This Week[end] in the ACC: 11/13-11/15

[Olympic Fan]

The ACC opens the 2015-16 season this weekend with 20 games -- 12 Friday night, three on Saturday and five on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the opening lineup is not likely to tell us much. Most of the matchups this weekend are gimmies, such as Duke's two games with Siena and Bryant.

The one exception: Pitt vs. No. 9 Gonzaga in Okinawa (Friday at 7 p.m. ESPN) -- I think Pitt is going to be better than people think, but not good enough to open with a win over a preseason top 10 team. I know the Zags have to replace three starters off the team that Duke beat in the Elite Eight last spring, but one of the returnees is preseason All-American Kyle Wiltger. The Zags will featire the biggest frontline in the country with the 6-10, 240-pound Wiltjer at small forward, 6-10, 235 Domantis Sarbonis at PF and 7-1, 290 Prezemek Karnowski at center. The guard are a question mark -- Josh Perkins was a heralded recruit, but an injury forced him to redshirt last season. If Pitt wins this, it's a sign that the Panthers will be really good.

For every other ACC game this weekend, a win will mean little and a loss will be a big red flag.

-- UNC faces a big-name opponent in Temple (Friday at 7 p.n. on CBSS). A typical Temple team might be a threat to a UNC team without Marcus Paige, but this Temple team is rebuilding and is picked sixth in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll. I think UNC is overrated, but not THAT overrated.

-- Clemson has struggled with some preseason injuries and might have been tested at home against NC Central -- a very good mid-major in recent years -- but the Eagles are rebuilding too and are picked sixth in the MEAC.

-- Syracuse opens (Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN3) against Lehigh, which is the favorite in the Patriot League. Their chief contender is expected to be Bucknell, which gets Wake Forest Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBSS. The game is at Bucknell and the Deacs will be without Codi Miller-McIntyre, so it might be a test.

-- Both Notre Dame and Boston College open with St. Francis. The Irish get St. Francis (Pa.), while the Eagles get St. Francis (NY). Both are in the Northeast Conference -- the one from New York won the conference title last year and is expected to be a the better of the two teams this year -- which could be a problem for a Boston College team that should be truly dreadful.

Still, when all is said and done, I expect the ACC to come out of the weekend with a 19-1 record ... but that won't mean much.

The schedule gets a bit more interesting Monday -- Virginia is at George Washington and Georgia Tech hosts Tennessee. On Tuesday, there's this fairly interesting matchup in Chicago between Duke and some Duke-wannabe from a certain border state that doesn't know how to do barbeque.

[whereinthehellami]

Thanks for the write-up. Can't wait! The KY game is coming up quick, too quick.

[pfrduke]

Basketball is back with a veritable smorgasbord of tasty treats. Most ACC teams are untested for the first weekend, but still, it's basketball! Kudos to Oly for starting the thread, and I'll be back on a weekly basis with the general rundown of the ACC slate. As always, all times eastern and all rankings Pomeroy (who, at the moment, seems to be more highly ranking than other sources basically all of the ACC teams other than UNC, so I like him already). 20 games are on tap and anything less than 19-1 has to be marked down as a disappointment - 20-0 would be a really nice statement for the conference.

Friday
[1]Duke hosts [171]Siena (7:00, ESPNU)
[30]Pittsburgh vs. [8]Gonzaga in Okinawa (7:00, ESPN)
[7]UNC vs. [76]Temple in Annapolis (7:00, CBSSN)
[55]Clemson hosts [206]NCCU (7:00, ESPN3)
[3]Virginia hosts [324]Morgan State (7:00, ESPN3)
[21]Miami hosts [337]UT-Rio Grande Valley (the re-branded UT-Pan American) (7:00, ESPN3)
[33]Syracuse hosts [119]Lehigh (7:00, ESPN3)
[25]Louisville hosts [284]Samford (7:00, ESPN3)
[16]Notre Dame hosts [276]St. Francis (PA) (7:30, ESPN3)
[84]Georgia Tech hosts [311]Cornell (8:00, ESPN3)
[59]Wake Forest hosts [331]UMBC (8:00, ESPN3)
[41]NC State hosts [121]William & Mary (8:00, ESPN3)

Saturday
[157]Boston College hosts [216]St. Francis (NY) (2:00, ESPN3)
[130]Virginia Tech hosts [305]Alabama State (7:00, ESPN3)
[1]Duke hosts [239]Bryant (8:00, ESPN3)

Sunday
[59]Wake Forest at [151]Bucknell (1:00, CBSSN)
[55]Clemson hosts [288]UT-San Antonio (2:00, ESPN3)
[37]Florida State hosts [310]Nicholls State (3:00, ESPN3)
[7]UNC hosts [201]Fairfield (4:00, ESPNU)
[41]NC State hosts [248]South Alabama (6:00, ESPNU)

[NSDukeFan]

I don't think the ACC will go 19-1. It seems every year some teams that end up giving Duke competitive games later on end up losing to Southwest Tech U in the preseason. BC and Wake look like potential losing teams to me this first weekend.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I don't think the ACC will go 19-1. It seems every year some teams that end up giving Duke competitive games later on end up losing to Southwest Tech U in the preseason. BC and Wake look like potential losing teams to me this first weekend.

I agree. You know BC, VT, Wake, GT, or Clemson is going to drop the ball this weekend. It's an inevitability.

[pfrduke]

I don't think the ACC will go 19-1. It seems every year some teams that end up giving Duke competitive games later on end up losing to Southwest Tech U in the preseason. BC and Wake look like potential losing teams to me this first weekend.


I agree. You know BC, VT, Wake, GT, or Clemson is going to drop the ball this weekend. It's an inevitability.

That doesn't mean it won't be disappointing if we don't go 19-1.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

I find myself not caring about what the rest of the conference does anymore. Sure it'll be nice to get a lot of teams into the tournament, sure it'll be nice to win the ACC/BIG challenge, sure it'll be nice to have a lot of ranked teams. However, with the events of the last couple of years unfolding before our eyes I find it hard to root for Syracuse, UNC (obviously), or Louisville. I don't care if all three of them lose every single game this season, they have tarnished the image of the conference. On top of that there is all the hate that is spewed towards Duke by our own conference, never mind that we just won the Championship redeeming the league for a lousy 4 year run. Long story short, the rest of the league would love nothing more than to see us lose every game, so why should I care about how their teams do. Give me Duke wins baby, that's all that matters to me these days.

[wilson]

I find myself not caring about what the rest of the conference does anymore. Sure it'll be nice to get a lot of teams into the tournament, sure it'll be nice to win the ACC/BIG challenge, sure it'll be nice to have a lot of ranked teams. However, with the events of the last couple of years unfolding before our eyes I find it hard to root for Syracuse, UNC (obviously), or Louisville. I don't care if all three of them lose every single game this season, they have tarnished the image of the conference. On top of that there is all the hate that is spewed towards Duke by our own conference, never mind that we just won the Championship redeeming the league for a lousy 4 year run. Long story short, the rest of the league would love nothing more than to see us lose every game, so why should I care about how their teams do. Give me Duke wins baby, that's all that matters to me these days.I fully agree. I was always less of an ACC rooter than most, but I have fully tired of the internecine contempt that you point out from our own conference. On a case-by-case basis, I will root for other ACC teams, but I won't always root for them just because they're in our conference, and there are some ACC teams I'll actively root against because I've gotten a closer look at their various contemptible behaviors.

[Indoor66]

Duke Wins and screw the ewe.

[left_hook_lacey]

The ACC opens the 2015-16 season this weekend with 20 games -- 12 Friday night, three on Saturday and five on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the opening lineup is not likely to tell us much. Most of the matchups this weekend are gimmies, such as Duke's two games with Siena and Bryant.

For every other ACC game this weekend, a win will mean little and a loss will be a big red flag.

-- UNC faces a big-name opponent in Temple (Friday at 7 p.n. on CBSS). A typical Temple team might be a threat to a UNC team without Marcus Paige, but this Temple team is rebuilding and is picked sixth in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll. I think UNC is overrated, but not THAT overrated.

Not so fast my friend!

Vegas isn't exactly jumping on the UNC bandwagon just yet. The lines I've seen have UNC as a 8.5-9.5 point favorite. That's not a lot considering UNC is preseason #1(in some polls) going up against an unranked rebuilding Temple team.

Compare that to the spreads of ther heavy-hitters that play tonight and there is little doubt who the winner will be in those games. We're favored by 23 over Siena, Kentucky is favored by 21.5 over Albany, and Louisville is favored by 22.5 over Samford.

I'm definately not predicting a UNC upset here, just merely stating Vegas isn't sold that it'll be a blow-out. I'd love to see the Heels struggle to pull off a 5 or 6 point win against the overmatched Owls to get the finger pointing and Roy quotes coming early and often. :)

[flyingdutchdevil]

Not so fast my friend!

Vegas isn't exactly jumping on the UNC bandwagon just yet. The lines I've seen have UNC as a 8.5-9.5 point favorite. That's not a lot considering UNC is preseason #1(in some polls) going up against an unranked rebuilding Temple team.

Compare that to the spreads of ther heavy-hitters that play tonight and there is little doubt who the winner will be in those games. We're favored by 23 over Siena, Kentucky is favored by 21.5 over Albany, and Louisville is favored by 22.5 over Samford.

I'm definately not predicting a UNC upset here, just merely stating Vegas isn't sold that it'll be a blow-out. I'd love to see the Heels struggle to pull off a 5 or 6 point win against the overmatched Owls to get the finger pointing and Roy quotes coming early and often. :)

This just goes to show how wide open this season is. UNC is a consensus top 3 team in the country (with the exception of DBR), and to be favored by only 9 points over the #76 best team (KenPom) says something about the top teams this year.

This is gonna be a crazy year, with top 10 teams losing all over the place (including Duke) and a wide open tournament. I kinda like these years because it makes March extra Mad.

[tbyers11]

This just goes to show how wide open this season is. UNC is a consensus top 3 team in the country (with the exception of DBR and KenPom), and to be favored by only 9 points over the #76 best team (KenPom) says something about the top teams this year.

This is gonna be a crazy year, with top 10 teams losing all over the place (including Duke) and a wide open tournament. I kinda like these years because it makes March extra Mad.

Agree with your overall point that the top teams are not really strong, dominant teams. However, we should include KenPom's methodology as another UNC top 3 naysayer. He has them #7

[Wheat/"/"/"]

OK, time for a little ramble...

UNC has a very good team this season. There is talent, balance and experience throughout the line up. There will be some losses, the schedule is just too challenging, but anything less than the final four with these guys will be disappointing to them and the fan base.

The only question I have about this team is about their focus and mental toughness, which they often lacked last season. It showed many times last season when they couldn't close out games in which they were leading late against elite teams. Despite that, they were still one of the better teams in the country late last season and a major threat in the tourney...that's a testament to the teams overall talent.

Tokoto, Meeks and Johnson, and to a lessor extent Jackson were the players that exhibited that lack of "focused toughness", to me.

Tokoto is gone.

Meeks hit a wall and struggled with his fitness and some illness after losing all that weight preseason so fast. But even without those issues as an excuse, he has to play stronger. By all preseason accounts this year, he's in great shape and now has competition from a much improved Isaiah Hicks for a starting role. He supposedly wants to enter the draft too, so he is expected to be extra motivated to step up his focus and play harder.

Since entering as a thin freshman, Johnson has always displayed a great scoring touch but played "soft"... meaning he shies from contact...he's a tremendous scoring threat inside, none the less. He's improved his strength every year and that's becoming less of a factor on each end of the court. He's a solid 230lbs now. He's always been an emotional player, which has caused him to lose focus in the past. But, he has matured each season and gotten better at maintaining that focus, so expectations are that he'll be better this season in that area, too.

Jackson is a basketball player. He finds a way. Last season as a freshman he had a bit of a "deer in the headlights" feel to his game early on, but by tourney time he was playing very well and looked comfortable out there. I didn't feel like he was soft, just that he was physically outmatched often and it took some time to find his confidence. He comes across as a quiet, reserved team player...but I do sense a "stone cold killer" attitude behind his persona. He's also put on about 15lbs of strength in the offseason and should be better prepared now.

The rest of this team is "scrappy', hungry, deep and talented.

Some quick thoughts...

Paige is Paige. You know him by now. If he's healthy, he's a first team All-American player.

Hicks has been a "coltish" player that looks poised to become a thoroughbred. He has all the tools to be a beast in college, but he's seemed to me to be a little immature and has lacked the feel for the game that you'd like to see his first two seasons. As a Jr., insider reports are trickling out that he's becoming a real force. We'll see.

Pinson is very active and athletic. Spark plug kind of guy. Intense. His freshman season injuries have held him back, and he still has some issues there, but he's going to be healthy one day this season and when that day comes he's going to be a big contributor to UNC.

Berry is a strong, elite level PG who is now past the freshman initiation rites of the ACC. He's poised to take the leadership role from Paige next year and run things.

Nate Britt is a solid, experienced backup PG that would start for most ACC teams. Excellent ball handler and foul shooter that's especially valuable in late game situations. He's also an improving 3pt shooter. Has gotten stronger too, but will still struggle some defensively at his size against bigger guards.

Joel James is one of the strongest players in college basketball at 6'11 280lbs and shows his team value against opponents that have strong inside play. For example, his defense on Okafor last year caused him problems he didn't see from other defenders.
His hands are a little "hard" on the catch, but once he's got it, he's got it. A total team guy, he sets clean picks with meaning and owns his space in the paint. He has a soft shooting touch and can shoot the turnaround and face up shot consistently. He rushes and struggles to finish in close, which is surprising due to his size. Not an intuitive player, he has still improved each year as he's learned the game.

Kenny Williams-freshman. I've only seen him play one game. My first impression was a smaller Danny Green. He had a "mature" game. In one game I could see that. Played confident and under control. Has a college ready body. Will be interesting to see how much playing time he's going to get with the depth of this team. But I'm thinking he may play more than most think after seeing him play.

Roy has put together a balanced, deep and talented team. He can play power inside ball, or bring on the fast pressing full court game at the highest level according to the opponent.

For everybody that likes to write him off every year, he just keeps coming back and winning with good players and good recruiting. He's a Hall of famer for a reason.

I expect big things from this team.

[flyingdutchdevil]

OK, time for a little ramble...

UNC has a very good team this season. There is talent, balance and experience throughout the line up. There will be some losses, the schedule is just too challenging, but anything less than the final four with these guys will be disappointing to them and the fan base.

The only question I have about this team is about their focus and mental toughness, which they often lacked last season. It showed many times last season when they couldn't close out games in which they were leading late against elite teams. Despite that, they were still one of the better teams in the country late last season and a major threat in the tourney...that's a testament to the teams overall talent.

Tokoto, Meeks and Johnson, and to a lessor extent Jackson were the players that exhibited that lack of "focused toughness", to me.

Tokoto is gone.

Meeks hit a wall and struggled with his fitness and some illness after losing all that weight preseason so fast. But even without those issues as an excuse, he has to play stronger. By all preseason accounts this year, he's in great shape and now has competition from a much improved Isaiah Hicks for a starting role. He supposedly wants to enter the draft too, so he is expected to be extra motivated to step up his focus and play harder.

Since entering as a thin freshman, Johnson has always displayed a great scoring touch but played "soft"... meaning he shies from contact...he's a tremendous scoring threat inside, none the less. He's improved his strength every year and that's becoming less of a factor on each end of the court. He's a solid 230lbs now. He's always been an emotional player, which has caused him to lose focus in the past. But, he has matured each season and gotten better at maintaining that focus, so expectations are that he'll be better this season in that area, too.

Jackson is a basketball player. He finds a way. Last season as a freshman he had a bit of a "deer in the headlights" feel to his game early on, but by tourney time he was playing very well and looked comfortable out there. I didn't feel like he was soft, just that he was physically outmatched often and it took some time to find his confidence. He comes across as a quiet, reserved team player...but I do sense a "stone cold killer" attitude behind his persona. He's also put on about 15lbs of strength in the offseason and should be better prepared now.

The rest of this team is "scrappy', hungry, deep and talented.

Some quick thoughts...

Paige is Paige. You know him by now. If he's healthy, he's a first team All-American player.

Hicks has been a "coltish" player that looks poised to become a thoroughbred. He has all the tools to be a beast in college, but he's seemed to me to be a little immature and has lacked the feel for the game that you'd like to see his first two seasons. As a Jr., insider reports are trickling out that he's becoming a real force. We'll see.

Pinson is very active and athletic. Spark plug kind of guy. Intense. His freshman season injuries have held him back, and he still has some issues there, but he's going to be healthy one day this season and when that day comes he's going to be a big contributor to UNC.

Berry is a strong, elite level PG who is now past the freshman initiation rites of the ACC. He's poised to take the leadership role from Paige next year and run things.

Nate Britt is a solid, experienced backup PG that would start for most ACC teams. Excellent ball handler and foul shooter that's especially valuable in late game situations. He's also an improving 3pt shooter. Has gotten stronger too, but will still struggle some defensively at his size against bigger guards.

Joel James is one of the strongest players in college basketball at 6'11 280lbs and shows his team value against opponents that have strong inside play. For example, his defense on Okafor last year caused him problems he didn't see from other defenders.
His hands are a little "hard" on the catch, but once he's got it, he's got it. A total team guy, he sets clean picks with meaning and owns his space in the paint. He has a soft shooting touch and can shoot the turnaround and face up shot consistently. He rushes and struggles to finish in close, which is surprising due to his size. Not an intuitive player, he has still improved each year as he's learned the game.

Kenny Williams-freshman. I've only seen him play one game. My first impression was a smaller Danny Green. He had a "mature" game. In one game I could see that. Played confident and under control. Has a college ready body. Will be interesting to see how much playing time he's going to get with the depth of this team. But I'm thinking he may play more than most think after seeing him play.

Roy has put together a balanced, deep and talented team. He can play power inside ball, or bring on the fast pressing full court game at the highest level according to the opponent.

For everybody that likes to write him off every year, he just keeps coming back and winning with good players and good recruiting. He's a Hall of famer for a reason.

I expect big things from this team.

Wheat - I also appreciate your posts, and this one is an example of what I love to see. I am absolutely in the minority at DBR who thinks that UNC is going to be good. They have experience, balance, and, to a lesser extent (but not by much), talent. I think the core of Paige / Jackson / Johnson is arguably one of the best offensive trios in the country (defense is another question). And I think there are interesting - albeit unproven - pieces that make UNC a nearly complete team. UNC - like Duke, UK, KU, Maryland, and UVA - is benefiting from a "talent gap" this year, which works in each of these teams' favor. And because of that, UNC does have enough to pull down the nets, and I think they will be one of 10 (maybe 15) teams this year that can do so.

And I expect UNC to come out the door firing on all cylinders. They will start at least 2 proven seniors, a potential go-to sophomore scorer, a big fella, and [xxx] (I assume Berry?). Add the bench, and it's a high quality team. But there are a few issues that still linger, mainly a) who is the go-to scorer? It would be Paige, but he had a setback, and he's very injury prone. b) can the team play team defense? UNC lost their best defender to the NBA and many of the players are more offensive or defensive-minded. c) does the potential NCAA sanctions float over the head of the coaches and players? Distractions are a known commodity in college basketball, and UNC has a big one. d) can UNC improve throughout the year at a steady rate? Right now, without question, UNC is the top team in the country (Kansas is in there right now too). Their experience this early on makes them the favorite. However, Duke and UK have more talent, Maryland has a better starting line-up, Kansas is up there, and UVa is the usual defensive force with offensive issues. Can UNC improve at a comparable rate to the other teams? Or will they peak in Jan/Feb?

UNC will win a lot of games early, and they should. But I want to see UNC in late Feb/Mar, when teams are beginning to really gel.

And two last comments: I again think you're overrating Britt. But that's not for this discussion. And I really like Paige. He's a talented player without many physical tools who excels in the classroom as well. And UNC needs players who excel in the classroom.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Wheat - I also appreciate your posts, and this one is an example of what I love to see. I am absolutely in the minority at DBR who thinks that UNC is going to be good. They have experience, balance, and, to a lesser extent (but not by much), talent. I think the core of Paige / Jackson / Johnson is arguably one of the best offensive trios in the country (defense is another question). And I think there are interesting - albeit unproven - pieces that make UNC a nearly complete team. UNC - like Duke, UK, KU, Maryland, and UVA - is benefiting from a "talent gap" this year, which works in each of these teams' favor. And because of that, UNC does have enough to pull down the nets, and I think they will be one of 10 (maybe 15) teams this year that can do so.

And I expect UNC to come out the door firing on all cylinders. They will start at least 2 proven seniors, a potential go-to sophomore scorer, a big fella, and [xxx] (I assume Berry?). Add the bench, and it's a high quality team. But there are a few issues that still linger, mainly a) who is the go-to scorer? It would be Paige, but he had a setback, and he's very injury prone. b) can the team play team defense? UNC lost their best defender to the NBA and many of the players are more offensive or defensive-minded. c) does the potential NCAA sanctions float over the head of the coaches and players? Distractions are a known commodity in college basketball, and UNC has a big one. d) can UNC improve throughout the year at a steady rate? Right now, without question, UNC is the top team in the country (Kansas is in there right now too). Their experience this early on makes them the favorite. However, Duke and UK have more talent, Maryland has a better starting line-up, Kansas is up there, and UVa is the usual defensive force with offensive issues. Can UNC improve at a comparable rate to the other teams? Or will they peak in Jan/Feb?

UNC will win a lot of games early, and they should. But I want to see UNC in late Feb/Mar, when teams are beginning to really gel.

And two last comments: I again think you're overrating Britt. But that's not for this discussion. And I really like Paige. He's a talented player without many physical tools who excels in the classroom as well. And UNC needs players who excel in the classroom.

I don't think the NCAA issues are much of a distraction with this team. Kids just want to play ball.

One of the strengths of this team is that they have multiple potential go to scorers. Paige of course, Johnson inside as well as Meeks...Jackson and Berry are all very capable of having big scoring nights.

This team is likely to be pretty strong defensively too. I'm not too concerned about that. They are big, long and quick. Pinson especially has the tools to be a "stopper" on the wings.

My take-UNC pushes the pace so hard that game scores are often higher than average due to increased possessions. Opponents score more than they usually do, giving false impressions that UNC defense must be weak. But I'd bet some stat geek, (no offense intended stat guys), could tell us if that's right or wrong, based on scores per possession.

It seems in many years we read were people claim a UNC team was weak defensively, only to be surprised by the stat guys that it just wasn't so.

[pfrduke]

My take-UNC pushes the pace so hard that game scores are often higher than average due to increased possessions. Opponents score more than they usually do, giving false impressions that UNC defense must be weak. But I'd bet some stat geek, (no offense intended stat guys), could tell us if that's right or wrong, based on scores per possession.

None taken!

In the past 6 seasons, UNC has finished 51st, 21st, 55th, 14th, 4th, and 39th in defensive efficiency (essentially, points per possession adjusted for schedule). Those are all solid performances, although only the 2011 team was really elite (that team was Roy's best defensive team at Carolina - the title teams finished 12th (2005) and 21st (2009)).

[77devil]

OK, time for a little ramble...

UNC has a very good team this season. There is talent, balance and experience throughout the line up. There will be some losses, the schedule is just too challenging, but anything less than the final four with these guys will be disappointing to them and the fan base.

The only question I have about this team is about their focus and mental toughness, which they often lacked last season. It showed many times last season when they couldn't close out games in which they were leading late against elite teams. Despite that, they were still one of the better teams in the country late last season and a major threat in the tourney...that's a testament to the teams overall talent.

Tokoto, Meeks and Johnson, and to a lessor extent Jackson were the players that exhibited that lack of "focused toughness", to me.

Tokoto is gone.

Meeks hit a wall and struggled with his fitness and some illness after losing all that weight preseason so fast. But even without those issues as an excuse, he has to play stronger. By all preseason accounts this year, he's in great shape and now has competition from a much improved Isaiah Hicks for a starting role. He supposedly wants to enter the draft too, so he is expected to be extra motivated to step up his focus and play harder.

Since entering as a thin freshman, Johnson has always displayed a great scoring touch but played "soft"... meaning he shies from contact...he's a tremendous scoring threat inside, none the less. He's improved his strength every year and that's becoming less of a factor on each end of the court. He's a solid 230lbs now. He's always been an emotional player, which has caused him to lose focus in the past. But, he has matured each season and gotten better at maintaining that focus, so expectations are that he'll be better this season in that area, too.

Jackson is a basketball player. He finds a way. Last season as a freshman he had a bit of a "deer in the headlights" feel to his game early on, but by tourney time he was playing very well and looked comfortable out there. I didn't feel like he was soft, just that he was physically outmatched often and it took some time to find his confidence. He comes across as a quiet, reserved team player...but I do sense a "stone cold killer" attitude behind his persona. He's also put on about 15lbs of strength in the offseason and should be better prepared now.

The rest of this team is "scrappy', hungry, deep and talented.

Some quick thoughts...

Paige is Paige. You know him by now. If he's healthy, he's a first team All-American player.

Hicks has been a "coltish" player that looks poised to become a thoroughbred. He has all the tools to be a beast in college, but he's seemed to me to be a little immature and has lacked the feel for the game that you'd like to see his first two seasons. As a Jr., insider reports are trickling out that he's becoming a real force. We'll see.

Pinson is very active and athletic. Spark plug kind of guy. Intense. His freshman season injuries have held him back, and he still has some issues there, but he's going to be healthy one day this season and when that day comes he's going to be a big contributor to UNC.

Berry is a strong, elite level PG who is now past the freshman initiation rites of the ACC. He's poised to take the leadership role from Paige next year and run things.

Nate Britt is a solid, experienced backup PG that would start for most ACC teams. Excellent ball handler and foul shooter that's especially valuable in late game situations. He's also an improving 3pt shooter. Has gotten stronger too, but will still struggle some defensively at his size against bigger guards.

Joel James is one of the strongest players in college basketball at 6'11 280lbs and shows his team value against opponents that have strong inside play. For example, his defense on Okafor last year caused him problems he didn't see from other defenders.
His hands are a little "hard" on the catch, but once he's got it, he's got it. A total team guy, he sets clean picks with meaning and owns his space in the paint. He has a soft shooting touch and can shoot the turnaround and face up shot consistently. He rushes and struggles to finish in close, which is surprising due to his size. Not an intuitive player, he has still improved each year as he's learned the game.

Kenny Williams-freshman. I've only seen him play one game. My first impression was a smaller Danny Green. He had a "mature" game. In one game I could see that. Played confident and under control. Has a college ready body. Will be interesting to see how much playing time he's going to get with the depth of this team. But I'm thinking he may play more than most think after seeing him play.

Roy has put together a balanced, deep and talented team. He can play power inside ball, or bring on the fast pressing full court game at the highest level according to the opponent.

For everybody that likes to write him off every year, he just keeps coming back and winning with good players and good recruiting. He's a Hall of famer for a reason.

I expect big things from this team.

This is essentially the same team that lost 13, count em13, games last year. This is the same team that often looked lost at times last year.

As usual, your descriptions of marginally serviceable players like Nate Britt are laughable.

A mediocre team that is one year older is still a mediocre team.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

As usual, your descriptions of marginally serviceable players like Nate Britt are laughable.



Britt has 10 pts now at the half against a good Temple team. Two 3's and a sweet baseline floata that was all net. I think he has two assists as well.

You really should watch his play and forget the color of his uniform. The kid can play.

He also looks much stronger this season. He's been hitting the weight room.

[Wander]

Well, I guess Pitt-Gonzaga goes down as a tie, which means Pitt's non-conference schedule will end up with its usual terrible non-conference schedule after all.

Also, lol NC State.

[MaxAMillion]

This is essentially the same team that lost 13, count em13, games last year. This is the same team that often looked lost at times last year.

As usual, your descriptions of marginally serviceable players like Nate Britt are laughable.

A mediocre team that is one year older is still a mediocre team.

What is your definition of mediocre? I think they were certainly better than average. Plus even mediocre teams can improve with experience. To suggest they will be the same as last year seems like wishful thinking.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

None taken!

In the past 6 seasons, UNC has finished 51st, 21st, 55th, 14th, 4th, and 39th in defensive efficiency (essentially, points per possession adjusted for schedule). Those are all solid performances, although only the 2011 team was really elite (that team was Roy's best defensive team at Carolina - the title teams finished 12th (2005) and 21st (2009)).

Just curious...if you get a chance.

What was Duke and UVA's defensive stats those seasons?

[fisheyes]

Pitt-Gonzaga game cancelled due to slippery floor conditions. They were playing in Japan. Wow...check out the video:

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2015/11/13/videos-gonzaga-pitt-game-cancelled-due-to-dangerous-floor/

[flyingdutchdevil]

...NC State loses to William & Mary. By 17 points.

Sigh...

[tbyers11]

...NC State loses to William & Mary. By 17 points.

Sigh...

I was of a mind that the 19-1 for the conference was not likely to happen. 1 or 2 teams always drop an early season game to a team that they have no business losing to.

However, I really didn't think NC State was that team. They got dominated from the start too. This was never a close game.

[pfrduke]

Just curious...if you get a chance.

What was Duke and UVA's defensive stats those seasons?

UVA the last 6 seasons: 1, 1, 5, 24, 6, 61. Once Bennett got going, that team has been suffocating on defense
Duke the last 6: 12, 12, 116, 31, 81, 21. The two really high numbers were the two teams that lost in the first round.

[Olympic Fan]

I thought three games of note in the opening night:

(1) Pitt-Gonzaga: Impressive that Pitt was leading the No. 8 Zags at the half, when the game was cancelled. Impressive start for a Pitt team projected to finish 10th in the ACC.

(2) Wake edged UMBC 78-73, which is pretty unimpressive, although the Deacs were playing without Cody-Miller-McIntyre, their best player.

(3) N.C. State lost 85-68 to a school that has NEVER played in the NCAA Tournament. A terrible, shocking loss to a William & Mary team projected to finish third in the CAA. It was never close ... W&M opened a 20-point lead early and State never got it into single digits.

Outside the ACC, Chris Collins' Northwestern team rallied to pull away and beat UMass-Lowell, while Wojo's Marquette team lost to Belmont at home, despite 21 points and 16 rebounds for Duke recruiting target Henry Ellenson. Johnny Dawkins' Stanford team opened with a narrow home win over Wisconsin Green Bay. And in the brainiac bowl, Tommy Amaker's Harvard team dominated MIT.

The only big upset I saw Friday night 9other than NC State's loss) was No. 17 Wisconsin (a possible future opponent for Duke), losing at home to Western Illinois.

[pfrduke]

I thought three games of note in the opening night:

(1) Pitt-Gonzaga: Impressive that Pitt was leading the No. 8 Zags at the half, when the game was cancelled. Impressive start for a Pitt team projected to finish 10th in the ACC.

(2) Wake edged UMBC 78-73, which is pretty unimpressive, although the Deacs were playing without Cody-Miller-McIntyre, their best player.

(3) N.C. State lost 85-68 to a school that has NEVER played in the NCAA Tournament. A terrible, shocking loss to a William & Mary team projected to finish third in the CAA. It was never close ... W&M opened a 20-point lead early and State never got it into single digits.

Outside the ACC, Chris Collins' Northwestern team rallied to pull away and beat UMass-Lowell, while Wojo's Marquette team lost to Belmont at home, despite 21 points and 16 rebounds for Duke recruiting target Henry Ellenson. Johnny Dawkins' Stanford team opened with a narrow home win over Wisconsin Green Bay. And in the brainiac bowl, Tommy Amaker's Harvard team dominated MIT.

The only big upset I saw Friday night 9other than NC State's loss) was No. 17 Wisconsin (a possible future opponent for Duke), losing at home to Western Illinois.

Hurley's ASU team also lost its opener to Sacramento State, which is not a good team.

[weezie]

(3) N.C. State lost 85-68 to a school that has NEVER played in the NCAA Tournament. A terrible, shocking loss to a William & Mary team projected to finish third in the CAA. It was never close ... W&M opened a 20-point lead early and State never got it into single digits...

That contract extension for Mark G. was a great idea!

[Olympic Fan]

I was very impressed by BC's 26-point victory over St. Francis (NY). I know St. Francis is not all that impressive (although they are supposed to be better than the St. Francis team that Notre Dame beat Friday Night), but I didn't think BC could beat ANYBODY that decisively. Good games by Rutgers/Florida transfer Eli Carter and 6-5 freshman James Robinson.

The ACC was 10-1 Friday night -- not far off the 11-1 I was hoping for. Of course, I thought Pitt would lose to Gonzaga and NC State would beat W&M ... surprised Pitt was up at the half when the game was cancelled ... and very surprised that State stumbled.

But before you rip on Gottfried (and his new contract), remember that every one of his State teams has been on the bubble late (even last year in mid-February, before the finished strong). They made the NCAA in the year when they lost at home to NCCU.

Wait and see -- I've said it before Gottfried is the anti-Seth Greenberg -- always on the right side of the bubble.

[Olympic Fan]

Another stunning loss for the ACC -- South Alabama went into Blacksburg Saturday night and knocked off Virginia Tech

Transfer Ricky LeDay was fantastic -- I think he had 25 and 15 for the Hokies -- but transfer guard Seth Allen was horrendous -- 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls and 2-for-9 shooting.

Interesting that South Alabama faces NC State Sunday at 6 p.m. (on ESPNU). Can they damage the ACC further?

Also Sunday, Siena plays at Wisconsin. It will be the first time in NCAA history that a team has opened against the previous NCAA champion and NCAA runnerup.

[Indoor66]

Another stunning loss for the ACC -- South Alabama went into Blacksburg Saturday night and knocked off Virginia Tech

Transfer Ricky LeDay was fantastic -- I think he had 25 and 15 for the Hokies -- but transfer guard Seth Allen was horrendous -- 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls and 2-for-9 shooting.

Interesting that South Alabama faces NC State Sunday at 6 p.m. (on ESPNU). Can they damage the ACC further?

Also Sunday, Siena plays at Wisconsin. It will be the first time in NCAA history that a team has opened against the previous NCAA champion and NCAA runnerup.

It will be even more surprising when they go one and one! :confused: :p :cool:

Bo will be upset with the four year players.

[Olympic Fan]

Wake down 11 at the half to Bucknell ... on the road.

Going to be tough on the Deacons, who are playing without their best player (Codi-Miller McIntyre)

[Olympic Fan]

Wake down 11 at the half to Bucknell ... on the road.

Going to be tough on the Deacons, who are playing without their best player (Codi-Miller McIntyre)

Great comeback keyed by freshman guard Bryan Crawford -- Wake pulls out a 90-82 victory.

A million free throws in the second half -- the refs enforced the new rules to the extreme -- every defensive touch (either with the hands or the body) was a foul. But they did it equally.

During a long stretch when wake reversed the game in the second half, they played big -- the 7-foot freshman, Moore, at center, with Devin Thomas and Mitoglou up front. It was interesting because on offense, the 6-9, 250-poind Thomas played in the post and the 6-10, 245-poind Mitoglou played on the wing. On defense, they reversed that -- which left Thomas chasing a little guy all over the floor.

[pfrduke]

Another stunning loss for the ACC -- South Alabama went into Blacksburg Saturday night and knocked off Virginia Tech

Transfer Ricky LeDay was fantastic -- I think he had 25 and 15 for the Hokies -- but transfer guard Seth Allen was horrendous -- 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls and 2-for-9 shooting.

Interesting that South Alabama faces NC State Sunday at 6 p.m. (on ESPNU). Can they damage the ACC further?

Also Sunday, Siena plays at Wisconsin. It will be the first time in NCAA history that a team has opened against the previous NCAA champion and NCAA runnerup.

It's even worse than this because it wasn't South Alabama that beat Virginia Tech, but instead Alabama State from the SWAC, which is year-in and year-out the worst conference in the nation.

[Olympic Fan]

It's even worse than this because it wasn't South Alabama that beat Virginia Tech, but instead Alabama State from the SWAC, which is year-in and year-out the worst conference in the nation.

You are right -- Alabama State has two starters back off a 19-win team and is picked to finish third in the SWAC. An even worse loss than I thought.

On the other hand, FSU was most impressive in a rout of Nichols State with two freshmen in the starting lineup -- Dwayne Bacon, probably Ingram's biggest competition for ROY in the ACC, debuted with 23 points and eight rebounds in a 109-62 win.

Clemson also rolled to its second straight easy victory Sunday, routing Texas San Antonio. And UNC is wrapping up a homecourt win over Fairfield -- it was close for about 15 minutes, but UNC opened it to 11 at the half and has cruised in the second half.

Getting set to watch NC State and South Alabama. They were only a 12-win team a year ago and were picked to finish seventh in the Sun Belt. If this one is close, State might be in even more trouble than their opener made it look ...

[Wheat/"/"/"]

For 77devil, just in case he missed it.

Nate Britt- coming off the bench today with 17pts on 4-6 shooting from 3 and 5 assists in the Fairfield win.

He's now 7 of 10 from 3 the first two games. And playing like the veteran he is, under control, getting the ball inside, rotating the ball to the open man, or taking the good shots for himself. He's quick, protects the ball and is disciplined.

That's the play of a quality player.

[BD80]

...

Nate Britt- ... He's quick, protects the ball and is disciplined.

...

Sorry, I have to jump in here:

No carolina player has EVER been disciplined in the ol' roy regime, unless losing the privilege of picking the restaurant counts as discipline (it does not)

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Sorry, I have to jump in here:

No carolina player has EVER been disciplined in the ol' roy regime, unless losing the privilege of picking the restaurant counts as discipline (it does not)
Hey now. Roy did make them wear their suits home after the temple game the other day. Punishment for fighting and leaving the bench doesn't get any more harsh than that. All of us parents should be taking notes.

[Faustus]

I remember some years back reading in a news source that Roy used to punish players (late for practice, etc.) by forcing them to read Shakespeare. Can you imagine, making college students read great literature. I thought that was forbidden by the Geneva Convention decades ago.

[Olympic Fan]

NC State ended up with a pretty easy win over South Alabama that brings the ACC's opening weekend record to 17-2.

Just a bit short of the 19-1 I was hoping for (not predicting) -- the Pitt-Gonzaga game I expected to be a loss was cancelled at halftime (surprisingly with Pitt leading). And I didn't expect NC State to lose its home opener against William & Mary (by 17!) or VPI to lose its home opener to Alabama State.

I don't think any of the ACC victories was particularly impressive -- Pitt's showing against Gonzaga, though not a victory, was the most impressive opening performance.

As I noted before, there are some tough ACC games this week -- starting with Tennessee at Georgia Tech and Virginia at George Washington Monday night.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Hey now. Roy did make them wear their suits home after the temple game the other day. Punishment for fighting and leaving the bench doesn't get any more harsh than that. All of us parents should be taking notes.

I don't know if you saw it, but to be clear, there was no "fight".
He had a brain fart and rushed out on the court to try and pull Brice Johnson back. He had been pushed, (when he stupidly hung on the rim after a dunk and then got tangled up). A heated shouting match then took over.
It happened right in front of Britt on the bench and was an instinctual reaction to jump up and pull Johnson back.
Still, the rules are clear that the players can't leave the bench during any sort of "altercation". He was ejected per the rules.

It was a minor thing, and the punishment seemed to fit the crime to me.

[DU82]

A note to point out that UNC lost their first two games of the year, to Garner-Webb and Oregon. Sylvia is going to have a really bad year now that her "great" recruiting class of two years ago has transferred.

(Hey, it's still ACC basketball!)

[OldPhiKap]

A note to point out that UNC lost their first two games of the year, to Garner-Webb and Oregon. Sylvia is going to have a really bad year now that her "great" recruiting class of two years ago has transferred.

(Hey, it's still ACC basketball!)

And given that the school is throwing Sylvia and their WBB under the bus to save the MBB banners, I imagine it will be an unfun year for them.

[oldnavy]

Caught the UNC game last night with the wife. UNC looked... OK against Fairfield. It was an 8 point game at half and granted UNC is without it's best player so that has to be considered.

One thing I noticed is they still do not defend the perimeter especially well. Fairfield hit a lot of open jump shots, and missed a whole lot of open shots.

Still UNC is going to be a VERY good team this year. As far as Nate Britt goes, he is a very good player. I stop short of ranking him as high as Wheat does, but Wheat is much closer to describing Britt than many on this board who think he isn't a very good player. He is a very good player.

When Paige gets back UNC will be a force to deal with. Their outside shooting looked MUCH improved last night (don't have the stats, but by the eye test they shot it pretty well).

I am not ready to pencil them in as a FF team just yet, way too much ball to play for that, but they are legit contenders to make a run.

I do have a serious question. Ol' Roy looked terrible last night (and I don't mean he was wearing that God awful plaid jacket). He looked unhealthy, his pallor was not what I would expect nor what I have seen from him this early in previous seasons. He was pale and honestly looked like he had aged about 10 years since last season.

Besides the NCAA mess does anyone have any idea if he is struggling with illness. I pray not. As much as I like to rag on him, it is in jest (well mostly anyway) and I hope he is not ill.

[OldPhiKap]

Caught the UNC game last night with the wife. UNC looked... OK against Fairfield. It was an 8 point game at half and granted UNC is without it's best player so that has to be considered.

One thing I noticed is they still do not defend the perimeter especially well. Fairfield hit a lot of open jump shots, and missed a whole lot of open shots.

Still UNC is going to be a VERY good team this year. As far as Nate Britt goes, he is a very good player. I stop short of ranking him as high as Wheat does, but Wheat is much closer to describing Britt than many on this board who think he isn't a very good player. He is a very good player.

When Paige gets back UNC will be a force to deal with. Their outside shooting looked MUCH improved last night (don't have the stats, but by the eye test they shot it pretty well).

I am not ready to pencil them in as a FF team just yet, way too much ball to play for that, but they are legit contenders to make a run.

I do have a serious question. Ol' Roy looked terrible last night (and I don't mean he was wearing that God awful plaid jacket). He looked unhealthy, his pallor was not what I would expect nor what I have seen from him this early in previous seasons. He was pale and honestly looked like he had aged about 10 years since last season.

Besides the NCAA mess does anyone have any idea if he is struggling with illness. I pray not. As much as I like to rag on him, it is in jest (well mostly anyway) and I hope he is not ill.

UNC should be very good this year, agreed. Britt can ball too.

As for Roy, I hope he is not ill. Perhaps he has seen the Ghost of Sanctions Future and is shaken though.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Caught the UNC game last night with the wife. UNC looked... OK against Fairfield. It was an 8 point game at half and granted UNC is without it's best player so that has to be considered.

One thing I noticed is they still do not defend the perimeter especially well. Fairfield hit a lot of open jump shots, and missed a whole lot of open shots.

Still UNC is going to be a VERY good team this year. As far as Nate Britt goes, he is a very good player. I stop short of ranking him as high as Wheat does, but Wheat is much closer to describing Britt than many on this board who think he isn't a very good player. He is a very good player.

When Paige gets back UNC will be a force to deal with. Their outside shooting looked MUCH improved last night (don't have the stats, but by the eye test they shot it pretty well).

I am not ready to pencil them in as a FF team just yet, way too much ball to play for that, but they are legit contenders to make a run.

I do have a serious question. Ol' Roy looked terrible last night (and I don't mean he was wearing that God awful plaid jacket). He looked unhealthy, his pallor was not what I would expect nor what I have seen from him this early in previous seasons. He was pale and honestly looked like he had aged about 10 years since last season.

Besides the NCAA mess does anyone have any idea if he is struggling with illness. I pray not. As much as I like to rag on him, it is in jest (well mostly anyway) and I hope he is not ill.

He's had two knee surgeries that are causing him pain...here's a recent story about his health. (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25371987/unc-coach-roy-williams-still-has-real-passion-despite-all-the-pain)

[OldPhiKap]

He's had two recent knee surgeries that are causing him pain...here's a recent story about his health. (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25371987/unc-coach-roy-williams-still-has-real-passion-despite-all-the-pain)

That's no fun, I wish him a quick recovery.

[oldnavy]

That's no fun, I wish him a quick recovery.

Yes, no fun at all, plus I am sure that it has kept him off the golf course as well, and I do not mean that in a derogatory way at all.

Having had back surgery a few years back, being shut down with the pain of the primary problem and while recovering is as much an emotional blow as it is a physical hurt. I was so ill that I couldn't hardly stand being around myself. Thank God I have a wonderful and patient wife who put up with me!!

Not being able to do the things you enjoy as a release can lead to depression and overall emotional fatigue. I really, really missed playing golf during my ordeal and I did go into a major funk not just because of golf, but not being able to do some very simple things like yard work, etc...

I know Ol Roy enjoys his golf as do I, so that may be just another brick in the wall for him.

I hope he is back to full speed in short order. I also hope he is slammed with NCAA sanctions and is fired.... but I only have positive wishes for his health!! :rolleyes: