North Carolina

GameNight: North Carolina at Michigan State

Fairway Jay — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:08:41 -0500

Start: Dec 3 2008 - 9:15pm

Preview & Prediction: By Fairway Jay

A huge crowd and ESPN audience is ready for tip-off at Ford Field as #1 North Carolina takes on #12 Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten challenge.

North Carolina’s (7-0) potent fast break attack has already scored 98 or more points four times despite playing without All-American and reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough in a total of four contests this season. He’s been battling a ankle and right shin injury but will likely go tonight. Marcus Ginyard has yet to play this season, yet the supremely talented Tar Heels still have five players averaging over 13ppg and are one of the top-3 most efficient offensive teams in the nation. Point guard Ty Lawson is averaging 16ppg while hitting over 52% of his shots and directing the offense with an astounding 5-1 assist to turnover ratio. His quickness has helped create 2.4 TO’s per game himself, and really ignites the Tar Heels offense. Deon Thompson has emerged provided strength at power forward, while 6-10 freshman forward Ed Davis leads NC in rebounding with 9 per contest in just 23 minutes per game. Wayne Ellington is a smooth shooter and top 3-point threat while also providing some defensive strength and ball pressure in the absence of Ginyard.

Michigan State (4-1) will try to slow North Carolina’s attack, but will be shorthanded in the front court. The Big Ten’s top returning rebounder, senior Goran Suton sat out the Old Spice Classic tournament with a knee injury and is not ready to return. The Spartans still have a number of players that have banged the boards and provided rebounding strength, and Michigan State bounced back from a loss to Maryland with a pair of tournament wins, including over up-tempo Oklahoma State. Forward Raymar Morgan has more rebounding help this year and he’s hitting 70% of his shots as he takes the lead role for Michigan State. He must stay on the floor and out of foul trouble to keep the Spartans in this game, and Michigan State will need big contributions inside from senior Marquise Gray and freshman Delvon Roe. Point guard Kalin Lucas will get to show his quickness against Ty Lawson, and Lucas also averages over 6 assists per game with a 5-1 assist to turnover ratio. I believe MSU coach Tom Izzo will try to slow the pace of this contest, as the Spartans will have little chance to win and up and down game and that style and pace could put his key players at risk for more fouls.

North Carolina has won their games by an average of nearly 30ppg. Michigan State will be able to hang for awhile, and the Ford Field fans should keep the Spartans pushing hard. But North Carolina’s talent and strength and ability to extend will ultimately be too much for MSU, and the Tar Heels will emerge with a victory at Ford Field – a place where we’ll likely see them again for this season’s Final Four.

Winner: North Carolina Margin: 8-12 points

College Basketball: 20 Random Thoughts & Observations

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:08:29 -0500

20 Random Rants, Thoughts, and Observations from the Week in College Basketball by CollegeHoops.net Editor Shawn Siegel:

1 - This has unexpectedly become a weekly thing, so except 20 more random rants every Tuesday from now on.

2 - There's another Curry on the lose. Steph's brother Seth is quietly emerging as the star of an upstart Liberty squad that is 5-1. The Flames already have a win over Virginia, and just won an OT game against a quality George Mason side. Curry is already averaging 22 ppg.. as a freshman.

3 - Perhaps after tonight's drubbing, Purdue fans can take a step back from their "How dare you suggest we're not a Top 10 team" nonsense and return to reality. The Boilers are still (and have been for a year now) a fringe top 25 team.. nothing more, nothing less.

4 - Along with Tom Pritchard, Colton Iverson is another Big Ten rookie big who has impressed so far. Those two have put BJ Mullens to shame so far, as the highly-touted OSU center has yet to score double-digits.

5 - Another young Big Ten big to watch is Kyle Rowley.. a 7-footer on Northwestern. Don't get me wrong, Rowley is not an All-American talent, but as far as Northwestern recruits go.. he has the potential to be a major contributor with more experience.

6 - Who knew AD Vassallo could simply carry a team on his back like he did against Wisconsin Monday night. The Hokies ended up losing a well-fought thriller against Wisconsin, but it was a joy to watch Vassallo light it up from deep.

7 - One of the biggest league games of the year is about to happen tomorrow night. Cleveland State (5-2) hosts Butler (5-0) in an early-season battle between Horizon League contenders. I expect the Vikings to pick up the win and begin their quest for the league title.

7 - Mark down another quality win for Savannah State, who knocked off Bowling Green and are now 5-2. The fightin' Tigers lead all independent squads with a solid 125 RPI right now.

8 - I miss Thanksgiving basketball already.

9 - Remember when Siena was a trendy mid-major sleeper pick in all the preseason magazines?.. the Old Spice Classic sure killed all that talk.

10 - Last year, I gave Jon Diebler a lot of slack for hovering around college basketball's Mendoza Line (30 fg%), but it's nice to see he's off to a much better start this season and finding his long-range stroke.

11 - The emergence of Mike Davis has helped Illinois remain competitive despite a lack of big-time talent. The sophomore, who only played 10 mpg last year, is averaging over 15 ppg this year and poured in 28 against Clemson. The Illini lost by 2, but should pile up more wins in coming weeks as they continue to avoid the road. They'll end up playing only 1 true non-conference road game all season.. something to keep in mind when judging the team in March. Missouri on November 23rd (in St Louis) is their only remaining challenge before Big Ten play begins.

12 - Illinois' schedule looks treacherous compared to LSU's joke calendar. They start the season with 8 home games against teams that will all almost certainly finish in the bottom 150 of the RPI. It's almost like they're 0-0 so far.

13 - If Leo Lyons played 35 mpg like most big time players, you'd hear his name all the time. His 19 ppg and 7 rpg already look good enough, but are amazing considering he plays 24 mpg. He basically averages 30 points and 11 boards per 40 minutes.

14 - I don't watch enough Colorado State basketball (or his old NDSU teams) to know exactly how good a coach Tim Miles is, but he sure gives a good interview. This guy has a future.

15 - If not for Jack McClinton getting tossed from Miami's loss to OSU, the ACC might have finished 9-2 against the Big Ten. As it is, an 8-3 or 7-4 win is likely.

16 - IF UNC's bench (including Green & Davis when Ginyard & Hansbrough return) played as a separate team, I wonder how far they'd go in the NCAA Tournament?

17 - It will be unfortunate when UNC rips MSU apart on prime time TV tomorrow night. The Spartans were one of my teams heading into the season, but I dont see them coming close tomorrow. I've been wrong before though.

18 - Lowly NJIT had a chance over the weekend to finally win a game for the first time in almost two years, but blew a half-time lead against Monmouth. In two home games, they've lost by over 20 each time, but St. Peter's on November 10th could be the day the streak ends. For their sake, I hope it happens.

19 - I mentioned this on the message board, but Charlotte's had some rough luck so far. They've lost a game in double-OT, OT, by 1 point due to a late three, and another game by 1 point. All those losses add up to a disappointing 1-6 start for coach Lutz.

20 - There was an actual Zane Johnson sighting Tuesday night. The Arizona soph averaged a whopping 1 ppg in his 18 game career before blowing up for 18 against LMU. This was a consensus Top 150 product.

- Think I'm an idiot? Then prove your stuff in CHN's new Weekly Pickem Game.

NBA Draft Profile: Tyler Hansbrough

Jeff Fox — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:00:00 -0500

Tyler Hansbrough

College

: North Carolina

Class: Senior

Stats: ESPN.com

Position: PF

Height: 6”9”

Weight: 250lbs

Accolades:
National Player of the Year - multiple sources (08), First Team All-American - multiple sources (08), ACC Player of the Year (08), ACC Tournament MVP (08), NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player (08), NCAA All-East Regional Team (08), ACC Male Athlete of the Year (08), First Team All-ACC (08), First Team All-American - multiple sources (07), Second Team All-American - multiple sources (07), First Team All-ACC (07), NCAA All-East Regional Team (07), First Team All-American – multiple sources (06), Third Team All-American – multiple sources (06), National Freshman of the Year – multiple sources (06), ACC Rookie of the Year (06), First Team All-ACC (06), Gatorade Player of the Year – Missouri – high school (05), McDonald’s All-American – high school (05), Parade All-American – high school (05).

Scouting Report:
Great low post scorer and rebounder who is extremely intense.

Strengths:
Very intense competitor – nickname is “Psycho T”. Big time scorer in a big time conference – the ACC. Very good rebounder. Very physically strong down low – a man among boys. Well polished game and mature player. Gets to the free throw line regularly (about eight times per game for his college career thus far) and shoots for a good percentage while at the line (about 73%). Plays for one of the top colleges for producing NBA talent. Very experienced. Steadily improving outside shot - worked very hard on his three-point shooting this past off-season.

Weaknesses:
Not very athletic – not super quick and not a great leaper. May have trouble defending the bigger, more athletic power forwards that the NBA possesses. May be a little short for the power forward spot in the NBA – may only be 6’8”. Age - will be 24-years-old at the start of next NBA season.

Projected 2009 Draft Range:
Late first round pick.

Consensus:

Hansbrough’s intensity and effort will definitely transfer over to the NBA with him. However, he needs to get quicker and more athletic (if that is even possible) to become as dominant in the NBA as he is in college.

NBA Draft on CollegeHoops.net

More 2009 NBA Draft Profiles

Current NBA Mock Draft Position

Complete NBA Draft coverage

CHN's Six-Star Ranking System w/ 2008 Equivalents

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential - Michael Beasley

= Potential NBA All-Star - Derrick Rose

= Consistent NBA Starter - Brook Lopez

= 6th Man/Fringe Starter - Russell Westbrook

= Career Reserve - Roy Hibbert

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man - JR Giddens

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues - Drew Neitzel

Wayne Ellington: NBA Draft Profile

Jeff Fox — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:51:26 -0500

Wayne Ellington

College: North Carolina

Class: Junior

Position: SG

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 200lbs

Accolades:
First Team ACC All-Tournament (08), Second Team All-ACC (08), First Team ACC All-Tournament Team (07), Honorable Mention All-Freshman Team – CHN (07), Second Team USA Today All-American – high school (06), McDonald’s All-American – high school (06).

Scouting Report:
The latest in a long line of explosive Tar Heel shooting guards.

Strengths: Explosive scorer – had nine 20-plus point games his sophomore year. Good three-point shooter – hits about two a game and shoots over 40% from deep. Improved his defense his sophomore season (according to his coach). Great crossover move. Great athlete – can get out and run and has good ups. Gets good extension and lift on his jumper. Very good rebounder for a two-guard. Exceptional free throw shooter. Good rebounder for his position.

Weaknesses:
Will be a bit undersized in the NBA. Not a very good ball-handler. Will need to keep improving his defense for the NBA. Is still inconsistent.

Projected 2009 Draft Range:
Late first round to early second round pick.

Consensus:
With Wayne Ellington’s draft stock all over the board (could be a mid first round pick or could fall into the second round), his best move might be to come back to school for his senior year and be “the man“ for Carolina. With his lack of size, he will have to improve all of his other skills to offset it at the NBA level.

NBA Draft on CollegeHoops.net

More 2009 NBA Draft Profiles

Current NBA Mock Draft Position

Complete NBA Draft coverage

CHN's Six-Star Ranking System w/ 2008 Equivalents

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential - Michael Beasley

= Potential NBA All-Star - Derrick Rose

= Consistent NBA Starter - Brook Lopez

= 6th Man/Fringe Starter - Russell Westbrook

= Career Reserve - Roy Hibbert

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man - JR Giddens

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues - Drew Neitzel

GameNight: UNC vs Notre Dame (Maui Final)

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:24:22 -0500

Start: Nov 26 2008 - 10:00pm

Preview & Prediction: By Raphielle Johnson

The 25^th EA Sports Maui Invitational has reached its climax; with #1 North Carolina (5-0) taking on #8 Notre Dame (4-0) in Wednesday night’s final. Their semifinal victories don’t have much in common with the Tar Heels making short work of Oregon (98-69) while the Irish had to survive (81-80) four missed free throws (one of which was an air ball) and a heave from A.J. Abrams that nearly went in. Good news for Carolina in their win was the performance of preseason Player of the Year (national and ACC) Tyler Hansbrough. A stress reaction in his right leg forced the power forward to sit out their opener against Penn (there was little reason to play him against Chaminade), but he accounted for sixteen points (2-4 FG; 12-14 FT) and four rebounds against the Ducks.

The player who has stepped up for head coach Roy Williams in Maui has been Danny Green, who has put together back-to-back 20-plus point performances. Green went for twenty-one and eight rebounds in Tuesday’s blowout, and freshman Ed Davis posted a double-double off the bench (11 points, 13 rebounds). North Carolina did well against Oregon on the defensive end of the floor, limiting the Ducks to 30.6% from the field. But while Oregon can certainly shoot the basketball, their shot selection at times can leave something to be desired. Notre Dame doesn’t have that problem for the most part, and unlike the Ducks they’ve also got one of the best answers on the block in the nation in reigning Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody.

While Harangody is the main man on the block for head coach Mike Brey, there are a number of long-range marksmen who can burn the Heels if left alone. First and foremost, North Carolina must keep an eye on senior Kyle McAlarney, who went 5-for-9 from downtown against Texas. Point guard Tory Jackson runs the show, but he’s going to have his hands full with Ty Lawson in arguably the best lead guard matchup of the season’s first month. The issue for the Irish in this game: rebounding. Notre Dame, despite attempting eleven fewer shots from the field than Texas, was outrebounded by nine in the semifinal. North Carolina, even with limited playing time for their stars due to the blowout, held a 55-24 advantage on the boards.

It’s not like the Irish are lacking in the height department; guys like Zach Hillesland and Luke Zeller are also called on to contribute. But they aren’t traditional bigs who will stay in the paint, and the fact that all five starters played at least thirty minutes against Texas isn’t a good sign for them. Look for North Carolina to win the Maui Invitational for the third consecutive time in which they’ve entered (1999-2000 and 2004-05). And both of those title seasons led to a Final Four berth at season’s end.

Winner: North Carolina Margin: 5-9 pts.

UNC Rocks Oregon: 98-69

Press Release — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:46:32 -0500

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -Tyler Hansbrough was back for a second game and No. 1 North Carolina will be playing for a third title on Maui.

The reigning player of the year, who missed three weeks of practice and three games with a leg injury, had 16 points to lead the Tar Heels to a 98-69 victory over Oregon on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

North Carolina (5-0) will play No. 8 Notre Dame on Wednesday night in the championship game. The Fighting Irish beat No. 6 Texas 81-80 in the semifinals in the season's first matchup of Top Ten teams.

Here comes the second.

Hansbrough scored 13 points in 25 minutes last Friday in an 84-67 win over UC Santa Barbara after missing games for the first time in his college career because of a stress reaction in his right led.

He tweaked his left ankle at the end of the game against the Gauchos and didn't play in the Tar Heels' 115-70 opening-round win over Chaminade. That wasn't a real surprise because coach Roy Williams had indicated he wouldn't play the senior in all three games on Maui. Williams said after the Chaminade game that Hansbrough would have played if it ``had been for the national championship.''

Against Oregon, Hansbrough looked like the player known as ``Psycho T,'' drawing plenty of contact down low on both offense and defense and diving on the floor for loose balls. He finished 12-for-14 from the free throw line, proof he wasn't avoiding contact in his 19 minutes.

He had 12 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes as the Tar Heels took a 51-22 halftime lead over the Ducks (3-2), a young team that looked good in a 92-69 first-round win over Alabama but just couldn't stay with the nation's unanimous No. 1 team.

Danny Green had 21 points and freshman Ed Davis had 11 points and 13 rebounds for North Carolina, which led by as many 37 points in the second half.

Michael Dunigan had 18 points to lead Oregon.

North Carolina led 22-12 when it went on a 13-0 run that started with a 3-pointer by Danny Green and ended with a 3 by Larry Drew II with 7:03 left in the half. The Ducks missed nine shots during the run, including five underneath the basket where Hansbrough led the Tar Heels' impressive defense that held Oregon to 8-of-38 shooting (21.1 percent) in the half.

North Carolina won the Maui Invitational in 1999 and 2004 and finished second in 1989 and 1995. A third title would put them one behind Duke, which is 12-0 in the tournament.

Clip of the Day: Will Graves Dunk vs Chaminade

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:29:14 -0500

Clip of the Day

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to keep us busy every second of every day. We'll be featuring daily movies to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

Will Graves Jam vs Chaminade

The UNC sophomore got a rare chance to play extended minutes against Chaminade and showed off with a solid dunk

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

- Also check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- And finally the Picture of the Day!

Poll: Who Will Win the Maui Invitational?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:50:12 -0500

Maui Invitational Preview: Can Someone Stop UNC?

Kevin McNeill — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:21:05 -0500

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EA SPORTS Maui Invitational (Nov 24-26)

Key Games:

- Texas / St. Joseph's winner vs. Indiana / Notre Dame winner

- UNC vs. Alabama / Oregon winner

- Championship game

Once again, Maui showcases a little bit of everything. The country will get a good look at three teams contending for their respective conference titles, two of the most underrated freshmen in the country in Michael Dunigan and JaMychal Green, along with returning stars such as Tyler Hansbrough, Tajuan Porter, Luke Harangody and the great tandem of AJ Abrams and Damion James.

You also have the dueling storylines of a tradition-rich program primed for a run at the national title, along with a tradition-rich program just trying to get through one of their most challenging seasons ever.

North Carolina starts the season the same way they started the last one, as the top ranked team in the nation. This time however, there is a noticeable gap between the Tar Heels and everyone else. Not only do they return the reigning Wooden award winner (not to mention the other five national POY awards), but also feature Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson - all of whom pulled out of the NBA draft to come back for a title run.

Marcus Ginyard will be in street clothes for the tournament, which is a huge setback, especially on defense, but the Heels still tower over everyone else and should be the favorite to leave the island with the championship. Even though Tyler Hansbrough is still recovering from a stress reaction in his shin, he should be more than effective in Hawaii.

The Maui tournament is also a great test for North Carolina, not only for the high caliber of the field, but for the fact that it also prepares the Heels for a big test at Michigan State. They should be more than ready for the start of ACC play come January.

On the other end of the spectrum sits Indiana. They will field a team with all but two players from last season's roster having either transferred or been booted, a lame duck Athletic Director, an entirely new coaching staff, a self-imposed penalty limiting contact with recruits and a loss of a scholarship - all due to the still-lingering effects of the Kelvin Sampson call scandal.

Better yet, Indiana still awaits word on the NCAA's ruling over the charge of "failure to monitor," indicating that the school didn't do enough to watch Sampson's calls and activities in regard to recruits. Indiana angrily, and repeatedly, denied the charge over the summer, but soon after Sampson helpfully issued a statement saying he never concealed his illegal calls from university officials. Besides, the NCAA rarely likes to admit they were wrong.

So, in a perfect world, the end result would be that Indiana wouldn't have to suffer any more indignities than they already have, and Kelvin Sampson wouldn't be allowed within 100 yards of so much as a NAIA job. Which means of course that it may be safe to predict that Indiana will find itself facing a postseason or television ban, and Sampson will be back in college again by this time next year (following his foray into the NBA as an assistant).

But we move on. The Maui Invitational could well feature back to back matchups of Top 10 teams, should Texas play Notre Dame, with the winner facing the top ranked Tar Heels in the title game. That alone makes it once again the preseason's best tournament.

Another thing to look out for are the two aforementioned freshmen - Michael Dunigan for Oregon and JaMychal Green for Alabama. It wasn't that long ago that we didn't put much stock in freshmen play in November since they are just getting their first glimpse of the college game. No more. Dunigan is already averaging 13 & 8 down low, while Green tries to replace Richard Hendrix by chipping in 15 & 10.

Finally, one last note. The tournament first began on the 20^th anniversary of the greatest upset in sports history, Division II school Chaminade's victory over Ralph Sampson and #1 Virginia in 1982. They play the Tar Heels in the first round this year. If a miracle happens, would this be a bigger upset?

GameNight: North Carolina vs UCSB

CHN — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:47:35 -0500

Start: Nov 21 2008 - 10:00pm

Preview & Prediction: By Raphielle Johnson

North Carolina (2-0) plays a tune-up before they make the flight to Maui for next week’s Maui Invitational, and given their depleted state you can excuse some folks for thinking of their last trip to Maui. That one, early in the 2004-05 season, began with a game against Santa Clara played without the services of Raymond Felton. The Broncos pulled off the upset, angering the Heels to the point that they blew away an overmatched field on the islands. With Tyler Hansbrough (stress reaction), Marcus Ginyard (stress fracture) and Tyler Zeller (broken wrist; out for the season) missing this one (Hansbrough wants to play, so we’ll see about his status), some could look at this as a possible upset opportunity.

But there’s one key difference between that last national title season and this one: these Heels have two games under their collective belts while the 04-05 version was playing their first game of the year. One of the nation’s best backcourts in Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green will be on display, and forwards Deon Thompson and Ed Davis will carry the load inside. Carolina is also coming off of a solid defensive effort against Kentucky, a game in which the Tar Heels forced twenty-eight turnovers to offset their shooting 41.4% from the field.

UCSB (1-1), led by guard James Powell and forward Chris Devine, split its first two games of the season and would like to make this a half-court game. UCSB is coming off of a school-record 23 wins and was picked to finish second in the Big West behind Cal-State Northridge this year. But for as good as Powell and Devine have the potential to be, the guy to watch is point guard Justin Joyner. Joyner, who played with a broken bone in his left wrist for part of last season, is a tough floor general who will have to decisively win his individual matchup with Lawson if the Gauchos are to entertain any thoughts of winning this game.

Winner: North Carolina Margin: 20+

Preview & Prediction: By Blake Hofstad

We know about UNC. We know all the stars. We know they are supposed to be this year's Florida. And Santa Barbara is just the next team on the schedule. The Heels were not challenged at all by Kentucky on Tuesday night. I won't say UCSB will provide a stiffer test, but don't expect them to lie down and let Carolina bowl over them. This is a team that knocked off UNLV last year (unfortunately, they were victims of a 105-70 loss to North Carolina as well).

Let's start with the home team. The Gauchos of UCSB feature two big scorers. Chris Devine is a 6-8 forward who is their primary post option. James Powell is a 6-2 guard who shot 47% behind the arc last season, but is off to a cold start this season, only going 21%. He still does it all, getting 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists a game. The UCSB bench runs deep, as they rely on a lot of players to step up and give them points on any given night. One such player is D.J. Posley. Posley is fourth on the team in scoring, but leads the Gauchos in both assists and steals.

On to the number one team in the country. Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller and Marcus Ginyard are all out. If UNC is going to lose this season, someone has to take advantage of those injuries. Unfortunately, Santa Barbara is not that team. Even without those three, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Deon Thompson, Ed Davis and Danny Green are great players in their own right. Ellington and Green are knockdown shooters, Lawson is a speedster who can dish, Ed Davis is a superfrosh who is picking up the rebounding slack while Hansbrough's out, and Thompson has really flourished this year, averaging better than 18 points a game.

Ultimately, the Tar Heels should roll over the Gauchos. UCSB just does not have the firepower to match up with the best in the country.

Winner: North Carolina Margin: 20+