The following is quote originally posted by CDU:
"I think the injury to Marshall has really exposed the limitations in Barnes' game. I sort of wonder if that will affect his draft stock and cause him to return. Meanwhile, I kind of feel like Marshall's stock has to go up.
It's going to be an interesting next several weeks here in the Triangle as we find out who is staying and who is going.[/QUOTE]
I could easily see a situation where Barnes returns, especially if he receives feedback from the scouts/execs telling him he would be drafted behind Marshall and/or J.M.M. I don't think his ego could take it. "I'm returning to UNC to complete my Legacy of Excellence" sounds like something we may hear in a couple of weeks.
I also believe being told he would be drafted behind Kyrie in last year's draft is what prevented him from leaving last year. His ego probably kept him from coming to Duke in the first place. Remember, he was the BMOC coming to "save" Duke long before Kyrie became KYRIE.
JMHO
not counting the pre-unc hype, i'd say that he's pretty close to the 2nd round now..
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese
first - yay! evil empire gone.
second - no matter who stays, at least zeller is gone. whew. That dude is truly awesome. 20/22 against ohio to save UNC. That guy is / was a killer. One of the Tarheels I couldnt' hate - just does is business and kills you.
Well, I'm an alumnus of 1989 so the "regular season title" was not recognized in my years either. But I think the very next year or two it started, so it's been recognized for over 20 years by now. It counts.
I take your point about the unbalanced schedule, but to me, UNC clearly had the better year in every respect:
Head to head we split, but our one win was on a last second shot; they blew us out in Cameron.
They finished a game ahead of us in the ACC standings, largely because they went 2-0 vs. Miami and we went 0-1.
They went 2-1 in the ACCT; we went 1-1
They went 3-1 in the NCAAT; we went 0-1
They won 32 games to our 27 (yes we had a tougher OOC schedule, but better to win them)
If we played better and our results more closely mirrored Carolina's this year, then I think we could justify dissecting the unbalanced schedule to figure out how to break the tie. But I think the unbalanced schedule is irrelevant considering the above difference in results.
I wish it were otherwise, but to me, we have to face facts and admit we were, on the whole, bested this year by them. As someone noted, all the more reason to redouble efforts next year.
A disappointing end to the season, although I am not disappointed in the team. I thought they fought hard given the adversity they faced.
I agree with everything Wheat said. To win this one, we had to avoid letting our weaknesses come into play, opposing guard penetration and outside shooting. Their guards killed us. White performed better than I anticipated at the offensive end (save the last five minutes), but was killed on the defensive end. It seemed like KU was practically starting their offense from five feet inside the arc. And our outside shooting was woeful.
As for Barnes, of course he would have played better with Marshall, but his struggles started a few weeks ago, so I don't think it all can be attributed to KM's injury. He lost his shot, started pressing, and my guess is that his confidence went off a cliff. In any case, he was the one who could have possibly carried us to the FF and he couldn't pull it off. No one is more aware of that right now than he.
Now we wait to see who comes back. We return Marshall and McAdoo and we will be okay. We return three of the four and we'll be very good. We may both be looking up at NCSU in the standings.
Tough break for UNC not having Marshall. With him I think they are in the Final 4. But you won't see me crying over the fact they lost
How about Zeller tipping in one of KU's baskets? I laughed so hard. Glad he is done, kid could straight ball in the post
I don't read UNC message boards but Harrison Barnes must be getting blasted. What a choke job he was
HA! Great minds think alike! I was pulling for the higher seed in every game until the Heels finally went down. I hated pulling against NC State, but there is just no way I wanted to see State as the barrier between UNC and the Final Four. (Though State beating UNC today would have been a very interesting scenario. IC would have crashed beyond repair).
Now that the evil empire is just another one of the 67 losers, I can pull for teams I would like to see win or against UK. Go Louisville, and Go Ohio St (Paulus).
Oh, I agree with you on that point. Don't get me wrong, I do think they had a better year than Duke did. But I was just responding to the idea of a UNC championship. To me, the last championship Carolina won was the National championship in 09. They did finish a game ahead in the ACC standings and that's important because it's always more fun to watch your team win. But basketball at both the collegiate and NBA level is a tournament sport. Here's an example: Who had the best record in the NBA last year? I'm an NBA fan, and I don't know off the top of my head. But I know who won the title...
Howard
White with 7 assists and zero turnovers: Ironically, it was Marshall's 3-pt shooting that was missed the most.
Teams in the last month have been doubling Zeller and daring Marshall to beat them with wide open threes. Marshall has hit those shots and UNC won.
White was 0-3 from three and decided not to even attempt more.
And of course Barnes was 0-5 from three point land.
And Bullock was 1-5 from three.
Tar heel fans have constantly derided Duke this year as merely a "live by the 3, die by the 3" team - what sweet irony that the Heels died by the three. 2 of 17 for 11.8% - ouch!
I count 10 returning players - if all 4 of McAdoo, Marshall, Henson, and Barnes return - and 4 recruits coming in, so that would be 1 over. But one of the 10 returnees is Jackson Simmons, and I'm uncertain of his scholarship status. I assume White's departure for his mission means his scholarship is available. But I bet other posters are more informed on this stuff than I.