North Carolina

Poll: Who is the Most Overrated Top 25 Team?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:04:35 -0500

College Hoops Friday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:54:34 -0500

It's a busier Friday than usual due to a few in-season tournaments taking place this weekend. Tournaments in Puerto Rico and Charleston are into the semifinals while the championship and third-place games will take place in the Coaches vs. Cancer event in New York. Villanova/Dayton kicks things off at 3 PM on ESPNU while both games from Madison Square Garden can be seen on ESPN2 at 5 and 7 PM. But for as good as Syracuse/North Carolina and the opening semi in San Juan look there are also intriguing games not on national television.

Seton Hall travels to Cornell, taking on a team that's already beaten Alabama and UMass this season. There are also a quartet of games each in St. Thomas and Daytona Beach with Tennessee/East Carolina looking to be the lone blowout on paper. And there are a couple of good-looking games late on the West Coast, with Vanderbilt visiting St. Mary's on their way to Maui and BYU visiting Hawaii.

TV GAMES

#19 Georgia Tech vs. George Mason - 1PM - ESPNU (San Juan)
#21 Dayton vs. #6 Villanova - 3PM - ESPNU (San Juan)
#12 California vs. #15 Ohio State - 5PM - ESPN2 (NYC)
Toledo @ Michigan State - 6:30PM - Big Ten Network
#24 Syracuse vs. #4 North Carolina - 7PM - ESPN2
Ole Miss vs. Kansas State - 8:30PM - ESPNU

OTHER GAMES

Miami vs. UNC Wilmington - 3PM (Charleston)
NC State vs. Akron - 3:30PM (Daytona Beach)
St. Joseph's vs. Boston College - 6PM (St. Thomas)
Seton Hall @ Cornell - 7PM
Miami (OH) vs. Louisiana Tech - 8PM (Albuquerque)
Vanderbilt @ St. Mary's - 11:30PM
BYU @ Hawaii - 12:05AM

ONE PREDICTION

Boston College over St. Joseph's: The Eagles were picked to finish in the bottom half of the ACC yet outside of Tyrese Rice they returned all their key players from last season's team. And when you've got one of the more underrated coaches around in Al Skinner you tend to get ignored by the masses. Very good coaching matchup here between Skinner and Phil Martelli but the pick here goes with Rakim Sanders and Joe Trapani.

Poll: Who Locked Up the Best 2010 Recruiting Class?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:16:34 -0500

ACC Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:46:54 -0500

With UNC rebuilding and Duke lacking depth, the ACC is more wide-open then its been in quite some time. Adding to the intrigue are top-notch prospects like Derrick Favors, Michael Snaer, and John Henson.

Conference Rank: 3rd

10 year average: 1st

ACC Page

All-ACC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Malcolm Delaney	Virginia Tech	Jr
G	Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	Sr
F	Kyle Singler	Duke	Jr
F	Ed Davis	North Carolina	So
F	Trevor Booker	Clemson	Sr
Second Team
G	Jon Scheyer	Duke	Sr
G	Sylven Landesburg	Virginia	So
F	Gani Lawal	Georgia Tech	Jr
F	Al-Farouq Aminu	Wake Forest	So
D	Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	Fr

Player of the Year - Greivis Vasquez Freshman of the Year - Derrick Favors
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Kyle Singler (2nd team) Ed Davis (3rd) Derrick Favors (3rd) Greivis Vasquez (3rd) Al-Farouq Aminu Trevor Booker Malcolm Delaney Jon Scheyer All-Freshman Team Derrick Favors (1st Team) John Henson Ryan Kelly Mason Plumlee Durand Scott Michael Snaer Dexter Strickland Mfon Udofia		Points: Malcolm Delaney 18.1 Rebounds: Trevor Booker 9.7 Assists: Greivis Vasquez 5.0 Team: North Carolina 89.9

ACC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

4	North Carolina	ACC	1	NCAA
8	Duke	ACC	2	NCAA
20	Maryland	ACC	4	NCAA
22	Clemson	ACC	3	NCAA
26	Georgia Tech	ACC	5	NCAA
44	Wake Forest	ACC	6	NCAA
52	Florida St	ACC	7	NIT
64	Virginia Tech	ACC	8	NIT
70	Miami	ACC	9	NIT
78	Virginia	ACC	10	NIT
93	Boston College	ACC	11	CBI/CIT
119	NC State	ACC	12	CBI/CIT

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the ACC?

Other ACC Content

ACC: Top 25 Players

ACC Fantasy Stats Preview

ACC Media Poll & All-Conference Team

ACC 5-Year Ranking

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Reggie Bullock & Kendall Marshall Sign With UNC

Press Release — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:42:16 -0500

CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina men's basketball program signed two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Roy Williams announced Thursday.

The Tar Heels signed Reggie Bullock from Kinston, N.C., and Kendall Marshall from Dumfries, Va.

Bullock attends Kinston High School where he plays for Coach Wells Gulledge.

"Reggie is a wonderful prospect as a perimeter player," says Williams. "At six feet, seven inches tall, he has the ability to handle the ball and be a fantastic shooter. He is also a good defensive player. He's the kind of young man whom everyone will enjoy watching."

Marshall, a 6-4 guard, attends Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Va., where he plays for Coach Joe Wootten. Current UNC senior Marcus Ginyard also attended Bishop O'Connell and played for Coach Wootten.

"Kendall is a true point guard," says Williams. "He's a Lenny Wilkens type player -very clever with the ball. I love his unselfishness. Everyone who has played with him wants to be his teammate again. He's a thinking man's point guard who will fit in well with the way we play."

- tarheelblue.com

ACC Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:44:10 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

ACC

PG
1. Greivis Vasquez - Maryland
2. Malcolm Delaney - Virginia Tech
3. Demontez Stitt - Clemson
4. Derwin Kitchen - FSU
5. Dexter Strickland - UNC

SG
1. Jon Scheyer - Duke
2. Sylven Landesberg - Virginia
3. Iman Shumpert - Georgia Tech
4. Michael Snaer - FSU
5. Reggie Jackson - Boston College

- Considering this is the ACC, the guard class in general is rather uninspiring. Amongst PG's, Kitchen is the potential breakout star. Shumpert can play both guard positions, it will be interesting to see whether he loses shots to the likes of Favors & Lawal.

SF
1. Kyle Singler - Duke
2. John Henson - UNC
3. Rakim Sanders - Boston College
4. Chris Singleton - FSU
5. Marcus Ginyard - UNC

PF
1. Derrick Favors - Georgia Tech
2. Ed Davis - UNC
3. Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest
4. Jeff Allen - Virginia Tech
5. Gani Lawal - Georgia Tech

C
1. Trevor Booker - Clemson
2. Solomon Alabi - FSU
3. Joe Trapani - Boston College
4. Dwayne Collins - Miami
5. Deon Thompson - UNC

- The power forward position is stacked, as solid players like Landon Milbourne (Maryland) and Corey Raji (BC) don't make it. Booker is one of the best senior Draft prospects in the country, while Alabi is one of the top 10 sophomore prospects.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

-- Big Ten Top 25 Players

-- Big East Top 25 Players

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will Win the 2010 National Championship?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:30:41 -0500

UNC Basketball Preview: #4

Joel Welser — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:46:36 -0500

Overall Rank: #4

Conference Rank: #1 Atlantic Coast Conference

2008-09: 34-4, 13-3

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Roy Williams (176-37 at North Carolina, 594-138 overall)

North Carolina has been here before. This is not the first time the Tar Heels lose a whole slew of talent and it will not be the last time. Rebuilding and fitting the pieces together is what Coach Roy Williams does and he does it better than anybody. While players like Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough dominated the headlines during UNC’s National Championship run, younger players were sitting on the bench waiting for their turn. Now it is their turn.

Key Losses: G Wayne Ellington, G Bobby Frasor, F Danny Green, F Tyler Hansbrough, G Ty Lawson

Key Newcomers:

But there are also five incoming freshmen who are more than capable of contributing right away. Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald will have to play an important role on this slim backcourt. Both could end up starting sooner or later. Strickland can handle the ball very well and will battle for the starting point guard position. If he loses that battle, he will still get minutes as the backup or as a starter on the wing. McDonald is expected to be the next great Tar Heel shooter. That alone will make him a valuable player whether he starts or not. Those two are important newcomers, but believe it or not, the best freshmen heading to Chapel Hill are in the frontcourt.

Backcourt:

Larry Drew II will be given the opportunity to win the starting point guard spot. That is what he was expected to do once Lawson left, but he did not have the greatest freshman campaign. But to be fair he averaged less than ten minutes per game and was never really given a real opportunity. He will get it now. Wing Marcus Ginyard, who missed nearly all of last season with an injury could run the point, but Strickland would be the likely successor if Drew II fails. Another wing, Will Graves, would then join Ginyard providing valuable experience and depth on the perimeter.

Frontcourt:

The frontcourt already has three great players and that is not even counting the three incoming freshmen. Deon Thompson started all but one game last season and averaged 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Even at 6-9 and 245 pounds, Thompson could end up spending much of his time at the small forward position due to the vast amount of talent in the frontcourt. Ed Davis averaged less than 20 minutes per game, but he still tallied 6.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest. With Davis under the basket it will not be long before UNC fans forget about Hansbrough. Tyler Zeller, a seven-foot center, averaged a mere 7.8 minutes per game last year and it is hard to see where he will find any more.

Who to Watch:

There has to be a spot somewhere in the starting lineup for John Henson. The 6-10 freshman is on top of nearly every recruiting list and will be a dominating force under the basket once he gains some strength. For now he could spend some time at the small forward position where his lack of toughness will not be as big of a concern. Yet, Davis’ lack of size was an issue last year too and he did just fine under the basket. David Wear and Travis Wear are almost afterthoughts in this recruiting class, but both were McDonald’s All-Americans.

Final Projection:

This team will all come down to chemistry. North Carolina has more than enough talent to win the National Championship again, but this is a young team. Coach Williams will find the right pieces and put them in the right places and that should be enough to get this team on top of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, but the inexperience will get the best of them sooner or later.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Larry Drew II, Sophomore, Guard, 1.4 points per game

Marcus Ginyard, Senior, Guard, 1.3 points per game (injured)

John Henson, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Deon Thompson, Senior, Forward, 10.6 points per game

Ed Davis, Sophomore, Forward, 6.7 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
5		6		7		8

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will be the Freshman of the Year?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:45:38 -0500

ACC Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:23:02 -0500

ACC 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: How do ACC teams stack up over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	1	UNC	14	12	11	14	13	64	80	80	Win %
			Champs	NCAA 32	Elite 8	Final 4	Champs			46	Post Pts.
										126

2	2	Duke	11	14	8	13	11	57	80	71	Win %
			Sweet 16	2nd Round	1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16			22	Post Pts.
										93

3	3	BC	13	11	10	4	9	47	80	59	Win %
			2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round	X	1st Round			16	Post Pts.
			*Big East							75

4	5	MD	7	8	10	8	7	40	80	50	Win %
			NIT	NIT	2nd Round	NIT	2nd Round			11	Post Pts.
										61

5	7	Wake For.	13	3	5	7	11	39	80	49	Win %
			2nd Round	NIT	X	X	1st Round			7	Post Pts.
										56

6	11	Clemson	5	7	7	10	9	38	80	48	Win %
			NIT	NIT	NIT	1st Round	1st Round			7	Post Pts.
										55

6	8	VA Tech	8	4	10	9	7	38	80	48	Win %
			NIT	X	2nd Round	NIT	NIT			7	Post Pts.
										55

8	10	FSU	4	9	7	7	10	37	80	46	Win %
			X	NIT	NIT	NIT	1st Round			5	Post Pts.
										51

9	6	NC State	7	10	5	4	6	32	80	40	Win %
			Sweet 16	2nd Round	NIT	X	X			11	Post Pts.
										51

10	12	Miami	7	7	4	8	7	33	80	41	Win %
			NIT	NIT	X	2nd Round	NIT			7	Post Pts.
										48

11	9	Virginia	4	7	11	5	4	31	80	39	Win %
			X	NIT	2nd Round	X	X			5	Post Pts.
										44

12	4	GA Tech	8	4	8	7	2	29	80	36	Win %
			2nd Round	X	1st Round	X	X			6	Post Pts.
										42