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gw67
11-12-2007, 08:36 AM
Just some thoughts from the northern end of the ACC:

• Florida State does not play Georgia Tech tonight. They play Georgia Southern.
• There have been several ACC freshmen of influence so far. They include Singler, King and Smith of Duke, Sanders and Paris of BC, Johnson and Clark of Wake, Lawal of Georgia Tech, Jones of Virginia, Allen of Virginia Tech, Rios of Miami, and Bowie and Tucker of Maryland. One of the most heralded, Hickson, has not yet played. It appears that this may be a decent year for ACC freshmen although many considered it a down year.
• I listened to much of the Maryland game on the way home after visiting a sick friend in western Maryland. They shot, defended and rebounded well against an outmanned team. They were sloppy with the ball in the first half but played better in the second half. Hayes played very well and Vasquez and Osby had their moments. The freshmen big men did not play well; however, the play of Tucker and Bowie on the perimeter was better than expected for freshmen. I predict that Tucker will emerge as one of the hidden gems of this year’s freshmen class. He is a 6-6 guard/forward who is an excellent athlete but more importantly, based on the little that I’ve seen, he has some basketball skills. He is a good ballhandler who protects the ball and he is an excellent passer. He also seems to have a good feel for game on both offense and defense. The only chinks in his armor are lack of experience at a high level of play and, possibly, shooting. Potentially, he is an outstanding defensive player who could guard at three positions, rebound and block shots.

gw67

Olympic Fan
11-12-2007, 10:49 AM
I watched most of the Maryland game last night and if I were a Terp fan (I'm not), I'd be pretty happy.

A little bit of a sloppy start, which ain't too bad in an opener, especially with two projected starters out. We know James Gist will have a big impact and Gary is counting on Milborne to play a big role after sitting most of last year.

North Florida was in the game at half -- down six after missing a golden opportunity to score on the last possession. But Maryland came out after the break and just blew them away. Vasquez and Osby were great -- the big surprise with Tucker. Not all that highly rated coming out of HS, but he could be a real surprise. We'll see. Terps should role tonight against Hampton, but UCLA is on the horizon and that will be a great test.

I also agree with gw's list of freshmen who have already showed something, except that you left out Jeff Teague of Wake. He's going to be a good one, sharing the point with Ish Smith and playing alongside him.

I've been saying since last year, keep an eye out for Jeff Allen of Va Tech -- he is VERY, VERY good.

Good bounce-back from Georgia Tech. I know that Tennessee Tech isn't a great team (picked right in the middle of the OVC), but to go on the road and win big after such a disheartening opening loss -- that's tough. I notice that Morrow and Aminu had big games. The freshman PG, Miller, was a little better -- 8 pts, 5 assists, 3 TOs.

Just looking at the schedule ... I think Duke's game with New Mexico State should be the most interesting of the five ACC games tonight. Nobody plays tomorrow, but UNC makes its debut Wednesday, then NC State finally plays for the first time Thursday. That same night, Clemson is at Mississippi State -- a game that should be a good early sign as to whether the Tigers are for real or not.

throatybeard
11-12-2007, 11:17 AM
Yeah, why is Clemson playing at Starkville twice in a row?

JasonEvans
11-12-2007, 12:19 PM
Yeah, why is Clemson playing at Starkville twice in a row?

It has to do with linguistics. It is complicated, you wouldn't understand.

-JE

captmojo
11-12-2007, 12:58 PM
It has to do with linguistics. It is complicated, you wouldn't understand.

-JE

Oh, that's rich.

throatybeard
11-12-2007, 01:29 PM
Well, I justed checked on Gene'sPage and I was wrong: MSU lost by 2 or 3 pts at Clemson last year. I coulda swore that game was in Starkville.