Today signifies the start of college basketball season. For the past 5 years this meant something to look forward too, especially with my maligned Cowboys not being all that good for the past...oh 10 years or so.
I have nothing much else to report after spending my day at the Vascular Biology Training Program retreat. I just wanted to wish the boys in blue, Carolina Blue, the best of luck in the upcoming season.
Go Heels!
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Steph has a gigantic test on Monday and I had to work late in Raleigh, so we didn't make it to Late Night. Clearly, this team will be very good. However, I think it may be more up and down than people expect. It's an extremely difficult schedule, and I have some concerns about athleticism on this squad. They should win the ACC, they should be a 1 or a 2 seed, and hopefully, they'll get to the Final Four.
Of course, in Chapel Hill, great seasons are national championship seasons. As far as that goes, it's interesting to compare this team to the 04-05 team. Here are my thoughts by position:
May vs. Hansbrough: Advantage '05
* In the final 15 games of that season, Sean May was more dominant than any college big man has been in a while.
Marvin vs. Deon: Advantage '05
* Yes, Jawad was the starter on that team, but when it counted, Marvin was in the game. I actually don't think the difference between the two is big, but in Marvin, you're talking about the #2 pick in the NBA draft and the most athletic big man in Chapel Hill since James Worthy.
Jackie vs. Marcus: Advantage '05
* Marcus is a nice player, but Jackie Manuel was a great defender and an underrated slasher.
McCants vs. Ellington: Advantage '05
* People have forgotten just how good Rashad McCants was. He had the most complete offensive game of any Tar Heel since Jerry Stackhouse. If he was 6'5" instead of 6'3", he'd be an NBA All-Star.
Felton vs. Lawson: Advantage '08
* Raymond Felton is probably the third best Tar Heel point guard in history, behind Phil Ford and Kenny Smith (apologies to Ed Cota), but Lawson's best stretches on the offensive end last year were better than we ever saw from Felton in Chapel Hill. Tywon wasn't as consistent as Raymond, and he wasn't half the defender that Ray became. Even so, I actually think he'll be better this year than Felton was on that title team.
Bench post play: Advantage '05
* I took the liberty of calling Marvin the first team power forward, and that means that Jawad was the backup big man on that '05 team. Granted, Jawad and Alex Stepheson are completely different players, but we're comparing a Honorable Mention All-ACC performer with an athletic sophomore who only played spot minutes as a freshman. Big advantage to '05.
Backup wing/shooting guard: Advantage '08
* In '05, the Tar Heels brought David Noel, Melvin Scott, and at times Reyshawn Terry off the bench to man the small forward and shooting guard spots. It's tempting to remember how good David and Rey were a year later and give the nod to '05. However, that year, David was a very good defender who you pretty much didn't want to dribble or shoot, and Reyshawn was uber-athletic space cadet. By comparison, '08 has a do-it-all type player in Danny Green. Additionally, I expect Will Graves to have a role comparable to Reyshawn's in 04/05. Don't be surprised if Bobby plays spot minutes at the 2 as well.
Back up point guard: Gigantic advantage '08
* The '05 team's one glaring weakness was backup point guard play. Quentin Thomas was nightmarishly bad as a freshman. Fortunately, freshman grow up to be seniors, and Q will be more than adequate when he sees the floor this year. Even better, the Heels can bring a former starter off the bench in Bobby Frasor.
If the two teams played 10 times, I think the 04/05 team wins 7 or 8. In my opinion, that's the best or second best team of the decade (with the only other squad in the coversation being '00/'01 Duke).
Sorry for posting the single longest response to someone else's blog in history. I'm just excited about basketball, and I'd love to read about your expectations for the squad.
Natalie's Too Young for Her Hotness Squad:
May vs. Hansbrough: 07
Marvin vs. Deon: 05 for personality
Jackie vs. Marcus: 05, poor Marcus and those ears
McCants vs. Ellington: 07! 07! 07!
Felton vs. Lawson: 05
Franklin Street Play: 07. The win is clinched solely by Ellington's young hottness.
I'd forgotten all about you being such a big Ellington fan, Natalie. Beautiful eye lashes, as I recall...
I like the brakedown nate. I just hope the team gets to the final four. After last season and without a loaded Florida team I think anything less may be a bust for this team.
Here's the big story this year in my mind- the Regionals are in Charlotte, Phoenix, Detroit, and Houston. It's very important that the Heels be the clear cut #1 team in the Southeast so that they land those third and fourth round games in Charlotte. That would be huge.
I see the #1 seeds going to four of UNC, Memphis, UCLA, Kansas, Michigan St., and maybe Louisville. The implication is that UNC needs to be clearly better than Memphis and Louisville to assure themselves of playing in Bobcats Arena.
You might enjoy this clip.
Very cool. Thanks Nate.
I hope we can go to watch the Heels to a regional one of these days.
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