UNC v. Illinois, etc

[NashvilleDevil]

I only watched a little bit and I noticed that Roy does not seem to let the guys he has on the floor get in a rhythm. One minute it would be Barnes, Bullock, Marshall, Henson and Zeller and when I turned away it would be a different line-up. How does he expect these kids to play when they are getting pulled every dead ball?

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

For a good laugh go over to inside carolina and read their I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.ing. And be sure and check out Roy's press conference, his favorite words are "I" and "me". I have started counting the times he uses those words in every couple of sentences. Maybe since he can only coach with great talent that can run, he should at least try to emulate Coach K where it is always about team and the kids. Maybe it's the West Point ed where team is the whole concept. If Roy has another bad year, and he is well on his way, his recruiting will slip and then he will really be exposed as a weak bench coach.

[CrazieDUMB]

Through the first six games:

                     FGM-FGA     FG%    3PM-3PA      3P%
Prince Harry:        25-71      .352     7-21       .333 
UNC                  171-371    .461    28-76       .368
UNC w/o HB:          146-300    .486    21-55       .392

Just sayin...

[FerryFor50]

On the year:

                     FGM-FGA     FG%    3PM-3PA      3P%
Prince Harry:        25-71      .352     7-21       .333 
UNC                  171-371    .461    28-76       .368
UNC w/o HB:          146-300    .486    21-55       .392

Just sayin...

If that kid ever figures out team ball, look out.

Hopefully, he just keeps gunning. With every shot he takes, it's one step closer to the NIT.

[Devilsfan]

I bet they're tearing him up worse on the IC than we are. I so glad they have that DUDE and we have KYRIE!!!!

[SuperTurkey]

If that kid ever figures out team ball, look out.

Hopefully, he just keeps gunning. With every shot he takes, it's one step closer to the NIT.

UNC is looking more CBI than NIT right now.

[Acymetric]

that "overrated" chant is like nails on a chalk board. poor kid has the world coming down on him. wouldnt wish this on anyone.

I promise this isn't meant to pick an argument with you, not is it sour grapes about Barnes choosing unc over Duke...but while I agree that this is rough on a young kid, he brought this on himself.

He did things throughout recruitment (and after recruitment) to get himself increased exposure, as he should have...that's how you build a brand, and if he wants to play pro and make bank in endorsements the earlier he starts building the better. The problem is, you then have to be able to take the pressure placed on you and perform. Fact is, pressure, and the risk of failing big time on a big stage, are a part of seeking stardom.

That said, I hope he figures himself out as soon as he makes it to the NBA and not a second sooner

[tecumseh]

Like Yogi said about the 90% mental part the stats don't tell the true story ever since HB had an of fer he has been horrid he was 3 of 12 against Charleston and 2 of 9 tonight and you figure with a couple of put backs lay ups that means he is missing like almost all of his shots. His confidence is totally shot. He has now has 4 consecutive bad shooting nights it is time to consider he might be a monumental BUST. The good news is the ACC is so down this year he should have enough easy games to get back his confidence.

[FerryFor50]

Like Yogi said about the 90% mental part the stats don't tell the true story ever since HB had an of fer he has been horrid he was 3 of 12 against Charleston and 2 of 9 tonight and you figure with a couple of put backs lay ups that means he is missing like almost all of his shots. His confidence is totally shot. He has now has 4 consecutive bad shooting nights it is time to consider he might be a monumental BUST. The good news is the ACC is so down this year he should have enough easy games to get back his confidence.

I don't think you can call anyone a bust 7 games into a season, even a freshman preseason all-american.

[striker219]

When the Illini students chanted "Overrated" while Barnes was inbounding, I got chills.

I'm not going to lie; I really enjoyed that. Like, really, really enjoyed it. And then I felt bad that I was enjoying watching some kid suffer out there. And then I didn't feel bad because that kid really, really brought this on himself with his actions and attitude for the last year. And with that realization, I enjoyed it a little bit more.

[DevilHorns]

Like Yogi said about the 90% mental part the stats don't tell the true story ever since HB had an of fer he has been horrid he was 3 of 12 against Charleston and 2 of 9 tonight and you figure with a couple of put backs lay ups that means he is missing like almost all of his shots. His confidence is totally shot. He has now has 4 consecutive bad shooting nights it is time to consider he might be a monumental BUST. The good news is the ACC is so down this year he should have enough easy games to get back his confidence.

I don't think you can call anyone a bust 7 games into a season, even a freshman preseason all-american.

I agree that confidence is key and this string of terrible games has surely obliterated almost all of it.

Harrison was supposed to be a player with an extensive offensive arsenal. He has not shown any of that during this early season. The problem is as he struggles shooting, he becomes more timid offensively... he becomes less creative off the dribble... he becomes less likely to find a high% shot. All I saw from him today was darting around the perimeter tossing the ball around and every now and then taking an open shot. Very ordinary. He didn't try and take anyone off the dribble consistently. When he did, he was sluggish and lackluster. Nothing remotely like a game-changer type player.

Think about this: If you were on another planet during this off-season... and saw UNC play today, what would you think of Barnes? You'd think he's a good player with some up-side, likely a 3-4 year player, probably 4 star out of high school. Right?

I think with this streak of bad games, against pretty average competition, he's likely not going to reach the pedestal that was expected of him. I think he will improve over the year, but he won't average 20-and-10 at a high FG% or anything remotely close to that.

[davekay1971]

It all comes back to Roy and what he's doing or not doing with this team.

Carolina has: 2 really good interior players, a very promising freshman point guard, a couple role players who can hit open looks on the perimeter (Bullock and McDonald), a workhorse interior role guy who has some spirit in Knox, and a talented freshman on the wing who can develop into a strong 3 with time. That's the basis for a competitive team.

Carolina also has: a lot of dead weight on the perimeter, most particularly a junior PG that is regressing from bad to worse, and a coach who insists on giving the majority of the PT to the dead weight.

Carolina lacks: defensive intensity and therefore the ability to get out in transition regularly; any concept of how to generate consistent good looks in a half court offense; any semblance of team spirit, team unity, or heart; and a coach who is willing to adapt at all to his personnel.

Hopefully Roy will continue to try to force that square peg into the round hole, will continue to I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. and moan rather than adjust to what's happening on the court, and will, most importantly, keep running Drew out there as the starting PG while Marshall sits on the bench wondering when his coach is gonna start reading the DBR and get a clue.

[ice-9]

To be fair, it looks worse than it actually is. Illinois was making some crazy shots -- turnaround fall away jumpers that hit nothing but net. If those went in at a normal rate the score would've been much closer.

The Heels are reeling, of that there's no doubt, but you can also see they have some very talented pieces on that roster. Zeller is a beast -- quick, mobile, high percentage shots. Henson is a constant shot blocking threat, long and very fast. We all must know that Prince Harry is better than he's looking right now. A decent coach should be able to win with those three key players and two or three complementary pieces (which UNC does have).

I put the blame on Roy.

[ambitiouspear]

I think it's easy to forget how different the college game is from HS and how HS rankings don't always prove true. Check out Kemba Walker who was the #2 PG in his class and took until his junior year to really show his ability. Also consider Josh McRoberts, who if IIRC was the #2 recruit in his HS class overall.

My point is that we really have no idea what kind of player HB is going to be 5 games from now or at the end of the season (or next year for that matter). I did feel bad for the youngster with the overrated chants tonight.

[SoCalDukeFan]

I have not seen UNC-CH much this year but see some see tonight.

I think it is pretty obvious that they need to play Marshall as point guard and give Bullock more minutes. A shorter bench with more continutiy would help as well.

Questions
1) Is Roy experimenting with different players and line ups and will shorten the bench and give his best minutes more PT once he determines the best players?

2)Or will Roy stick with Drew II as his main point guard or play all kind of combinations with no continuity?

This is an NIT runner team who lost 3 players that they expected to have back. They did pick up a valuable grad student which I guess was unexpected.

If they didn't play so poorly it woud be more fun to watch them lose. This was kind of a painful game to watch.

SoCal

[quota]

that "overrated" chant is like nails on a chalk board. poor kid has the world coming down on him. wouldnt wish this on anyone.

I would agree with you, but Barnes made it perfectly before the season started that he was worthy of the hype. If you're going to talk the talk before even the first preseason game, you've got to be willing to take the heat when you can't manage to walk the walk.

I feel no sympathy for Prince Harry.

[Duvall]

I have not seen UNC-CH much this year but see some see tonight.

I think it is pretty obvious that they need to play Marshall as point guard and give Bullock more minutes. A shorter bench with more continutiy would help as well.

Probably, but it's worth noting that both Marshall and Bullock kind of stunk tonight. The Heels do not lack for problems, and there is no easy fix.

[loran16]

Roy:

""If you’ve got enough balls to make somebody a big hero like that, admit that you were wrong, and stop picking on the kid. … It’s silly, if you’re going to anoint the guy and three weeks later crucify him, that’s ridiculous. He didn’t ask to be voted first-team pre-season All-America.”

Yeah, ummm dude, but that's why YOU recruited him. It's hard for me to be understanding when I'm pretty sure that you're thinking those same things, and perhaps even saying them behind closed doors.

[timmy c]

Probably, but it's worth noting that both Marshall and Bullock kind of stunk tonight. The Heels do not lack for problems, and there is no easy fix.

I’m with you Duvall, the box score reveals a plethora of problems.
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=303340356

Barnes – Everything I would say has already been said in triplicate. I’m bored of the issue. Moving on…
PG position: Drew II: 24 minutes, 2 points, 7 assists, and 3 turnovers. Marshall: 16 minutes, 3 points, 2 assists and 4 turnovers. Ugly.
Free throws: 47% from the charity stripe. Henson and Zeller each 0-3.

[quota]

Don't know if anyone else noticed, but at one point tonight, Roy yanked his starting lineup and spent a few minutes "coaching" them while the game was still going on.

Four of the five players had their focus solely on Ol' Roy. The fifth guy? Larry Drew II, who was blithely watching the basketball game and paying absolutely no attention to Huckleberry Hound.

Carolina's woes aren't due to an Xs and Os problem. It's a combination of a lack of discipline by certain players and Roy's stubbornness.

In other words, a complete repeat of 2010. I'm not saying it's going to be impossible for this team to make the NCAAT, but at this point I don't see how they're going to right the ship in time.