North Carolina has been one of the more quiet number one teams in recent memory because they really have not been tested and have not been in marquee games on TV, yet. But from what I have seen from UNC is nothing impressive at all. They lost to Georgetown in the Elite Eight last season because of their deficiencies in their half court offense and their late game D. Their defense is much improved but their half court O remains their chief weakness. In their games against Davidson, Kentucky, and Rutgers they won convincingly (except for Davidson) but still looked unimpressive. Once they get into ACC play and go up against a team that plays hard D for 40 minutes like Duke, North Carolina State, and Clemson I don’t see them winning all those games. Their other weakness is inside play. Obviously they have Tyler Hansbrough but the combination of Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson at PF has been Jekyll and Hyde. They both have great skill and upside but it’s not all put together. Deon Thompson has a more polished offensive game than Stepheson but Stepheson is better on the defensive end and makes less mental errors. If one of them can become consistent on both ends than watch out because they will be firing on all cylinders.
Tyler Hansbrough is almost a lock to be a first team All-American, ACC Player of the Year and maybe even a National POY candidate but his game is just not pretty to watch. 80% of the time he gets the ball, all he does is bully is way into the post, pump fake, and go up hard to draw a foul. I don’t see him spin and use post moves like the great bigs that had success in college and the NBA like Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing. Hansbrough is a great college player but I don’t see him having success in the NBA, he is slow and is an average athlete. If he had to match up with an Amare Stoudemire or an Al Jefferson night in and night out he would get schooled all the time.
Please don’t take this has me having it in for UNC because they are a great team and are fun to watch. This is merely a caution to all the UNC fans that are booking their Final Four tickets as we speak. The Tar Heels are a great team but they are not close to their predecessors in 2005. Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington are not yet Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants. Hansbrough has the numbers to match what Sean May did but he lacks his athleticism and deft touch around the basket. Marcus Ginyard is the Jackie Manual of the team but Stepheson and Thompson lack the leadership and grit that Jawad Williams brought in 2005. UNC fans should expect success deep into March but if their half court offense does not improve, they will have a hard time making it to that big Monday in April.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thoughts From The Weekend
Tony Romo. The Dallas Cowboys QB led his team to victory yesterday after he drove them down the field for the game winning score at Detroit. His last TD pass came to TE Jason Witten, who had caught 14 passes in the game but his 15th was the biggest. Dallas played a terrible game and still won. They look like the clear favorite to play the winner of the AFC (Pats...) in the Super Bowl.
New England was back to business after they dismantled the Steelers, who were supposed to be the biggest challenge remaining for Bill Belichick and company. They rolled again and Randy Moss has a league leading 19 TD catches. What a offensive year this has been for the league. Pittsburgh sinks back to 9-4 and will play in the Game of the Week next Sunday against the 9-4 Jacksonville Jaguars.
San Diego is quietly coming back to form after their comeback win at Tennessee. What really hurts about this team was when QB Philip Rivers tried to sit down next to RB LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson stood up and walked away with a look of disgust on his face. If that is how the QB/RB relationship is in San Diego, than they have some trouble
Changing gears towards College Basketball
Jordan Hill really emerged this past weekend as a force for Arizona in the post. The sophomore had 23 points and 14 rebounds in a huge overtime win on a neutral court (Well, Chicago is close to Urbana-Champaign) against Illinois. In a game where sophomore Chase Budinger's first FG came in OT, they needed Hill to keep it close and hold until Budinger and freshman Jerryd Bayless stepped up, which they did and they won.
Dayton showed that they can compete with Xavier in the Atlantic Ten with their big win on the road against Louisville, denying Rick Pitino's 500th victory. They played great team defense in neutralizing Edgar Sosa and forcing 15 Cardinal turnovers. Senior guard Brian Roberts poured in 28 points and more importantly did not turnover the ball in 37 minutes of play. Mark down January and February 24th, when Xavier plays Dayton at home and then in Feb. goes to them on the road.
Pittsburgh escaped the cold and dreary Pacific Northwest with a 75-74 victory at Washington. PG Justin Dentmon's runner at the buzzer was disallowed after further video review. F Sam Young has been leading this team so far this season but took a step back this game to showoff teammates Levance Fields and DeJuan Blair. Fields had been quiet in the early part of this season but showed his NYC toughness with 20 points on just 7-9 FG shooting. Blair, a freshman, had 19 points and 14 rebounds to help fight off the strong inside game of Washington led by Jon Brockman.
Butler fell to Wright State on the road as the always Cinderella Bulldogs got beat by another mid-major. Everyone is so good in these mid-major conferences (Horizon, MAC, Missouri Valley) that whoever does get the automatic bid in March really are good enough to knock off the third or fourth best team in a BCS conference.
Bowl projections later in the week...
New England was back to business after they dismantled the Steelers, who were supposed to be the biggest challenge remaining for Bill Belichick and company. They rolled again and Randy Moss has a league leading 19 TD catches. What a offensive year this has been for the league. Pittsburgh sinks back to 9-4 and will play in the Game of the Week next Sunday against the 9-4 Jacksonville Jaguars.
San Diego is quietly coming back to form after their comeback win at Tennessee. What really hurts about this team was when QB Philip Rivers tried to sit down next to RB LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson stood up and walked away with a look of disgust on his face. If that is how the QB/RB relationship is in San Diego, than they have some trouble
Changing gears towards College Basketball
Jordan Hill really emerged this past weekend as a force for Arizona in the post. The sophomore had 23 points and 14 rebounds in a huge overtime win on a neutral court (Well, Chicago is close to Urbana-Champaign) against Illinois. In a game where sophomore Chase Budinger's first FG came in OT, they needed Hill to keep it close and hold until Budinger and freshman Jerryd Bayless stepped up, which they did and they won.
Dayton showed that they can compete with Xavier in the Atlantic Ten with their big win on the road against Louisville, denying Rick Pitino's 500th victory. They played great team defense in neutralizing Edgar Sosa and forcing 15 Cardinal turnovers. Senior guard Brian Roberts poured in 28 points and more importantly did not turnover the ball in 37 minutes of play. Mark down January and February 24th, when Xavier plays Dayton at home and then in Feb. goes to them on the road.
Pittsburgh escaped the cold and dreary Pacific Northwest with a 75-74 victory at Washington. PG Justin Dentmon's runner at the buzzer was disallowed after further video review. F Sam Young has been leading this team so far this season but took a step back this game to showoff teammates Levance Fields and DeJuan Blair. Fields had been quiet in the early part of this season but showed his NYC toughness with 20 points on just 7-9 FG shooting. Blair, a freshman, had 19 points and 14 rebounds to help fight off the strong inside game of Washington led by Jon Brockman.
Butler fell to Wright State on the road as the always Cinderella Bulldogs got beat by another mid-major. Everyone is so good in these mid-major conferences (Horizon, MAC, Missouri Valley) that whoever does get the automatic bid in March really are good enough to knock off the third or fourth best team in a BCS conference.
Bowl projections later in the week...
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Jimmy V Classic
The headline game was the nightcap between USC and Memphis but lets not forget the first game in Notre Dame and Kansas State.
Notre Dame 68 vs Kansas State 59
First things first, the best player of the doubleheader was Notre Dame PF Luke Harangody. He put on a fundamental clinic in the first half with hook shots and fancy footwork. He is not the most athletic big man out there but he compensates very well with the use of his wide body and terrific positioning. He went right at Mike Beasley the whole game and never looked intimidated or scared.
Speaking of Beasley, I was a fan of his until last night. He plays without heart and hustle. He is always the last man on defense and always looks disinterested. It seems like he would rather be out on the town than on the court. He is a tremendous offensive talent but until he plays hard on defense for 40 minutes, he will always be just a one-dimensional offensive player. He came with all the accolades and his playing style comes off as very arrogant. Hopefully he does not think he is entitled to being the man and getting away with not playing hard all the time because the life in the league will be a rude awakening for him.
A positive for Kansas State was sophomore F Billy Walker. Many of you will recall Walker as the sidekick to the O.J. Mayo show back in Cincinnati but Walker moved on early and left O.J. to go to Hollywood. Walker has great size at around 6-6 and maybe 215 to 220lbs. He has a game that breeds in transition but what surprised me was how he used his superior athleticism to beat his defender in the post. His bread and butter move was going at his man and elevating above him so he could just drop the rock in. Once Walker develops a better jump shot, watch out because he will be a terrific player.
The biggest applause of the first game went to Staten Island hero Kyle McAlarney. The junior guard missed last season after being suspended from the team for possession of marijuana. He has come back with great intensity and is fitting in just fine. His steady and sometimes flashy handle helps hype the crowd and his teammates. But what this ND team really needs from him is his consistent three point shot. He made only two three's in the game but both came down the stretch in the second half and both helped ice the game for the Irish.
#2 Memphis 62 vs #24 USC 58 (OT)
O.J. Mayo can play defense, really well. He had two steals but more importantly, held fellow freshman phenom Derrick Rose to only nine points and five turnovers. He was in his face the whole night and really was a factor in Rose struggling to set up the offense for Memphis. On offense Mayo led USC with 16 points and really was a terrific one-two punch with fellow freshman Davon Jefferson. They shouldered the load when USC would struggle and Jefferson had one very exciting reverse alley-oop dunk that simply can be described as "Showtime".
Very interesting things about Memphis is where the starters are from. Coach John Calipari seems to be a very successful recruiter nationally because of his five starters: One is from Georgia (Robert Dozier), One from Illinois (Rose), One from Massachusetts (Antonio Anderson), One from Michigan (Chris Douglas-Roberts), and One from Maryland (Joey Dorsey). His national appeal has really helped this program go to new heights and Memphis very well could be taking home the title in April.
Memphis really struggled with 22 turnovers and that can be attributed to the team defense of USC as well as individual efforts. Memphis pulled this game out because of their determination and athletic ability. They were beat on the glass, beat at the line, and had more fouls than USC. If this is the bottom of the barrel for Memphis, than when they play well they are virtually unbeatable. They have depth, speed, and experience, both on the court and on the bench. This team is very good and will make noise very soon.
Notre Dame 68 vs Kansas State 59
First things first, the best player of the doubleheader was Notre Dame PF Luke Harangody. He put on a fundamental clinic in the first half with hook shots and fancy footwork. He is not the most athletic big man out there but he compensates very well with the use of his wide body and terrific positioning. He went right at Mike Beasley the whole game and never looked intimidated or scared.
Speaking of Beasley, I was a fan of his until last night. He plays without heart and hustle. He is always the last man on defense and always looks disinterested. It seems like he would rather be out on the town than on the court. He is a tremendous offensive talent but until he plays hard on defense for 40 minutes, he will always be just a one-dimensional offensive player. He came with all the accolades and his playing style comes off as very arrogant. Hopefully he does not think he is entitled to being the man and getting away with not playing hard all the time because the life in the league will be a rude awakening for him.
A positive for Kansas State was sophomore F Billy Walker. Many of you will recall Walker as the sidekick to the O.J. Mayo show back in Cincinnati but Walker moved on early and left O.J. to go to Hollywood. Walker has great size at around 6-6 and maybe 215 to 220lbs. He has a game that breeds in transition but what surprised me was how he used his superior athleticism to beat his defender in the post. His bread and butter move was going at his man and elevating above him so he could just drop the rock in. Once Walker develops a better jump shot, watch out because he will be a terrific player.
The biggest applause of the first game went to Staten Island hero Kyle McAlarney. The junior guard missed last season after being suspended from the team for possession of marijuana. He has come back with great intensity and is fitting in just fine. His steady and sometimes flashy handle helps hype the crowd and his teammates. But what this ND team really needs from him is his consistent three point shot. He made only two three's in the game but both came down the stretch in the second half and both helped ice the game for the Irish.
#2 Memphis 62 vs #24 USC 58 (OT)
O.J. Mayo can play defense, really well. He had two steals but more importantly, held fellow freshman phenom Derrick Rose to only nine points and five turnovers. He was in his face the whole night and really was a factor in Rose struggling to set up the offense for Memphis. On offense Mayo led USC with 16 points and really was a terrific one-two punch with fellow freshman Davon Jefferson. They shouldered the load when USC would struggle and Jefferson had one very exciting reverse alley-oop dunk that simply can be described as "Showtime".
Very interesting things about Memphis is where the starters are from. Coach John Calipari seems to be a very successful recruiter nationally because of his five starters: One is from Georgia (Robert Dozier), One from Illinois (Rose), One from Massachusetts (Antonio Anderson), One from Michigan (Chris Douglas-Roberts), and One from Maryland (Joey Dorsey). His national appeal has really helped this program go to new heights and Memphis very well could be taking home the title in April.
Memphis really struggled with 22 turnovers and that can be attributed to the team defense of USC as well as individual efforts. Memphis pulled this game out because of their determination and athletic ability. They were beat on the glass, beat at the line, and had more fouls than USC. If this is the bottom of the barrel for Memphis, than when they play well they are virtually unbeatable. They have depth, speed, and experience, both on the court and on the bench. This team is very good and will make noise very soon.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
December Madness
Some great college games this past week but one that really caught my eye was the matchup in Boston with Gonzaga vs Connecticut. I was very interested to see how Jim Calhoun's club has developed and how Mark Few's group will match up against the size and speed of the Huskies. I was really looking forward to watching freshman PF Austin Daye but he was really a non-factor with only five points and four rebounds. His stats don't jump out but he hit clutch FT's late in the game that sealed the win for the Zags. What jumped out was the trio of Matt Bouldin, Jeremy Pargo, and Micah Downs off the bench. Pargo took the ball time and time again right at whoever was guarding him and got to the line ten times (however he only made five). His key stats were his four for seven 3 PT shots and his five assists to zero turnovers but above all he showed the leadership you need in March.
For Connecticut I see Hasheem Thabeet and I still don't like him very much. He has the size but he runs with very awkward steps and really has problems being aggressive and jamming it down when in close. Many writers said he could be molded like former UCONN star Emeka Okafor but I don't see the natural ability and athleticism that Okafor had in Thabeet. Okafor had great timing and was able to pick up the game and its nuances very quickly. I don't see Thabeet bolting anytime soon unless he becomes Josh Smith overnight. Jeff Adrien continues his stellar play on the glass and remains one of the better kept secrets of East Coast basketball. The Big East will be very interesting this year with Georgetown, Marquette, Louisville, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, and maybe Providence really having good to great teams. (If you don't know Geoff McDermott than find out soon)
The late game was in primetime but only true college basketball fans knew about it. I'm talking about Texas vs UCLA and the juicy matchup of PG's DJ Augustin and Darren Collison. Collison, the defensive wiz, versus the offensive repitoire of Augustin. The Texas sophomore scored 19 huge points and was the most clutch in the last three minutes of the game. Three plays really stick out in my mind for Augustin:
1. Coming out of a timeout with 3 mins left, Augustin makes no move to pass and eyes up Darren Collison for a three that puts the Longhorns up one. He just calmly walked the ball up and drained it.
2. With 1:03 left Augustin ran a pick and pop with F/C Connor Atchley who nailed a big three that tied the game at 61.
3. With the 8 seconds left, Augustin almost falls over but regains enough balance to throw up a wild shot that went over the rim and into the hands of sophomore F Damion James for the big flush and the go ahead bucket.
Speaking of James, this game was a big coming out for him. He had 19 points which matched Augustin for the team lead but more importantly he became the go-to-scorer for Texas when Augustin was not in. He was overshadowed by Augustin and Kevin Durant last season but now is shining because of his expanded role in the offense as well as his own personal confidence.
This season has been full of great freshman but in the last part of this game C Kevin Love was found on the bench, not on the court. He had three early fouls and coach Ben Howland decided on experience with Lorenzo Mata-Real instead of the youthful talent in Love. He did finish with 11 points but he only made it to the charity stripe three times and only took six shots.
The Pac-10 did not lose all its games today because Arizona beat #9 Texas A&M behind Jerryd Bayless(and you guessed it he is a freshman). Bayless had 26 points and six assists. He had only one turnover and was a perfect 10-10 from the line. On the other side, A&M's own stud freshman DeAndre Jordan struggled and had only four points and three rebounds in only fourteen minutes.
I was lucky enough to score tickets to Tuesday's Jimmy V Classic and will be taking a close look at Mike Beasley, the return of Kyle McAlarney, and the great matchups in the nightcap of USC-Memphis. OJ Mayo will be going against either Chris Douglas-Roberts and/or Antonio Anderson while Joey Dorsey will be locked up with Taj Gibson down in the post.
More on those games Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
For Connecticut I see Hasheem Thabeet and I still don't like him very much. He has the size but he runs with very awkward steps and really has problems being aggressive and jamming it down when in close. Many writers said he could be molded like former UCONN star Emeka Okafor but I don't see the natural ability and athleticism that Okafor had in Thabeet. Okafor had great timing and was able to pick up the game and its nuances very quickly. I don't see Thabeet bolting anytime soon unless he becomes Josh Smith overnight. Jeff Adrien continues his stellar play on the glass and remains one of the better kept secrets of East Coast basketball. The Big East will be very interesting this year with Georgetown, Marquette, Louisville, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, and maybe Providence really having good to great teams. (If you don't know Geoff McDermott than find out soon)
The late game was in primetime but only true college basketball fans knew about it. I'm talking about Texas vs UCLA and the juicy matchup of PG's DJ Augustin and Darren Collison. Collison, the defensive wiz, versus the offensive repitoire of Augustin. The Texas sophomore scored 19 huge points and was the most clutch in the last three minutes of the game. Three plays really stick out in my mind for Augustin:
1. Coming out of a timeout with 3 mins left, Augustin makes no move to pass and eyes up Darren Collison for a three that puts the Longhorns up one. He just calmly walked the ball up and drained it.
2. With 1:03 left Augustin ran a pick and pop with F/C Connor Atchley who nailed a big three that tied the game at 61.
3. With the 8 seconds left, Augustin almost falls over but regains enough balance to throw up a wild shot that went over the rim and into the hands of sophomore F Damion James for the big flush and the go ahead bucket.
Speaking of James, this game was a big coming out for him. He had 19 points which matched Augustin for the team lead but more importantly he became the go-to-scorer for Texas when Augustin was not in. He was overshadowed by Augustin and Kevin Durant last season but now is shining because of his expanded role in the offense as well as his own personal confidence.
This season has been full of great freshman but in the last part of this game C Kevin Love was found on the bench, not on the court. He had three early fouls and coach Ben Howland decided on experience with Lorenzo Mata-Real instead of the youthful talent in Love. He did finish with 11 points but he only made it to the charity stripe three times and only took six shots.
The Pac-10 did not lose all its games today because Arizona beat #9 Texas A&M behind Jerryd Bayless(and you guessed it he is a freshman). Bayless had 26 points and six assists. He had only one turnover and was a perfect 10-10 from the line. On the other side, A&M's own stud freshman DeAndre Jordan struggled and had only four points and three rebounds in only fourteen minutes.
I was lucky enough to score tickets to Tuesday's Jimmy V Classic and will be taking a close look at Mike Beasley, the return of Kyle McAlarney, and the great matchups in the nightcap of USC-Memphis. OJ Mayo will be going against either Chris Douglas-Roberts and/or Antonio Anderson while Joey Dorsey will be locked up with Taj Gibson down in the post.
More on those games Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
College Football Rewind
Forget the major conference championship games, the best game of the day came late into the night at Washington. Their meltdown at home against Hawaii was a great game that should land Hawaii in a BCS game. They deserve it, they are the only undefeated team in the FBS not to mention they have star power in Colt Brennan as well as guys you don't know like Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen, and Jason Rivers. They have to be in a BCS game and you know what, they owe it all to Boise State. If the Broncos don't shock the world last year against Oklahoma, I don't think Hawaii gets an offer this year. It doesn't matter that they are a system team but that is what makes them great. Last night's game showed their resiliency and just pure grit. They were down 28-7 and put up 28 unanswered. They had multiple fumbles early in the first quarter but coach June Jones settled down his team and really showed football fans (at least the ones who stay up late) that they can play.
Now lets talk about that playoff system...
OK, West Virginia loses and continues the curse of number two. So Ohio State slides in and plays for the prize, again. I know Ohio State is very deserving but they are boring to watch, lets not lie about this. They have an ok QB (Todd Boeckman) and they really only have a power running game with sophomore Chris Wells. I don't really want to see Ohio State even if they are deserving. It looks like the most likely candidates are LSU, Georgia, and Virginia Tech. The highest team in the BCS rankings is Georgia but a two loss team who didn't play for a conference title should not be playing for a national title. That leaves LSU, a two loss who won their conference title game and whos only two losses came in triple OT against ranked teams. LSU will most likely leap frog Georgia and jump into the title picture. That brings LSU all the way back to the start of the year when they were consensus top two with USC.
What happens if a playoff system was actually implemented? How many teams will participate and what happens to the Bowl games? Do the winners of the MAC and C-USA get invited or are their some bowl games and a playoff.
Well, the BCS is finally expolding and parody is raining supreme. I have some pretty crazy ideas and they are feasible. You go back to the four major bowl games. Then the winners of those games enter a 4 team playoff for the national title. It breeds competition and excitment and would provide less layoff time ( Ohio State will be off for 50 days before playing 11/17-1/7). Something needs to change and change fast.
Now lets talk about that playoff system...
OK, West Virginia loses and continues the curse of number two. So Ohio State slides in and plays for the prize, again. I know Ohio State is very deserving but they are boring to watch, lets not lie about this. They have an ok QB (Todd Boeckman) and they really only have a power running game with sophomore Chris Wells. I don't really want to see Ohio State even if they are deserving. It looks like the most likely candidates are LSU, Georgia, and Virginia Tech. The highest team in the BCS rankings is Georgia but a two loss team who didn't play for a conference title should not be playing for a national title. That leaves LSU, a two loss who won their conference title game and whos only two losses came in triple OT against ranked teams. LSU will most likely leap frog Georgia and jump into the title picture. That brings LSU all the way back to the start of the year when they were consensus top two with USC.
What happens if a playoff system was actually implemented? How many teams will participate and what happens to the Bowl games? Do the winners of the MAC and C-USA get invited or are their some bowl games and a playoff.
Well, the BCS is finally expolding and parody is raining supreme. I have some pretty crazy ideas and they are feasible. You go back to the four major bowl games. Then the winners of those games enter a 4 team playoff for the national title. It breeds competition and excitment and would provide less layoff time ( Ohio State will be off for 50 days before playing 11/17-1/7). Something needs to change and change fast.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
NFL Picks Week 13
San Francisco 20 @ Carolina 13
Buffalo 24 @ Washington 27
Houston 10 @ Tennessee 17
Atlanta 26 @ St. Louis 31
Seattle 16 @ Philadelphia 17
Detroit 24 @ Minnesota 28
Jacksonville 20 @ Indianapolis 19
San Diego 42 @ Kansas City 21
New York Jets 10 @ Miami 7
Denver 24 @ Oakland 20
Cleveland 38 @ Arizona 34
Tampa Bay 16 @ New Orleans 13
New York Giants 21 @ Chicago 23
Cincinnati 31 @ Pittsburgh 37
New England 35 @ Baltimore 14
Buffalo 24 @ Washington 27
Houston 10 @ Tennessee 17
Atlanta 26 @ St. Louis 31
Seattle 16 @ Philadelphia 17
Detroit 24 @ Minnesota 28
Jacksonville 20 @ Indianapolis 19
San Diego 42 @ Kansas City 21
New York Jets 10 @ Miami 7
Denver 24 @ Oakland 20
Cleveland 38 @ Arizona 34
Tampa Bay 16 @ New Orleans 13
New York Giants 21 @ Chicago 23
Cincinnati 31 @ Pittsburgh 37
New England 35 @ Baltimore 14
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