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Archive for the tag “North Carolina”

30 Mar 2012

Tar Heels to Lose 4 or 5 Players to NBA

In an announcement that was equal parts expected and dreaded, North Carolina has announced that at least three of its players are going to make themselves eligible for the NBA Draft.  Sophomore Harrison Barnes, junior John Henson and sophomore Kendall Marshall are all entering the NBA draft.  In addition, senior center Tyler Zeller has also played his final game for the Tar Heels.  As if that were not enough, reserve freshman forward James Michael McAdoo is also considering his options.  As such, the Tar Heels will be losing 4 or 5 players to the NBA.

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams provided a very classy statement:

It’s a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball.  On a very small stage, it’s a sad day for me because I won’t get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well. I really look forward to watching Harrison, John and Kendall play in the NBA.  I know they will be very successful. They have been and will always be great Tar Heels.

Do not weap for the Tar Heels, however, as they have the fifth rated incoming class.  According to ESPN, North Carolina has the top rated point guard prospect in Marcus Paige, the eighth rated power forward in Brice Johnson, the the 21st-rated small forward in J.P. Tokoto, and the 17th-rated center in Joel James.  So it is just a matter of reloading for the Tar Heels.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , ,
27 Mar 2012

The ACC Elite Lose Players to NBA

With the 300+ Division I basketball school field now reduced to just four, the time has come for underclassmen to announce that they are going to either test the NBA waters or plunge right in.  Duke and Syracuse have already have underclassmen announce that they are leaving.  Duke freshman Austin Rivers has announced that he will be signing with an agent and ending his Duke career.  And yesterday Syracuse sophomore Dion Waiters announced that he, too, was planning to sign with an agent and end his Syracuse career.

In both cases, the players have the support of their coaches.  Coach K had this to say about Austin:

“Austin had a terrific year as a freshman and has put himself in a position to pursue his dream of being a great player in the NBA,” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “We are in total support of Austin, his family and his decision.”

Moreover, although Boeheim has not commented, Waiters sat down with his coach before making the decision.  Boeheim apparently gave Waiters his blessing.

These are not the only players that will be leaving the ACC early for the NBA.  The comprehensive NBA draft website, nbadraft.net, has an early entry page listing Syracuse’s Fab Melo as another player that will be heading to the NBA.  Other players likely to head to the NBA include Harrison Barnes (UNC), John Henson (UNC), Kendall Marshall (UNC), and Michael Snaer (FSU).

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , ,
24 Mar 2012

Elite Eight is Set–Two ACC Teams in the Mix

The Big Dance field has been whittled from 68 teams to 8.  The Atlantic Coast Conference can take pride in having two teams still in the mix.  #1 seeds Syracuse and North Carolina have made it to the Elite Eight.

Syracuse got to the Elite Eight by holding on to defeat Wisconsin, 64-63.  If you watched this game, you saw a classic.  Both teams executed their game plans very well.  Wisconsin controlled the tempo–holding Syracuse to fewer possessions than any game in the past 15 years.  Syracuse was able to force a handful of rare Wisconsin turnovers and convert them into points.  And, despite the slow tempo, this game was on pace to be very high scoring until the last five minutes.  That is because both teams were just blisteringly hot offensively.  Wisconsin hit 14 three-pointers (out of 27), including one stretch where they converted six in a row.  Syracuse shot 55% from the field.  Wisconsin had two shots to win it down the stretch, but came up short.  So, Syracuse now moves on to face #2 Ohio State.  While Ohio State plays a more upbeat tempo than Wisconsin (as does everyone), Ohio State also has more talent than anyone Syracuse has faced all year.  The key for the Orange will be to use their depth as an advantage and get the Buckeyes’ stars in foul trouble.

North Carolina got into the Elite Eight by holding on to defeat #13 seed Ohio, in overtime, 73-65.  North Carolina actually had a comfortable lead for parts of the first half–by as much as 15.  But credit the Bobcats–they did not give up.  Instead, Ohio took advantage of North Carolina lacking point guard Kendall Marshall and pressured the Tar Heels into 24 turnovers.  That is a recipe for disaster and allowed Ohio to climb right back into the game.  However, Ohio missed a chance to win the game in regulation.  Once it got into overtime, Ohio went scoreless from the field and the Tar Heels dominated.  Here is a notable stat–the Tar Heels outrebounded the Bobcats 55 to 27.  Tyler Zeller was the star, scoring 20 points and adding 23 rebounds.  North Carolina moves on to face #2 Kansas, who only narrowly defeated North Carolina State, 60-57.

So both teams get to have their #1 seeds challenged by the regional #2 seed.  And both teams are missing key players.  If either or both teams make the Final Four, they will definitely have earned it.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , ,
23 Mar 2012

ACC Lacrosse Weekly Report 5, March 23, 2012

The ACC Lacross season is now one month old!

News/Rankings:

The Inside Lacrosse poll has Virginia #1, receiving 19 of the 22 first place votes.  Maryland is #7, Syracuse is #8, Duke is #11, and North Carolina is #14.

The USILA Coaches Poll also has Virginia #1, with all 12 first place votes.  Maryland is #6, Syracuse is #9, Duke is #10, and North Carolina is #15.

Recent Scores:

Saturday, March 10, 2012:

North Carolina 9, Princeton 8.  Details.

Loyola 13, Duke 8.  Details.

Maryland 17, Marist 4.  Details.

Virginia 9, Cornell 8 (OT).  Details.

Syracuse 9, St. John’s 8.  Details.

Monday, March 12, 2012:

Duke 11, Harvard 8.  Details.

Friday, March 16, 2012:

Duke 13, North Carolina 11.  Details.

Saturday, March 17, 2012:

Maryland 11, Villanova 5.  Details.

Virginia 11, Ohio State 9.  Details.

Johns Hopkins 11, Syracuse 7.  Details.

Sunday, March 18, 2012:

Duke 20, Dartmouth 9.  Details.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012:

North Carolina 13, Dartmouth 11.  Details.

Syracuse 10, Providence 6.  Details.

 

Upcoming Games:

Saturday, March 24, 2012:

Duke @ Georgetown, 12:00 p.m.

Maryland @ North Carolina, 12:00 p.m.

Johns Hopkins @ Virginia, 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 25, 2012:

Villanova @ Syracuse, 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012:

Brown @ Duke, 3:00 p.m.

 

Records:

Virginia 8-0 (0-0 in conference).

Maryland 5-1 (1-0 in conference)

Duke 6-3 (1-1 in conference)

North Carolina 6-3 (0-1 in conference)

Syracuse 4-2

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Rankings:

1.  Virginia (8-0).  Virginia continues to dominate.

2.  Maryland (5-1).  Maryland still has the best conference record.  And second best overall record.

3.  Syracuse (4-2).  Syracuse’s two losses were to the #1 and #2 teams in the country, so they get a pass (for now).

4.  Duke (6-3).  Duke gets the edge with the head-to-head win.

5.  North Carolina (6-3).  See above.

 

If you have any comments on the ACC Lacrosse season or this entry, please feel free to share!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
22 Mar 2012
1 Comment

The Confidential’s Very Own Sweet Sixteen Rankings

Yesterday, the Confidential noted that the new rage was rating the Sweet 16 teams.  The pundits have had their chance.  Now it is time for the Confidential to share its rankings.

  1. KENTUCKY.  The best, healthiest team.  End of story.
  2. MICHIGAN STATE.  If they make the Final Four, they will deserve it… Louisville, Marquette, and Florida are all playing good basketball right now.
  3. OHIO STATE.  Got some luck when Syracuse lost Fab Melo.  Will they overlook in-state rival Cincinnati?  They better not.
  4. NORTH CAROLINA.  Ohio has been a nice story, but North Carolina missing one of its 5 future NBA players makes them merely a speed bump.
  5. KANSAS.  North Carolina State is playing some good basketball, but Kansas has more experienced talent.
  6. WISCONSIN.  Gets the perfect draw in Syracuse–a team that thrives on turnovers, which Wisconsin never does.
  7. SYRACUSE.  However, if Syracuse can force turnovers, Wisconsin will have to hit a lot of 3’s to win the game.
  8. MARQUETTE.  Playing outstanding basketball right now.
  9. BAYLOR.  Nice draw with Xavier–like Ohio, a run that is probably ready to come to an end.
  10. LOUISVILLE.  If anyone can challenge Tom Izzo as a coach, it is Rick Pitino.
  11. CINCINNATI.  This is the Bearcats time to shine.  Beat Ohio State and they will be in-state kings.
  12. FLORIDA.  Have played good against two overmatched teams.  Marquette posts a real test.
  13. INDIANA.  Not fully healthy.  And they face Kentucky.  And Kentucky is motivated for revenge.  It was fun while it lasted.
  14. NORTH CAROLINA STATE.  If everyone else has them at #14, so should the Confidential.
  15. XAVIER.  They can beat Baylor.  It just seems unlikely–the Bears are battle-tested.
  16. OHIO.  Great season, ending on a very high note.  Even a wounded North Carolina is a tough team to beat.

So there it is.  Criticize aways.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , , ,
21 Mar 2012
1 Comment

The Pundits Chime in on the ACC Sweet Sixteen Teams

The Sweet Sixteen is the major sporting event taking place right now.  Especially now that Peyton Manning has decided to try to replace Jesus Tim Tebow in Denver.  The pundits have much to say about the ACC teams’ chances at getting to the Elite Eight and beyond.

For some reason, the opinion-makers have decided to rank the 16 teams still alive.  ESPN’s Jason King has this to say about each team and its ranking:

4. North Carolina: Even with point guard Kendall Marshall less than 100 percent — or perhaps out altogether — it’d be foolish to ignore North Carolina’s size, experience and, most of all, talent. Post players Tyler Zeller, John Henson and James Michael McAdoo are all projected as lottery picks in the NBA draft. So, too, is small forward Harrison Barnes, who creates matchup problems for almost every opponent. North Carolina will have a hard time winning it all without Marshall at his best. But a Final Four certainly isn’t out of the question.

8. Syracuse: Thursday’s near-loss to No. 16 seed UNC Asheville created some serious concerns about the Orange’s ability to reach the Final Four without suspended center Fab Melo. Even though Syracuse bounced back with a convincing win over K-State — which was without Jamar Samuels — Syracuse doesn’t have the look of a Final Four team. Jim Boeheim’s squad hasn’t advanced past the Sweet 16 since 2003. I think it will break that trend this season and get to the Elite Eight.

14. North Carolina State: The team a lot of people think didn’t deserve to be in the tournament advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating two higher seeds (San Diego State and Georgetown). Lorenzo Brown averaged 7.5 assists in the two wins, while C.J. Leslie contributed 14.5 points. This is a talented team with loads of length and athleticism. The Wolfpack could give Kansas trouble.

Matt Nortander of CBS as a different set of rankings:

4. Syracuse.  I have bailed a little bit but not that much. I had Syracuse in the Elite Eight before the Melo news and didn’t remove the Orange even after the sophomore center was deemed ineligible. Let us not forget how this is Jim Boeheim’s deepest team. And that Kris Joseph is now pretty incredibly underrated.

5. North Carolina.  Can’t put UNC in the top four if I don’t know if Kendall Marshall is playing. Marshall is motor oil for that offense. Stillman White is about to become the most well-known backup since Curtis Painter. Carolina has all that talent, but its offense is completely different without Marshall’s NBA-level court vision and passing ability. I don’t think the Tar Heels can win the tournament if he’s out for the rest of it. Fortunately, UNC gets a break with Ohio in its regional semi.

14. North Carolina State.  I love the upsets no one calls. The ones that aren’t even incredibly shocking but still camouflaged in the bracket like a lioness in dying beige African vegetation. N.C. State in the Sweet 16 was not one of those upsets. Many people had the Wolfpack getting past San Diego State, and a large subset of those people went a step further and put Mark Gottfried’s team into the regional semifinals. State fans have waited a long time for this. And now they’ll demand it every year, lest they fire another coach who can’t make it happen. Unreasonable expectations! Yes!

Apparently, the consensus is that North Carolina State has little chance of making the Final Four.   George Mason, Butler, and Virginia Commonwealth should provide North Carolina State all the encouragement it needs when it takes on Kansas in its Sweet Sixteen game.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , ,
19 Mar 2012

The ACC and the Post-Season: Update 5

Sunday featured three ACC teams trying to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.  Unfortunately, only two of them made it.  And, for one, it was a bittersweet victory.

The first game of the day was a success as #11 North Carolina State upset #3 Georgetown, 66-63.   C.J. Williams, Scott Wood and C.J. Leslie each scored 14 points to lead North Carolina State into the Sweet Sixteen.  Lorenzo Brown had a nice game too, with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 key free throws down the stretch.  North Carolina State will play @2 seed Kansas.

The second game of the day was a bittersweet result for North Carolina.  The #1 seed Tar Heels had little trouble defeating #8 Creighton, 87-73.  John Henson returned from injury with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.  But North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall broke a wrist–putting him in jeopardy for future games.  Marshall scored 18 points and dished out 11 assists.  And 3 other Tar Heels scored in double-digits too.  Creighton was held to 41.2% shooting and rebounded by 9.  All in all, a very solid effort for the Tar Heels.  Next up is the #13 seed Ohio, who defeated #12 South Florida.

The final game of the day featured #3 Florida State and #6 seed Cincinnati.  Unfortunately, Cincinnati defeated Florida State 62-56, ending the Seminoles season.  Poor shooting plagued Florida State as they hit only 38% of its attempts from the floor.  In addition, Florida State committed 17 turnovers.  Luke Loucks led the Seminoles with 14 points.  Michael Snaer was only 3 for 9 from three-point range, but rebounded from his scoreless opening round game to add 11 points.

After today’s results, the ACC is down to North Carolina, and North Carolina State, as well as Syracuse.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , ,
18 Mar 2012

The ACC and the Post-Season: Update 4

The Big Dance is now down to 24 teams, as half the Sweet Sixteen is set.  There are four ACC teams left: Syracuse, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Florida State.

Syracuse was the first team to make the Sweet Sixteen, defeating Kansas State, 75-58.  The game was actually quite close in the first half–although both teams traded significant runs.  But the second-half was all Syracuse, as the depth of the Orange wore down the Wildcats.  Dion Waiters came off the bench to lead Syracuse with 18 points, while Scoop Jardine led the starters with 16 points.  Perhaps the biggest surprise was the decent play of freshman center Rakeem Christmas, who had 8 points and 11 rebounds.  All in all, Syracuse looked substantially more like a #1 seed than they have in weeks.  They will move to play #4 seed Wisconsin on Thursday.

Sunday will feature three ACC teams trying to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.  The first game of the day will be the 12:15 pm matchup (on CBS) between #11 North Carolina State and #3 Georgetown.  At 5:15 pm,  CBS will also televise the game between #1 seed North Carolina and #8 Creighton.  Although the talk on Selection Sunday was the potential of Creighton defeating North Carolina in a shootout–ESPN.com’s Giant Killers Blog gives Creighton a 2.7% chance of winning.  Finally, at 9:30 pm, TBS will show #3 Florida State play #6 seed Cincinnati.  Both teams looked great in their conference tournaments, but then failed to put together a solid 40 minutes in the opening round.  All three games should be fairly exciting.

Syracuse's Rakeem Christmas slams one home. Photo courtesy of Dennis Nett/The Post Standard 2011. See http://www.syracuse.com/axeman/index.ssf/2012/03/syracuse_basketball_vs_kansas.html

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , ,
17 Mar 2012

The ACC and the Post-Season: Update 3

Well, it is College Basketball Tournament season.  The Big Dance is already down to 32 teams.  As noted earlier, Duke is not among them.

But it was not all bad for the Atlantic Coast Conference on March 16, 2012.  Even without John Henson, #1 North Carolina had no trouble defeating #16 seed Vermont, 77-58.  Tyler Zeller had 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels.  In Henson’s absence, James Michael McAdoo started and scored a season-high 17 points also.  With the win, North Carolina advances to play #8 Creighton, who defeated Alabama 58-57.

Perhaps the most impressive win of the day for the ACC was #11 seed North Carolina State upsetting #6 seed San Diego State, 79-65.  While not an extraordinary seed difference, nobody expected the Wolfpack to run away with the game.  After all, they were on the wrong side of the bubble for most of Championship week.  But North Carolina State shot an amazing 58.5% from the field en route to the victory.  Richard Howell led the team with 22 points, but State picked up big contributions from Lorenzo Brown (17 points), C.J. Leslie (15 points) and Scott Wood (10 points).  The Wolfpack moves on to play #3 seed Georgetown, who finally got over their first round issues by defeating #14 seed Belmont, 74-59.

The most disappointing performance of the day for the ACC was not Duke’s loss, but #10 Virginia’s utter collapse against #7 Florida, 71-45.  While the Gators have more talent than the average #7 seed, they have not played to potential very often at all.  But a 41-23 second-half made this an unexpected blowout, ending Virginia’s surprisingly good season.  As usual, it was Mike Scott leading the way for Virginia with 15 points.

The final game of the day involved #3 Florida State and #14 St. Bonaventure.  Give credit to the Bonnies for making this game close throughout, but the Seminoles ultimately prevailed 66-63.  While Michael Snaer has been the hero for most of the season, he was absent on Friday and held scoreless on 0 for 7 shooting.  Bernard James stepped up to lead the Seminoles with 19 points.  Ugly as it was, Florida State moves on to play #6 seed Cincinnati, who defeated Texas 65-59.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , , , ,
13 Mar 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: March 13, 2012

Here is how the Confidential ranks the ACC basketball schools as of March 13, 2012:

1. Syracuse (31-2)  Notwithstanding the loss to Cincinnati, Syracuse has been the best ACC team from start to finish.

2. North Carolina (29-5)  Sure, the Tar Heels were swept by Florida State.  But Florida State had four more losses overall.

3. Duke (27-6)  Like North Carolina, Duke lost to Florida State twice.  Again, however, the upsets of Duke were far more reasonable.

4. Florida State (24-9)  Give the Seminoles credit for the head-to-head victories over the teams above them here.  But to win it all, you’ve got to win the winnable games too.

5. Virginia (22-9)  Virginia has been struggling for weeks now.  Good, but not great.

6. North Carolina State (22-12).  The Wolfpack rallied in the ACC tournament to get off the bubble and into the Big Dance.  Likely at Miami’s expense.

7. Miami (19-12)  A good first season for the new Miami coaching staff.  The NIT will be good for this team, as long as they take it seriously.

8. Clemson (16-15)  At 8-8 in conference play during the regular season, Clemson fell to Virginia Tech in the ACC tourney.  Season was a stepping stone though.

9. Maryland (17-15)  At 6-10 in conference play, Maryland actually made progress.  Consider that this team was 3-3 heading into December.

10. Pittsburgh (17-16)  After starting 13-2, the team finished 4-14.  12 of those 16 losses were to teams in the Big Dance field.

11.  Virginia Tech (16-17)  A disappointing record obviously.  At some point, you’ve got to win a lot more of the close, winnable games.

12. Wake Forest (13-18) Like all the teams down this far, the Demon Deacons were a significant disappointment all season long.

13. Georgia Tech (11-20).  The new coaching staff did not have much success.  Next year should be better.

14. Boston College (9-22)  The Eagles were so young this year that the future is actually quite bright.  These were freshmen struggling, not juniors.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , ,

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