Unc Vs. Uk. Somebody had to lose. Fortunately, it was unc.

[Dev11]

Am I the only person who heard Anthony say that Roy was in Kansas when the scandal was going down at UNC? Why would he say that?

You were not the only one and I can't offer a better explanation than Anthony got himself confused and meant to say that Roy was at Kansas when it started.

[NashvilleDevil]

Based on what, exactly?

Their defense is great, and their offense is very... opportunistic.

What is everyone basing them making the title game on? Some good performances in November and December? Duke has had plenty of those and flamed out early. I just don't think they make the Elite Eight. There will be a four seed from a power conference that won't be intimidated. And like I said, bold prediction.

[Duvall]

Am I the only person who heard Anthony say that Roy was in Kansas when the scandal was going down at UNC? Why would he say that?

The same reason Bilas and other announcers frequently speak nonsense about the scandal - the inventory must be protected.

[Duvall]

UNC did far better on the glass than I expected, beating Kentucky on both ends. UK picked a good day to have its first good shooting day from distance...

[Henderson]

I'd say Caolina is a reasonable top 20 team and that, despite any perceived weakneses, UK has to be regarded as at least a top 5 team.

So top 20 team loses to top 5 team on the road by 14. I'd say both came out OK.

[Wander]

UK picked a good day to have its first good shooting day from distance...

OK, but UNC is also a bad three point shooting team that had an unusually good shooting day from distance, so it sort of cancels out, right? Kentucky's average is 28% and they shot 47%. UNC's average is 28% and shot 46%.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Britt looks like a mediocre and unremarkable backup point guard. Your obsession with him is strange.

No obsession, just pointing out that he played well for those who don't notice the glue guys like him that make teams better.

UNC is struggling to make the timely "basketball plays". They seem to turn it over with a lazy pass in key moments or, for example, like the play midway through second half down 9 and fighting to get back in it Tokoto fails to strongly squeeze the defensive rebound and let's it get slapped away and KY gets another shot and makes a 3 to stretch it back to 12.

We can't look past the fact that Ky played very well. They were the better team out there today.

Roy's got to find a way to get something more from the SF spot. Jackson and Pinson are still showing some inexperience and Tokoto is not being aggressive enough going to the rim when he's there.

UNC is a work in progress. Nobody will question their effort today, and that's a positive.

[Bluegrassdevil1]

UNC did far better on the glass than I expected, beating Kentucky on both ends. UK picked a good day to have its first good shooting day from distance...

I completely agree. Relative to Carolina's recent struggles and UK's recent success, the Heels did not look that bad out there.

I suspect that next week's OSU game will be quite important to the fighting Huckleberry Hounds. Beating a good OSU team, coupled with positives against UK, could lead them to a strong ACC run; however, losing four times before ACC play, not having a great pre-conference win (Florida may get it together, but their current state is a mess), could harm them a great deal.

I still worry that UNC will pull it together in the ACC, especially with a less than brutal conference draw, but right now, Carolina does look like a group that can hang around against quality opposition, but in the end, be unable to get the win.

Their early Chapel Hill contest with U of L may prove to be their return to the forefront, or it could signal that the team may simply go through a season similar to Duke last year: on paper, and in theory, everything should be in place, but for a myriad of reasons, the puzzle just never fully goes together.

[Henderson]

No obsession, just pointing out that he played well for those who don't notice the glue guys like him that make teams better.

UNC is struggling to make the timely "basketball plays". They seem to turn it over with a lazy pass in key moments or, for example, like the play midway through second half down 9 and fighting to get back in it Tokoto fails to strongly squeeze the defensive rebound and let's it get slapped away and KY gets another shot and makes a 3 to stretch it back to 12.

We can't look past the fact that Ky played very well. They were the better team out there today.

Roy's got to find a way to get something more from the SF spot. Jackson and Pinson are still showing some inexperience and Tokoto is not being aggressive enough going to the rim when he's there.

UNC is a work in progress. Nobody will question their effort today, and that's a positive.

Where is Justin Jackson? I was so high on him.

[alteran]

You were not the only one and I can't offer a better explanation than Anthony got himself confused and meant to say that Roy was at Kansas when it started.

They're clearly having trouble keeping their apologia taking points straight.
We can take some solace in the fact that they're at least acknowledging it's a scandal now.

[Wander]

No obsession, just pointing out that he played well for those who don't notice the glue guys like him that make teams better.

But he doesn't do that. At all. UNC is absolutely desperate for a guard who can play halfway decent alongside Paige. Any guard - point, shooting, combo, defensive-oriented guy, glue guy, whatever. Despite this glaring need, Britt's minutes have gone down from his freshman to sophomore season. It's not just his stats either, although those are pretty bad - his shooting percentage sucks even though nearly every shot he takes is wide open. He's a horrible defender and doesn't run the team well.

If he was anywhere near the glue guy that you think he is, Roy would be playing him a lot more minutes, because UNC really really really needs a guard to be the 5th player to go alongside Paige, Meeks, Johnson, and Tokoto. That could actually be a really good starting lineup if they did have such an all-around glue player type of guard to add in there - someone like Duke's Tyler Thornton would be huge for UNC.

[77devil]

I'll give it to Ol' Roy today. He was excellent at preserving time outs. When asked at the post game presser why he did not call any to make adjustments when UNC was down 18 or down the stretch, Roy replied:

The team was perfectly prepared and the Roy Williams' game plan was flawless. There was no need for adjustments dadgumit. If only the kids would execute you wouldn't be asking that stupid question.

[Duvall]

OK, but UNC is also a bad three point shooting team that had an unusually good shooting day from distance, so it sort of cancels out, right? Kentucky's average is 28% and they shot 47%. UNC's average is 28% and shot 46%.

True. It was a strange game in that the margin was roughly expected, but both teams shot better than they have against much weaker defenses.

[tbyers11]

If he was anywhere near the glue guy that you think he is, Roy would be playing him a lot more minutes, because UNC really really really needs a guard to be the 5th player to go alongside Paige, Meeks, Johnson, and Tokoto. That could actually be a really good starting lineup if they did have such an all-around glue player type of guard to add in there - someone like Duke's Tyler Thornton would be huge for UNC.

Agree with you on Britt not appearing to be a very good player. I haven't watched a ton of UNC this year but he certainly, IMO, didn't have a good "glue guy" game today. Tangibles or intangibles he didn't show much

I think you've hit on the major flaw with this UNC team also. Lack of a strong 2nd guard. I think this is why Paige's scoring numbers are often so much better in the 2nd half of games. He is trying to play facilitator in the first half and get everybody involved at the expense of his own shot. He is OK in this role put I think he is much better at hunting his shot in the standard 2-guard role he plays in the 2nd half. If Roy thought Britt or Berry were ready wouldn't he have them out there more to maximize Paige's talents?

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Where is Justin Jackson? I was so high on him.

Jackson is showing the typical freshman struggles with strength and adjusting to the speed of the game. He'll get much better, but he's not a one and done type player. Doesn't have the body for that.

When Britt was on the floor today, UNC was playing its best ball. It's that simple and not hard to see if you're paying attention.

[COYS]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think UK is actually a better team with Tyler Ulis running the show? Andrew Harrison is big, which helps him on defense, but he doesn't seem to use his size effectively on the offensive end, and he just doesn't seem like a natural show-runner on offense. Meanwhile, the rest of their team is so big that going with the smaller but more offensively savvy Ulis seems like a trade for the better for that team.

Also, from a rebounding stats perspective, this one seems like a particularly odd game. UNC grabbed 58% (!!!!!!) of their own misses. That makes UK's defensive rebounding percentage a paltry 42%. If you gave me that stat and asked which team scored 84 points, I'd guess UNC, obviously. However, UK shot great from three and grabbed 46% of their own misses (and, relatively speaking there weren't that many of them), canceling out what will almost certainly be their worst showing on the defensive glass this season (i have neither the time nor the will to check, but I'd be surprised if this isn't UK's worst showing on the defensive glass in years).

At any rate, UNC has a lot of questions to answer and UK looks every bit the number one team, as much as I hate to admit that. Not unbeatable, perhaps, but they are formidable.

[Ichabod Drain]

Jackson is showing the typical freshman struggles with strength and adjusting to the speed of the game. He'll get much better, but he's not a one and done type player. Doesn't have the body for that.

When Britt was on the floor today, UNC was playing its best ball. It's that simple and not hard to see if you're paying attention.

I've seen quite a few mock drafts with Jackson going in the first round. Including some very recent ones.

[Duvall]

I've seen quite a few mock drafts with Jackson going in the first round. Including some very recent ones.

Pretty common for highly rated UNC freshmen to be at the top of the draft boards early in their freshman seasons. Less common for them to be there at the end of their freshman years.

[BD80]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think UK is actually a better team with Tyler Ulis running the show? Andrew Harrison is big, which helps him on defense, but he doesn't seem to use his size effectively on the offensive end, and he just doesn't seem like a natural show-runner on offense. Meanwhile, the rest of their team is so big that going with the smaller but more offensively savvy Ulis seems like a trade for the better for that team.
...

I see this as a potential issue for ky. calipari was already straying from the platoon system, and without Poythros, it was going to get complicated. calipari is used to quick, ball-control point guards and it appears to me that Ullis is better for the team. Thus, I see Ullis' minutes increasing, particularly in critical situations. Which leaves Harrison on the short end of the minutes handling the ball. The Harrison twins are back to improve their draft stock, what happens when their stock starts slipping because it appears that Ullis is the better player? Aaron Harrison already shoots every time he gets the ball. There could be some chemistry problems on the horizon.

[Kedsy]

I see this as a potential issue for ky. calipari was already straying from the platoon system, and without Poythros, it was going to get complicated. calipari is used to quick, ball-control point guards and it appears to me that Ullis is better for the team. Thus, I see Ullis' minutes increasing, particularly in critical situations. Which leaves Harrison on the short end of the minutes handling the ball. The Harrison twins are back to improve their draft stock, what happens when their stock starts slipping because it appears that Ullis is the better player? Aaron Harrison already shoots every time he gets the ball. There could be some chemistry problems on the horizon.

Seemed to me in today's game there was a fair amount of time where all three played (Ulis and both Harrisons), along with two of the big guys. That's one way to deal with the loss of Poythress, right? And I doubt Andrew Harrison's draft stock will drop so much if he appears to be spending part of the game playing PG alone and part of the game in a "two PG" offense.