The 2009-10 season couldn't have ended any sooner for yours truly. UNC had a rough year, period.
Let's look at next year's squad and see if UNC can make major strides in returning to an NCAA championship-caliber team.
Center: This year Tyler Zeller will have to step up to the plate. He's been injured the last two years, but has shown much promise. We will probably see the Wear Twins backing him up. Grade: B.
Power Forward: John Henson is a solid player, and he was miscast in the 3 position for much of last year. The Wear twins will also back Henson at this position. Grade: B
Small Forward: Will Graves is the returning starter, but Harrison Barnes has more potential. Graves is a solid rebounder and a streaky shooter. Grave's downside is on Defense. I expect Barnes to replace Graves at this position at some time during next year. Grade: B+
Shooting Guard: Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald are returning, but neither are great college players. Reggie Bullock is a solid recruit and will have ample opportunities to shine. I expect that Strickland will start, then Graves will replace him once Barnes becomes the Small Forward starter. Grade: B-
Point Guard: Larry Drew II is the incumbent, but he will have to fight to retain this position. Kendall Marshall will be a good point guard in the future. Dexter Strickland will also lend a hand. Grade: B-
Bench: We will have a deep team that has experience within the UNC system. At the beginning of the year, we will have David Wear, Travis Wear, Harrison Barnes, Leslie McDonald, Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall on this bench. Grade: B+
Coach: Roy Williams is still a great coach. He was distracted last year with injuries, team chemistry, and his own shoulder injury. He's still one of the Top 10 coaches in America. Grade: A.
I don't expect the Heels to win the ACC regular season next year. However, I don't expect them to finish in the bottom half of the conference, either.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
UNC football, 2010 season
So are the Heels finally going to win an ACC Football Championship? They are due. The Heels haven't won the ACC since 1980, when LT was a linebacker for UNC.
The Tar Heels have a hard road ahead of them...it won't be easy. Outside of conference, the Heels play LSU, Rutgers, W&M, and ECU. The Heels should defeat W&M handily, and they should at least be a favorite against Rutgers and ECU. LSU is a tough school, and the Tigers will be favored in Atlanta, but I don't believe it will be the blowout as many are anticipating. The Heels has a good defense, but their offense is suspect. The Heels will probably lose by about 10 points.
The next 3 games will be fierce contests against GT, Rutgers, and ECU. I imagine that the Heels will squeak by these 3 opponents, probably not winning by more than 10 points.
The following 3 games will be against Clemson, UVA, and Miami. Clemson will be tough to beat, UVA will be hard to defeat in Charlottesville, and Miami is ready to even the score against Butch Davis. I think the Heels will probably lose against Clemson, but should break the streak and beat UVA. The Miami game might be a tossup, but I give the Heels a slight edge over the Hurricanes in Coral Gables.
The Heels will then play William & Mary, and they will win this game handily.
The following 2 games will be at FSU and at home against VT. Two hard fought games, but the Heels will lose at FSU, but prevail against the Hokies at home.
The last 2 games will be rivalry games against NCSU and Duke. The Heels will win both games, and the scores won't be close.
I think the Heels will go 9-3 in the regular season. In fact, I have the Heels tied with GT and VT for tops in the Coastal Division. Since I predict the Heels will beat VT and GT, they will play for the ACC Championship. The Atlantic division will be a fight between Clemson and FSU, but I give Clemson a slight advantage.
In the Championship game, the Tigers will prevail. I think the Heels will play in the Peach against a tough SEC team, but should prevail
A 10-4 record is not bad, is it? It could be a 6-6 regular season, or it could be as good at 11-1. The Heels have talent on D, a stronger O, and decent special teams. Anything could happen.
Predictions in both divisions:
Coastal
The Tar Heels have a hard road ahead of them...it won't be easy. Outside of conference, the Heels play LSU, Rutgers, W&M, and ECU. The Heels should defeat W&M handily, and they should at least be a favorite against Rutgers and ECU. LSU is a tough school, and the Tigers will be favored in Atlanta, but I don't believe it will be the blowout as many are anticipating. The Heels has a good defense, but their offense is suspect. The Heels will probably lose by about 10 points.
The next 3 games will be fierce contests against GT, Rutgers, and ECU. I imagine that the Heels will squeak by these 3 opponents, probably not winning by more than 10 points.
The following 3 games will be against Clemson, UVA, and Miami. Clemson will be tough to beat, UVA will be hard to defeat in Charlottesville, and Miami is ready to even the score against Butch Davis. I think the Heels will probably lose against Clemson, but should break the streak and beat UVA. The Miami game might be a tossup, but I give the Heels a slight edge over the Hurricanes in Coral Gables.
The Heels will then play William & Mary, and they will win this game handily.
The following 2 games will be at FSU and at home against VT. Two hard fought games, but the Heels will lose at FSU, but prevail against the Hokies at home.
The last 2 games will be rivalry games against NCSU and Duke. The Heels will win both games, and the scores won't be close.
I think the Heels will go 9-3 in the regular season. In fact, I have the Heels tied with GT and VT for tops in the Coastal Division. Since I predict the Heels will beat VT and GT, they will play for the ACC Championship. The Atlantic division will be a fight between Clemson and FSU, but I give Clemson a slight advantage.
In the Championship game, the Tigers will prevail. I think the Heels will play in the Peach against a tough SEC team, but should prevail
A 10-4 record is not bad, is it? It could be a 6-6 regular season, or it could be as good at 11-1. The Heels have talent on D, a stronger O, and decent special teams. Anything could happen.
Predictions in both divisions:
Coastal
- UNC 6-2
- GT 6-2
- VT 6-2
- Miami 5-3
- Duke 2-6
- Virginia 1-7
Atlantic
- Clemson 6-2
- FSU 5-3
- NCSU 4-4
- BC 4-4
- Wake 2-6
- Maryland 1-7
Coaches on the hot seat include Randy Shannon (Miami), Tom O'Brien (NCSU), and Ralph Friedgen (Maryland).
2010-2011 Heels basketball season: an early preview
After a disappointing season, the Heels will have a chance to regroup and become a force again within the ACC and the NCAA. But can the Heels shake the injuries from 2009-10? Will they regain their confidence?
Let's look at the players that will be leaving in 2009-2010: Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard. Deon did not have a good senior season, at least compared to his Sophomore and Junior years. He was not the player that the Heels needed. I thought he would add some composure and leadership to the younger Heels, but that wasn't the case. Marcus Ginyard is simply not the player he was before the 2008-09 foot injury year. He's never been very effective on Offense, but his defensive prowess made up for many of his shortcomings. Not this year. He's been a step too slow, and he seems to be a foul magnet. His leadership and savvy wasn't present, either. We will also lose Marc Campbell, but Campbell is really just a practice player. Not to minimize a practice player, but he didn't contribute on the hardwood during playing time.
I thought we would take a look at each position of the court for next year.
Center (#5). Tyler Zeller will have to be the man in the paint. He's been riddled with injuries his first 2 years, but I think once he gets set into a rhythm, he will be a force. I don't think he's necessarily injury-proned: having a broken wrist on a hard foul doesn't qualify, IMHO. Backing up Zeller will have to be the Wear Twins and possibly Ed Davis. Zeller is probably underrated as a Defensive player. He's tougher than he looks.
Power Forward (#4). This should be Ed Davis's domain. He's really undersized at the 5 position, but his skills will excel in the power forward role. He can rebound, he can play D, and he can score. The Wear Twins will also spell for him on occassion. I imagine that John Henson will also receive some playing time at this position. Henson is also solid on D.
Swing Man/Small Forward (#3). While Will Graves can get hot and hit a lot of threes, his play is somewhat erratic. He actually played better within the paint on D while he was a threat on O around the perimeter. He was third in rebounding this year, which is pretty impressive for a guy who is 6'6" tall (especially when you had a team with Zeller, Davis, Thompson, D. Wear, T. Wear, and Henson). I think Harrison Barnes, probably the best freshman in the country, will start ahead of Graves sometime during the season. Graves will have to worry about Barnes cutting into his playing time. We should see much improved play on both the offensive and defensive side next year from the #3 position.
Shooting Guard (#2). I think Will Graves might inherit this position, or at least some playing time during the 2010-11 season. He's a defensive liability when guarding the perimeter, but he can light it up on occassion from 3 point land. We should see Strickland getting some playing time during the season, along with Leslie McDonald, but neither Strickland or McDonald are a strong offensive weapon. The guy who I think will be the starter at the end of the season is a freshman named Reggie Bullock. He's a great shooting guard, but can he play D?
Point Guard (#1). I won't knock Larry Drew II. He's a decent point guard, but he didn't have the offensive talent around him to shine this past season. Graves is not quick enough to get open on a split second, and, as a result, other teams could "pack it in" in the paint. He's got decent defensive skills, but I don't know how bad his confidence is shaken. He'll probably start the season as the point guard, but he better "step it up" or Kendall Marshall will take his job. Drew II was not a big offensive weapon, but maybe with a new cast around him, he can work more on his shooting game.
Overall, we will see a lot of competition next year at every position. If I had to predict the starting lineup for the first game of the season, it would be Zeller, Davis, Graves, Bullock, and Drew II. The top 3 subs will be Henson, Barnes, and Marshall. Also getting some playing time will be Strickland, McDonald, D. Wear, and T. Wear. That's a lot of players for a playing rotation, so during the season you might see McDonald and one of the Wear Twins playing only during garbage time.
Probably sometime during the first 10 games, you will see Henson, Barnes and Marshall as starters, replacing Zeller, Bullock, and Drew II, respectively (with Will Graves possibly moving to the shooting guard position). Ed Davis will need to step up into a leadership position on the court, and I also believe Graves might be another leader, if possible. I don't question Davis as a leader, but Graves might have a psyche similar to Ginyard. I hope he proves me wrong.
Let's look at the players that will be leaving in 2009-2010: Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard. Deon did not have a good senior season, at least compared to his Sophomore and Junior years. He was not the player that the Heels needed. I thought he would add some composure and leadership to the younger Heels, but that wasn't the case. Marcus Ginyard is simply not the player he was before the 2008-09 foot injury year. He's never been very effective on Offense, but his defensive prowess made up for many of his shortcomings. Not this year. He's been a step too slow, and he seems to be a foul magnet. His leadership and savvy wasn't present, either. We will also lose Marc Campbell, but Campbell is really just a practice player. Not to minimize a practice player, but he didn't contribute on the hardwood during playing time.
I thought we would take a look at each position of the court for next year.
Center (#5). Tyler Zeller will have to be the man in the paint. He's been riddled with injuries his first 2 years, but I think once he gets set into a rhythm, he will be a force. I don't think he's necessarily injury-proned: having a broken wrist on a hard foul doesn't qualify, IMHO. Backing up Zeller will have to be the Wear Twins and possibly Ed Davis. Zeller is probably underrated as a Defensive player. He's tougher than he looks.
Power Forward (#4). This should be Ed Davis's domain. He's really undersized at the 5 position, but his skills will excel in the power forward role. He can rebound, he can play D, and he can score. The Wear Twins will also spell for him on occassion. I imagine that John Henson will also receive some playing time at this position. Henson is also solid on D.
Swing Man/Small Forward (#3). While Will Graves can get hot and hit a lot of threes, his play is somewhat erratic. He actually played better within the paint on D while he was a threat on O around the perimeter. He was third in rebounding this year, which is pretty impressive for a guy who is 6'6" tall (especially when you had a team with Zeller, Davis, Thompson, D. Wear, T. Wear, and Henson). I think Harrison Barnes, probably the best freshman in the country, will start ahead of Graves sometime during the season. Graves will have to worry about Barnes cutting into his playing time. We should see much improved play on both the offensive and defensive side next year from the #3 position.
Shooting Guard (#2). I think Will Graves might inherit this position, or at least some playing time during the 2010-11 season. He's a defensive liability when guarding the perimeter, but he can light it up on occassion from 3 point land. We should see Strickland getting some playing time during the season, along with Leslie McDonald, but neither Strickland or McDonald are a strong offensive weapon. The guy who I think will be the starter at the end of the season is a freshman named Reggie Bullock. He's a great shooting guard, but can he play D?
Point Guard (#1). I won't knock Larry Drew II. He's a decent point guard, but he didn't have the offensive talent around him to shine this past season. Graves is not quick enough to get open on a split second, and, as a result, other teams could "pack it in" in the paint. He's got decent defensive skills, but I don't know how bad his confidence is shaken. He'll probably start the season as the point guard, but he better "step it up" or Kendall Marshall will take his job. Drew II was not a big offensive weapon, but maybe with a new cast around him, he can work more on his shooting game.
Overall, we will see a lot of competition next year at every position. If I had to predict the starting lineup for the first game of the season, it would be Zeller, Davis, Graves, Bullock, and Drew II. The top 3 subs will be Henson, Barnes, and Marshall. Also getting some playing time will be Strickland, McDonald, D. Wear, and T. Wear. That's a lot of players for a playing rotation, so during the season you might see McDonald and one of the Wear Twins playing only during garbage time.
Probably sometime during the first 10 games, you will see Henson, Barnes and Marshall as starters, replacing Zeller, Bullock, and Drew II, respectively (with Will Graves possibly moving to the shooting guard position). Ed Davis will need to step up into a leadership position on the court, and I also believe Graves might be another leader, if possible. I don't question Davis as a leader, but Graves might have a psyche similar to Ginyard. I hope he proves me wrong.
UNC Regular season recap
UNC has just finished the 2009-2010 regular season with a record of 16-15. Going into the season, most of us thought it would be "a given" that the Heels would win 20 regular season games. It just wasn't meant to happen. I thought I'd recap the "missed opportunities" that the Heels had during the regular season.
- Kentucky 68, UNC 66. Kentucky had control of the game, but the Heels made a surge at the end. Hard fought game, but UK had the better talent.
- College of Charleston 82, UNC 79 (OT). Probably the beginning of the end for the Heels 2009-10 season. If the Heels had done a better job of protecting the lead, the floodgates might not have opened up for the remainder of the season.
- Georgia Tech 73, UNC 71. GT had a 19 point lead with less than 19 minutes left, but the Heels surged ahead, gaining a 2 point lead. GT was tougher than the Heels in the last 2 minutes of the game.
- VT 74, UNC 70. The Heels were down by 3 with 17 seconds left in the game and the ball. Another tough loss.
- Duke 64, UNC 54. The Heels were down by 1 with 6 minutes left in the game. The Heels played a great game, but had an unlucky "break" when Ed Davis went down with a broken wrist.
- BC 71, UNC 67. 100 seconds left in the game, and the Heels are down by 3. Another tough loss.
The Heels had some close victories in 2009-2010...but only a few.
- UNC 80, Nevada 73. With 7 minutes left in the game, Nevada had a 2 point lead.
- UNC 81, Rutgers 67. UNC only had a 4 point lead with 2 minutes left in the game.
- UNC 77, Wake 68. UNC has a 3 point lead with 1 minute left in the game.
- UNC 69, Miami 62. UNC had an 18 point lead, but Miami cuts it down to 1.
In the past, UNC would win around 70-75% of the close games. This year, they won 40% of them. If the Heels had won 3 more games during the regular season, their record could have been 19-12, and on the NCAA tourney bubble.
For all intent and purpose, the UNC 2009-10 season is over. I expect the Heels to lose to GT in the opening round of the ACC tourney. I doubt if the Heels will go "Nitting" either.
But don't fret! The Heels will have some solid players arriving in Chapel Hill next year. Also, we should have a healthy Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis, and the Wear Twins back in action.
Monday, February 22, 2010
UNC Basketball, 2009-2010: One ugly year
UNC is now sporting a 14-13 record. What went wrong? Better yet, what has gone right with this team?
Well, there are plenty of positive aspects with our program that should more than compensate our W/L record. Roy Williams is still in charge, our players are graduating and are good ambassaders of the game. In the whole scheme of things, we shouldn't knock our team because they have lost 13 games. We should support the Heels when things are going bad just as we support the Heels when the times are great.
Going into this season, I knew we would not be a Top 10 team. I honestly thought we would be a Top 20 team, probably good enough for a 4th or 5th seed in the Tourney. Unfortunately, chemistry has been a problem. Luckily for us, our team is young and will improve, but right now it's hard to realize that simple fact.
Back in May, before our freshmen hit the court, I listed my predictions on how the ACC season would play out. Boy, was I ever wrong!
May 2009 poll
(1) Duke. Well, at least I'm right that they are the best team of the ACC. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils are the biggest UNC rival.
(2) UNC. Right now they are tied for 10th. Missed that one, didn't I?
(3) Clemson. They have struggled early, but they are tied for 5th. They are a solid NCAA tourney team.
(4) Maryland. Most had the Terps lower, but I thought they had some great leadership. They are in 2nd place, and they are also and NCAA tourney team.
(5) Miami. I'm puzzled that they are tied for 1oth with UNC. I see a coaching change in the future at Coral Gables.
(6) Wake Forest. They are in 4th place, and they will make the NCAAs again.
(7) Florida State. Tied for 5th, and they are doing well. Another win will put them in the tourney.
(8) Boston College. They are in 9th place, and they are sporting a 13-13 record. The Eagles will have another year until they are back in the Tournament.
(9) Georgia Tech. Many thought they would compete for the ACC title, but I wasn't one of them. This is a young team, and next year they will compete for the ACC crown. The Yellow Jackets are now in 7th place.
(10) Virginia Tech. Seth Greenberg is nothing less than a basketball coaching genius. The Hokies are in 3rd place, and they will be in the NCAAs this year.
(11) NC State. Sidney Lowe received a vote of confidence from his AD, but I really don't know why. They are in last place.
(12) Virginia. The Cavs are in 8th place, and at the beginning of ACC play they looked like an NCAA Tourney team. They aren't, but the coaching change has major positive effects.
Well, there are plenty of positive aspects with our program that should more than compensate our W/L record. Roy Williams is still in charge, our players are graduating and are good ambassaders of the game. In the whole scheme of things, we shouldn't knock our team because they have lost 13 games. We should support the Heels when things are going bad just as we support the Heels when the times are great.
Going into this season, I knew we would not be a Top 10 team. I honestly thought we would be a Top 20 team, probably good enough for a 4th or 5th seed in the Tourney. Unfortunately, chemistry has been a problem. Luckily for us, our team is young and will improve, but right now it's hard to realize that simple fact.
Back in May, before our freshmen hit the court, I listed my predictions on how the ACC season would play out. Boy, was I ever wrong!
May 2009 poll
(1) Duke. Well, at least I'm right that they are the best team of the ACC. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils are the biggest UNC rival.
(2) UNC. Right now they are tied for 10th. Missed that one, didn't I?
(3) Clemson. They have struggled early, but they are tied for 5th. They are a solid NCAA tourney team.
(4) Maryland. Most had the Terps lower, but I thought they had some great leadership. They are in 2nd place, and they are also and NCAA tourney team.
(5) Miami. I'm puzzled that they are tied for 1oth with UNC. I see a coaching change in the future at Coral Gables.
(6) Wake Forest. They are in 4th place, and they will make the NCAAs again.
(7) Florida State. Tied for 5th, and they are doing well. Another win will put them in the tourney.
(8) Boston College. They are in 9th place, and they are sporting a 13-13 record. The Eagles will have another year until they are back in the Tournament.
(9) Georgia Tech. Many thought they would compete for the ACC title, but I wasn't one of them. This is a young team, and next year they will compete for the ACC crown. The Yellow Jackets are now in 7th place.
(10) Virginia Tech. Seth Greenberg is nothing less than a basketball coaching genius. The Hokies are in 3rd place, and they will be in the NCAAs this year.
(11) NC State. Sidney Lowe received a vote of confidence from his AD, but I really don't know why. They are in last place.
(12) Virginia. The Cavs are in 8th place, and at the beginning of ACC play they looked like an NCAA Tourney team. They aren't, but the coaching change has major positive effects.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Clemson destroys UNC
Not a close game, just a good ole fashion butt kicking. Turnovers killed the Heels. Nothing really can be said about this game that is positive...for the Heels. Sure Strickland and McDonald played well, but everyone else that played for the blue were unimpressive.
This is a long season, and hopefully the ship will sail thru the choppy waters better against the Yellow Jackets.
This is a long season, and hopefully the ship will sail thru the choppy waters better against the Yellow Jackets.
Monday, January 11, 2010
UNC 78, VT 64
I listened to the game last night as opposed to watching the game on TV. I enjoy listening to the game and feeling the action as opposed to watching the game and being distracted by the flow of the game. This was a great game to listen to!
First off, the Heels depth is a problem. We may have too much depth without any proven players coming off the bench. Ginyard was rusty, having missed the last 3 games, Tyler Zeller is still somewhat unproven, the Wear twins are shaky, and Henson plays erratically. McDonald is showing signs of improvement, but not enough for my liking. Justin Watts has improved, but experience-wise he's not much more than a Freshman.
Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are our biggest scoring option. They can play well within the paint. They are fine defensively, although Thompson fouled out on only 20 minutes of action. Tyler Zeller seems tentative at times, out of control at other times. He's got game, but his game hasn't reached the next level.
Will Graves is our biggest outside threat. When he's on, he's on. He also played one of the best Defensive games in his college career, pulling down 6 rebounds and contested several shots. Larry Drew II may not be Ty Lawson, but he showed his willingness to play team ball, and that's all I want. He really turned up his game in the 2nd half. He had 8 assists and 2 TO's, which is a great ratio.
Our biggest problem? Turning the ball over inside and out. Drew can handle the rock, and so can Strickland. Ginyard turned the ball over 3 times, and he probably was lucky it wasn't more. Ed Davis has problems turning the ball over, and so does Zeller.
We play a hungry Clemson team on Wednesday night. Clemson is (a) a better team than the Hokies, and (b) the game is played at Littlejohn. We can't have another 1st half like we had against the Hokies and win. Stay tuned.
First off, the Heels depth is a problem. We may have too much depth without any proven players coming off the bench. Ginyard was rusty, having missed the last 3 games, Tyler Zeller is still somewhat unproven, the Wear twins are shaky, and Henson plays erratically. McDonald is showing signs of improvement, but not enough for my liking. Justin Watts has improved, but experience-wise he's not much more than a Freshman.
Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are our biggest scoring option. They can play well within the paint. They are fine defensively, although Thompson fouled out on only 20 minutes of action. Tyler Zeller seems tentative at times, out of control at other times. He's got game, but his game hasn't reached the next level.
Will Graves is our biggest outside threat. When he's on, he's on. He also played one of the best Defensive games in his college career, pulling down 6 rebounds and contested several shots. Larry Drew II may not be Ty Lawson, but he showed his willingness to play team ball, and that's all I want. He really turned up his game in the 2nd half. He had 8 assists and 2 TO's, which is a great ratio.
Our biggest problem? Turning the ball over inside and out. Drew can handle the rock, and so can Strickland. Ginyard turned the ball over 3 times, and he probably was lucky it wasn't more. Ed Davis has problems turning the ball over, and so does Zeller.
We play a hungry Clemson team on Wednesday night. Clemson is (a) a better team than the Hokies, and (b) the game is played at Littlejohn. We can't have another 1st half like we had against the Hokies and win. Stay tuned.
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