed the same thing, stating that Barnes was waiting until tomorrow as not to upstage tonight's national championship game.

So the question arises, how credible is Tirrell. From a contrarian's point of view there are only really two reasons I can think of that Tirrell is not telling the truth:

a) He really wants the publicity- this doesn't seem that likely, given how adamant he has been. If he was trying to get publicity based on his own speculation, one would assume he would cover his ass more by using less definite language. He could really lose a lot of credibility if he was wrong after how he has been talking.

b) He has bad info - it is also unlikely he would speak in such a convinced manner if he was unsure of his sources, but it is possible the same source that gave him inside info to Barnes' commitment now is telling him wrong information.

As skeptical as I am I'd say there is a pretty good shot that Tirrell is on to something. I'm sure that we will get more information soon enough, but for now it may be best to just sit back and let things unfold. I'll keep this post up to date with the most recent developments.

Reasons For Each of UNC's Big 3 to Stay

2011-03-28T19:15:00.001-04:00

Needless to say I was disappointed with the outcome of yesterday's elite eight game, but when the other team shoots 12-22 from 3 and one of your best players is on the bench in foul trouble it makes it hard to win. I am in the midst of a test week so I will hold of on my UNC season wrap up. Instead I wanted to quickly address the topic that will be on most Carolina fan's minds the next few weeks: whether Henson, Barnes, and Zeller will be back next year. This is not meant to try and convince any of the players to stay (I doubt this blog has 0.001% impact on their decision making process), but rather to break down the reasons of why each of the players may come back next year. Obviously the reasons they would leave are high draft stock following great tournament performances (excluding Henson yesterday) and the guaranteed money that comes with being picked. Also winning a national championship would be an obvious reason all might want to come back. Here are a few more individualized reasons each may decide to don the light blue jerseys one more season:

Tyler Zeller
Zeller wasn't thought to be much of a risk to leave early, but the big man saw his stock rise after a dominant tournament. However, he was an academic all american and may be interested in attaining his degree from one of the top business schools in the nation before he goes on to the NBA. Zeller also has a chance to even further boost his stock if he puts on more muscle, expands his already impressive post game, and begins hitting shots consistently out to 18 feet like Hansbrough did his senior year. His jump hook is a thing of beauty, and if he adds a couple more post moves to his repertoire he may be unstoppable next season. He could build on his tournament dominance and be an All-American next year and see his name up in the rafters.

John Henson
Henson would be a lottery pick right now because of his absurd athleticism and potential. His defensive skills are impressive and he could help NBA teams in that role off the bat. However, his offensive game is inconsistent outside of 5 feet. He improved his FT shooting throughout the season and another year could prevent him from being a liability at the line in the NBA. For someone as long as Henson he actually has a very nice shooting stroke, and one more season could go a long way to developing a consistent jump shot out to 12 feet. He would have a great chance to move up UNC's record books in the blocks and rebound categories. He seems to enjoy being at Chapel Hill, and staying would allow him to be close to his sister who will be playing basketball at Duke next year. His parents financial situation is secure, so he probably does not feel intense pressure to make money right away.

Harrison Barnes
Barnes is an interesting case. He could be a top 3 pick right now. He has a bright future in the NBA. It would be hard to blame him for going pro, because 95% of kids in his situation would. However, those people aren't Harrison Barnes. I have talked to two people who had "connections" to Barnes and the program that claim he's not leaving. Barnes himself entered college talking about a 3 year plan. Does any of this mean he's staying? Not at all. But it does show he's not your typical freshman sensation. He seems to have a business oriented mind and he may realize that while he could be picked early this year, another year in college would allow him to enhance his brand and come into the league with a superstar aura not seen since LeBron. It's the difference between being a hyped rookie in 2011 and possibly entering with a Nike Black Falcon shoe brand in 2012. He also seems to be very cognizant of his legacy and if he returned he would have a chance to not only help hang a championship banner, but also have #40 hung alongside #12, #50, and most importantly, #23.

Who knows what these guys will decide. The truth is they are all 19-21. Whatever they decide I, and hopefully the rest of Tar Heel nation will support them. I'll never take for granted how awesome they were this year. But if they do decide to come back.... man would next season be something special.

Things I liked and Things I Didn't From The First Weekend

2011-03-21T10:59:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately I am in the midst of a nightmare of a couple of weeks of work so I won't be able to blog as much as I would like during the tournament. I have had a chance to see a decent amount of the action this week and while I don't have time to do an in depth breakdown here are some things I liked and some things I didn't from the first weekend of action.

Things I liked:
1) The ACC in March. A common theme in the media this year was how weak the ACC was this year. However, the conference that owns the past two national championships is again coming up big in March Madness. Clemson had one of their classical meltdowns in the round of 64 against West Virginia, but UNC and Duke are on to the second weekend and Florida State took down second seeded Notre Dame last night. Right now there are more ACC teams in the sweet sixteen (3) than there are Big East teams(2).

2) TV Coverage of the Tournament. It makes so much sense to put the game on 4 different networks so that you can flip to any of the games. Turner's rights to the broadcast have been a plus too with the addition of Charles Barkley, who just turned Rick Pitino bright red with a rant against the Big East, Kenny Smith, Steve Kerr, Marv Albert, and Craig Sager. Gus Johnson has already had some signature moments announcing close games and he continues to be the most exciting announcer in the nation.

3) The Chip of VCU's Shoulder. The Rams caught the blunt end of a lot of experts' rants on Selection Sunday about them being less worthy than teams like Colorado and Virginia Tech which got left out. All they have done since being selected is dominate big conference teams USC, Georgetown, and Purdue by a combined 49 points. Their matchup with the defensive minded Seminoles should make for an interesting Sweet 16 game.

4) Games Decided in the Final Seconds. I won't even attempt to recap all the games that have that have come down to the buzzer in the tournament, just today the Carolina-Washington, Duke-Michigan, and Texas Arizona games were one possession games with less than 10 seconds on the clock. March Madness truly has no equal and a year that lacked juggernauts has made for an exciting tournament.

5) North Carolina's Sunday. First the Tar Heels edged out a talented Washington team in Charlotte thanks to the fact that John Henson may be the best player in history at defending the inbound pass. Then Marquette managed to upset Syracuse whose 2-3 zone would have given the Tar Heels nightmares. Buzz Williams' squad is not to be overlooked, but if the higher seeds advance in the East, it would set up a fantastic showdown in the Elite Eight between Carolina and an Ohio State team that looked dominant today against George Mason.

Things I Hated
1) Decision Making in the last two seconds of Pittsburgh-Butler. Shelvin Mack's foul with 1 second on the clock was boneheaded, but at least to his credit a lot of bumps with time expiring are ignored (see Kansas-UCLA earlier this year). Gilbert Brown also deserves a share of the shame for missing the second free throw which would have iced the game for Pitt. But he missed and what followed was inexcusable. Nasir Robinson blatantly fouled Matt Howard on the rebound which allowed Howard to win the game for Butler at the line. With one second on the clock Robinson had no business even aggressively trying to rebound. If the opposing team makes a 7/8 court shot to win the game then it happens, but you don't foul. I feel for Pittsburgh fans who have had their share of heartbreak (Scottie Reynolds comes to mind), and this loss may have taken the cake.

2) Texas in March. Not much really needs be said other than that no one consistently gets less out of amazing talent in March than Rick Barnes.

3) My Bracket. Five of my Elite Eight teams have been eliminated with only Connecticut, Kansas and Ohio State remaining. Granted I could care less if it means the Tar Heels make a championship run, but for someone who feels like they know a lot about college basketball I have really stunk it up.

Bracket Thoughts and Predictions

2011-03-15T20:37:00.000-04:00

Thanks to spring break and the start of neuroanatomy this site unfortunately went in to radio silence during one of the most exciting weeks of the year in college basketball. Only bigger and better things await in the next week with the NCAA tournament, but to quickly recap thie highlights of what happened since I last posted:

UNC laid a beat down on Duke in Chapel Hill to win the ACC regular season title, then Duke returned the favor in Greensboro to nab their 19th ACC tournament title. Kemba Walker went into beast mode for 5 straight games leading Connecticut to the Big East tournament title. It seemed to rain buzzer beaters, from Tyler Zeller Princeton to Kemba to Isiah Thomas (bonus points for the Gus Johnson call on that one). Jimmer scored 52. Harrison Barnes scored 40. VCU and UAB are dancing while Colorado and VT are playing in the Not Invited Tournament. Kansas and Ohio State won their conference tournaments and earned #1 seeds. Seth Greenberg is just confused and Dick Vitale is still yelling somewhere....

Yup, its definitely March.

Anyways I'll lead off with my bracket and follow with my thoughts.

(Click to Enlarge)

For the first time in a while I did my best to pick with my head and not with my heart (no worries though I definitely have a second ESPN bracket which has the Tar Heels cutting down the nets in Houston). I realize I went a bit chalk with three one seeds in the Final Four, but Ohio State and Kansas are playing very well right now and Pittsburgh has a cushy road to Houston. The one #1 seed not picked to make is Duke. I can't claim I'm unbiased when approaching the Blue Devils, but I think Texas has the athleticism to give the Dookies problems out west.

The East bracket is pretty loaded with talent. With Ohio State, Syracuse, Kentucky and UNC it's not lacking for big names either. Potential Sweet Sixteen pairings of OSU-Kentucky and Syracuse-UNC would be must see TV. The West may be a shade under the east but also has heavy hitters in UConn, SDSU, Duke, Texas and Arizona. Tennessee is a bit of a dark horse in the west, as they have amazing athleticism but lack consistency. In the Southwest, a Purdue-Notre Dame matchup in the Sweet Sixteen would be a treat for basketball purists, but don't be overly surprised if FSU manages to knock off the Irish. With a healthy Chris Singleton, the Seminoles have the ability to defend Notre Dame on the perimeter. In the Southeast, I still don't like MSU making the tournament, but their draw sets up pretty well for an Elite Eight run if Tom Izzo can once again capture lighting in a bottle in March.

Players to Watch
East: Jared Sullinger (OSU), Terrence Jones (UK), Corey Fisher (Vilanova), Demontez Stitt (Clemson), Tu Holloway (Xavier), Scoop Jardine (Syracuse), Isiah Thomas (Washington), Harrison Barnes (UNC)

West: Nolan Smith (Duke), Scotty Hopson (Tennessee), Derrick Williams (Arizona), Jordan Hamilton (Texas), Marcus Denmon (Missouri), Kemba Walker (Connecticut), Lavoy Allen (Temple), Kawhi Leonard (SDSU)

Southwest: Marcus Morris (Kansas), Demetri McCamey (Illinois), Kenneth Faried (Morehead State), John Jenkins (Vanderbilt), JaJuan Johnson (Purdue), Chris Singleton (FSU), Ben Hansbrough (ND)

Southeast: Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh), Jacob Pullen (KSU), Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin), THE JIMMER (BYU), Durrell Summers (MSU), Chandler Parsons (Florida)

Five First Round Games Not To Miss
1) 12 Clemson vs. 5 West Virginia (12:15 Thursday - CBS) - Bit of a risky prediction since Clemson has to win tonight against UAB to even have a chance to play WVU. Also risky given Clemson's recent tournament history. Still I think Brad Brownell is an upgrade at coach over Oliver Purnell and Clemson has a strong frontcourt and a talented senior leader at guard in Demontez Stitt. Look for the Tigers to pull the upset.

2) 13 Morehead State vs. 4 Louisville (1:40 Thursday - TBS) - Louisville is the better team, but Kenneth Faried is the all time NCAA leader in rebounding and could have a field day with Louisville's smaller frontline. I'm still going with Louisville in a close one.

3) 10 Michigan State vs. 7 UCLA (9:20 Thursday - TBS) - The Bruins finished the season strong and freshman Josh Smith really began to come into his own in the second half of the season. Next year paired with the Wears, the Bruins could have a pretty formidable frontline. As disappointing as Michigan State was during the regular season, they still have talent on their roster and final four experience. I'm going with Izzo over Howland in this one.

4) 9 Villanova vs. 8 George Mason (2:10 Friday - TNT) - The Wildcats limp into the tournament and have to face a team on the opposite end of the spectrum in George Mason. I don't expect a return trip to the Final Four for the Patriots this year, but I do think they put Villanova out of their misery.

5) 5 Georgetown vs. 12 USC (9:50 Friday - TNT) - Again this is presupposing that the Spartans knock off VCU, but I think Georgetown could be in a bit of trouble with their smaller frontcourt if they have to face Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson. Assuming Chris Wright is relatively healthy I think the Hoyas squeak this one out in a close one, but if Wright is not himself look for the Trojans to pull the upset.

I hopefully will be updating this blog with thoughts after each round so keep checking back. This last part is aimed at Carolina fans so if you aren't interested in how I think UNC could manage to win it all then feel free to navigate away.

Also in this scenario this is not called a charge

Okay, well as a Carolina fan I wasn't overly thrilled with UNC's draw. I hated not picking the Tar Heels to win it all, but they have so many obstacles in their way and are such a young team I don't really think its going to happen. Still I do believe there is a somewhat realistic draw for the Heels that would allow them a shot at a sixth NCAA banner. In the first round the Heels should light up LIU, who likes to play uptempo. They will probably face Washington in the second round, who has become somewhat of a trendy pick to upset Carolina. Still I think UNC is a better team and will have the home court advantage in Charlotte. The Sweet Sixteen is where things will have to fall into place for the Heels. I have a really hard time seeing UNC cracking Syracuse's zone defense, so for UNC to advance I think Xavier will have to upset the Orangemen in the second round then catch Tu Holloway on a mediocre shooting night. That puts Carolina in the Elite Eight where they probably will face Ohio State. While perhaps Kentucky would be an easier matchup, I expect Sullinger to wreak havoc on the Wildcats. Furthermore, despite the fact they are a #1 seed, Ohio State doesn't scare me as much as Syracuse. Henson and Zeller's length could bother Sullinger and if the Heels can avoid giving Diebler too many open looks from beyond the arc I think the Heels could take down the Buckeyes. Now in this hypothetical scenario UNC is playing San Diego State in the Final Four who knocked off Texas in the Elite Eight (Duke lost to Tennessee in the second round... hey it's my hypothetical). Carolina has the athletes to match up with the Aztecs who are a little overwhelmed by the Final Four. In the Championship Carolina faces off with Pittsburgh who coasted to the Final Four and took out the Purdue Boilermakers in the other semifinal. Harrison Barnes goes off and UNC gets Pittsburgh playing an uptempo game in which they can't keep up with the Heels. Strickland is in Gibbs' grill all day and prevents him from getting good looks from beyond the arc. UNC wins by six. Party on Franklin Street.

For the record I don't think this happens, nor do I expect it to. Considering where UNC was last year it would be a victory for the Tar Heels to make the second weekend and have Duke lose at some point. Still it can't hurt to hope.... HARK THE SOUND!

Random NCAA Basketball Musings

2011-03-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

The sound you hear is hundreds of facts about bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites rushing out of my brain (though in seriousness most of it was pretty cool). After perhaps the most intimidating test of med school I finally have a chance to get back on here and write about college basketball. I was going to write a UNC-Duke column, but I haven't finalized the angle I am going to take, so expect that sometime tomorrow. In the past couple months the posts I have managed to find time to write have all been focused on either ACC basketball or Carolina basketball. Since we are 11 days from selection Sunday, now is as good a time as ever for a survey of the college basketball landscape.

BYU does not approve of the Lonely Island's recent single

The Role of BYU will be played by Jessica Alba

Perhaps the biggest story this week was BYU big Brandon Davies being kicked off the team for an honor code violation. The violation? He admitted to having premarital sex with his girlfriend. I completely respect that BYU has their honor code and that students who go there agree to abide by that honor code. However, from a basketball perspective, BYU went from a potential #1 seed following their sweep of SDSU this weekend to possibly a 3 seed. The Cougars sans Davies got waxed last night by New Mexico. They still have the Jimmer, but going into the tournament now fall more into the Davidson '08 category as opposed to having a shot to make the finals like Butler did last year. It personally just amazes me an athlete would be kicked off a team for something that a large handful of college basketball players are probably doing as I write this. The whole fiasco already has sparked a lot of jokes (Bill Simmons wrote on twitter that "Breaking the BYU honor code" is his new favorite euphemism for sex), but as I said before BYU has the right to create and uphold their own honor code regardless of whether I, or anyone else on the outside agree with it. Still it would have been fun to see how far a full-strength BYU team could have gone in the tournament.

Finding Goliath

No one team seems to stand above the rest. Ever since OSU suffered their first loss to Wisconsin, no team has taken a hold of the top spot in the polls for more than a week. There doesn't appear to be a single team in the nation without vulnerabilities. Duke has a great frontcourt and a mediocre backcourt. Pittsburgh is tough and defends well but isn't explosive offensively. Kansas can get inconsistent play from their backcourt. Texas looks dangerously close to another march meltdown under Rick Barnes. Ohio State is probably the closest thing to a dominant team with their only losses coming on the road at Purdue and Wisconsin. Still they are a far cry from the dominant team that was the 2009 Tar Heels, 2007 Gators, or any of the top seeds in 2008. I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple #1 seeds fall early in this tournament.

At least one of the following red-hot teams are going to make the Final Four: Purdue, Louisville, St. Johns, Wisconsin, North Carolina
With the aforementioned lack of a dominant team, the field is wide open for a team ranked in the 6-15 range to make a national title run. In their past 5 games the combined record of these teams is 23-2 with one of the losses coming when Wisconsin played Purdue. Purdue is exceeding all expectations sans Robbie Hummel. St. Johns has made a living out of beating top teams in the Garden over the past two months. Wisconsin has a great pair of players in Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor and the Badgers slow paced style allows them to hang with any team. Since Kendall Marshall was inserted in the lineup at UNC, their sole loss came by 6 at Cameron Indoor after holding a 14 point lead at the half (more on UNC later). Louisville is probably the weakest of the bunch, but they are playing well and Rick Pitino remains one of the best coaches in the sport.

If Barnes, Henson, and Zeller return for UNC next season college basketball may have another dominant team

Harrison Barnes Tigerblood > Charlie Sheen Tigerblood

Zeller has had a breakout year this season and leads the Tar Heels in scoring. Barnes got off to a slow start and still can be inconsistent shooting, but he has really broken out in the second half of the season. The Black Falcon (as he is sometimes called) hit an absolutely cold blooded three to beat FSU last night, and his late game heroics and recent trend of ferocious dunks have inspired my new favorite website on the internet. As much as Barnes has improved, John Henson, who many labeled a bust after last season, has elevated his play even more. Henson has become a terror in the paint with his ability to block shots and rebound and he has added a pretty nice arsenal of post moves to his game on the offensive end. Even his much-maligned free throw shooting has been significantly better as of late, which could come up big in the tournament. Furthermore, Rasheed Wallace, who has been practicing with the team lately, seems to have rubbed off on Henson. In a recent interview Henson listed 'Sheed as his favorite past Tar Heel and Henson is playing with a 'Sheed-esque swagger as of late (in true 'Sheed fashion he even was whistled for a technical last night).

While Zeller will probably be back next year, Henson and Barnes are projected to be lottery picks. Both seem to enjoy Carolina and neither come from backgrounds where there is a pressing need to make money as quickly as possible. I think both could use one more year to really elevate their games, but it is always hard to turn down the opportunity to be a lottery pick. If they do return though, mark down the Tar Heels as the odds-on favorite for 2012. Anyways, this wraps up my college basketball thoughts, check back tomorrow for a UNC-Duke post.

Oh and Virginia Tech is on the bubble, what else is new?

ACC Power Rankings

2011-02-17T19:23:00.001-05:00

Most of what I have written so far this basketball season has been focused specifically on the North Carolina Tar Heels. While that is not much of a surprise given my UNC background and my limited free time to write about other subjects, I want to dedicate this post to ranking and sharing my impressions on each of the members of the ACC. I have now watched each of these teams play at least once and while nothing is settled in the league (except maybe that Wake is coming in 12th) I have a pretty good feel for most of the teams at this point. As an added bonus I have put my picks for the end of year conference awards in pictures.

1) Duke Blue Devils - With the rival Tar Heels just a game back and an upcoming date in Chapel Hill on March 5, Duke still has a ways to go before locking up first place in the ACC. That said, the Blue Devils have been unquestionably the best team in the league to this point. Their lone loss came at Florida State and they have only let two other teams come within single digits of them in league play (UNC & Maryland). Nolan Smith has morphed into the most dynamic scorer in college basketball not named Jimmer. The Devils still had a glaring weakness in the paint, but outside of perhaps UNC, no team in the league is balanced enough to effectively exploit that weakness while also keeping the Blue Devils perimeter in check.

2) North Carolina Tar Heels - The Tar Heels are 9-2 in league play and have established themselves as the undisputed #2 team in the league. Two things have become apparent about UNC this year: 1) They have at least the second most talented team in the league 2) They are a young team and still prone to going cold/taking their foot off the gas. To the second point, UNC's recent cold streak from 3pt range is troubling, but as opposed to last year, their misses are not that far off. While UNC will never be Duke from behind the arc, I have to think shots will start falling for Barnes, Bullock, and McDonald eventually (Strickland may be well advised to avoid shooting 3 pointers this season). Their next four games leading up to their rematch with Duke are all winnable and barring epic collapse, UNC should be a 12-14 win team in the ACC this season.

ACC POY: Nolan Smith (and really its not even close)

3) Virginia Tech Hokies - Even if Chris Singleton was healthy I would give the Hokies, who sit at 7-4 in the ACC the #3 spot in the rankings. Virginia Tech has won 4 out of their last 5 and will have a decent shot to get a signature win at home versus Duke on February 26. Malcolm Delaney is one of the best players in the conference and Jeff Allen has been a force in the paint for the Hokies. Additionally Erick Green has really emerged in the place of injured Dorenzo Hudson. Virginia Tech has in my opinion, the 3rd best starting 5 in the conference. Depth is an issue however due to the plethora of injuries the team has suffered. With winnable games at UVA, at Wake, and at home against BC, Virginia Tech should be able to notch 10 wins in the conference. That may get them in the dance, but a home win over Duke would take some pressure off them to put on a great ACC tournament performance.

4) Florida State Seminoles- The loss of Chris Singleton could really hurt Florida State. With Singleton the Seminoles were a very good defensive team and a below average offensive team. If Singleton's loss (who was the best defender in the ACC) makes Florida State only an above average defensive team and also drops them to a bad offensive team, the Seminoles could go into a free fall during the home stretch and miss the tournament. They will need sophomore Michael Snaer and senior Derwin Kitchen to both step up in Singleton's absence.

5) Clemson Tigers - Clemson has been somewhat surprising under new coach Brad Brownell. They have a solid group of players including Jerai Grant, Andre Young, Tanner Smith, and Demontez Stitt and play very solid defense. They have been strong at home (UNC snapped a 10 game home winning streak on Saturday) and very shaky on the road. They will need to beat NC State and Miami on the road and then take care of business against Wake and VT at home in order to end up 10-6 and have a shot at an at-large bid.

ACC DPOY: John Henson (due to Singleton injury)

6) Boston College Eagles - Boston College has two really good players in Reggie Jackson and Joe Trapani, but not much outside of that. They own solid wins over Texas A&M and Virginia Tech but also went 0-2 against the Ivy League. Boston College will have to pull off a road win against either Virginia Tech or UNC and sweep the rest of their schedule to end up 10-6. UNC shouldn't overlook the Eagles on Saturday, but I really don't see the Eagles winning either of those games (they are 1-4 on the road in the ACC). Steve Donahue may develop the Eagles into a solid team, especially with Jackson back next year, but I think they will be playing in the NIT this year.

7) Maryland Terrapins - Maryland is down, but not out right now at 5-6 in the conference. They should beat UVA, NC State, and an undermanned FSU team at home, getting them to 8 wins. They need to beat Miami and probably UNC on the road in order to feel good about their chances to make the tournament. I don't think Jordan Williams alone can manage to carry the Terrapins to a win in Chapel Hill, so my guess is that Maryland joins BC and perhaps Clemson in the NIT this year.

8) Miami Hurricanes- Miami actually has a sneaky good team that has come tantalizingly short time after time. The good news for the Hurricanes is that their three best players (Johnson, Grant, and Scott) should all be back next season. A NIT berth could actually benefit this team by giving them more chance to play and perhaps build up some confidence going into next season.

9) North Carolina State Wolfpack- So far heralded freshman CJ Leslie's poetry has been more scintillating than his play. Sidney Lowe is pretty much a lame duck at this point. The good news for State is that they have a young team that still has significant talent in Harrow, Brown, and Leslie and perhaps the combination of a year of experience and a new coach will allow the Wolfpack reach the expectations they entered this season with. At this point the only thing the Wolfpack have left to play for (unless a highly unlikely ACC Tournament run occurs) is their rematch with "rival" Chapel Hill in Raleigh next weekend.

10) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - Georgia Tech looks average 30% of the time, awful 60% of the time, and unbeatable 10% of the time. Shumpert and Rice are solid players, but beyond them the Yellow Jackets don't have much. The Yellow Jackets have wins against the #2 and #3 teams in these rankings and that keeps them above the next two teams.

11) Virginia Cavaliers - UVA actually had some promise in the beginning of the season, before losing big man Mike Scott to injury. Tony Bennett is a good coach and with Scott back next season, look for UVA to get better over the next couple years.

ACC FOY: Harrison Barnes

12) Wake Forest Demon Deacons- Since I am currently in medical school at Wake Forest, I have gotten a chance to see them play in person several times this season and also attended the game this Tuesday in Chapel Hill. Its hard to know where to start with the Demon Deacons. I recently spoke with someone who has spent a decent amount of time in the locker room and claims that new coach Bzdelik is not the problem but rather that the roster has little talent and the players have bad attitudes. I have no doubt that there is some truth to what he said, but I also think that the Bzdelik hire was a bad one. He never succeeded at Colorado and while Wake has serious issues at point guard and in the frontcourt, they do have some young talent on their team in Stewart, Terrell, and McKie. I know that Wake's AD is friends with Bzdelik, but I think the best option is to part ways and try to find a new coach for next season. I really hoped that Wake would be good during my four years here, but there are few silver linings for the Deacons at the moment.

Rapid Reaction to Larry Drew Leaving

2011-02-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

This picture is of a Tar Heel, not Larry Drew II

When I first saw the ESPN article this morning by Pat Forde reporting that Larry Drew was immediately leaving the Tar Heels I was floored. I was in class so I wasn't able to consistently check up on the situation but by around 1:00 PM it became apparent that Drew was indeed bolting. After watching Roy Williams' press conference and letting things sink in I've come to a couple conclusions concerning this whole mess.

1) Larry Drew Sr. was pulling the strings on this one
Look, it is highly possible that Drew II decided he was done with UNC when he was supplanted as the starter. Still, he seemed to be taking his demotion well and was quietly playing some of the best basketball of his career. Based on how surprised all his teammates seemed, I don't think he really detested being at UNC. I think his father decided that Drew II needed to start and told him that to do so he needed to get out of Chapel Hill. That brings me to my next point.

2) The timing does make sense, but only in the most selfish of ways
For the first 3 hours after the announcement I just couldn't understand the rationale for leaving now. Drew would have to sit out a year whether he left now or at the end of the season and it wasn't like the Tar Heels were middling in mediocrity like last season. Then I realized that at this moment Drew II's stock is about as high as its going to get this season. He just had a great 3 game stretch and perhaps may have convinced some smaller D1 schools that he is a valuable asset. My guess is that Daddy Drew recognized this and basically told his son that if he wanted to keep his dream of playing in the NBA alive he needed to get out and get out now.

3) If the rationale I just mentioned is true then UNC is well rid of Drew and his father
I supported Larry Drew much of last season and this season. Even when it became apparent to me early on that Marshall needed to be the starter I still held off on bashing Drew and thought he could be a valuable asset at backup and with his significantly improved defense. However, this move was remarkably selfish and demonstrated that he put the name on the back of the jersey ahead of the name on the front. Perhaps he still will end up a decent player, but I'm happy he's no longer a Tar Heel.

4) With regards to recruiting I think people are blaming the wrong culprit
I've seen a lot of people on IC today that Roy Williams needs to stop recruiting from California. True he has had 4 Cali boys transfer out of the program but I don't think being from California was the deciding factor. Alex Stepheson handled his transfer gracefully and whether or not it was really due to a sick father it made sense. UNC had Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson returning in the frontcourt and had two high profile freshmen in the incoming class in Zeller and Ed Davis. I think the Wears and Drew both can be attributed more to micromanaging parents rather than being from the golden state. Admittedly, were I Coach Williams I may be a little less likely to pursue California recruits, but I would be way more cautious with regards to the player's parents.

5) The Case for UNC being better off without Drew II this season
Drew's departure opens the door for Kendall Marshall to take full reins of this team and be its leader. Marshall will likely see 30+ minutes a game now and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up leading the ACC in assists by the end of the season. The Domino effect on the depth chart will also open up more minutes for both Leslie McDonald and Reggie Bullock, both of whom have showed promise in reserve roles. Most players seemed to enjoy playing with Marshall more. UNC's FG% and 3PT % is bound to improve. The team seems to be very close and could use this incident as further motivation. The whole team will be in Chapel Hill during the summer. UNC didn't have backups who saw significant minutes behind Raymond and Tywon. Did I mention Kendall MF'ing Marshall?

6) The Case for UNC being worse off without Drew II this season
Marshall is still not that great of a defender and may not be in good enough shape to handle 30+ minutes per game. Dexter Strickland has improved playing off the ball this season but was ineffective at point guard last year (to be fair to Strickland he was playing PG for the first time). Drew II sometimes seemed to spark UNC's defensive intensity and there could be a trickle down effect due to his departure. IC trolls will begin to attack another player on the team now that Drew II is gone.

7) TJ Yates is the man
This seems to be out of nowhere but I just want to draw the contrast between how each handled his situation. Both entered this academic year with many detractors and both seemed poised to be upended by younger, more promising prospects. Yates ignored the critics, worked to improve and helped lead UNC through a season full of adversity, breaking school records along the way. It ended with him leading a game tying drive in the Music City bowl which UNC would eventually win to secure its first bowl victory in a long time. Drew spend the summer in California working with his father instead of in Chapel Hill getting used to playing with his teammates. He was thoroughly mediocre throughout most of the season and eventually was replaced in the starting lineup by Marshall which ended with this whole debacle. Lets put it this way. When TJ Yates is out at a bar in Chapel Hill, most Tar Heel fans will want to buy him a beer. Drew II will be lucky if he gets served by the bartender. Larry Drew is no longer a Tar Heel. I'm really not sure if he ever was.

Now This is Carolina Basketball

2011-02-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

John Henson ditching the dip snap for the "I just parachuted in" celebration

It has been a while since I dedicated a post to UNC basketball. In fact the last time I posted the Heels were just about to kick off the ACC schedule. I had intended to post earlier but decided to hold off until I was able to get a better grasp on the team. It ended up taking nearly half of the ACC schedule but I finally have a feel for this Tar Heels team. At the moment Carolina carries a 6-1 record going into this weekend's game against Florida State. To quickly recap how UNC got here:

The Tar Heels surrendered big leads early against both UVA and VT only to come back and win both games in the final minutes. Georgia Tech then completely embarrassed UNC in Atlanta to the tune of 78-58. That game naturally prompted Inside Carolina to transform into a veritable asylum of apocalyptic prophets and had me wondering whether UNC would again be participating in the Not Invited Tournament. It also prompted Roy Williams to move Kendall Marshall into the starting lineup. Carolina managed to calm people down a bit by extending Clemson's winless streak in the Dean Dome to 55 games behind a first half explosion from Reggie Bullock. However this also prompted a mini controversy concerning Roy Williams who was annoyed by some of the calls he received on his Radio Show following the GT debacle and responded by telling people to "keep their damn phone calls to themselves." After an 8 day break the Heels flew to Miami and once again found themselves in a big hole early following a barrage of threes from the Hurricanes. UNC tied it up at the half and the game was neck and neck from there on. Enter Harrison Barnes who after a thoroughly mediocre first 35, knocks down several big shots including the game winning three. Three days later the Heels broke out the boomstick for their wannabe rival NC State and walked away with a 20 point victory which saw Harrison Barnes finally break the 20 point barrier with 25 and John Henson absolutely dominate in the paint. Then last night, starting with a barrage of Reggie Bullock 3's the entire team went into beast mode and thoroughly dominated a decent Boston College team on the road to the tune of 106-74.

That brings us to today (whew.. that felt like one of those LOST season recap episodes they ran before a season finale). UNC is tied atop the ACC with Duke at 6-1 (though Duke plays at Maryland tonight). So after seven games what conclusions have I come to?

1) We've already seen the absolute worst and the absolute best this team can play.
I can't imagine Carolina playing any worse than they played in the second half against Georgia Tech and neither can I imagine a much better performance than last night's showing against Boston College. That's not to say that we should expect the average of these two performances. With Barnes clicking and the team playing better as a whole I think UNC has earned their spot back in the top 25. They are still a young team which means they will still be frustrating from time to time, but they are beginning to put it together the way the 2005-2006 team (with Hansbrough as a freshman) did and in a way last year's team was never able to.

2) The Black Falcon is taking off
I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of the "Black Falcon" nickname for Harrison Barnes. It seems like he's trying too hard to be Kobe Bryant. However, he seems to like it and with the way he has been playing recently he's entitled to whatever nickname he wants. Part of Barnes' recent improvement can simply be attributed to shots falling. One must remember also that State and BC have two of the weaker defenses in the ACC. Still, Barnes is forcing shots less, knocking down open threes, not turning the ball over, and playing with confidence. His midrange stepback shot is really starting to be effective and reminds me of Kobe Bryant. He's still a freshman and will have a much harder time scoring against FSU and Duke, but he's finally starting to live up to his #1 recruit billing.

3) This team has amazing chemistry off the court

Blue Steel

Perhaps my opinion is swayed by twitter, which allows a much more open look into the thoughts of the team, but it seems like everyone on this team really likes each other. The bench erupted for Harrison Barnes' game winner versus Miami and got visibly excited when he finally broke out against State. John Henson apparently has a running joke with assistant coach Steve Robinson that involves rubbing his head after made free throws. And perhaps the most fun are the walk ons who have named their unit Blue Steel whose antics have ranged from covering John Henson's car in post it notes to popularizing the dip snap among the team.

4) UNC may not be Final Four contenders but I wouldn't want to play them in the tournament.
Barring an absolutely EPIC collapse, the Tar Heels should make a return to the NCAA tournament this season. Because their shooting is still inconsistent and they are still prone to scoreless stretches I don't see UNC being able to win the four straight games necessary to make it to Houston. At the same time, last night demonstrated how good they can be when they are making shots. Furthermore UNC is a very good defensive team, ranked in the top 10 in the nation in defensive efficiency and 2nd in the nation in rebounds. I see UNC finishing the ACC regular season with a 12-4 record with losses @Duke, @Clemson and @Florida State. Either way it seems like Tar Heel fans can finally take the Rafiki approach to last season.

The Streak Lives

2011-01-18T22:36:00.003-05:00

I needed this one.

NFL Divisional Round Picks

2011-01-15T14:11:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately due to a test last Friday and the ensuing celebration afterwords, I was unable to write up an NFL Picks post for last week's wild card round. While perhaps a little last minute I couldn't miss out on writing up playoff picks (which was actually the impetus for creating this blog after a couple years of writing up NFL playoff predictions on facebook). Anyway, without further ado, my picks for the Divisional Round.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (Saturday, 4:30 PM)
It has been a strange season to be a Steelers fan. The team emerged with a great record at 12-4, but only looked dominant in a handful of games. While they may well be the second best team in the NFL, the Patriots, who have always seemed to have the Steelers number, seem to be the de facto AFC Champions. Between that and the fact that I know Roethlisberger is not the best human being in the world, it has been difficult at points to get as excited as I usually do for Steelers football. At points earlier in the year I wondered if there was anything that would get me as excited for the Black and Gold. Well now I am and there are two things that did the trick.

As silly as it sounds, the first is rapper Wiz Khalifa. The Pittsburgh native may not go down in the annals of rap history, but "Black and Yellow" gets me more pumped to watch the Steelers than Iron City Beer (and yes I found a place in Winston that has IC). While technically the Steelers colors are black and gold, I give Khalifa credit for saying what everyone is thinking and going with Yellow instead of Gold. Plus if you pay attention LaMarr Woodley makes an appearance in the music video.

The second is today's playoff game. Steelers-Ravens in the best rivalry in the NFL and for the second time in two years the teams meet in the playoffs (and for the second time the game is in Pittsburgh). This time around both teams are more potent offensively, with the Ravens adding tough nosed receiver Anquan Boldin and the Steelers featuring Mike Wallace whose speed is only rivaled by DeSean Jackson. That said, defense is what defines both of these teams. Both teams consistently field the best defensive units in the NFL, and the style of each defense reflects the persona of the city. The Steelers have a hard hitting, fundamentally sound unit that prides itself on its toughness but also doesn't do much celebrating on the field. Their mentality reflects the industrial, blue collar roots of the steel industry that once defined Pittsburgh. The Ravens hit just as hard, but tend to play with more flash. They celebrate after huge hits and have a penchant for trash talking. A football fan can't watch The Wire without seeing how the toughness needed to survive on the Baltimore streets carries over to the Ravens Defense. And in this case Ray Lewis is the Avon Barksdale of the unit (which might make Terrell Suggs the Marlo Stanfield with his ruthless pash rushing).

Today's game should be no different than any of those that have preceded it in the past few years. It should be close and low scoring. While probably now my least favorite member of the team, Ben Roethlisberger seems genetically engineered to play in games like this. As such I'm giving the edge to Pittsburgh.
Steelers 24, Ravens 17

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (Saturday, 8:00 PM)
I'm not sure there has ever been a #1 seed that has flown under the radar as much as the Falcons. They have a talented trio at QB, RB, and WR with Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Roddy White. The Falcons aim to gain an early lead and dominate ball possession. The Packers on the other hand are a very flashy #6 seed that have talented play makers on offense and defense. Green Bay relies on big plays on both side of the ball with Clay Matthews rushing the passer, Charles Woodson patrolling the secondary, and Greg Jennings going deep on offense. I think people are underrating the Falcons and part of me wouldn't be surprised with a 28-13 Falcons win. Still I think the Packers are the hot team, and we have seen time and time again how important getting hot at the right time is in the playoffs. Packers in a nail-biter.
Packers 31, Falcons 28

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears (Sunday, 1:00)
I was really impressed with Matt Hasselbeck last Saturday in Seattle's victory against the defending champion Saints. Marshawn Lynch may have have had the run of the century to seal the game. Still, the Seahawks are a completely different team on the road and I don't see Hasselbeck playing as well with Julius Peppers in his face. Likewise I don't see Lynch breaking Urlacher's tackles or stiff arming Chris Harris to the ground. Watch for Devin Hester who is back to his explosive self on special teams this year. The Bears have been sneaky good all season and could very well face their division rival next season for the right to go to the Super Bowl. I'm picking the da Bears in a blowout.
Bears 35, Seahawks 9

New York Jets at New England Patriots (Sunday, 4:00)
I actually thought the Jets may had a chance in this game after their victory last Saturday. The Jets can run the ball, have great CBs and while not consistent, Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes can take over a game. I really thought the Jets might have a chance. Then the Jets started talking trash. If there is one thing that seems to fuel the Patriots competitiveness under Bill Belicek it is the opposing team talking trash. Tom Brady has been outerworldly this year and by essentially flipping Moss for Branch, the Patriots have become the super version of their previous Super Bowl teams that picked opposing defenses apart with underneath throws. Expect a lot of feet jokes as the Patriots run away with the game in the second half.
Patriots 38, Jets 21

College Basketball Power Rankings

2011-01-10T14:19:00.006-05:00

Been a while since I last posted power rankings on this site. I am holding off on posting anything about the Heels until after their home game against VT this Thursday. All I will say is that I felt I wouldn't really be able to get a feel for where the season was going until after UNC's games at Rutgers, at UVA, and home against VT. So far, they've passed but a home win Thursday would go a long way.

Anyways, as my few posts in the last couple months have been specific to UNC basketball, I figured now was a good chance to size up the state of college basketball. In the past I had written my power rankings in an "Elite Eight" format, ranking the top 8 teams in the nation. However even at the start of conference play its hard to nail down 8 teams at the top so I decided to adopt a Bill Simmons-esque power ranking format, breaking teams into echelons.

Unranked but Dangerous
Georgia, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Florida, West Virginia, UNLV, Cincinnati, USC

UNC could have used him last year

Vanderbilt had a disappointing loss on Saturday against South Carolina but is still a solid veteran team with a good coach. Baylor, West Virginia, and Florida have been inconsistent but have undeniable talent. UNC has been discussed ad nauseum on this blog, but has a deep and talented roster that seems to be slowly coming together. Cincinnati doesn't have a marquee win, but their only loss is on the road against a strong Villanova team. Georgia took care of Kentucky and could end up contending for the SEC. Southern Cal is my mega sleeper that seems to really be putting things together as of late with the addition of Jio Fontan to go along with the combo of Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson in the frontcourt.

Over-rated (clap-clap-clapclapclap)
Michigan State, Kansas State, Louisville, Georgetown, Minnesota, UCF

Only MJ Jr. could make RecSpecs look cool

These are all top 25 teams that are holding on to rankings primarily based on reputation/early success. Tom Izzo must be really respected by the voters, because I have no idea how the Spartans are ranked at 10-5 after losing to Penn State. Kansas State has been completely underwhelming this year and doesn't have any great wins (Gonzaga and VT have been disappointments). Louisville got thrashed by Kentucky and has very little interior presence. Georgetown started off pretty strong but has lost 3 out of their last four. I hesitated to put Minnesota in this category, but they have failed to notch a quality win after knocking off UNC and WVU in Puerto Rico. UCF has been an exciting story and their wins over Miami and Florida are to be commended, but their loss to Houston shows that they are probably not a second weekend NCAA tournament team.

Sneaky Good
Temple, Wisconsin,Washington, Illinois, Texas A&M

All of these are top 25 teams that have yet to get much attention in the national spotlight (with perhaps Illinois as the one exception). Temple has won 8 of their last 9 (including wins over Georgetown and Maryland) with the only loss coming at Villanova by four points. Wisconsin is the type of well coached, tough, fundamentally sound team that teams don't want to have to face in March. Washington has dominated the PAC-10 thus far, including a win at the aforementioned mega sleeper that is USC. Illinois is a veteran team that has been solid with the exception of a hiccup during exams against UIC. Texas A&M has ripped off 11 straight wins after a two point loss to BC.

They are Good, but....
Kentucky, Missouri, San Diego State, BYU

It would be unfair to call these teams overrated, but all have pretty obvious flaws/question marks. Kentucky is very talented on the perimeter but can be exposed down low as they did against Carolina and Georgia. Missouri can be devastating when their fast paced, trapping game is working but is only mediocre in the half-court. I admit I haven't seen much of San Diego State but I really can't move them past this category until they play BYU. I actually like BYU, but I wonder if they can really excel when a top team manages to limit Fredette's offensive output.

Heavy Sleepers
Notre Dame, Purdue, Villanova

Psycho-B?

While these teams have strong rankings, they have not dominated the media spotlight the way the teams in the upcoming categories have. The Irish are a veteran team led by Hansbrough Jr. and have notched wins against UGA, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Connecticut, and St. Johns. Everyone seemed to write off Purdue's chances after the loss of Robbie Hummel, but the Boilermakers have dominated their Big 10 competition thus far behind JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. The loss of Scottie Reynolds may have proven to be addition by subtraction for Villanova, who is getting great production out of their version of their senior guards, or as I like to call them, "The Two Coreys."

True Grit
Texas, Connecticut, Pittsburgh

Been a Good year for Jordans

Three teams that aren't quite at the same level as the next four, but certainly have the tools and the cajones to cut down the nets in April if one of the above four slip up. Kemba Walker continues to amaze with his ridiculous shot clock beating antics and his end of game heroics. He is doing the best job of carrying a team to the top since Blake Griffin. Texas has a legitimate star in Jordan Hamilton and a cast of talented players around him. Pittsburgh may be the toughest team in the nation and can really get hot from range at times. I'm just not convinced they have consistent enough offensive firepower to be able to come back against a team that gets hot and takes a double digit lead.

The Final Four
Syracuse, Kansas, Ohio State, Duke

All undefeated. All talented. All completely capable of winning it all. It is really amazing what Syracuse has done considering they have gotten virtually nothing out of heralded freshman Fab Melo. Kansas has certainly looked mortal at times, but may have the deepest, most balanced team in the nation with the Morris Twins on the inside and the combination of Tyshawn Taylor and Josh Selby at guard. Jared Sullinger has been a beast for Ohio State, a team that has been extremely impressive for having lost last year's NPOY. That brings us to Duke. If Kyrie Irving was healthy I would have had to create a separate category just for Duke. Without him Duke is still great, but mortal. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith have been nothing short of amazing in Irving's absence. Still, Duke is only mediocre in the frontcourt and got pushed around by Jordan Williams last night. I am not sold on the Plumlees or Ryan Kelly. People seem to forget how valuable Brian Zoubek's rebounding and defense were to Duke last season and likewise how well Lance Thomas defended opposing big men down the stretch. With Rick Jackson, The Morris Twins, and Jared Sullinger, the other three teams could certainly beat Duke if Smith and Singler aren't having their best night.

The X Factors

2010-12-31T11:55:00.001-05:00

With the non-conference schedule coming to an end this Sunday against what should be little more than a stepping stone in St Francis, the shape of the 2010-2011 Tar Heel basketball team is coming into focus. Tyler Zeller is the go to scorer. John Henson is a presence in the paint and on the boards and seems to have figured out what does and does not work for him on offense. The point guard position remains an issue of constant debate, but neither Drew nor Marshall are going to score much more than 10 points in most games. Harrison Barnes has fallen short of his astronomical expectations, but can be expected to contribute between 10-16 points on most nights. However, through the first 14 games of the season, the X factors on this team have been the pair of sophomore guards, Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald.

Strickland has started at shooting guard all season and over the past month seems to have really elevated his offensive game. With respect to Drew ‘s much improved defense and Henson’s penchant for shot-blocking, Stickland has been the best defender all season. He is 6th in the ACC in steals with 1.62/game. In fact, one could argue that Strickland, who switched his jersey to #1, a number worn last season by Marcus Ginyard, has been a more effective lockdown defender than Ginyard was last season. Playing out of position last season, Strickland often seemed out of control and couldn’t consistently finish in transition despite his impressive speed. This season Strickland looks much more impressive in transition, pushing the ball on fast breaks and finishing consistently. He also has done a good job at the charity stripe shooting a respectable 72.9%. While not an outside shooter, he has knocked down 50% of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Strickland’s backup, Leslie McDonald has also shown marked improvement this season. McDonald is not the defensive pest that Strickland is on the defensive end of the ball nor is he as explosive in on the fast break. However, McDonald has done a pretty damn good Wayne Ellington impression (McDonald is now wearing #2, the number Ellington wore as a freshman) on several occasions this season. McDonald is the most assertive scorer on the team, one of the things that impressed me last season when he seemed at times the only player outside of Will Graves willing to confidently throw up a shot from beyond the arc. While not Ellington, I feel Wayne is best comparison for McDonald who some have compared to Danny Green (McDonald is shooting an impressive 43.2% from 3 point range). While McDonald has certainly disappeared at times this season, he has been an explosive scoring force off the bench who by his junior and senior seasons may be able to do an even better job of making it Wayne on a more consistent basis.

While, Strickland and McDonald’s complementary skill sets do sometimes make fans wish the two could be combined into one player (Lester StrickDonald?), the improvement of the two sophomores show just how silly it is for players to be declared busts or disappointments after their freshman season. The two will continue to improve over their four (or maybe three) years at Carolina and could be stars as upperclassmen. This year don’t be surprised if the Heels go as far as their pair of sophomore guards take them.

Inner Dialogue: UNC Basketball

2010-12-19T14:49:00.004-05:00

Throughout this college basketball season, two facets of my personality have been at odds with regards to how I view this Tar Heel basketball team. One, the eternal optimist (we'll call him John), sees a young, but talented team that is starting to put it together and may be a dangerous team by tournament time. The other (we'll call him VFSS) still has not alleviated the hangover of last season and sees a team that has obvious flaws and is scared to death of back to back NIT appearances. These split perspectives are hardly unique to myself. If a psychologist ever wanted to write a paper on the psychiatric implications of hardcore fandom one must only wander to the Inside Carolina message boards, which becomes a veritable asylum following a Carolina loss. Anyways, in the name of my own sports psyche as well as a (hopefully) fun read, I'll turn it over to John and VFSS.

John: Well, it was a tough loss yesterday and I still can't believe Cory Joseph was able to channel Kobe Bryant to hit that game-winning shot. Still, it was an exciting game, and UNC looked like a tournament team. They seem to be improving and have a much more talented roster than last season. All of their losses have been to tournament teams. Zeller and Henson have taken big steps forward and Strickland and Barnes put together great performances against Texas. Teams won't want to run into this team when the tournament rolls around.

VFSS: Well luckily for the aforementioned teams they don't need to worry about running into UNC in the tournament, unless you're talking about the NIT. Yeah UNC is better than last year, but they still don't have a quality point guard. Roy is a good coach, but as yesterday showed his strength is not setting up plays, and unfortunately this team is going to need some good plays if it wants to win these close games. UNC has exactly 1 quality win in non-conference and could definitely lose to Rutgers in New York next Tuesday if they don't come to play. UNC may not go 5-11 in the ACC but they need to win at least 9 conference games to make the tournament.

John: Have you seen the ACC? Yes UNC is lacking quality wins outside UK (though CofC is going to be a tournament team), but outside of Duke, none of the teams in the ACC would have won the games UNC lost. And don't tell me about UVA beating Minnesota, the Gophers were missing their starting point guard and UVA went insane from the three point line in the second half.

VFSS: I'm not at all convinced UNC is better than BC, UVA, VT, or FSU. And give UVA credit, at least they made 3's against a quality opponent. UNC has only shot well from 3 against Hofstra and Long Beach State. And speaking of starting point guards...

John: I knew that this is where we were going to end up. Look, I admit, I have no idea what the answer is. Drew looks like he's taken a step forward and then he plays like he did against Texas. I will give him that he is shooting better from the charity stripe and playing tougher defense.

We both agree it may be his time

VFSS: I know the answer. It's two words. Kendall Marshall. I was willing to give Drew a chance. He's had it. The offense runs better with Marshall. He drives and shoots 3's better than Drew. And did you see that pass to Henson for the dunk. I thought for a second Ed Cota was back on the floor. And as much as people talk about his lack of defense it looked pretty solid to me yesterday. Marshall has a much higher ceiling and just inspires more confidence. Drew is a solid backup point guard. That's just what it is.

John: I still haven't completely given up hope with Drew, but I do have to say I was impressed with Marshall yesterday. Perhaps it wouldn't be an awful idea to let him start the next 3 games before the ACC season kicks off and see if he is ready to lead this team. If he is then the ACC better watch out.

VFSS: Whoa there, lets not get carried away. Marshall may be better than Drew but he's no John Wall. And its not like he has the 2009 Tar Heels around him. Even if Marshall steps up, I don't see this team making it into the second weekend of the tournament.

John: I completely disagree. Zeller has become a very solid scoring option inside and though he still relies too much on his jump hook he has added some nice post moves and is getting more physical inside. John Henson seems to have figured out his offensive game and is nearly averaging a double double. Strickland had a breakout game yesterday and has become a lock-down defender. Barnes hasn't lived up to his astronomical hype but has started to let the game come to him more over the past couple games and buried a clutch three at the end of the game yesterday. McDonald and Bullock have shown flashes off the bench. Seriously, no one in the ACC outside of Duke has near the talent UNC has on its roster.

VFSS: Zeller and Henson are both finesse players. We got out-rebounded by a smaller Texas team. And Henson has to be taken out at the end of games, because he can't hit free throws. Barnes isn't bad, but he's not the player we thought could lead this team to redemption. Strickland and McDonald both will look great one game and then disappear the next. UNC has yet to play a complete game.

John: But they are getting closer. And you have to remember that this team is relying on a lot of freshmen and sophomores. They are definitely getting better. They already look much better than they did last season. They will get it together win 10 games in the ACC and then be the team no one wants to face in the tournament.

VFSS: And then there will be sunshine and rainbows and peace in Israel. I really don't know what makes you so optimistic. And since when did making the tournament and being a scary underdog become acceptable for UNC?

John: You went to UNC for 4 years. You and all the other UNC fans aren't entitled to anything. Its easy to be a fan when a team is doing well. True fans support their team when they aren't at the top and things aren't great. It's easy to watch from the sideline and critique 18 and 19 year old kids for their play. Most of the fans criticizing those players probably couldn't run the length of the court without gasping for breath.

VFSS: Whoa there, take a step off the soapbox. I was just saying that its disappointing to see a team that dominated during my first three years at Chapel Hill even have a question of making the tournament. Especially a team with like 8 McDonald's All-Americans.

John: Fair enough. I was mainly venting about some of the idiot fans on message boards who trash players, claim they can coach better than Roy Williams, and do much more damage to public perception of UNC than when the basketball team struggles.

VFSS: I can see that. I do think we should be able to voice our disappointment but it should be in a well thought out manner. People also need to realize that the players and recruits do see this stuff. Anyways I hope you're right about the team this year. I would love to believe they can get it together, but I am not buying in until they actually perform to those expectations in the ACC.

John: I really think they will. I guess we'll just have to wait and see who ends up being right. I hope its me.

VFSS: So do I.

A Matter of Perspective

2010-12-08T18:23:00.001-05:00

Larry Drew could take a lesson from him

Between having very little free time and my focus on UNC basketball, the UNC football program was pretty much ignored on this blog this fall. Prior to the start of the season, I wrote a slightly tongue-in-cheek post about going through the 5 stages of grief for UNC's football season after it became apparent that the agent and academic investigations would leave a serious dent in a defensive unit that was being mentioned along those of top SEC schools. What I thought would be a dent ended up being more of a Crater. Here's a quick breakdown of the players who missed time (a big thanks to TarHeelFan, an awesome UNC blog that made it a lot easier to find all of this).

Missed Time but Cleared (games missed): Shaun Draughn (1), DaNorris Searcy (2), Linwan Euwell (5), Ryan Houston (season-decided to redshirt).
Suspended (games missed): Deunta Williams (4), Kendric Burney (7), Charles Brown (season), Brian Gupton (season), Jonathan Smith (season)
Declared Permanently Ineligible: Marvin Austin (dismissed from the program), Greg Little, Michael McAdoo, Devon Ramsay

Considering that Austin, Quinn, Williams, and Burney were all projected to go in the first 3 rounds, the fact that UNC's defense was able to field even a respectable unit it a testament to the depth and coaching of the unit. The fact that the entire linebacker core avoided missing games due to suspension (though Sturdivant did miss a few due to injury) played a big part in holding things together. Perhaps more surprising than the defense's performance however was T.J. Yates' transformation into a very good college quarterback in his senior season. While the loss of Little and Houston were significant the offense was more a victim to injuries than suspensions. Yates' favorite target, tight end Zach Pinalto, broke his fibula and has been injured on all 3 of his collegiate touchdowns. Johnny White, who stepped up in a big way as a senior and was well on his way to a 1000+ yard season, broke his clavicle against Florida State. Even with those injuries Yates' stellar play kept the offense together. Dwight Jones broke out this season and is 105 yards short of a 1000 yard season going into UNC's bowl game. Ultimately considering how many key players missed time, a 7-5 record and a trip to Nashville for the Music City Bowl and a meeting with Tennessee seems an overwhelming success. On the other hand though, UNC was picked by some to win the ACC and was even considered a dark horse contender before Marvin Austin's tweets launched the team into a maelstrom. So the obvious question arises: "Was the 2010 UNC football season a success or a failure."

In attempt to answer this question lets quickly take a look at the high and low points of the season.

High Points

TJ Yates' and Jhey Boyd leading a furious comeback against and LSU squad that would only lose 2 games this season despite UNC missing 12 players on the defensive side of the ball
UNC's dominant second half against ECU a game in which both Johnny White and Shaun Draughn both broke 100 yards on the ground
A home win against Clemson and watching my med school class president, a Clemson alum, wear a UNC shirt the next day as a result of me winning our bet on the game
Ending a 29 year draught at UVA with a dominating 44-10 victory
The entirity of the UNC-FSU game. One of the most entertaining games of the year. And a special mention for Hunter Furr's late game heroics.
TJ Yates putting together a great season and taking hold of most of the UNC passing records

Low Points

Injuries and Suspensions covered in depth above
Watching UNC's depleted defense fail to stop GT's triple option offense
Blowout losses to Miami and VT after promising starts to each game
Blowing yet another 4th quarter lead against NC State and the resulting explosion of Wolfpack ego
Jhey Boyd disappearing from the offense after what seemed like a breakout game against LSU

As painful as the losses were, it deserves to be said that all of the games UNC lost were expected to be tough games even prior to all of the suspensions. UNC won the games it was supposed to and even a couple it wasn't. Furthermore, even had the team been at full strength, there is no sure bet that they could have taken down a VT squad that went undefeated in conference play. And even if the heels had managed to go undefeated (which very few were predicting) they still would likely have been on the outside looking in on a Oregon-Auburn national championship game. Furthermore, given the state of the program just 5 years ago, a bowl berth at 7-5 is not all that bad of a result. One other silver lining of all the suspensions is that many younger players on the defensive end of the ball got a chance to develop, especially Donte-Paige Moss. Factor that in with the fact that some players such as Gupton and Charles Brown will be back next year after their suspensions and UNC may be able to field a pretty solid unit on defense in 2011.

Dwight Jones could be a star next season

Still, one is left to wonder what might have been had Marvin Austin never gotten on twitter. UNC may have had one of the best defenses in the nation. They could very realistically taken down LSU in Atlanta (who won the game primarily on special teams) and probably would have fared much better against' GT's triple option. The games at Miami and against Virginia Tech would have been tough, but few can deny that UNC would have stood a better chance with Austin and Quinn rushing Jacory Harris and Tyrod Taylor. Couple a full defense with TJ Yates' improvement and an additional target in Greg Little and UNC could have been something really special. As I said VT would have still been a very tough game, but its not unrealistic to believe UNC would be playing in the Orange Bowl had the academic/agent scandal never happened.

While whether you view the season as a success or a failure is largely a matter of perspective, oddly enough I think the result of UNC's bowl game will go a long way in determining the ultimate answer to the question. Over the past two seasons UNC posted 8-4 records, but failed to win their bowl game match ups (both of which yours truly attended). Tennessee is certainly not top competition, but they do hail from the vaunted SEC. Furthermore, in an enterating twist of irony Tennessee had played millions to back out of a deal that would have pitted the Tar Heels and the Volunteers in a home-away series over the next two seasons. If UNC wins, I will still always wonder what might have been, but in the end I will consider this season somewhat of a success.

College of Charleston: The Rematch

2010-11-26T16:37:00.001-05:00

I expect to see this face from every Tar Heel Sunday night.

If you were to assemble a list of those responsible for the Tar Heel's collapse last season Andrew Goudelock would have to be somewhere on it. Goudelock, a junior at College of Charleston last season, hit a trey as time expired against Carolina to send the game to OT, where the Cougars knocked off the Tar Heels in OT. If you're a Carolina fan you know the rest of the story. Carolina would only win 5 more regular season games and ended up missing the NCAA tournament after cutting down the nets the year before. Was all of it caused by the loss to College of Charleston? Probably not. The Heels were playing sans two upperclassmen starters (Marcus Ginyard and Justin Watts) and four of College of Charleston's 5 starters hit at least 3 three pointers. Injuries to Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis are probably the real culprits in Carolina's epic collapse. However, it did seem like the loss at Charleston shook the confidence of the freshmen and sophomores for the rest of the season.

Now, a little less than a year later, the two teams meet again. The Cougars lost two starters from last year's team but are led by a senior Goudelock, who is still looking deadly from range. The Tar Heels have disappointed early in the season despite carrying a very talented roster. I wrote that the game against Vanderbilt would tell us about what type of team Carolina was. They came out flat and played careless with the ball. They took care of business against UNC Asheville but still managed to turn the ball over 20 times. Carolina desperately needs a win against the team that exposed them last season.

In fact, UNC probably needs more than a win. They need to come out and dominate. They need to show an Inigo Montoya-esque thirst for revenge. They need to defend the perimeter against a team that can shoot from behind the arc. They need to take advantage of their superior size and dominate in the paint. Tyler Zeller needs to try and score 25. John Henson needs to take heed to Roy Williams' advice and do his best imitation of Dennis Rodman, dominating on the boards and on defense. Larry Drew needs to play with the high defensive intensity he has shown at points this season and silence his critics by playing efficiently on the offensive side of the ball. Dexter Strickland also needs to play with intensity on defense while keeping under control when he has the ball in his possession. Harrison Barnes needs to continue to knock down open 3's but also needs to be confident attacking the basket. Reggie Bullock (if healthy) needs to see more minutes and continue to do what he does best: knock down shots. Carolina has two huge games this week after CofC, visiting Illinois Tuesday and hosting Kentucky on Saturday. Exerting revenge Sunday night could go a long way in helping this young Tar Heel team establish confidence and an identity.

Prediction: North Carolina 83, College of Charleston 69

A Tale of Two Games

2010-11-20T15:28:00.005-05:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Thursday night, I watched a Tar Heel team that I thought had final four potential. Yes they were playing against an undermatched opponent, but they were knocking down open shots from range and playing with confidence. Then last night the same team gave me Vietnam-esque flashbacks to last year's abysmal NIT campaign. Suddenly many fans (including myself) have no idea which performance accurately defines this team. I am inclined to believe that its somewhere in the middle. Yes the win was against weaker competition and the loss was against a NCAA tournament caliber team, but many of the open shots UNC made against Hofstra just didn't fall against Minnesota. Carolina did play sloppy, but it wasn't quite the abomination that we saw during last year's collapse. Ultimately Carolina just had a very poor night shooting the ball. So without overreacting here are some conclusions I've arrived at after 3 games.

1) Harrison Barnes is going to be a very good player and has NBA talent, but he is not All-American caliber yet
After a 19 point 1st half against Hofstra (and he could have scored more in the second half had he wanted to), Barnes went 0-12 with only 5 points against Minnesota. I'm sure part of it was that he was facing higher-level defenders and perhaps also may have been a bit nervous. Still, his shot selection was not awful, they just weren't falling last night. I don't think we should expect too many more night like last night. That said, while Barnes is a very skilled player, he hasn't shown the ability to attack the rim off the dribble like John Wall was able to do last year. Until he is able to do so, we should expect games where he fails to put up good numbers when his shot isn't falling. Barnes will be very good. He just hasn't quite reached his astronomical expectations thus far.

2) The frontcourt lacks a go to scorer
Tyler Zeller can definitely score, but he still plays way too soft for my liking. John Henson is aggressive but is still limited by his size. They complement each other well, but neither has the Tyler Hansbrough/Sean May/Antawn Jamison ability to consistently score when fed the ball in the post. I think they will prove to be an effective frontcourt, but the Heels just don't have someone they can go to in the post to get the tough buckets.

3) Kendall Marshall has made a strong case for starting point guard
This represents a bit of a 180-degree turn for me since I was strong defender of Drew last season and thought that he would step up as a junior. Drew has not been awful, but he just has not shown the improvement one would expect. What baffles me about Drew is that he has the quickness to drive to the basket and shoots a good percentage from three, yet he refuses to be aggressive doing either of these things. His passing is solid, but he sometimes tries to be too flashy, which results in turnovers. Marshall is no Ty Lawson or Raymond Felton, but the offense seems to flow better when he his in. He is a natural passer and actually played fairly well in the loss to Minnesota, tallying 7 points, 4 assists, and 2 turnovers in 17 minutes (and 4 assists is pretty impressive on a night when the team shoots 37% from the floor). One main reason I favored Drew over Marshall before the season started was that I thought Drew would be more of a threat on the offensive end. However, Marshall has driven the ball effectively and has shown he can knock down the open shot. This is not meant to bash Drew, but Marshall has earned the starting spot in my opinion.

4) Carolina needs to win Sunday against Vanderbilt
It seems ridiculous to say that the consolation game of a preseason tournament could define a team's season, but it certainly feels that way for UNC. Last year the bad losses seemed to come in bunches and Carolina could never stop the bleeding. To a Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight caliber team, a loss like the one to Minnesota should be a isolated hiccup. Carolina absolutely cannot let one bad shooting night shake their confidence and send them into a tailspin. They need to come out focused and confident against a solid opponent in Vanderbilt and take care of business.

The VFSS Elite Eight

2010-11-08T19:12:00.001-05:00

I probably should have spent the 10 minutes it took to make this picture studying Biochem. Oh well.

Its been a long while since my last power rankings post, but with college basketball tipping off tonight along with the start of the second block of med school (aka back to having very little blogging time), its now or never. So I'll dispense with any long introduction and just jump right in.

1) Duke Blue Devils
Hard to argue with this one. Last year's Duke team was not the most talented team in the nation but benefited from senior leadership as well as a good NCAA draw (they played WVU and Butler in the Final Four). However, this year's Duke team IS the most talented team in the nation, returning Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith and also adding Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry. By the way, I'm curious to see the public opinion of Seth Curry. He is going to be a sniper for what should be one of the most hated Duke teams ever, but he may get amnesty due to how beloved his brother was. Anyways the Dookies are the overwhelming favorite to cut down the nets in Houston. Here's to hoping they choke (hey I never claimed to be unbiased).

2) Michigan State Spartans
Is it me or has Kalin Lucas been playing basketball for the past 6 years. He's the new Scottie Reynolds. Michigan State should be better than last year's team that made it to the final four last season. Durrell Summers could break out this season after showing flashes the previous two seasons. Draymond Green and Delvon Roe make up a solid upperclassmen frontcourt. They also bring in a solid freshman class led by Keith Appling. Michigan State is the only team that seems to have the experience and firepower to contend with Duke for best team in the nation.

3) Kansas State Wildcats
Fear the Beard! Jacob Pullen could be one of the best guards in the nation and outside of maybe Kyle Singler is the player I would most want taking a shot with the game on the line. The loss of Denis Clemente will hurt but the Wildcats should be improved in the frontcourt if sophomores Wally Judge and Jamar Samuels take a step forward this season.

4) Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh returns a team led by upperclassmen in Brad Wanamaker, Ashton Gibbs, and Gilbert Brown. A couple years ago the Panthers broke through and finally made it past the sweet sixteen before coming within a last minute Scottie Reynolds shot of the final four. Perhaps this is the year they break through and make it to Houston.

5) Villanova Wildcats
Speaking of Scottie Reynolds, the longtime Wildcat finally graduated this spring. However, Villanova has no shortage of talent at guard with Seniors Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes returning as well as sophomore Malik Wayns. Additionally a healthy Mouphtaou Yarou may be the answer Villanova is looking for in the frontcourt. This team will also be playing with something to prove after flaming out in the second round of the tournament last March.

6) Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes lost NPOY Evan Turner and Famed Blogger Mark Titus last season, but bring in a talented freshman class led by Jared Sullinger and return upperclassmen Jon Diebler, William Buford, Dallas Lauderdale, and David Lighty. This may be a bit high for the Buckeyes, but they finished strong last season and I'm buying into the Sullinger hype.

7) Syracuse Orangemen
Another team that lost its star player but returns a group of experienced upperclassmen alongside a highly-touted recruiting class. Fab Melo not only is a contender for best name in college basketball, but also may contend for best big man in the Big East as a freshman. Kris Joseph who scored in double digits off the bench last season could have a breakout year filling the void left behind by Wesley Johnson.

8) North Carolina Tar Heels

Obligatory Harrison Barnes Photo

I was hesitant to put the Heels this high but I was really impressed with the improvement of sophomores Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald. Harrison Barnes may have struggled in his first scrimmage but I'm still buying into the hype. Tyler Zeller could be a scoring machine if he stays healthy and Henson should be a force rebounding and on the defensive end of the ball. Larry Drew looks to have improved his already respectable shooting and seems more comfortable in his role as starting point guard, but if he should falter Kendall Marshall (who had 9 assists and only 1 turnover in UNC's exhibition) is a natural court leader and could pick up the slack.

Next 4: Kansas, Kentucky, Florida, Missouri

Kansas returns the Morris Twins but has questions at PG after losing Sherron Collins and having Josh Selby's status in limbo. Kentucky has a high ceiling, especially if Kanter is ruled eligible but is young and lacks a Patrick Patterson-esque leader. Florida adds talented freshman center Patric Young to a team that improved as last season went on and returns all 5 starters. Missouri has a talented team (especially if Tony Mitchell is ruled eligible for the second semester) led by Kim English that will excel in Mike Anderson's "60 minutes of hell" system.

Counting down the 10 Can't Miss UNC Basketball Games for 2010-2011

2010-10-29T15:20:00.001-04:00

Brandon Knight and Kyle Singler are just two of the stars UNC will face this season

The Tar Heels kick off their college basketball season in two weeks against Lipscomb. While I will undoubtedly get over-excited for what (hopefully) shouldn't be much of a game, the 2010-2011 Tar Heel basketball schedule offers a cornucopia of enticing showdowns. Now that I am done with anatomy and have a bit of my free time back I decided to count down the top 10 can't miss games of the upcoming Tar Heel basketball season. Given how much of an embarrassment last season was for Carolina, there is a common theme of payback in many of these games. While preseason polls have built up expectations once again for UNC, to truly rebound and put last season in the past, the Heels will need to take care of business in many of these games. But that's enough buildup, time to start counting down...

10) College of Charleston at UNC (November 28)
Any other season a matchup with College of Charleston would probably not crack the top 25 games of a UNC basketball season. However, last year's OT loss in Chaleston proved to be the start of a free fall that saw a team ranked in the preseason top 10 end up in the NIT. After the loss last season John Henson received criticism for tweeting that the Heels had just made someones college career relevant. Perhaps this season Henson will make his own college career more relevant with a dominating performance against the Cougars. I expect UNC to make a statement early in th season with a beatdown of College of Charleston.

9) UNC at Georgia Tech (January 16)
The Tar Heels' visit to Atlanta will allow Carolina to exact revenge on a team that emerged victorious not one, not two, but three times against them last season. Georgia Tech should take a step back this season after losing Lawal, Peacock, and Favors but still remain formidable in the backcourt with Shumpert and Glen Rice Jr. returning among others.

8) Clemson at UNC (January 18)
One of the few silver linings of last season was that Carolina did not have to play Clemson in the Dean Dome. If they had, perhaps Clemson may have finally snapped the 54 game losing streak at Carolina. Fortunately the streak still stands and UNC will look to extend it to 55 games against at Clemson team that will be in a bit of a rebuilding year.

7) Texas at UNC (in Greensboro, December 18)
When UNC played Texas in the new Cowboys stadium last December many felt the matchup pitted two of the best teams in the nation. While Texas emerged victorious, both teams disappointed throughout the rest of the season with UNC missing the NCAA tournament and Texas exiting in the first round. Texas will have a different look this season after the departures of Dexter Pittman, Avery Bradley, and Damien James but they add top PG recruit Cory Joseph to a team that still has a very talented, if heretofore underachieving, roster.

6) UNC at Illinois (November 30)
This rematch of the 2005 National Championship game will pit two programs with strong legacies looking to return to prominence in college basketball. This will be the first true test for UNC's talented but young roster in a hostile environment. Illinois has a talented backcourt, but I have a feeling that this game will turn into the Harrison Barnes show as UNC scores a win for the ACC in the Big Ten-ACC challenge..

5) UNC at Duke (February 9)
After four years of dominance at Duke that led many UNC fans to rename the stadium "Hansbrough Indoor Stadium," the Blue Devils laid an absolute beatdown on UNC at home last season. Duke enters the season as overwhelming favorites to repeat and will likely be ranked #1 going into this matchup. While I do not expect UNC to be able to win this season in Cameron Indoor, there is no doubt that Harrison Barnes will look to prove he made the right choice. Also, Reggie Bullock should expect to hear a lot from the Cameron Crazies after his comments this summer.

4) Virginia Tech at UNC (January 13)
Despite UNC being ranked higher in the preseason polls, it was Virginia Tech and not UNC that was picked to finish second (behind Duke) in the ACC. I for one think Virginia Tech, which exited the NIT earlier than UNC last season, is being vastly overrated. However, Malcolm Delaney is a contender for ACC player of the year. Look for UNC to lay their claim as the clear #2 in the ACC in this early January matchup.

3) UNC at NC State (February 23)
Even despite all the issues last year's team had, Carolina managed to take care of NC State in both of their matchups. Over the past five years UNC has absolutely dominated their "rivals" from Raleigh. However the Wolfpack returns Tracy Smith and adds three top recruits in Ryan Harrow, Lorenzo Brown, and CJ Leslie. If NC State hopes to rejuvenate the rivalry with Carolina, they will need to win at home.

2) Kentucky at UNC (December 4)
While Michigan State-Duke will be the most anticipated game of the upcoming basketball season (and with good reason), the December 4 matchup of the Tar Heels and the Wildcats may be the most talent assembled on a basketball court all season. UK again will depend on a #1 freshmen class to carry the team, featuring Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Stacey Poole, and perhaps Enes Kanter. UNC has slightly more experience, but will still need big contributions from Barnes and Bullock as well as sophomores John Henson and Dexter Strickland. This game may be sloppy at times, but also will likely be chock full of ESPN highlights.

1) Duke at UNC (March 5)
UNC will likely not be able to pull off a victory in Durham in February. However, if healthy Carolina should have a pretty good shot to take down the Dookies in the Dean Dome in March. My guess is that both teams will be ranked in the top 10 entering this matchup. If UNC can beat Duke in March they may be looking at a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Demon Deacon Experiment, Part I

2010-10-23T13:43:00.001-04:00

As some of you know, my four years as an undergraduate came to a conclusion this past May when I graduated from UNC. In my four years there I made some amazing friends, learned some awesome things (both inside and outside the classroom, enjoyed some of the best days (and nights) of my life, and I got to see the Tar Heels cut down the nets in April of 2009. While my time as an undergrad at UNC is now past, I will always bleed Carolina blue.

With college basketball season kicking off in just a couple weeks, I am perhaps more excited than ever for the Tar Heels to take the court and begin what I hope to be a serious bounce-back season after last year's NIT debacle. While I will no doubt post ad nauseum about this year's Carolina Basketball team, the rest of this post will be dedicated to another ACC basketball team: the Demon Deacons.

As I have mentioned in a couple previous posts, this August I started medical school at Wake Forest. Though football season has already kicked off, I have failed to generate any real excitement/allegiance to the Demon Deacon football program. While this may in part be due to the ineptitude of this year's Wake Forest Football team, I also don't have the same passion for college football (outside the Tar Heels) as I do for college basketball. While it may surprise some members of my medical school class who have routinely pointed out the preponderance of Carolina Blue in my wardrobe, I am actually very excited to follow Wake Forest basketball this year.

However, cheering for multiple teams, especially in the same conference is tricky business. Recently, a friend of mine managed to quickly dig herself in a hole by trying to explain how UNC, Clemson, and LSU were all "her team." While it didn't help that she was at lunch with a bunch of guys, the error she made was not saying that she cheered for multiple teams, but rather, her failure to clearly explain a hierarchy of those teams (once again, it probably didn't help that she was the only girl there). The key to sports polygamy is making it obvious which wife comes first.

Consequently, as I begin my Demon Deacon experiment, I must first start off by reiterating the fact that The University of North Carolina Tar Heels are my team. If UNC and Wake play 100 times I'll cheer for Carolina 100 times. If I get tickets to a Carolina at Wake game during my four years here I will be decked out in Carolina Blue. If Wake is not playing Carolina, but their winning would have a negative impact on UNC in some way, I'm cheering against Wake. I won't be a nervous wreck when Wake Forest is engaged in a close game, like I am when the result of a UNC game is coming down to the buzzer. Those are the facts. UNC comes first and Wake will be a very distant second.

Just in Case there was any confusion

Now that that's cleared up, I come to the point of what will be the first, in what I hope to be an ongoing series of posts chronicling my experiences cheering for Wake Forest basketball. Unlike Carolina, I do not know Wake's roster back and forth. I have not spent hours reading recruiting evaluations and watching youtube clips of the incoming freshmen. I haven't wasted study time on Wake Forest basketball message boards. I don't know what to expect from this team. All that said, here is what I do know about this year's Wake Basketball team.

1) They have a new coach in Jeff Bzdelik
While Wake did underachieve in the tournament the past couple years, the firing of Dino Gaudio was somewhat surprising to me. I know nothing about Bzdelik other than that he coached at Colorado last year. Thus it is hard to know what impact he will have on what will be a very young team. The fact that he was able to convince all of Wake's top 15 recruiting class (that were recruited by Gaudio) is impressive. One advantage of having a young team is that he should be able to make his mark early on younger, more malleable players.

2) The dismissal of Tony Woods probably cost this team a chance to compete for 2nd in the ACC
Not too many people expected Wake to end up 2nd in the ACC anyways, but the loss of Woods, who was dismissed after being charged with assault for breaking his girlfriend's spine, hurts this team. Woods, who has impressive size, was starting to look like a force in the paint near the end of last season and I for one thought he could have a breakout year in 2010-2011. However, there is no excuse for what he did and the Deacons did the right thing to send him on his way.

3) Wake is going to be young, but talented

The top two returning players for Wake are both sophomores, Ari Stewart and C.J. Harris. Both showed flashes last year but will be asked to step up more in their second season. J.T. Terrell (from the 704) can apparently score in bunches (he is the only Wake recruit I have watched youtube clips of), but is apparently rather streaky. Terrell is joined by fellow 4 star recruits, Travis McKie, Melvin Tabb, and Carson Deroisers. With such a young, but talented roster Wake is likely to be a team that is very exciting to watch at times and very frustrating to watch at others. With early games against Xavier and Gonzaga, as well as potential matchups with Tennessee and Villanova in the preseason NIT, I should get a better idea what to expect from Wake Basketball this year.

Regardless of what happens however, I am looking forward to following and cheering for Wake Basketball. While Carolina will always come first, I look forward to enjoying and hopefully chronicling via this blog my Demon Deacon experiment.

Burning Questions for the 2010-2011 UNC Basketball Season

2010-10-13T14:57:00.008-04:00

While it is becoming more and more apparent that the medical school lifestyle is not compatible with being able to write on this blog on a regular basis, there is one thing that can bring me out of my quasi-retirement from sports blogging..... COLLEGE BASKETBALL (well that and needing a break from memorizing muscle attachments). With both the NFL and college football in full swing, I was somewhat taken aback when I realized midnight madness (celebrating the first day college basketball teams are allowed to practice) was this weekend.

In Chapel Hill, Late Night with Roy kicks off Friday evening. 2010 has been a rough year for Tar Heel fans, beginning with UNC basketball's utter collapse following a promising start and continuing with the recruiting and academic scandals hanging over the football team. In Chapel Hill, where NIT and UNC should never have be mentioned in the same breath, many Tar Heel Fans expect the basketball team to rebound from one of the more disappointing Carolina seasons in recent memory. Although the majority of fans and prognosticators alike expect the Tar Heels to return to the NCAA tournament, questions still surround this basketball team. Don't feel like waiting until March for the answers to these question? Neither do I, so without further ado here are my attempts to address six burning questions for the 2010-2011 Carolina Basketball team. Trust me, I'm a doctor (actually I'm not, but I do have a white coat).

Burning Question #1:Can Larry Drew II lead this team effectively?

Drew the Deuce was a lightening rod for argument and controversy last season. His propensity to turn the ball over, poor free throw shooting, and rumors of transfer all ignited fierce debate on internet message boards. Furthermore, at times he appeared to be at odds with the coaching staff and appeared to lack intensity. While freshman Kendall Marshall has been heralded as a natural point guard and a strong leader, this team will need Larry Drew to step up this season if the team hopes to make a deep run in March. Drew actually shot a fairly decent percentage from behind the arc last season and if he improved his shooting this summer, he could be a more potent weapon on offense than most are giving him credit for. A year's experience and better options on the wing should also help Drew cut down on turnovers and improve on his already impressive assist average from a season ago. Ultimately though what it boils down to is Drew's own confidence in his game. He can't be afraid to take the open three nor can he be afraid to drive to the rim as he began to do more effectively in the NIT tournament last season. I expect Marshall to be effective as a freshman in a backup role, but count me among those who think that Drew is going to step up in 2010-2011.

Burning Question #2: How good are the freshmen really going to be?

Harrison Barnes has yet to play in a single college basketball game, and already he is being talked about as a potential Naismith award winner and potentially the most dynamic player in college basketball this season. While I do not necessarily expect a Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant performance this season from Barnes, there is one thing that makes me buy into the hype above all else. According to coaches, scouts, and teammates, Barnes has a competitive fire and work ethic that rivals that of Hansbrough. As great of a college basketball player as Hansbrough was, and as much as people undervalued his athleticism, Barnes has a skill set and athleticism that far exceeds that of Psycho T. Consequently, the combination of competitiveness and talent has me prepared to see something special from Barnes.

However, lost in all the Harrison Barnes hype is Reggie Bullock, a top 15 recruit with NBA size and a nice shooting touch from long range. Bullock, who plays the shooting guard position, is 6'7" and looks every bit as athletic as Barnes in person. While Barnes will be in the national spotlight all year, I fully expect there to be nights where Bullock looks like the best freshman in Carolina Blue.

I already mentioned Kendall Marshall in the previous section, but I would expect Marshall to be an effective backup for most of the season, and perhaps even win the starting job if Drew falters. If that does end up being the case, expect Marshall to do an effective job of managing the team but don't expect the same offensive potency we saw of Ty Lawson as a freshman.

Burning Question #3: Will a lack of depth in the frontcourt hold this team back?

With the departures of Deon Thompson, Ed Davis, and the Wear Twins the Carolina frontcourt is pretty thin, even with the addition of transfer Justin Knox. Henson and Zeller are both talented players poised for breakout seasons after finishing strong last season. While both have put on muscle in the offseason, neither is a power post man in the mold of Hansbrough or May. While the talent of the frontcourt is ample for a deep postseason run, the Heels have no room for injury. Expect UNC to occasionally go to a small ball lineup with Barnes at the 4 from time to time in order to keep from wearing down Zeller and Henson. Ultimately the frontcourt depth shouldn't be an issue if everyone stays healthy. If injuries do strike though, Carolina could quickly go into a tailspin.

Burning Question #4: How does Will Graves' dismissal impact the team?

The more pressing issue is who will step up as the leader of the team now that Graves is gone. Ideally Drew would be that person, but to do so he will need to demonstrated improved play and a change in attitude and maturity from last season. Another possibility is Barnes whose maturity and competitive fire could trump the fact that he is only a freshman.

Burning Question #5: What is the ceiling for this year's team?
As much as I would love to say that UNC could beat out Duke and win the ACC, the Blue Devils are a very good team and a near lock for ACC champions. That's not to say I can't see UNC beating Duke this season (in fact I think the series will split this year), however, I expect UNC to have a few hiccups during their ACC schedule which will prevent them from keeping pace with Duke. I certainly think a realistic ceiling for this team is ACC runners up and a Elite Eight appearance.

My personal prediction for the team (assuming Harrison Barnes is not Carmelo Anthony 2.0) is 2nd in the ACC and a sweet sixteen appearance. More importantly though, I expect UNC to be a much more fun basketball team to watch this season. Hark the sound.

VFSS 2010 NFL Season Preview

2010-09-12T12:41:00.004-04:00

I'm ready for some FOOTBALL!

Better late than never I guess. After three straight years (the first two predating the blog, and thus typed up on Facebook) of painstakingly projecting every game of the NFL season and subsequently typing up a preview, I thought that my days of NFL season previews may finally be over. Medical school, specifically, the anatomy of the abdomen and pelvis (damn you internal iliac!), had ensured that I had no time for NFL predictions over the past three weeks. Furthermore, I was having a hard time getting pumped for the NFL season, as I discussed in a post about a month ago.

However, on the eve of kickoff I find myself with the increasingly rare combination of free time and excitement about the NFL. The result, arguably my best and certainly my most sleep deprived set of NFL predictions ever. To quote Samuel L. Jackson: "Hold on to your butts!"

AFC

AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens- 13-3
*Pittsburgh Steelers- 12-4
Cincinnati Bengals- 7-9
Cleveland Browns- 4-12

I generally try to stay away from the chic Super Bowl picks in most cases, but I believe that the Ravens are going to be really, really good this year with the additions of Boldin and Houshmanzedeh. I realize projecting 12 wins for the Steelers will lead many to accuse me of being a homer, but the team is loaded with talent and I think they will go on an absolute rampage once Ben Rapelisberger returns to the field (for the record I still would prefer the team have cut #7 and gone 6-10 with Dennis Dixon at QB). TOcho and the Bengals will finish first in reality show moments, but only third in the division. The Browns are the Browns and their starting quarterback is Jake Delhomme.

AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis Colts- 12-4
*Tennessee Titans- 12-4
Houston Texans- 5-11
Jacksonville Jaguars- 3-13

I (along with Chuck Klosterman) really like the Titans this year. They have a good defense that underperformed for much of last season and they have the most explosive running back in football. In the end I had the Colts edging them out. I expect Houston to be a disappointment and Jacksonville to be just plain bad.

AFC EAST
New England Patriots- 13-3
New York Jets- 10-6
Miami Dolphins- 9-7
Buffalo Bills- 2-14

With the combination of Brady being 2 years removed from his injury and the Jets being heavily favored to usurp the AFC East throne, I think we are poised for a dominant season from Tom Brady and the Patriots (I think Brandon Tate will become one of Brady's favorite new targets). While the Jets are loaded on defense, I think the Sanchize drops enough stinkers that the Jets fall just short of the playoffs. The Dolphins will have some good wins but some bad losses as well. The Bills... well I'd like to ask for a moment of silence for the fans in Buffalo.

AFC WEST
San Diego Chargers-10-6
Kansas City Chiefs- 7-9
Oakland Raiders- 7-9
Denver Broncos- 4-12

I wanted to pick a team other than the Chargers, who seem to have missed their chance to win a Super Bowl over the past five years, but given how bad this division is, they ended up winning it by default. I do think we see improvement from both the Chiefs and the Raiders, but neither has enough talent to make it to the playoffs. There will be only 3 exciting moments for the Broncos this season and they all will be Tim Tebow jump passes.

NFC
NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers- 12-4
Chicago Bears- 7-9
Minnesota Vikings- 6-10
Detroit Lions- 6-10

The Packers are the real deal. Aaron Rodgers ends up getting the last laugh when the Packers decimate the Vikings two times this season and Favre retires on a low note. The Lions and Bears are both on the rise and will surprise people at times, but are still a year away from playoff sleeper status.

NFC SOUTH
New Orleans Saints- 12-4
*Atlanta Falcons- 12-4
Carolina Panthers- 10-6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 2-14

The Saints won't have a Super Bowl hangover. The Falcons will bounce back under one of the best young QB's in the game. The Panthers will ride Williams and Stewart to double-digit wins but miss out on the playoffs. The Buccaneers will be lucky to win two games.

NFC EAST
Washington Redskins- 11-5
*Philadelphia Eagles- 11-5
New York Giants- 9-7
Dallas Cowboys- 5-11

The Cowboys are my big disappointment prediction for this season. Their division is improving and I expect a down year from Romo and company. I think Donovan McNabb will thrive in Washington, especially now that he will have a running game to compliment his passing. The Eagles will be fine with Kevin Kolb, who has a plethora of young, explosive receivers to pass the ball to. The Giants will be a good team, but end up being the odd man out in this division.

NFC WEST
St. Louis Rams- 8-8
Arizona Cardinals- 6-10
San Francisco 49ers-5-11
Seattle Seahawks- 3-13

I don't want to grace this division with an explanation. All I will say is that there is a pretty good chance the Rams, who are starting a rookie, have the best QB in the division.

PLAYOFF PICKS (home team in CAPS)

Wild Card
Titans over COLTS
Steelers over CHARGERS
REDSKINS over Eagles
Falcons over RAMS

Divisional
RAVENS over Titans
PATRIOTS over Steelers
Falcons over SAINTS
PACKERS over Redskins

Conference Championships
Ravens over PATRIOTS
PACKERS over Falcons

Super Bowl
Packers over Ravens

Going Through the 5 Stages of Grief for UNC Football

2010-09-03T18:45:00.003-04:00

"Hey Greg, we're gonna be awesome next year, lets go take a trip to celebrate"

Four years ago to the day I was a freshman at the University of North Carolina preparing to attend my first ever UNC Football game. At the time Jon Bunting was the coach and most students I met at Carolina felt Tar Heel football was just a distraction (and a mediocre one at that) to hold us over until basketball season started. I soon realized that UNC football did indeed suck as the team floundered to a 3-9 mark only beating Furman (by 3), NC State, and of course Duke (we sucked but we didn't suck that much).

However, when Bunting was shown the door at the end of the season and replaced by Butch Davis, an unfamiliar sense of optimism arose among the Tar Heel faithful. This optimism was not as much rooted in a belief that Davis was a master strategist, but instead based on Butch's recruiting prowess. In his first year he managed to bring in a monster (for UNC anyways) class headlined by top recruits Marvin Austin and Greg Little (cue foreshadowing music).

While the team was still unimpressive (amassing a 4-8 record) in Davis's first year, the team showed glimpses of talent. With the development and addition of the talented recruits Davis was reeling in the Heels managed to put together consecutive winning seasons, each capped with a bowl appearance. When a large group of talented juniors (mainly on the defensive side of the ball) decided to bypass the draft last spring, excitement was suddenly at almost record highs for the UNC football program. The 2010-2011 would finally be the year when the Tar Heels established a football program that could at least be mentioned in the same paragraph as their basketball program....that was until about mid-July.

In the past month and a half, an investigation into the source of funding of one of Marvin Austin's summer trips has transformed into a full blown Inquisition into the entire football program. Shockingly (sarcasm) we've found out that varsity athletes at major programs sometimes don't take their school's honor code seriously, and even have tutors write papers for them. Regardless of how commonplace this actually is (and I'd venture to say it's pretty DAMN commonplace), UNC got caught and now 12 key players have been suspended for the opening game versus LSU tomorrow, including Marvin Austin who was indefinitely suspended. Given that the list of players suspended on the defensive end of the ball could be confused for Mel Kiper's Big Board, its relatively safe to say that expectations have dropped even lower than Glenn Beck's credibility. Ever since this fiasco began I have been going through the stages of grief for the North Carolina Football Program.

1) Denial- "I bet this is all just backlash of the Reggie Bush fiasco. Marvin Austin probably didn't know he was breaking rules, but at worst he'll be suspended for a couple games and the team will be fine. Right now this whole thing is being overblown"

In retrospect I was in more denial than Sammie Sweetheart was over her relationship with Ronnie through first five episodes of Jersey Shore. And in this metaphor the press conference announcing the honor code infraction investigation was Snookie and JWoww's anonymous letter. Wait, do I watch too much Jersey Shore? Maybe I should just stop talking.....

2) Anger- "Why the hell did Marvin Austin tweet about his trip in the first place? This is why college athletes shouldn't have twitter! And who the hell brought up the tutor who wrote papers for players during the NCAA investigation? This is so unfair. No one would have known anything if our players weren't such idiots!"

I still feel this way to some extent, and I am convinced this happens at almost all major programs. However, I'm proud of UNC for valuing the concept of the student athlete. I can think of some college basketball coaches who don't have the same values (Hint: his name rhymes with "Dawn Calimari")

3) Bargaining- "How can anyone know who got help from this tutor. Look, I know Austin is going to be suspended for a significant portion of the season, but just let the rest of the team come out unscathed. I'll accept a loss to LSU if the suspensions (outside of Austin and maybe Little) are only for a game."

This is ignoring the major bargain I'll always be willing to make. If it comes down to our entire football program versus our basketball team being tarnished in the least, I'll grab a lawn chair and watch the UNC football team go down in smoke any day of the week.

This face doesn't exactly inspire hope

4) Depression- "This team is screwed. We're going to go 4-8 because our offense still sucks and our defense is suspended. Hell, forget this year's team, the entire program is screwed. All our stars on defense are seniors and we're going to lose all our recruits after this. Is it really still two months until basketball starts?"

Some of these things are still distinctly possible. And if the investigation turns out to show that Butch Davis was involved he's out the door. The man looked like he had just watched a family member die at last week's press conference. Still I think that in all likelihood the program will not go down in flames, even if this season does.

5) Acceptance- "Unless our team overachieves versus LSU, we're going to lose tomorrow night. UNC may not make a bowl and almost certainly won't win the ACC, unless the suspensions are only for one game. Still Bryn Renner has shown promise and our defense still has talented albeit inexperienced players. This is probably a 6-6 team that will surprise some people, but our shot at a contending football program may have gone down the tube."

In other words:

The Thrill is Gone

2010-08-07T10:08:00.003-04:00

Most years by the time August rolls around I have only one thing on my mind when it comes to sports: The NFL. While last season was a disappointing one for the teams I cheer for, at the end of last year's Super Bowl, I was pumped for the 2010-2011 NFL Season.

Fast forward five months and nearly all of the excitement has dissipated. I've tried on several occasions to write NFL-related posts and couldn't come up with jack. I'm sure part of the reason for my dip in interest has to do with the vast decrease in free time that accompanies the start of medical school. I no longer have time to research stats for fantasy football, read training camp previews from 5 different websites, or play the entire upcoming season on Madden between the start of training camp and opening night.

Yet while I won't be able to do those things, their absence is not at the root of my lack of enthusiasm for the upcoming NFL season. I have tried to figure out exactly what happened in that five month span to cause such a drastic dip in interest and here is what I have come up with.

1) For the first time ever, I'm finding it hard to cheer for my team

God I hate him

Look, the Steelers, who seemed legitimate candidates to repeat as Super Bowl champs last August, had a disappointing year in 2009-2010. There is no denying that. However, it was not what happened between week 1 and week 17 that made my blood a little less black and gold. Instead it was just one guy: Ben Roethlisberger. I had always suspected that Big Ben looked at himself as somewhat of an invincible superhero. From refusing to take a sack in the pocket to his infamous motorcycle crash when he wasn't wearing a helmet, Roethlisberger always seemed to be a bit of an idiot. But I was fine with that. People care if their doctors, lawyers, and accountants are intelligent, not so much NFL quarterbacks.

Consequently, I was fine having a guy whose IQ rivaled Snookie's as my favorite team's quarterback. That all changed however when the news came out that he took advantage of a 20 year old girl in a bathroom stall. A few weeks later, a feature in Sports Illustrated discussed his continued riding of motorcycles without a helmet and a general pattern of douchebaggery throughout the city of Pittsburgh .

Around the same time, the Steelers cut loose of Santonio Holmes who had a breakout season in 2009-2010, but also had a series of legal issues since he joined the team. Despite several rumors of attempted trades, Ben Rapelisberger still remains the QB of the Steelers going into the season. I understand that it's hard for a front office to cut loose of a QB who has brought the organization two Super Bowls, but as a fan I just can't bring myself to cheer for a guy like that.

Ideally, the Steelers would have traded Roethlisberger for a second round pick (or even cut him if it came down to it) and drafted Jimmy Clausen with their second round pick. This coming season I would probably be cheering for a talented team with Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon, or Clausen at quarterback. Yeah that team would probably miss the playoffs, but at the end of the day I would have fun cheering the team on to an 8-8 finish, knowing my team's quarterback hadn't violated a girl three years younger than me. Anyways, I've seen the Steelers win two Super Bowls, I could deal with a down year. Instead I'm stuck with Rapelisberger.

2) On the flip side, I'm don't have a team to hate


Maybe the fact this picture makes me want to vomit is a good thing

If you took a poll of who was the most hated team in the NFL anytime between 2003 and 2008, the New England Patriots would have won in a landslide. Two years after David Tyree took down the most dominant and perhaps most hated team in NFL history with a miracle catch, the Patriots dynasty has been officially put to rest. The fact is that the Pats have not won a Super Bowl since 2004 and that in that time no team has been able to quite take their place. The Colts blew their chance this February, the Steelers have followed up both their Super Bowl seasons by missing the playoffs, the Giants seem to have been a flash in the pan, and the Saints just aren't that hateable.

Without an antagonist, the exploits of a protagonist become less significant, and that is the case with the upcoming NFL season. Having a team to cheer against can be just as important as having on to cheer for. That said I do think there are four possible teams that could take the role if the cards fall right the Patriots, the Jets, and the Cowboys. If the Patriots get off to a hot start and win 7 or 8 straight games, they could easily regain their title as public enemy #1. The Cowboys are always a threat to be the NFL's antagonist just based on principle. The Jets have amassed a lot of talent this offseason and clearly have an air of cockiness to their game, and a coach who doesn't do much to filter his thoughts.

The wild card is if Rapelisberger's suspension gets reduced, the Pittsburgh starts winning, and the Steelers instantly become the most hated team in the NFL (see this season really is lose-lose for a Steelers fan).

3) The NFL offseason storylines have become trite
It seems like at the moment 90% of offseason storylines fall into one of three categories: 1) Player X got in trouble with the law 2) Player X is holding out for more money 3) Brett Favre may or may not retire. With regards to the first, honestly I just don't care. Put the person in jail, suspend him a few games, or do nothing (depending on the offense). Just don't spend 25 minutes talking about it on Sportscenter. With regards to the second, the NFL instantly needs to go to slotted salaries for the draft like the NBA. Rookies haven't proven anything and thus don't deserve $50 million over four years. Just like every job, you need to produce results to demand a higher salary. As to the third point will someone just man up and take a shot at Favre's knees during the preseason and end all this nonsense.

4) The aren't as many exciting personalities in the league anymore

Back in 2005, you had T.O. when he was still scoring touchdowns and doing driveway sit-ups and you had Steve Smith and the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson seeing who could come up with the most innovative end zone celebrations. Fast forward to 2010 and all of the great personalities in the league have either washed up (T.O.), toned it down (Steve Smith), or become parodies of themselves (Chad Ochocinco). Yes the Bengals might as well put Pauly D in the slot this season to cement their reality show at WR, but it all feels a bit contrived. Outside of Cincinnati the only exciting personality in the league is Rex Ryan. I'm not sure if this trend is due to a change in attitude among younger NFL players, or if Roger Goodell has actually managed to turn the NFL into the "No Fun League". Either way, despite what Goodell would like to think the NFL is an entertainment industry whose primary audience is males between the ages of 13 and 40, not a Fortune 500 company.

All of this said, perhaps when the actual season rolls around my excitement for the NFL will be back at full force. Maybe some team will get desperate at the beginning of the season and offer up a first round pick for Rapelisberger. Maybe the Patriots or the Jets will unify NFL fanbases by taking up the mantle of NFL Public Enemy #1. Maybe the Ochocinco & TO combination will have a trickle down effect and make the league more fun again. Maybe. All I do know is that when it comes to the NFL offseason the thrill is gone.

23 Reasons LeBron Will Never Be MJ

2010-07-25T14:00:00.014-04:00

A lot of talking heads have said that with his decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, LeBron effectively destroyed his chance to ever reach Michael Jordan's level. However if LeBron manages to average a triple double and the Heat win 70+ games, the comparisons will inevitably pop right back up. While professional journalists and columnists much more talented than myself will no doubt analyze in depth whether LeBron has reached His Airness in the future, here are 23 quick reasons why LeBron won't ever be like mike.

1) MJ: 6 Rings, 6 Finals MVPs
LBJ: 0 Rings, 1 Finals appearance

2) Be Like Mike (No Way LeBron ever comes Close to Pulling this off)

3) Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat

4)

No Matter How Many Titles LeBron wins in Miami, He'll never win one of these

5) Speaking of UNC, Video Evidence of Jordan's Superiority #1: NCAA Finals vs Georgetown

6) MJ: 10 Scoring Titles (NBA Record), 7 Consecutive Scoring Titles (NBA Record)
LBJ: 1 Scoring title

7) Video Evidence of Jordan's Superiority #2: The Shrug

8) Jordan's most memorable media announcement was a two word press release: "I'm Back"
LeBron's most memorable media announcement was an overblown one-hour Sportscenter special.

9) Jordan wanted to beat the best players of his era, LeBron wants to play alongside them

10) 1992 "Dream Team" > 2008 "Redeem Team"

11) This is how MJ puts a dagger in the heart of Cleveland

12) And this is how LeBron puts a dagger in the heart of Cleveland

13) SPACE JAM

One of the Greatest Movies Ever Made

14) "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."
-Magic Johnson (5 time NBA Champion)

15) Video Evidence of Jordan's Superiority #3: The Cradle

16) The Air Jordans

17) MJ won the Slam Dunk Contest twice, beating out Dominique Williams who also was an amazing dunker. LeBron has never competed in the Slam Dunk Contest.

18) "90 percent of what I’ve learned and what I’ve figured out comes from [Michael Jordan]"

-Kobe Bryant (5 time NBA champion)

19) Jordan learned the game under Dean Smith, one of the top college coaches of all time and one of the highest character people in the history of college basketball. LeBron skipped college.

20) Video Evidence of Jordan's Superiority #4: "The Flu Game"

21) These Three Commercials:

22) Video Evidence of Jordan's Superiority #5: Last Shot as a Chicago Bull

23)"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
-Michael Jordan

"I'm going to take my talents to South Beach"
-LeBron James

A New Student Section

2010-07-21T16:44:00.001-04:00


I may have left Chapel Hill but the Sky will always be Carolina Blue

As many of you may know, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this may. This fall (actually this Thursday) I will be starting as a medical student at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Over the past week I have been making the transition from the Carolina Blue adorned Chapel Hill to Demon Deacon country in Winston Salem and preparing for the next four years of my medical education. However, I do not intend to spend this post glorifying my own achievements. Rather, my goal is to give the people who have read this blog over the past year and a half an idea of what to expect. I debated retiring from VFSS when I got into medical school, as the next few years will be jam packed with studying and hard work. Ultimately though I decided to keep the blog up and running, and that I may just have to go about it in a slightly different way. A small few may remember that my very first post was a mission statement. Well consider what follows to be an updated and upgraded mission statement.

First of all let me apologize for the dearth of posts over the last couple months. Starting in August, I hope to be able to average about one post a week. Understand that this is no promise, as I will certainly have limited free time, but I think one post a week is an achievable goal.

Secondly, while I no longer live in the heart of Blue Heaven, it goes without saying that my loyalty to the Tar Heels lives on. So as I said in that original mission statement, I do not claim to offer an unbiased perspective on sports. However, I will continue to try and provide fair and rational insights into the world of sports. This is partly why I chose to keep the name of the blog "View From the Student Section," as the title reflects that this is not meant to be an objective source when it comes to sports.

Over the next few years, or however long this blog continues to exist I hope to continue to do my best to bring an insightful, interesting, and occasionally humorous take on sports in all of my posts. In the past year and a half I have learned much about writing and maintaining a sports blog. Instead of being comprehensive with regards to sports, I intend to focus most of my efforts on the NFL, College Football, and College Basketball. Other sports and occasionally non-sports related posts will pop up on occasion, but the aforementioned three sports are the ones that I know the most about and have enjoyed writing about the most.

So please subscribe, bookmark, and/or follow me on twitter and I will continue to share my views straight from the student section.

Breaking Down LeBron's Options

2010-07-08T13:37:00.000-04:00

If you have turned on ESPN for any 30 second interval in the past two days, you may have heard that LeBron James is having a "LeBron's Choice" one hour special tonight, which is the culmination of more than two years of speculation as to where exactly LeBron would go. While people have inevitably read into his decision to make the announcement with such fanfare, I think the exercise is futile. Thus I will not be trying to determine the significance of the announcement taking place in Connecticut (though I will say, it was probably a smart move not to make the announcement in Cleveland if he is returning to the Cavs), but instead this post is dedicated to breaking down LeBron's options.

Before I start however, I think its safe to rule out Los Angeles (the Clippers) and New Jersey as possible destinations. I don't think either has the necessary pull nor have they come up in rumors as "favorites." As such LeBron's options come down to four teams. The Cavaliers, the Knicks, the Heat, and the Bulls. Let's start with his team of the last seven years:

Cleveland Cavaliers

Pros: First and foremost coming back to Cleveland would make him the most loved athlete by the city in which he played of all time. If he decides to come back he will have turned down a chance to break the hearts of all Cleveland sports fans by leaving for a team with more glitz and/or championship potential. Outside of becoming the most loved sports fan in Cleveland history, if he returned to the Cavs he would be playing for a much better coach than he had the last few seasons in Mike Brown. Cleveland was a very good team last season that was managed very poorly in the playoffs. The departure of Shaq is addition by subtraction, as he slowed down the pace of the Cavs and is far beyond is his prime.

Cons: Cleveland is a flawed team is its structure. Perhaps this can remedied in part by a new coach but ultimately the same problems will exist. Mo Williams is a good but not great point guard. Antawn Jamison is a good player but performed very poorly in the playoffs. The team has a collection of solid role players but no true starters at the SG (Anthony Parker, Delonte West) and C (J.J. Hickson, Anderson Varejao) positions. Perhaps with better coaching, that would be enough to win a championship if LeBron puts his cape and never takes it off for two months. I wouldn't bet on it though. Furthermore, staying in Cleveland doesn't help LeBron enhance his own brand. And make no mistake he cares about the LeBron brand. He is having a uber-hyped signing special tonight and just got a twitter under the handle @KingJames. He cares, which is not a good sign for Cleveland fans.

New York Knicks
Pros: A chance for immortality even beyond staying in Cleveland. If he brought the Knicks their first championship since 1973, he would join Namath, Ruth, DiMaggio, Jeter, etc. as one of the legends of New York Sports. He would get to play in Madison Square Garden at least 41 times a year. He would be in the best position with regards to the pervasiveness of the LeBron brand. Alongside Amar'e he could put up absolutely ridiculous numbers in Mike D'Antoni's system.

Cons: If he truly wants a championship the Knicks are not the best choice. In Amar'e and David Lee he would have two sidekicks who are great scorers but sup-par defenders. The 2005 Suns proved that you can't win a championship just with offense. If the Knicks made the finals and met the Lakers, the Amar'e and Lee would be dominated by Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. The Knicks also lack a quality starting point guard which means LeBron would again be forced to run the offense. Ultimately with the cap room they have created over the years, the Knicks could eventually build a very good team, but as of next season they would be no better than second behind the Heat with Wade and Bosh. Speaking of the Heat,

Miami Heat

Pros: The Big Three concept that led Boston to a championship in 2008 on steroids, HGH, and possibly crack. Having two of the top 5 players in the league playing together alongside a solid All Star (and Bill Simmons is right, Bosh has not earned the Superstar moniker yet) is something we have never seen before. If things played out right the team could create a dynasty in the coming decade to rival the Bulls of the 90's and the Lakers/Spurs of the 00's. Also LeBron would be living in Miami and going out in south beach with his teammates and good friends, Bosh and Wade. Last but not least, Miami has by far the best coach out of the four in Pat Riley.

Cons: Unlike the other three options, if LeBron went to Miami it wouldn't be HIS team. It would still be Wade's team or at best Wade and LeBron's team, but definitely not just LeBron's team. Even if he won a championship with Miami, people would say he needed Wade to win. To further compound this problem, there is a lot of potential for "alpha dog" (trademark Bill Simmons) issues. Who takes the last shot in a big game? At this point I would want Wade with the ball in his hands, but would LeBron be okay with that? What if after winning one championship, Bosh gets sick of being 3rd banana and starts looking for his own stats. There are just a lot of potential for chemistry issues, even if Wade, Bosh, and LeBron all seem to get along well and have controlled egos at the moment. Furthermore, the Heat would be so maxed out with regards to the cap that they only could add minimum salaries and rookie salaries to the team. Is a roster of LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Chalmers, and a bunch of minimum salary players enough to make it through a 82 game regular season and win a championship?

Chicago Bulls

Pros: The Bulls have the most complete and well set up roster right now. Derrick Rose is perhaps the best young point guard in the league right now and is only 21. Joakim Noah is also young and already one of, if not the best defensive centers in the NBA and an excellent rebounder. Furthermore Noah's ability to rebound and defend takes pressure off of Boozer to do those things and instead allows him to be more offensive minded. All three are tough competitors who each made it to at least one NCAA championship game. LeBron would be able to step into a situation where he was the clear alpha dog, yet was surrounded by great talents willing to play their roles. At the moment the only position on that team not occupied by a current or future all star would be the shooting guard position and I have the perfect player in mind (but I'll leave the surprise for later). Ultimately though, the Bulls are LeBron's best option if he wants to be the driving force behind a dynasty.

Cons: Only three I can really think of:
1) He would be leaving Cleveland and devastating an entire fanbase on national TV tonight (this of course is also a con for the Heat and Knicks).
2) He wouldn't get to play with his friends Bosh and Wade.
3) He really does care about being in the shadow of Jordan and feels he could never be better than the second best player in Bulls history

So there you go. Those are the major pros and cons LeBron has had to weigh for each option over the past several weeks. I have no idea what he's going to choose. If I had to take a guess I would say that he finds the proposition of playing alongside Wade and Bosh too attractive and goes to the Heat. However, If I were LeBron I would choose the Bulls. Along a talented young core he could elevate the Bulls to being by far and away the third best franchise in NBA history and maybe even push them into the conversation alongside the Lakers and Celtics. Rose, LeBron, Boozer, and Noah is just a scary though.

And here is the kicker. Assuming LeBron does choose the Bulls, the player that Chicago needs to go get at the SG position is none other than J.J. Redick. Make no mistake, I still detest the guy from his days at Duke, but Redick would be the perfect fit for that team. With James and Rose they don't need a driving SG, just one who can knock down open threes. As Ray Allen is getting old (and just signed a two year extension with the Celtics anyways), Redick is the best option to fill that role.

Furthermore, if LeBron choose the Bulls, it would set the groundwork for a potentially great rivalry between the Bulls and the Heat (which would have more cap room to fill out their roster with quality players if they don't sign LeBron). Throw in the Magic with Dwight Howard and the Celtics, who retained their big three and have an emerging star in Rondo and the Eastern Playoffs could be great for years to come. Hopefully this situation pans out, but regardless, by the end of the night all of this speculation will finally be over.

Aftermath of the Craziest Tennis Match Ever

2010-06-24T15:09:00.000-04:00

In tennis from time to time we come across a 5-set marathon match. These matches only occur in the Grand Slam events (excluding the US Open which plays a tiebreaker for the 5th Set). Federer-Roddick was a marathon match last year. It lasted 4 hours and 16 minutes and was decided at 16-14 in the third. That was a marathon match. What just happened over the past three days is something different entirely.

Here are some of the Records set by Isner-Mahut:

Longest Match: 11 hours, 5 minutes (Previous Record: 6 hours, 33 minutes)
Most Games in a Match: 183 (Previous Record: 112)
Most Aces By a Player In a Match: 112-Isner, Mahut-103 (Previous Record: 78)
Longest Set: 138 Games (Previous Record: 45)

And that is by no means all of them (Most serve games held, most points won, most winners, it just keeps going). Take a good look at the above numbers. It almost impossible that those numbers are ever going to be broken. The odds of Wilt's record of 100 points in a game is more likely to fall than those numbers, because while it is possible yet highly unlikely LeBron or someone else drops 100 on a team playing no defense (Golden State Warriors I'm looking at you), another 70-68 5th set is never going to happen again. In fact it never should have happened in the first place.

So why did it? Well part of the reason it did (and why it will never again happen) is that Isner-Mahut was the perfect matchup. Isner owns the best serve in tennis right now, but due to his size, he is not much of a threat returning serve. Mahut is a very good server and had strong groundstrokes, enough to hold serve fairly easily against Isner (Mahut won more points in the match than Isner) but is not a strong enough returner to break Isner's serve. Throw in the fact that Isner served amazing in the final set and that the grass courts favor big serves and make breaks more rare and you can see how there at least was a basis for the stalemate that occured for 137 games. Still, the fact that it lasted as long as it did is a testament not only to how well the two were serving but moreso the focus and willpower that allowed them to engage in the world longest staring contest, with neither blinking for over 8 hours.

In the end Mahut opened up a window in the 138th game with an ill-advised drop shot, followed by two great shots by Isner to bring an end to the uber-marathon match. The fact that Isner was part of this (and to a lesser degree the fact that he emerged victorious) was particularly cool to me since our paths crossed almost 8 years ago. Our high schools met in the State semifinals even though neither of us were playing (Isner was ineligible due to being sponsored and I was not in the starting lineup). Isner was sitting only a couple feet away as we both watched the matches going on. I was aware of who he was (at that point he was a top-ranked player in the south and had a scholarship to play tennis for Georgia) but did not expect that he would one day be playing in the craziest match in tennis history.

You'll notice I said "craziest match" and not "best match." To be honest, for much of the final set, the match was quite boring. That's not to say it was not well played, simply that the points were ending quickly and amazing rallies were few and far between. It isn't close to Roddick-Federer last year, Nadal-Federer the year before, or Borg-McEnroe back in the 70's. For one thing those matches were in the finals and pitted some of the best players to play the game. This was a first round match that pitted two players who will probably never be ranked in the top 5, maybe not even the top 10. For another, those matches featured brilliant shot making and a sense that serve could be broken if the server were to play only a couple of loose points. This match was a classic, but more in the historical, record-setting sense than in the "great match" sense. However that should not take anything away from Isner and Mahut. In time we'll get another Nadal-Federer 2008 or Roddick-Federer 2009. We'll never get another Isner-Mahut 2010.

NBA Mock Draft

2010-06-02T20:06:00.001-04:00

I skipped out on doing an NFL mock this past year due to a very busy schedule and a general lack of enthusiasm for the NFL (I guess that's what a weak title defense and rape allegations for your star QB will do for you). However, given the combination of my avid college basketball fandom and increasing interest in the NBA (plus a little more free time) I figured I couldn't miss out on an NBA mock draft. I'm doing this draft based on what I think makes sense so there may be a few differences from most of the mocks you may see (Hassan Whiteside early, Cousins over Favors).

1) Washington Wizards- John Wall/Kentucky/PG
I know the talking heads enjoy making debate for the sake of debate, but there is no way the Wizards don't make this pick. They won't trade the pick unless they got someone like LeBron, which just isn't going to happen. Wall is the obvious pick. He is explosive, passes fairly well, can play above the rim, is clutch, and has a decent mid-range game. He is the type of player that can swing a franchise. Furthermore it gives the Wizards the opportunity to drop/trade Arenas.

2) Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner/Ohio State/SG
If Demarcus Cousins wasn't such a headcase he would make sense right here for the Sixers. Since he is though, Philly will go with the "sure thing" pick of Evan Turner, who has a nice skill set, experience, and a bunch of NPOY trophies at home.

3) New Jersey Nets- DeMarcus Cousins/Kentucky/PF
Most people are going to put Derrick Favors here, and who can blame them? Favors has drawn comparisons to Dwight Howard in terms of athleticism, but lacks a polished set of post moves and does not play with a nastiness in the post. It makes more sense to go with Cousins who could be a dominant force at PF if he holds it together. Coupling Cousins with Lopez makes more sense than coupling Favors and Lopez. Not many people will want to take a risk on Cousins but I have a feeling that the Nets' new Russian owner will.

4) Minnesota Timberwolves - Derrick Favors/Georgia Tech/PF-C
Luckily for T-wolves fans, Wall was the only PG prospect worth taking in the lottery, so unless David Kahn really reaches they won't pick a point guard with this pick. While Wesley Johnson may address a need more than Favors, Minnesota would be silly not to take the last of only four "can't miss" (and I put that in quotes because at least one will most likely be a miss anyways) prospects in this draft.

5) Sacramento Kings - Wesley Johnson/Syracuse/SF
For the record, I think the Kings may trade this pick and attempt to move down to try and pick Eric Bledsoe later in the first round. Bledsoe makes sense as the Kings need PG depth and he has a year of experience playing next to John Wall, who is a different player but draws some similarities to Tyreke Evans. Assuming no trade, Wes Johnson would be the best pick right here.

6) Golden State- Greg Monroe/Georgetown/PF
I think there is a huge dropoff after the number 5 spot and Golden State could go in a lot of directions here. I wouldn't be surprised to see them move up for Johnson, who fits their system well. I think they end up going with Monroe, whose skill set and ability to run and pass will appeal to the Warriors uptempo style of play.

7) Detroit Pistons- Hassan Whiteside/Marshall/C
I'm probably going to get grilled for this one which many people will think is too high, but looking at the Pistons' depth chart, center is an area of huge need where they have a past his prime Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown. Whiteside is a bit of an unknown, coming out after his freshman year at a small school, but his size, athleticism, and shot blocking ability make him worth the risk here.

8) Los Angeles Clippers- Al-Farouq Aminu/Wake Forest/SF
This could be an ideal situation for the clippers if Aminu falls to them like I have projected. I have my doubts about Aminu, who in my opinion is one of the players who jumped too early. Aminu can play low and also has pretty good range on his jumper, but he could have used another year of college to polish his game. He should fit in well with the Clippers where he should be able to get backup minutes at the SF and maybe even some at the PF as well.

9) Utah Jazz- Cole Aldrich/Kansas/C
Based on need and available players, it seems pretty obvious that this pick will be a frontcourt player, the only question is which one. Udoh, Montiejunas, and Ed Davis are all possibilities, but I think the Jazz go with Aldrich who is more of a known quality. Getting a solid player who will rebound and put in ~10 PPG is not a bad direction to go with the ninth pick.

10) Indiana Pacers - Xavier Henry/Kansas/SG
The Indiana Pacers are in a terrible place with this pick. The team probably doesn't need to use the pick on a frontcourt player, but taking any of the available guards at this point would be a reach. Indiana really should try to trade up or down but if they have to stick with this pick look for them to go with Xavier Henry from Kansas.

11) New Orleans Hornets - Donatas Montiejunas/Lithuania/PF-C
David West is a good player, but so far in his time on the Hornets, Chris Paul has not had a great option at center. Emeka Okafor doesn't fit that well with the team. I know a lot less about foreign players than I do about Americans but Monty (I don't know if that is his nickname but his actual name is pain to write) apparently has an inside/outside game and can shoot from the perimeter. Worst case scenario he is a poor man's Darko, best case scenario he is a poor man's Dirk. I think the latter possibility is enough to make him the pick here.

12) Memphis Grizzlies- Paul George/Fresno St./SF
I must admit I know very little about George, but he has been rising up Draft Boards and seems to be a pretty good pick considering the Grizzlies have a pretty deep frontcourt.

13) Toronto Raptors- Ed Davis/North Carolina/PF
At this point Ed Davis is a pretty good value, especially considering that the Raptors are likely to have a need at PF when Chris Bosh leaves town. Davis isn't Bosh, but this could be a good situation for him in terms of playing time.

14) Houston Rockets- Daniel Orton/Kentucky/C
Orton is a huge unknown commodity but given how Yao Ming has been unable to say healthy the past several seasons, the Rockets could use additional depth at center. Orton's teammate Patrick Patterson is also a possibility here.

15) Milwaukee Bucks - Patrick Patterson/Kentucky/PF
Pairing Patterson with Mbah a Moute at PF gives the Bucks a versatile combination. Patterson has pretty impressive strength and surprising range on his jumpshot which extends all the way out to about 18 feet.

16) Minnesota Timberwolves - Gordon Hayward/Butler/SF
I would like to see Hayward go to a contender, because I think he could really shine in a supporting role on a good team. However, given that the T-Wolves have already taken Favors in this projection, SF is the biggest area of need. I think Hayward can do a good job backing up Ryan Gomes next year and eventually earn a starting role.

17) Chicago Bulls- Avery Bradley/Texas/SF
Imagine this scenario for a moment. The Bulls work some magic with sign-and-trade (goodbye Luol Deng) and get both Chris Bosh and LeBron James next season. Suddenly the team has Rose at PG, James at SF, Bosh at PF, and Noah at C. That leaves only the SG position as an area of question. If Chicago gets Bradley with the 17th pick, the Bulls get arguably the best on-ball defender in college basketball last season to pair with solid veteran Kirk Hinrich. If this happens is there any way the Bulls aren't the favorite to win the East next season?

18) Miami Heat- Ekpe Udoh/Baylor/PF
Assuming Wade stays put (and I think he will unless its him and Bosh to Chicago rather than James and Bosh), the Heat have to address their frontcourt where they currently have the mercurial (yep I just used "mercurial") Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal's rotting corpse. Udoh is the best remaining big and can at least bring some physicality along with a surprising mid-range jumper.

19) Boston Celtics- James Anderson/Oklahoma State/SG
It seems unfair that the Celtics pick this early, given that they are in the NBA finals. I think Anderson is the no-brainer pick here given that Ray Allen isn't getting any younger. Anderson flew under the radar a bit last season but was a great player who can score in bunches. He has great range and accuracy from the three point line but is not a great ball handler.

20) San Antonio Spurs- Luke Babbitt/Nevada/SF
Babbit is quickly rising up draft boards. Given that the Richard Jefferson Experiment has been a bit of a disappointment, I think the Spurs go with a experienced player who can come in and contribute just as they did last season with DeJuan Blair.

21) Oklahoma City Thunder - Larry Sanders/VCU/PF
Sanders took big strides at VCU and has a very high ceiling. He could get some time rotating in with Collison and Green and add one more talented young player to the Thunder's growing collection of rising stars.

22) Portland Trail Blazers- Terrico White/Ole Miss/PG-SG
Some feel White made a questionable decision in declaring for the NBA Draft, but if he gets picked here his situation could be pretty good. He could play alongside Brandon Roy and provide depth at both the PG and SF position.

23) Minnesota Timberwolves- Eric Bledsoe/Kentucky/PG
With three first round picks you had to know I was giving the T-Wolves a point guard with one of them. In actuality though this pick makes sense as Bledsoe is pretty good value here and since Rubio may never put on a Minnesota jersey.

24) Atlanata Hawks - Armon Johnson/Nevada/PG-SG
I know very little about Johnson and care very little about the Hawks. Yawn....next pick.

25) Memphis Grizzlies - Solomon Alabi/Florida State/C
Perhaps a bit of a reach here, but Alabi to me gives you a stronger and more physical version of Hasheem Thabeet.

26) Oklahoma City Thunder - Stanley Robinson/Connecticut/SF
Going into the year Robinson was considered by some to be a top 10 pick. He had a disappointing senior season, but has interesting upside and at the very least should be able to give Durant a breather every now and then.

27) New Jersey Nets - Willie Warren/Oklahoma/SG-PG
Another player who fell out of the lottery due to a disappointing season, taking a flier on Warren wouldn't be a bad decision for the Nets at this point.

28) Memphis Grizzlies- Quincy Pondexter/Washington/SF
Sorry Memphis, but I have already passed the VFSS quota for words dedicated to the Grizzlies per post.

29) Orlando Magic- Elliot Williams/Memphis/SG
Another player who probably should have stayed in school, but at this point is a good value. He should at least be able to do better than Vince Carter did in the last few games against the Celtics.

30) Washington Wizards- Gani Lawal/Georgia Tech/PF
Lawal was more productive than his much higher rated teammate, Favors, for most of the season. At 30 this is not a bad pick at all for the 'Zards.

Quick Take on Justin Knox

2010-05-25T14:15:00.002-04:00

Call it a step in the right direction. Since January of 2010, fortune has not smiled all that brightly on the UNC basketball team. Chemistry problems, lack of confidence, significant injuries to the frontcourt, and a disappointing loss in the finals of the NIT after a encouraging run (Oh yeah and Duke won the title). Things didn't exactly change after the season ended either. Ed Davis left for the NBA, Kyle Singler decided to stay at Duke, and seemingly out of the blue, the Wear Twins packed up their things for the west coast (they just decided on UCLA). Suddenly the UNC frontcourt consisted of Tyler Zeller, who has looked good when healthy but has yet to complete a season without injury, and John Henson, who has unlimited potential but needs to bulk up and refine his game.

Enter Justin Knox.

Knox graduated this past May from Alabama, with a year of eligibility still remaining and the intention to leave Alabama and play basketball for one year while attending graduate school. UAB was his first choice, but Alabama stipulated he could not "transfer" anywhere in the state. Fresh off the Wears' departure UNC entered the picture. After an official visit and a week or two of deliberation that drove UNC fans on message boards across the world mad, Knox declared he would be coming to the Hill for one year. For the first time in a while it looks like something went right for UNC basketball.

But who is Justin Knox? He isn't the potential savior of the team who will return them to national title contention after an extremely disappointing season. That title goes to Barnes, Bullock, or even Kendall Marshall before Knox. He's only going to be at UNC for one season. He's a one and done of a different sort. He probably won't start unless someone gets injured. He wasn't a dominant player at Alabama, averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds a game last season.

Don't let that discourage you. Knox is exactly what this team needed for next season, given the timing of the Wears' departure. He has three years of college experience and seems to be a good character guy. He is a big body (6-9, 240 lbs) who can give UNC another physical presence in the paint. He is insurance in case Zeller goes down again. He won't be asked to score that much (in fact 6.3 PPG would be completely sufficient) but will be asked to rebound and intimidate defensively. He gives UNC 5 more fouls per game in the post. He puts less pressure on Barnes and Graves to play spot minutes at the PF position. He also keeps a scholarship available for next season, allowing Roy to be more aggressive recruiting, since he is only a one year investment.

Since it is something I love to do at VFSS, I'll wrap this post up with a quick look at the depth chart for next season.

PG: Drew II/Marshall/Strickland
SG: Strickland/Bullock/McDonald
SF: Barnes/Graves/McDonald
PF: Henson/Knox/Graves
C: Zeller/Knox/Henson

Knox adds depth, while also cutting down the rotation by one man (which can be a good thing if there are no injuries) compared to this team with the Wears. The backcourt is pretty much the same as it was in my last depth chart. As said earlier Knox should be able to give both Henson and Zeller a breather at times. The ACC should actually be pretty weak frontcourt-wise this year with many strong players leaving. With Knox in reserve UNC should be able to match up fairly well with the Duke frontcourt (Plumlees and freshman Josh Hairston) and the improved N.C. State frontcourt (Tracy Smith and C.J. Leslie) assuming Zeller and Henson can stay healthy. Ultimately Justin Knox is no savior, but he does help UNC's frontcourt depth and hopefully is a sign of UNC's luck finally improving going into 2010-2011.

"Getting" LOST

2010-05-24T02:49:00.006-04:00

Well the finale of perhaps the most polarizing and unique show of the past decade is finally over and judging from Facebook, Twitter, and my brother's text that simply read "That was awful," opinions on the finale are divided. I for one loved the finale and think it did a beautiful job of tying together the narrative of the show. Given the discussion, speculation, and even argument surrounding the finale, I figure its time for my second ever non-sports related blog post.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

Okay you've been warned.

So before I begin dissecting the finale and the show in general. I want to make a couple points about LOST that are pretty much not up for debate in my opinion.

1) It has some of the best music in television. Michael Giacchino did an amazing job with the soundtrack. He just won an academy award for Up! and also conducted the music for Star Trek. He was pretty unknown at the start of LOST and his great work has led him to most likely be a long time fixture in the movie soundtrack business.

2) The casting and acting were PHENOMENAL for a cable television show. Every major role was cast perfectly. If you think that is easy to do just look at the new Star Wars trilogy. Casting isn't easy. The acting was equally amazing with Ben, Locke, Richard, and Sawyer particularly standing out.

I could continue waxing poetic about particular episodes or great performances, but I want to keep this as brief as possible. So now to the finale.

Opinions are understandably mixed about the finale. Before I explain why I loved it or respond to any criticism of the show, let me first attempt to clear up any confusion about the plot/ending.

First of all the island was NOT purgatory and the characters did NOT die in the crash of Oceanic 815. The events happening in the first 5 seasons AND the events on the island during the sixth season WERE really happening. The "sideways" timeline was in fact not an alternate reality at all but instead a "waiting area" before the characters entered the afterlife where they had to remember their lives on the island and realize the significance of their interactions before moving on together (Matthew Fox pretty much confirmed this on Jimmy Kimmel after the finale). As Christian said, the characters died at different times. We saw Jack dying in the final minutes. Boone and Shannon died in earlier seasons. It can be assumed that Kate, Sawyer, and others died after leaving the island and living their lives. Ben and Hurley lived out their lives as protectors/leaders of the island and died later.

If this seems somewhat vague that is because it is. No one has ever accused LOST of being clear cut. LOST is more like a book than a TV show in some senses in that you have to use your imagination and think, as opposed to shows like 24 (and I also very much enjoy 24) where you can just sit back and watch.

A few more points to clear up before I get into the debate. The plane Jack saw over him was most likely Sawyer, Kate, and co. escaping (though as Kimmel points out it could be the plane from the "sideways" and that is when Jack moves from the real world to the "waiting" area). The images of the wreckage during the credits don't suggest they all died in the crash but instead represents (remember the concept of "symbolism" from high school English) what tied all of these characters together.

With those few things hopefully cleared up, lets jump into the finale itself. The reason I loved it so much is because I feel it did a wonderful job wrapping up the narrative of the characters. The point of LOST is not the island and its mysteries, but instead the characters who landed on the island and their stories. More specifically it focuses on a group of individuals who all were flawed and all seeking redemption. While the question of why they were on the island was certainly a point of interest to fans (including myself) throughout the show, the true significance of the characters were their intertwined paths to redemption, that, without each other, would not have been possible. So in that regard I felt the finale was hugely successful in emphasizing this point.

The moving on of the characters to the afterlife was also done in a way that did not come across preachy or seem to put emphasis on a particular faith. LOST is a show in which faith is a major theme and one that draws from many religions, however I do not believe it was the intent of the producers to preach any particular religion.

The major criticism of the finale seems to be coming from those who feel disappointed with the lack of answers to questions about the island and mythology of LOST. While I understand this point of view, I think the lack of answers is for three main reasons:

1) The writers were making it up as the went along up until the end of the third season and have said as much (listen to Bill Simmons podcast with the producers from a couple weeks ago). They had vague ideas of where they wanted to go, but until they were given an end date they could not sit down and plan out an ending. That actually leads into point two:

2) Raising questions that do not directly impact the main narrative is a good way to keep people interested without sacrificing the narrative of the characters

3) The writers wanted to leave some things open to speculation. Does it really impact the narrative if the island was built by ancient Egyptians? No. I think they want the nature of the island (as well as what exactly the flash sideways was) to be open to speculation. As I said earlier LOST wants you to use your imagination and to speculate about certain mysteries even after the show ends. Consider what happens when you try to give too much explanation. You get something like season six of 24 in which the mysterious conspirators behind the plot in season 5 end up being Jack Bauer's family.

Consequently, I liked the decision to spend the finale focusing on bringing closure to the narrative of the characters instead of distracting from this with a bunch of answers to the mythology.

Lastly, none of this is to say I wouldn't have wanted more answers. Where they really messed up was not the finale (which as I said I loved) but the Jacob flashback episode. That was their real chance to delve into island mythology and explain things and instead they wasted a lot of time with two kids running through the jungle and some strange mother character. I thought the episode was one of the weakest of the series. It, not the finale, was the best time to answer island mythology and it completely disappointed. Either the writers did not have a good idea of what was going to appease the answer-hungry fans, or they thought it was best to leave the answers to some questions open to interpretation.

The finale, much like the show throughout its run is destined to create division among those who watch the show. Some will express their disappointment. Some will get frustrated and antagonize those who liked it. Some will think it was the best finale ever. However, I hope most can agree that LOST was something unique and special. It became a pop culture phenomenon. It may be the last really successful sci-fi show on network television. It introduced us to interesting characters and was filled with twists and turns (the first flash-forward in the season 3 finale springs to mind). And, love it or hate it, it was able to go out on its own terms.

Goodbye LOST. And Namaste.

Thoughts on Next Year's College Basketball Landscape

2010-05-14T20:36:00.003-04:00

Thanks to the rule change forcing underclassmen to make final decisions in early May instead of in June, the college basketball landscape going into next season is relatively clear. Some last minute recruiting situations are still up in the air, such as Terrance Jones' indecision and UNC's frantic search for post depth in light of the Wear Twins' departure, but for the most part rosters are fairly set. As such sports media sources all across the internet have begun to roll out preliminary top 25's, which are always fun but usually contain their fair share of misses (compare ESPN's summer top 25 to the final top 25 for last season). It seems that every year at least one team ranked in the preseason top 5 dramatically underachieves (last year it was UNC, the year before it was UCLA). So with the fact that I am likely to misfire on at least one of these, here are my thoughts on and predictions for the 2010-2011 NCAA basketball season:

Two of the fairly unanimous preseason top 3 of Purdue, Michigan State, and Duke will make the final four. All three look to be juggernauts filled with returning talent in a year that should be even weaker than last season due to the exodus of talent to the draft in anticipation for a potential lockout next year. Duke is the defending champs and should have an arguably more talented lineup than the team that just cut down the nets this season with Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry likely joining the starting lineup next season. Michigan State returns everyone of note except Raymar Morgan and have a few talented recruits coming in as well. Purdue got their "Big Three" of Hummel, Moore, and Johnson to all come back for another season and will try to let their three upperclassmen carry them to a national title next season. These are by far the three best teams in the nation right now, but it is fairly unlikely that all three make it to the Final Four (Though in 2008 all of the top four teams in the preseason rankings advanced to the final four). Discounting major injuries I'm betting MSU won't falter as Tom Izzo has shown a remarkable ability to make it to the final four. As much as it pains me to do so I have to say that Duke will probably make the final four as well leaving Purdue the most likely to miss out.

The drop off outside of the top 3 looks enormous and preseason rankings are going to be more meaningless than ever. I say "looks" because there are several programs that will fielded highly talented but very inexperienced teams next season including Kansas, Memphis, Kentucky, Ohio State, and UNC. Katz's top ten (following the above three) is rounded out by Baylor, Kansas State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Gonzaga, and Florida (in order of rank). Look at that list for a minute. Baylor lost their point guard Tweedy Carter and Ekpe Udoh. KSU lost Denis Clemente who was crucial for the team's tournament run (though they still have Jacob Pullen and his amazing facial hair). Ohio State lost Evan Turner, the national player of the year. Scottie Reynolds finally finished up his 9 year career at Villanova. Gonzaga and Florida were fringe tournament teams in a weak year last season. If these ranking sound ridiculous, just remember that almost everyone lost one or more crucial pieces to the NBA draft. Kentucky is going to again be fielding a team that will rely heavily on talented but inexperienced incoming freshmen. Kansas still has talent but lost their top three options from a season before. Ask this year's UNC team how that worked out for them. Speaking of UNC, the Tar Heels have the potential to make a huge jump next season but will be relying on large contributions from freshmen and significant development from returning players. If there was ever a year for a repeat of George Mason (and no Butler doesn't count) this will be it.

Speaking of the tournament I gained a lot of respect for the NCAA in choosing 68 over 96. I know this is kind of old news by this point, but in my opinion the decision to keep the current format intact with the addition of 3 more play in games was a great one. Not only does it keep a high level of talent in the NCAA (lets be honest, team's like last year's UNC shouldn't be in the NCAA tournament). Flooding the market just leads to a devaluation of the product. By only adding three teams a few more spots open up for fringe teams (though hopefully Seth Greenberg will be the coach of the 69th best team in the nation) and also adds more intrigue to the play in games with four occurring in one night, rather than just one. And it makes it easier to fill out a bracket.

The second spot in the ACC is going to be wide open next year. While it remains possible that Duke could be overtaken I'm assuming for now that they win the ACC next season. However there is no clear second best team in the conference. Virginia Tech is getting some hype with the return of Malcom Delaney, but honestly is returning a team that had an early NIT exit really something to get excited about? Last year's tournament teams (aside from Duke), Maryland, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Wake Forest all lost major pieces to the draft and will probably take a step back. On the other hand NC State looks poised to make a move out of the ACC. Carolina may be most poised to take the second spot in the ACC with mega-recruit Harrison Barnes joining the team along with Reggie Bullock (who has been a bit under-heralded in the shadow of Barnes, but is a top 15 recruit himself) and Kendall Marshall. If the returning players, most notably Larry Drew, John Henson, and Tyler Zeller, can take a step forward and if Roy Williams can make a late push to replace the Wear Twins (Kadeem Jack and Justin Knox seem the most likely candidates) then the Tar Heels could make a nice bounce back from last year's major disappointment.

Next Year's Tournament could be entertaining as ever. The trade off for a weaker year is a more competitive tournament as we witnessed last season. With three notable front runners and a veritable cluster#$%@ of other teams following them expect for an eventful first weekend of the tournament. We won't have Gordon Hayward but we still will have Jimmer Fredette. We'll have a Curry back in the tournament with the caveat that he won't be playing for David(son) but instead Goliath. We'll have Dick Vitale salivating over "diaper dandies" most notably Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving, and Jared Sullinger. We won't have the John Wall dance, but maybe we'll have the Brandon Knight dance. And maybe Karma will come back around and Duke's last minute heave to win a tournament game will fall tantalizingly short.

Distractions

2010-05-04T20:05:00.002-04:00

While I don't have time to post I took 5 minutes to come up with this picture to commemorate the four years in which Cameron Indoor Stadium Belonged to Tyler Hansbrough. ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!

Doldrums

2010-05-04T12:02:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody, I know there hasn't been a post now in about a week, but unfortunately I am in the middle of exams and have been focusing my attention towards doing well on those. Along with continuing to work towards getting into medical school, there hasn't been much time to post in the past week. Hopefully I should be able to post a bit more after exams wind down.

Good times

2010-04-28T12:25:00.012-04:00

Today was my final day of classes at UNC. That thought in and of itself is scary (also I am dangerously close to possibly having to rename this blog). Anyways I was looking at Twitter and saw that former Tar Heel Bobby Frasor had tweeted:

BFrasor: The past 4 years this day has been like Christmas to me.Last Day of Classes(LDOC). To everyone at UNC: I envy you. Now go jump off a balcony

Obviously this struck a chord as I am a graduating senior and have partaken in my fair share of celebrating during the last day of classes, one of which actually overlapped in a weird LOST kind of way with the incident that Frasor is referring to. It happens to be one of the cooler athlete stories I have from my time here at Chapel Hill and one I've told many people, but I figure now is a good time to share it to a larger audience.

On the last day of classes during my sophomore year, I along with several other friends attended Slugfest, a large party/concert hosted by one of the fraternities here at Carolina. I myself never pledged a fraternity (in fact that was probably the last day of my college career I spent a significant amount of time at fraternity houses) but one of my close friends was dating a guy in the frat and she had convinced a group of us to all attend Slugfest (which was actually a lot of fun). After arriving in the early afternoon and visiting everyone for a bit and downing a couple (okay, perhaps more than a couple) cold ones, I decided to venture over to another fraternity that three of my freshman year suitemates had pledged. Their fraternity front lawn was packed with people with the exception of an area in the middle of the lawn where they had set up an above ground pool.

While hanging out on the lawn and catching up with my old suitemates, the news came down that Tyler Hansbrough had decided to stay for his senior season. Obviously everyone celebrated when we heard this, as the Final Four beatdown at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks was still fresh in the minds of most students. After mingling and catching up with everyone I knew downstairs I went inside the frat house to say hey to one of my former suitemates (Mike) who was hanging out in his room. Mike's room opened up to the balcony on the front of the house, so occasionally people would come through the room to jump off the balcony into the pool (I refrained... you're welcome, mom). After I had been hanging out up in Mike's room for about 15 minutes reminiscing about freshman year, Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor suddenly walked straight through the room out onto the balcony.

Once I realized they were about to jump I immediately thought that it probably wasn't a good idea. After all Bobby was coming off an ACL tear and Tyler Hansbrough was the key to any possible run at a title the next season (earlier in the day Ty, Wayne, and Danny had all announced they would be testing the NBA draft waters). I thought for a second about trying to stop it but realized that any attempts to do so could quite possibly end with me being thrown off the balcony into the pool by Tyler Hansbrough. As such I made the decision to quiclky run downstairs to the front yard to watch the two jump (and hope like hell they didn't get hurt). In retrospect I kind of wish I had stayed on the balcony as photos Tyler and Bobby jumping made their way onto PTI the next day.

Both landed their jumps fine, and everyone at the party wildly cheered them on. I ran up and gave Tyler a high-five (my hand hurt like hell afterwards) then quickly snapped the photo shown above of him standing in the pool urging others to jump with the assistance of a bullhorn.

Shortly after, I left to rejoin my friends at slugfest and continued to celebrate the last day of classes. Two years later here I am again, having just finished my final course at college about to go celebrate my final last day of classes. I urge all Carolina students to go out and celebrate today. After all, you only get to go through college once.

Reactions to Ed Davis Leaving

2010-04-13T19:29:00.002-04:00

Given how my teams have produced this year, it would make sense that within 24 hours of Santonio Holmes being shipped to NY for a fifth round pick and a leftover bag of Easter jellybeans Ed Davis declared he would be leaving UNC to enter the NBA draft. While I had hopes and saw some reasons for Davis to return, I've mainly been in the camp who thought he was gone after this season. Before I get into my thoughts on the decision and the impact it has on next year's team let me first wish Ed good luck and thank him for his significant contributions over the past two seasons, especially in the national championship run a year ago. Hopefully he has a prolonged and successful NBA career. Anyways, to my thoughts.

I really do wish Ed Davis all the best, and I think from a financial standpoint he may have made the right short-term decision by taking advantage of being a pretty surefire lottery pick instead of risking injury by coming back. Furthermore, with a NBA lockout looming the decision to not enter the draft may have become a de facto decision to stay two years rather than just one. However, I'm not sure how much impact Davis can have in the NBA at this point. His offensive game is simply not polished and he can't score consistently much outside of 10 feet from the basket. His length will still help him shots and get some rebounds, but don't expect him to rebound as efficiently at the next level as he will get outmuscled and does not have the unrelenting drive that can compensate for his lack of strength. Ultimately Davis is a project player who could have used a couple more years development at UNC in which he refined his offensive game and put on more muscle. Brandan Wright was a more refined offensive player with similar size as Davis and he hasn't seen significant minutes in his first three years.

Davis's decision no doubt hurts the UNC frontcourt who lost their best talent and also lost the depth they had this past season. The bigs will have to stay healthy this year if the team wants to contend. If they can Davis's departure may not be quite as much of a problem as some have made it out to be. Henson needs to get stonger but is just as effective a scorer as Davis was in his last season and has a slightly more polished midrange shot and better handles. He can play the same role that Davis would have in the UNC lineup if he can put on 15 pounds (mostly muscle) and refine his offensive game (especially his hook shot) this summer. Zeller put on significant amount of muscle last summer but due to injury and the accompanying gun shyness he didn't play physical near the basket for much of the season. However, during the NIT Zeller showed his potential, registering double figures in three contests and going for two-handed dunks instead of layups. He still needs to improve a lot in his rebounding, ball handling (and catching), and toughness, but if he stays healthy he could be the most effective offensive player in the frontcourt.

While most think UNC will make a return to the NCAA tournament in 2011 after a very disappointing 2010 season, Davis's decisions are most likely going to temper expectations in the media. The Tar Heels were in several preliminary top 25's (VFSS will unveil its preliminary rankings after the draft entry deadline) but may be bumped down or out in subsequent rankings due to Davis's departure. Overall this should be a good thing for the Heels who entered the season with laugably high expectations (at least in retrospect) this past year.

That said Lunardi seeding UNC at #12 in his preliminary bracketology seems a bit of an overreaction. While the Tar Heels will certainly be a young team they will have a junior starting at point guard and this past year's freshmen will have a year of experience under their belt. Drew II underwent a lot of criticism this past year for his performance and attitude (some of which was justified, much of which was not) but during the NIT run he stepped up as a leader, showed an ability to attack the basket and score, performed in the clutch (including made free throws), and displayed a better attitude. With more weapons around him, as long as Drew comes in with the right attitude, I expect him to average around double figure points, 6-7 assists, and fewer turnovers per game. Strickland and McDonald showed flashes and but were inconsistent shooters who frequently looked lost. Luckily shooting and decision making tend to dramatically increase with hard work in the offseason.

In addition to the rising sophomores the incoming freshmen class should play a huge role. On a team lacking in outside threats, Reggie Bullock could provide an instant upgrade and has NBA size and talent (as well as a bit of an ego) that should allow him to get off his shot without much trouble. I'm trying to temper my expectations as best as I can with regards to Harrison Barnes, but the fact that he dominates every all-star game I see him in is making it very hard. He was particularly impressive in the Nike Hoop summit, which unlike many high school all-star games was hard fought and played with defensive intensity. In the game he scored 27 points in 29 minutes, snatched up 7 rebounds, and shot 4-8 from three point range. He scored in a variety of ways and cooly nailed a three in the final minute to give the USA a lead and ultimately the win. Barnes doesn't have LeBron James athleticism or John Wall speed. His game really does remind me a lot of Kobe Bryant's, with the ability to drain shots from deep, throw down dunks, and hit the almost undefendable mid-range turnaround after posting up his defender. Kendall Marshall isn't a dynamic scorer but is a high IQ player who should be able to be an effective backup, allowing Stickland to focus on the SG position.

Given all this here is how is see the 2011 depth chart shaking out.

PG: Larry Drew (Jr.)/Kendall Marshall (Fr.)
SG: Dexter Strickland (So.)/Reggie Bullock (Fr.)/Leslie McDonald (So.)
SF: Harrison Barnes (Fr.)/Will Graves (Sr.)/McDonald
PF: John Henson (So.)/David Wear (So.)/Graves
C: Tyler Zeller (Jr.)/ Travis Wear (So.)

While Graves may get the start at SF to start the season I think Barnes is so good that he will quickly overtake Graves. I still think Graves will see significant minutes and may play anywhere from the 2-4 positions depending on how good of shape he is in. Graves is the type of player who doesn't need to start to be effective and ideally could come in off the bench and knock down 2-4 three pointers per game. I don't see any minutes availible for Justin Watts in this lineup and think he may be best served transferring. If he does make that decision soon, Roy may attempt to make a run at another recruit this year for frontcourt depth. The most popular names are Terrance Jones and C.J. Leslie at this point.

Overall with a more talented and experienced lineup UNC should be able to make a return to the NCAA tournament next year, 96 teams or not. Aiding them is the talent drain due to the max exodus of players entering the draft right now due to uncertainty if there even will be a draft next season. The ACC will be weaker with the departures of stars like Aminu and Smith from Wake, Booker from Clemson, Landesberg from UVA, Hayes and General Greivis from Maryland, Favors and Lawal from GT, Delaney from Virginia Tech, and Scheyer, Zoubek and Thomas from Duke (though the Dookies are still going to be very good next year). Additionally new coaches at BC, Clemson and Wake Forest may set those programs back for a year. UNC should have a great chance to be one of the top three ACC teams next season if they stay healthy. My way too early pick is 2nd in the ACC, a 5 seed and a sweet sixteen appearance.

Reactions to the Santonio Holmes Trade

2010-04-12T14:28:00.002-04:00

Last night, I did a double take when I saw the headline on ESPN.com that Santonio Holmes was being traded to the New York Jets. I proceeded to throw up in my mouth a little bit when I found out that all the Steelers had gotten in return was a 5th round pick. After having some time to think about exactly what went down, here are my thoughts on the trade.

First off, Holmes was one of my favorite Steelers over the past few years. He had explosive playmaking ability and was at his best in the biggest moments. He was inconsistent during his first three years, then had a huge postseason and finally broke out with over 1000 receiving yards this past year. Holmes is an emerging star in the league and could have been a great long term player for the Steelers if he stayed out of trouble.

That said, Holmes had already had several run ins with the law prior to this summer's episode in which he allegedly assaulted a woman in a club. He has been suspended for the first four games of next season after violating the league's substance abuse policy (which he had already done once two years ago). While I hate to see a team I like give away a franchise receiver for a 5th round pick, you have to give props to the Steelers organization for being unrelenting in maintaining the integrity of one of the traditionally classiest and best run franchises in the NFL (in stark contrast to the Bengals).

This move was also undoubtbly a warning shot across the bow for Ben Roethlisberger, who the team is also reportedly fed up with. My guess is that since Roethlisberger will not be charged he'll still be wearing black and gold next season but with a third strike, even a two time Super Bowl champion QB may be out.

In terms of the impact on the team the player who has the most to gain from this entire situation is second year receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace put up over 700 yards and 6 TD's last season and is even faster than Holmes. Wallace has solid hands and the ability to get open. Wallace certainly factored in to the Steelers ultimate decision that Holmes was expendable. In addition to Wallace and veteran stalwart Hines Ward, the Steelers brought back Antwan Randle El (hooray for reverse WR passes) and brought in Arnaz Battle. A wild card could be former second round pick Limas Sweed who thus far has been a disappointment, but still has an NFL body and has demonstrated the ability to get open. If he can put an end to his problems with drops he could give the Steelers WR's a huge boost.

I don't think the Steelers try to go for a WR in the draft. With the trade the team has 11 draft picks and is poised to make a move. My guess is that they either draft a CB or OL with the 18th pick and then move up in the second round to potentially take a player like Golden Tate or that they move up in the first round to get a higher rated prospect they really like.

On the other end of the trade, the Jets may not be trying to upkeep the same level of integrity in their franchise, but they sure have upgraded a team that wasn't too far from playing in the Super Bowl last season. The already strong defense got Antonio Cromartie to pair with Darelle Revis (I'm not sure who is going to be able to throw on the Jets this year) and may further bolster the unit in the draft. While I doubt Tomlinson will have a renaissance in the Big Apple, the running game should be strong with Shon Greene and Leon Washington. Braylon Edwards and Holmes may both have issues but paired with Dustin Keller, Mark Sanchez should have a pleathora of weapons. Overall the Jets have to now be considered a favorite in the AFC next season.

Going the Distance

2010-04-08T13:12:00.003-04:00

When Gordon Hayward's desperation shot bounced off the backboard and then off the front of the rim ensuring Duke its fourth national championship a small part of me died. More than anyone, I know sports don't always end up with the poetic ending, but for the past 39 minutes and 59 seconds of basketball Butler had come out and proven that they could fight their way to their storybook ending with stifling defense. I guess I had bought in to the Hoosiers comparison that had been constantly thrown around in the media over the past few week. So when the chance for the comparison to come to fruition came just short, I like many others was disappointed.

Once I started thinking though, I realized that the real sports movie comparison wasn't Hoosiers at all. It was an even better sports movie. One that won the Academy Award. One not about basketball. Yep, you guessed it, Rocky. While I enjoy every movie in the Rocky series (well except Rocky V, but that never happened), the first movie is undoubtably the best film. The thing that makes it so unique is that the hero loses the fight at the end. But that's not the point. Unlike 99.9999% of sports movies, the point of Rocky is not winning, its proving you belong when others don't think you will. Its about going the distance.

So now, a few days after a tantalizingly close missed buzzer beater crushed the hopes of pretty much all college basketball fans, I realize that even though Butler lost, the real storyline of the tournament was that they went the distance. Don't let the typical post championship articles about Duke fool you either. They were Apollo Creed. Duke had 6 McDonalds All-Americans. Butler had all of zero. Duke had the coach who many feel may be the best the sport has ever seen. Butler's coach just finished puberty. Yes Duke and Butler weren't separated by that much in the polls entering the season. Yes Butler was on the longest active win streak entering the game. But Butler seemed to eek out every one of their games and never looked dominant. Duke on the other hand picked Baylor apart late in their Elite Eight matchup and then delivered a haymaker to a West Virginia team who had just knocked off Kentucky. Duke wasn't the collossus that last year's UNC team was (lets just say if Duke was Creed, last year's UNC was Ivan Drago and we all know what happened there) but in the context of the national championship game, Duke was the overwhelming favorite. While the usual media hype accompanied it (I mean some tried to sell last year's UNC vs. MSU final as a great matchup) there was an overwhelming sentiment that Duke was poised for a blowout.

Much Balboa-Creed, Butler came out and surprised everyone including Duke by giving them their best shot. Duke was never really able to get into a rhythm and couldn't get the open threes that had carried them through the tournament. By the last few minutes Butler looked as if they could not only stand toe-to-toe with Duke but could actually pull the huge upset. In the end Duke never delivered the knockout punch, they survived and won in the end by a few centimeters with their opponent still standing, a team that had emerged victorious in every manner except on the scoreboard (NOTE: by no means am I implying Duke won unfairly. Personally I thought the refs were very fair and Duke did deserve the win).

So when you're busy reading all the stories on ESPN and Sports Illustrated about how you should appreciate Duke's hard work, or Brian Zoubek's transformation into an effective basketball player, or how Coach K needs to be praised for being able to win with a lineup of 4 upperclassmen McDonalds All Americans (okay so that last one is a bit sarcastic, but the other ones are true), just remember that sometimes the team that loses can be the best story. That is the case with Butler. They went the distance.

Why Do We Hate Duke Basketball?

2010-03-28T20:53:00.004-04:00

I turned on ESPN a few minutes after Duke's win over Baylor and the first thing I heard was Dick Vitale (who does little to hide his affection for Duke basketball) passionately demanding to know why people hate a group full of players who play hard, technically sound basketball and care about academics.

Well Dickie V, I (with a little help from the Sports Guy) have got your answer baby!

The more regular readers of this blog may have picked up that I am a big fan of ESPN's Bill Simmons (aka the Sports Guy). As someone who favors a style of writing that is more based on fan opinions and interpretations of sports rather than simply reporting the facts while also making frequent pop culture references, I have to give it up to Simmons as the master of this craft. It's no coincidence that he was able to make a 700+ page book (not named Harry Potter) in which he exhaustively shared his opinions and observations (albeit very well researched and strongly based opinions and observations) on the NBA a NYT bestseller.

Anyways, as I am wont to do, I was listening to Simmons' podcast, the BS Report a few weeks back, on which pop culture guru (and another very entertaining writer) Chuck Klosterman was the guest (to listen to it in full click here). After touching on the controversies surrounding Tiger Woods and John Mayer, the topic switched to Duke Basketball and why they are so unanimously hated (specifically whether this was related to race). As Duke is back in the Final Four, I figured I'd post select quotes from the podcast and give my own input. I would like to point out that neither are Carolina fans, though Simmons has expressed distaste for Duke in the past and throughout this year's tournament.

After establishing that Duke is unquestionably the most hated team in college basketball Klosterman opens up the discussion:

"You could argue that this is a class based thing... but people don't think the same way about Stanford... Is it that people see Duke as racist... or is it that they seem to be playing basketball in a way that puts them in the past which of course makes them beloved by older people, but is the reason say, young people... don't like Duke so much is because it feels like they are a team of Steve Blakes?"

The question of whether the fact that people hate Duke is related to their disproportionate amount of white stars is not a new one. Personally I don't think it's necessarily an issue of race as much as it an issue of class. As I've said before despite my UNC allegiances, Duke is one of the top universities in the country. Duke has embraced this reputation and has fashioned itself as the Ivy of the South and prides themselves on their selectiveness. To those who don't attend this can come across as arrogance or entitlement.

Consequently, those who attend other institutions, especially those in the region cast the archetypal Duke student as elitist and perhaps intellectually condescending. As a result these schemas carry over to the realm of basketball and people look for examples in the play of Duke basketball players that fit into this archetype. Things like confidence and celebration which are displayed by many players are suddenly cast in the light of arrogance and elitism furthering the hatred. So in answer to the question of race, I would contend that it is not that caucasian Duke players engender some type of reverse racism but rather that these caucasian players are viewed as elitist, cocky, and entitled by outside fanbases. Furthermore, though Simmons and Klosterman failed to come up with such examples (and used Grant Hill as an example of how people don't seem to hate African-American Duke players as much), some past Duke players of other ethnic background also came to be despised by outside fans such as Dahntay Jones, Trajan Langdon, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, and Gerald Henderson (well at least by Carolina fans).

The latter argument, that Duke's style of play seems archaic and its lack of modernity contributes to younger people's distaste for the team, does seem to have some merit. In this current era of NBA stars like LeBron showcasing astronomical levels of athleticisism and talent, Duke's very technically sound style of play stands in direct contrast. Duke tends to play tenacious defense and work the ball around to hit open threes. While this is a very effective style of play and, in my opinion, one to be respected, it does not have the flashiness that the breakneck pace of UNC (at least in the past several years) and the dribble drive offense of Kentucky have. While the ability to shoot the ball as exceptionally well as the Redicks and Scheyers of the world is to be admired, Duke's style of play relies more on cerebral players with a particular skill set, rather than the raw athletes that tend to dominate the SportsCenter top 10. In this regard, Duke's style of play could understandably lack appeal to the Dunk Contest generations. Furthermore, Duke unabashedly seems to attempt to tweak the rules in their favor, kicking their legs out while shooting threes to draw foul calls, setting uncalled moving screens, and flopping on defense.

Another extremely important part of what makes Duke dislikable that Simmons and Klosterman do not directly touch on is their prolonged success over the past several decades and the subsequent media attention that has come as a result. Firstly, no one hates a team that is only marginally successful, only those that achieve success. Just as the general football audience did not hate the Patriots until their dynasty in the first half of this past decade, Duke's success in the past two decades (3 national championships) along with their high profile rivalry with fellow powerhouse UNC (who at least to some plays the Jacob to Duke's Man in black, more on the rivalry HERE) has been a cause of their high profile and the consequent dislike from the rest of the basketball world.

Lastly, this is only a small point, but you can't discount the fact that the team is called the Blue Devils. When a team already has several factors aligning against it, the added satinic imagery of their mascot may subconsciously reinforce the role of Duke as the villain.

Now lest you begin to question my own allegiance to the Tar Heels and antagonistic feelings toward their rival 8 miles down the road, I do think there are certainly some things that Duke basketball does to further their role as the antagonist of the College Basketball world. As Simmons points out, much of this starts and ends with the coach:

"You can't discount Coach K... He's more emotional than the typical coach... he almost seems like he's going to break down every time that they lose... He's almost like a high school teacher with his students, like it's very 1950's"

This is not to say that Coach K is a bad person. Actually a very well written piece by Andy Katz that appeared recently on ESPN proves quite the opposite. However, regardless of how good a person he is off the court his on court demeanor, which Simmons highlights, certainly makes him easy to loathe on the basketball court for those outside of Durham. He curses at his own players and the refs, never too afraid to drop an F-bomb or four. It is pretty undeniable at this point that he does coach his players to flop (including while shooting 3-pointers, which can be infuriating). He pretty much gives off a "I'm a great coach, my system works so I can do what I want" vibe.

However, it is not just Coach K. Over the years the players have certainly helped Duke gain its antagonist status. Per Simmons:

"You also can't discount the legacy of the types of guys that they've had: Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley [not to mention Wojo]. These were people that nobody liked at the time and that's now become " Oh yeah, Its Duke, they have these types of guys. Now it's Paulus, Scheyer... Redick"

It's hard to argue with any of that. While some players like Singler, Battier, and Shelden Williams were solid players who did little to engender the ire of opposing fans other than wearing a Duke jersey, a select few have seemed to embrace the role of the royal blue villain. Since Laettner was before my time, and I only remember a bit of Wojo, Redick unquestionably is the largest example of this type of player. I'll let Simmons briefly take over again.

"Redick was inherently unlikable... you watch him and there's just something about him... he's like someone you would have cast in a movie from the 1960's where the all white team is playing the all black team."

You can argue the degree to which Redick truly was this way, but it's hard to dispute that this was the way most people not living in Gothic dorms thought of him. Scheyer, however, is actually a really interesting case as he is less abrasive and plays intelligent and technically sound basketball. Honestly, the hatred for him is more a product of his predecessor's actions than his own. People see a sharpshooter wearing Royal blue and he is assigned the attributes which have become associated with the others who came before him. In some cases (Paulus comes to mind) the assumptions prove to be correct, in others (Scheyer, Nolan Smith) they are off base. Putting it another way, if you were to put Scheyer on a team like Cornell or Butler he would be a likable player. However if you were to put Redick, Paulus, or Laettner on one of those teams they still would be villains in the college basketball world. Devendorf of Syracuse last year was perfect proof of this, as it was his own attitude and nothing about the team he was on that made him so dislikable.

So why do we hate Duke basketball? The answer is that it's a combination of the elite nature of the school (which it blatantly embraces), a legacy of several unlikable players who embraced their role as a villain, and prolonged success. In the end while there may be nothing innately evil or bad about the players or the program, the aforementioned factors are enough to make Duke the antagonist of the basketball world.

Duke hasn't won a national championship since 2001. Not many people stopped hating Duke during that time as they still have consistently made it to the NCAA tournament. However, the Duke hatred should be ratcheted up now that they are returning to the Final Four for the first time since 2004. A large portion of the people tuning in next weekend will be cheering for Duke to fall short once again. Will all that Duke hate be completely logical? Maybe not, but it sure is fun.