Season in Review
Wake Forest
8-24 (1-15 ACC)
Finally, we get to Wake Forest. It's hard to sugarcoat this: Wake had one of the worst seasons in ACC history. It was just a dismal year, right from the start. The most telling statistic for Wake's year I think is this: there were only 2 conference games in which Wake didn't lose by double digits. That is just awful. Wake didn't have the talent or competitiveness to stay in ballgames.
The year began with a 10 point loss at home to Stetson. It didn't get any better from there. The non-conference continued with losses to VCU, Winthrop, UNC Wilmington, Xavier, Presbyterian, Richmond and Gonzaga. When they started ACC play the Deacons were 7-8. They only won one game the rest of the season, a 5 point home win over UVA. Even against bad teams in the conference Wake was not competitive. In their two games against Georgia Tech, they lost by a combined 61 points!
Wake was fairly balanced scoring-wise. Their leading scorer, freshman Travis McKie, had 13 points per game. They had a hard time settling on a rotation - 9 players averaged at least 14 minutes a game, and no one played more than 32 minutes a game. This team had a combination of a lot of bad shooters, poor rebounding, and lack of effort on defense. While it's hard to hang a coach out after one year, Jeff Bzdelik did nothing to show that he will have any success at all.
Biggest Win:
76-71 vs. UVA on 1/29
There isn't much to choose from here. UVA was struggling at the time and Wake caught them at the right moment. They finished well down the stretch, overcoming a 10 point deficit in the second half. It was one of the few times this year that Wake played well as a team.
Worst Loss:
Too many to pick one
Here are some great candidates: that opening loss to a Stetson team that went 8-23. How about a 9 point home loss to a Winthrop team that went 13-17? Or a home loss to a Presbyterian team that went 13-18? This is a team that lost at home by 26 points to Georgia Tech. They lost at home to NC State by 25 points. Way too many embarrassing losses to pick just one.
Postseason Play:
The postseason was mercifully short for Wake Forest. They came into the NCAA Tournament as a 12 seed, showed very little life in their first round game against Boston College, and lost by 14.
Looking Ahead:
The good news for Wake is that their roster remains fairly intact from last year. Gary Clark is the only senior of significance that leaves. They do have some talented young players, like McKie. But how good is it when a roster returns that only won 8 games? Coach Bzdelik is really going to have to show some improvement next year or he's going to be on a very short leash. It's hard to imagine they will be able to come even close to a .500 record in the conference next year.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Season in Review
Virginia Tech
22-12 (9-7 ACC)
I think there are two ways you can look at Virginia Tech's season. One is that the Hokies were predicted in the Top 25 this year, supposed to make the tournament, and didn't. Another is that the team had to deal with several significant injuries but managed to battle back and have a pretty decent season. Regardless, the fact is that the Hokies again had a year where they played pretty well but fell just short of the Big Dance.
What happened in the first month of the season went a long way to determining the rest of the year. The team struggled out of the gates, losing games they really needed to win, especially back-to-back home games against Purdue and UVA. They did manage to find their rhythm in late December, with a stretch where they won 9 out of 10. The only loss in that stretch was a game at Chapel Hill that they really should have won.
The season was highlighted by a win over then #1 Duke in Blacksburg. Unfortunately, they followed that up with two stinkers against Boston College and Clemson, two fellow bubble teams. The Hokies played well in the ACC Tournament, surviving a crazy game against Florida State, but that wasn't enough. The season ended once again in the NIT.
Obviously the main problem the team had all season was the lack of depth. They were routinely only playing 6 guys, and if anyone got into foul trouble that was a big problem. Players like Erick Green and Victor Davila were able to step up and really help this team out, but they were doing it with absolutely no bench. The team's two stars, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen, had fine seasons, and were leaned on time and again to produce big numbers.
Biggest Win:
64-60 vs. Duke on 2/26
This was an easy choice. Virginia Tech has had a decent history against Duke, and they really played at a very high level in this game. They knew it was an important game, and came out with a lot of energy. There was a lot of back and forth in this one but in the end the Hokies made plays down the stretch and Duke didn't.
Worst Loss:
57-54 vs. UVA on 12/5
I think that this is really the defining loss for the season and the biggest detriment for the NCAA hopes. Coming off a tough loss in overtime against Purdue, the Hokies were completely flat in the first half and let UVA get out to a big lead. They were never able to get over the hump and ended up losing by 3. This was the first of two losses to UVA this season.
Postseason Play:
The Hokies won two games in the ACC Tournament for the first time, coasting to an easy win over Georgia Tech before gutting out somewhat of a miracle against Florida State. It looked like Tech had lost, only to see a final basket negated on review. Playing with a limited bench, they predictably lost in the semis to Duke in a game that wasn't very close. There were high hopes for the NIT despite the sting of the NCAA snub, but it wasn't meant to be. The Hokies beat Bethune-Cookman easily, but lost in the second round to Wichita State in a game that was very hotly contested.
Looking Ahead:
It's hard to predict what the next step is for the Hokies. On the one hand, they do lose a lot. Delaney, Allen and Terrell Bell all graduate, taking with them about 39 points per game. Manny Atkins this week decided to transfer to Georgia State, leaving them without another potential starter. On the other hand, Dorenzo Hudson and J.T. Thompson are expected back from injury and both should be solid contributors. The team is also bringing in a highly regarded recruiting class with some players that could start right away. In a year when it will most likely be UNC, then Duke, then everyone else, Tech could fight for that third spot.
Virginia Tech
22-12 (9-7 ACC)
I think there are two ways you can look at Virginia Tech's season. One is that the Hokies were predicted in the Top 25 this year, supposed to make the tournament, and didn't. Another is that the team had to deal with several significant injuries but managed to battle back and have a pretty decent season. Regardless, the fact is that the Hokies again had a year where they played pretty well but fell just short of the Big Dance.
What happened in the first month of the season went a long way to determining the rest of the year. The team struggled out of the gates, losing games they really needed to win, especially back-to-back home games against Purdue and UVA. They did manage to find their rhythm in late December, with a stretch where they won 9 out of 10. The only loss in that stretch was a game at Chapel Hill that they really should have won.
The season was highlighted by a win over then #1 Duke in Blacksburg. Unfortunately, they followed that up with two stinkers against Boston College and Clemson, two fellow bubble teams. The Hokies played well in the ACC Tournament, surviving a crazy game against Florida State, but that wasn't enough. The season ended once again in the NIT.
Obviously the main problem the team had all season was the lack of depth. They were routinely only playing 6 guys, and if anyone got into foul trouble that was a big problem. Players like Erick Green and Victor Davila were able to step up and really help this team out, but they were doing it with absolutely no bench. The team's two stars, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen, had fine seasons, and were leaned on time and again to produce big numbers.
Biggest Win:
64-60 vs. Duke on 2/26
This was an easy choice. Virginia Tech has had a decent history against Duke, and they really played at a very high level in this game. They knew it was an important game, and came out with a lot of energy. There was a lot of back and forth in this one but in the end the Hokies made plays down the stretch and Duke didn't.
Worst Loss:
57-54 vs. UVA on 12/5
I think that this is really the defining loss for the season and the biggest detriment for the NCAA hopes. Coming off a tough loss in overtime against Purdue, the Hokies were completely flat in the first half and let UVA get out to a big lead. They were never able to get over the hump and ended up losing by 3. This was the first of two losses to UVA this season.
Postseason Play:
The Hokies won two games in the ACC Tournament for the first time, coasting to an easy win over Georgia Tech before gutting out somewhat of a miracle against Florida State. It looked like Tech had lost, only to see a final basket negated on review. Playing with a limited bench, they predictably lost in the semis to Duke in a game that wasn't very close. There were high hopes for the NIT despite the sting of the NCAA snub, but it wasn't meant to be. The Hokies beat Bethune-Cookman easily, but lost in the second round to Wichita State in a game that was very hotly contested.
Looking Ahead:
It's hard to predict what the next step is for the Hokies. On the one hand, they do lose a lot. Delaney, Allen and Terrell Bell all graduate, taking with them about 39 points per game. Manny Atkins this week decided to transfer to Georgia State, leaving them without another potential starter. On the other hand, Dorenzo Hudson and J.T. Thompson are expected back from injury and both should be solid contributors. The team is also bringing in a highly regarded recruiting class with some players that could start right away. In a year when it will most likely be UNC, then Duke, then everyone else, Tech could fight for that third spot.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Season in Review
Virginia
16-15 (7-9 ACC)
It's easy to be pessimistic about the UVA basketball team, given the recent lack of success and the fact that they only finished one game above .500 this year. I would argue that things are definitely looking up in Charlottesville, with a coach who knows what he's doing, and a strong finish to the season.
The first half of the season was pretty polarizing. UVA had some games where they really played well, including back-to-back road wins at Minnesota and Virginia Tech. They also lost by 43 points to Washington, and lost back-to-back home games to Seattle and Iowa State. Part of the problem was the fact that their best player, Mike Scott, was hurt. Scott only played 10 games.
The start to conference play wasn't promising. UVA started out 3-8, with some close tough losses. Once the team started to gel with its younger players, they started playing better, winning 4 of the last 5 ACC games, including two road wins.
The thing about playing UVA is you know that they are going to play strong defense. Tony Bennett's teams can really shut you down and make you look bad on offense. The games can look ugly, but they are effective (see the 49-47 win over Clemson as an example). If Virginia makes their 3 pointers, they are tough to beat. Once Scott got hurt, it became a leader by committee. It really wasn't one guy producing all the scoring for the team. Mustapha Farrakhan had his best year by far, but when he wasn't scoring someone like Joe Harris or K.T. Harrell would pick up the slack.
Biggest Win:
87-79 at Minnesota on 11/29
This was definitely a surprising win for UVA over a Minnesota team that at the time was ranked 15 in the nation. The Cavaliers used a very strong second half performance and a double-double from Scott to earn a relatively easy win. This, coupled with their road win against Virginia Tech in their next game, was their best stretch of the season.
Worst Loss:
59-53 vs. Seattle on 12/22
If the two game stretch in November was the best UVA played this year, the late part of December was the worst. After scratching out a last second win over Norfolk State, UVA lost this game to an independent Seattle team that went 11-20 this year. Seattle's only other game against an ACC team was a 29 point loss to Maryland.
Postseason Play:
The postseason was about as crushing as one team could go through. UVA was in control of their first round ACC Tournament game against Miami, up by 10 points in the last 40 seconds. Then in a comedy of errors fashion they blew the lead away, losing in overtime. It was an abrupt and shocking end to the season.
Looking Ahead:
The big news in the off-season is the fact that Scott was granted a medical redshirt and will be able to play next year. When he played, Scott averaged a double-double and is easily the team's best player. Beyond him, they have a solid group of young players, led by Harris and point guard Jontell Evans. The team loses Farrakhan and Will Sherrill, but returns a good group of players that seem to have bought into Coach Bennett's system.
Virginia
16-15 (7-9 ACC)
It's easy to be pessimistic about the UVA basketball team, given the recent lack of success and the fact that they only finished one game above .500 this year. I would argue that things are definitely looking up in Charlottesville, with a coach who knows what he's doing, and a strong finish to the season.
The first half of the season was pretty polarizing. UVA had some games where they really played well, including back-to-back road wins at Minnesota and Virginia Tech. They also lost by 43 points to Washington, and lost back-to-back home games to Seattle and Iowa State. Part of the problem was the fact that their best player, Mike Scott, was hurt. Scott only played 10 games.
The start to conference play wasn't promising. UVA started out 3-8, with some close tough losses. Once the team started to gel with its younger players, they started playing better, winning 4 of the last 5 ACC games, including two road wins.
The thing about playing UVA is you know that they are going to play strong defense. Tony Bennett's teams can really shut you down and make you look bad on offense. The games can look ugly, but they are effective (see the 49-47 win over Clemson as an example). If Virginia makes their 3 pointers, they are tough to beat. Once Scott got hurt, it became a leader by committee. It really wasn't one guy producing all the scoring for the team. Mustapha Farrakhan had his best year by far, but when he wasn't scoring someone like Joe Harris or K.T. Harrell would pick up the slack.
Biggest Win:
87-79 at Minnesota on 11/29
This was definitely a surprising win for UVA over a Minnesota team that at the time was ranked 15 in the nation. The Cavaliers used a very strong second half performance and a double-double from Scott to earn a relatively easy win. This, coupled with their road win against Virginia Tech in their next game, was their best stretch of the season.
Worst Loss:
59-53 vs. Seattle on 12/22
If the two game stretch in November was the best UVA played this year, the late part of December was the worst. After scratching out a last second win over Norfolk State, UVA lost this game to an independent Seattle team that went 11-20 this year. Seattle's only other game against an ACC team was a 29 point loss to Maryland.
Postseason Play:
The postseason was about as crushing as one team could go through. UVA was in control of their first round ACC Tournament game against Miami, up by 10 points in the last 40 seconds. Then in a comedy of errors fashion they blew the lead away, losing in overtime. It was an abrupt and shocking end to the season.
Looking Ahead:
The big news in the off-season is the fact that Scott was granted a medical redshirt and will be able to play next year. When he played, Scott averaged a double-double and is easily the team's best player. Beyond him, they have a solid group of young players, led by Harris and point guard Jontell Evans. The team loses Farrakhan and Will Sherrill, but returns a good group of players that seem to have bought into Coach Bennett's system.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Season in Review
N.C. State
15-16 (5-11 ACC)
It was another lost year in Raleigh, as the Wolfpack once again underachieved and seemed to just be playing out the string the second half of the year. As a result, the team is starting fresh, as Sidney Lowe finally got the boot.
State had reasonably high expectations going into the year, with a talented class of freshmen and some good returning players. They never really got any momentum, though. The best non-conference win that the Wolfpack had was probably a 13 point neutral site win over George Mason, although Mason was struggling at the time. They lost their ACC/Big 10 Challenge game by 39 points at Wisconsin.
In conference play, it didn't get much better. NC State won only 5 games, which included 2 wins against Wake Forest. Wake was the only team they beat on the road. 8 of their 11 ACC losses were by double digits. It was just a rough year all around.
The Wolfpack were led by Tracy Smith, who had a solid year, but still underperformed at 14 points per game. CJ Leslie was very highly touted, but struggled much of the early part of the year. Ryan Harrow was another solid freshman, but he was injured in the middle point of the ACC season, and Javier Gonzalez just didn't cut it at point guard in his absence. Besides Scott Wood, the team had very few 3 point threats. Take a look at some of these 3 point percentages:
CJ Leslie - 25%
Ryan Harrow - 22%
Lorenzo Brown - 30%
Javier Gonzalez - 29%
Biggest Win:
69-61 vs. Clemson on 2/17
The only conference win NC State had against a team that made the NCAA Tournament was this one over Clemson. In their previous game against Clemson, they had blown a huge first half lead, so it must have felt good to get some payback. This was also the second game of their only two game win streak in ACC play.
Worst Loss:
87-48 at Wisconsin on 12/1
NC State didn't have any embarrassing losses to really bad teams on their schedule, so I picked this 39 point defeat. At one point State was down 52-21. They finished the game shooting 31% and letting Wisconsin shoot 50%. That is not a formula for success.
Postseason Play:
There isn't much to say about NC State's postseason except that it was short. They played Maryland in the first round of the ACC Tournament and lost by 8. Maryland controlled the game, leading the whole time, and put State out of its misery.
Looking Ahead:
Sidney Lowe is out and Mark Gottfried is in at NC State. It was well known that State chased some big names, including Shaka Smart of VCU, but struck out. Gottfried's hire also came with some controversial comments back and forth between Athletic Director Debbie Yow and Gary Williams. All that being said, Gottfried isn't a bad coach. He might not be the perfect fit for the NC State job, but he is definitely an upgrade over Lowe.
Gottfried does inherit some talent. Leslie is staying in school, and should be an improved player in his sophomore year. Richard Howell can be a capable inside scorer, and Wood should provide some outside scoring. They do lose a fair amount off this year's team, though: Smith is graduating, along with Gonzalez. Harrow decided to transfer, which will leave a definite hole in the backcourt. If State can find a point guard, they can fight their way back into contention.
N.C. State
15-16 (5-11 ACC)
It was another lost year in Raleigh, as the Wolfpack once again underachieved and seemed to just be playing out the string the second half of the year. As a result, the team is starting fresh, as Sidney Lowe finally got the boot.
State had reasonably high expectations going into the year, with a talented class of freshmen and some good returning players. They never really got any momentum, though. The best non-conference win that the Wolfpack had was probably a 13 point neutral site win over George Mason, although Mason was struggling at the time. They lost their ACC/Big 10 Challenge game by 39 points at Wisconsin.
In conference play, it didn't get much better. NC State won only 5 games, which included 2 wins against Wake Forest. Wake was the only team they beat on the road. 8 of their 11 ACC losses were by double digits. It was just a rough year all around.
The Wolfpack were led by Tracy Smith, who had a solid year, but still underperformed at 14 points per game. CJ Leslie was very highly touted, but struggled much of the early part of the year. Ryan Harrow was another solid freshman, but he was injured in the middle point of the ACC season, and Javier Gonzalez just didn't cut it at point guard in his absence. Besides Scott Wood, the team had very few 3 point threats. Take a look at some of these 3 point percentages:
CJ Leslie - 25%
Ryan Harrow - 22%
Lorenzo Brown - 30%
Javier Gonzalez - 29%
Biggest Win:
69-61 vs. Clemson on 2/17
The only conference win NC State had against a team that made the NCAA Tournament was this one over Clemson. In their previous game against Clemson, they had blown a huge first half lead, so it must have felt good to get some payback. This was also the second game of their only two game win streak in ACC play.
Worst Loss:
87-48 at Wisconsin on 12/1
NC State didn't have any embarrassing losses to really bad teams on their schedule, so I picked this 39 point defeat. At one point State was down 52-21. They finished the game shooting 31% and letting Wisconsin shoot 50%. That is not a formula for success.
Postseason Play:
There isn't much to say about NC State's postseason except that it was short. They played Maryland in the first round of the ACC Tournament and lost by 8. Maryland controlled the game, leading the whole time, and put State out of its misery.
Looking Ahead:
Sidney Lowe is out and Mark Gottfried is in at NC State. It was well known that State chased some big names, including Shaka Smart of VCU, but struck out. Gottfried's hire also came with some controversial comments back and forth between Athletic Director Debbie Yow and Gary Williams. All that being said, Gottfried isn't a bad coach. He might not be the perfect fit for the NC State job, but he is definitely an upgrade over Lowe.
Gottfried does inherit some talent. Leslie is staying in school, and should be an improved player in his sophomore year. Richard Howell can be a capable inside scorer, and Wood should provide some outside scoring. They do lose a fair amount off this year's team, though: Smith is graduating, along with Gonzalez. Harrow decided to transfer, which will leave a definite hole in the backcourt. If State can find a point guard, they can fight their way back into contention.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Season in Review
North Carolina
29-8 (14-2 ACC)
Tar Heel fans have to be pretty happy about what happened this past season. After a nightmare of a season where they ended up in the NIT, the Heels ended up with an ACC regular season title and a berth in the Elite 8. They showed some rust in the beginning of the season with a lot of new players, but really came together by the end of the season.
You can divide North Carolina's season into two parts. The first would be the Larry Drew team. This is the team that struggled to early losses against Minnesota, Vanderbilt and Illinois. The second is the Kendall Marshall team. After Drew left the program, the team significantly improved. From December 21 to March 5, UNC went 17-2. That is an incredible run for a team even in a relatively weak ACC. Carolina made it to the final of the ACC Tournament despite struggling through much of their first two games, but got blown out by rival Duke. In the NCAA Tournament, they played great at times and poorly in others, eventually losing to Kentucky and missing out on a Final Four bid.
The funny thing is I felt like despite all the success, Carolina still didn't play up to potential. Harrison Barnes is a great talent but can tend to get selfish during games, taking wild shots. He no doubt hit a lot of clutch shots, but I would like to see him distribute more. Similarly, John Henson has a ton of potential and is a big force on the inside. But I saw him make way too many plays where he tried to drive all the way to the basket from the 3 point line with no success. That being said, Marshall was the real catalyst for this team, and could have a huge impact next year.
Biggest Win:
81-67 vs. Duke on 3/5
Carolina was very motivated to beat their hated rival, especially after blowing a big lead in Cameron during the first game. They played one of their best games of the year here, making Duke look slow and unathletic. This was big for their confidence, although they didn't play up to this level again the rest of the season.
Worst Loss:
78-58 at Georgia Tech on 1/16
Carolina came into this game having not lost in a month and just laid an egg. Losing at Georgia Tech is bad enough, but to lose by 20 is really inexcusable. The good thing is this was just a blip on the radar, as they came back to win their next five in a row.
Postseason Play:
The ACC Tournament was a bit of a struggle for the Heels. They came in as the #1 seed, but got down big in the first half against Miami in the quarters. They were able to come back and win due mostly to Miami ineptitude. Then, they got down by a significant margin to Clemson in the semis. Barnes hit some big shots and led Carolina back to an overtime win. This led to a third matchup with Duke in the finals. It was Blue Devils all the way from the start, as Duke jumped out to a double-digit halftime lead and ended up winning by 17.
North Carolina came into the NCAA Tournament with a 2 seed, and started with an easy win over Long Island. They had a tougher time in the second round game against Washington, coming up with a huge play on an in-bounds from Henson and a last-minute stop to win. In the Sweet 16, Carolina blew out an overmatched Marquette team, one of the most lopsided games of the tournament. Then came the Kentucky game. The Wildcats seemed to have a good game plan against the Heels, and made a ton of 3s in a mild upset.
Looking Ahead:
With the return of Henson, Barnes and Tyler Zeller, most pundits have North Carolina pegged as the best team next season. And it's hard to argue with that. If they can keep working on developing team chemistry, they can certainly win it all. Carolina will have as much talent as anyone in the country. The best player they are losing is Justin Knox, who averaged 4.6 points per game. The only thing that can keep Carolina from taking it all next year will be themselves.
North Carolina
29-8 (14-2 ACC)
Tar Heel fans have to be pretty happy about what happened this past season. After a nightmare of a season where they ended up in the NIT, the Heels ended up with an ACC regular season title and a berth in the Elite 8. They showed some rust in the beginning of the season with a lot of new players, but really came together by the end of the season.
You can divide North Carolina's season into two parts. The first would be the Larry Drew team. This is the team that struggled to early losses against Minnesota, Vanderbilt and Illinois. The second is the Kendall Marshall team. After Drew left the program, the team significantly improved. From December 21 to March 5, UNC went 17-2. That is an incredible run for a team even in a relatively weak ACC. Carolina made it to the final of the ACC Tournament despite struggling through much of their first two games, but got blown out by rival Duke. In the NCAA Tournament, they played great at times and poorly in others, eventually losing to Kentucky and missing out on a Final Four bid.
The funny thing is I felt like despite all the success, Carolina still didn't play up to potential. Harrison Barnes is a great talent but can tend to get selfish during games, taking wild shots. He no doubt hit a lot of clutch shots, but I would like to see him distribute more. Similarly, John Henson has a ton of potential and is a big force on the inside. But I saw him make way too many plays where he tried to drive all the way to the basket from the 3 point line with no success. That being said, Marshall was the real catalyst for this team, and could have a huge impact next year.
Biggest Win:
81-67 vs. Duke on 3/5
Carolina was very motivated to beat their hated rival, especially after blowing a big lead in Cameron during the first game. They played one of their best games of the year here, making Duke look slow and unathletic. This was big for their confidence, although they didn't play up to this level again the rest of the season.
Worst Loss:
78-58 at Georgia Tech on 1/16
Carolina came into this game having not lost in a month and just laid an egg. Losing at Georgia Tech is bad enough, but to lose by 20 is really inexcusable. The good thing is this was just a blip on the radar, as they came back to win their next five in a row.
Postseason Play:
The ACC Tournament was a bit of a struggle for the Heels. They came in as the #1 seed, but got down big in the first half against Miami in the quarters. They were able to come back and win due mostly to Miami ineptitude. Then, they got down by a significant margin to Clemson in the semis. Barnes hit some big shots and led Carolina back to an overtime win. This led to a third matchup with Duke in the finals. It was Blue Devils all the way from the start, as Duke jumped out to a double-digit halftime lead and ended up winning by 17.
North Carolina came into the NCAA Tournament with a 2 seed, and started with an easy win over Long Island. They had a tougher time in the second round game against Washington, coming up with a huge play on an in-bounds from Henson and a last-minute stop to win. In the Sweet 16, Carolina blew out an overmatched Marquette team, one of the most lopsided games of the tournament. Then came the Kentucky game. The Wildcats seemed to have a good game plan against the Heels, and made a ton of 3s in a mild upset.
Looking Ahead:
With the return of Henson, Barnes and Tyler Zeller, most pundits have North Carolina pegged as the best team next season. And it's hard to argue with that. If they can keep working on developing team chemistry, they can certainly win it all. Carolina will have as much talent as anyone in the country. The best player they are losing is Justin Knox, who averaged 4.6 points per game. The only thing that can keep Carolina from taking it all next year will be themselves.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Season in Review
Miami
21-15 (6-10 ACC)
There was a lot of optimism coming into last season for Miami. They hadn't played well the year before, but had a strong ACC Tournament and had pretty much everyone coming back. What most fans overlooked was the fact that this was still Miami - a team that continually underachieved. And the result this year was another disappointing season.
The Canes played okay in the early season. They beat West Virginia and Ole Miss but lost to Rutgers by 16 and to UCF by 6. Miami was largely untested in the first month or so of the season, and it showed when conference play began. They started 1-6 in the ACC, with many of those losses being really tough, close games. Miami had a stretch of 7 conference games where the largest margin was 4 points. That is a lot of close games! They did win three games in a row to get back into decent position, but were never really in the hunt to make the NCAA Tournament. They were able to play the role of spoiler a couple times, hurting the NCAA Tournament chances of Boston College and Maryland with wins over them. Miami was able to make the NIT, where they ended up losing to Alabama.
Miami was carried throughout the year by the three players expected to carry the team. Malcolm Grand, Durand Scott and Reggie Johnson combined for about 40 points per game. The problem is they never seemed to have all of them playing well at the same time, and didn't get much out of the bench. They often would get into streetball mode and feature one guy driving against the other team, putting up a wild shot. Coach Frank Haith was a hot name early on in his career at Miami, but really didn't do much the last several years and was on the hot seat. Fortunately for Miami, Haith was surprisingly offered the job at Missouri and bolted.
Biggest Win:
79-76 vs. West Virginia on 12/4
This was Miami's only win over a team that made the NCAA Tournament. They won in dramatic fashion, coming back from a 13 point deficit in the second half thanks to 26 points from Grant. This was also a rare game that Miami was able to win at the end.
Worst Loss:
61-45 at Rutgers on 11/21
Rutgers is an okay team at home, but there really is no excuse for going up to New Jersey and scoring only 45 points, losing by 16. Miami only shot 29 percent against the Scarlet Knights, and only got 3 points from Grant. Rutgers ended up winning only 5 games in the Big East this year.
Postseason Play:
The ACC Tournament was an adventure for Miami. They had an improbable win over Virginia, in which the Cavaliers lost a 10 point lead in the final 40 seconds. It was a combination of total ineptitude by Virginia and some clutch plays by Miami to complete the comeback. The shoe was on the other foot for the quarterfinal game. Miami built a big lead over #1 seed North Carolina before completely blowing it in the last 10 minutes and losing by 2. Miami did earn an NIT bid, winning home games over Florida Atlantic and Missouri State fairly easily before losing to Alabama by 15.
Looking Ahead:
After Haith left for Missouri, Miami took a long time on its coaching search before coming up with an unexpected hire. They lured longtime George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga away from Northern Virginia. Larranaga had unquestionable success at Mason, with that unforgettable trip to the Final Four and numerous NCAA bids. How he will be able to win at a school with the pressure to compete in the ACC is another question. Miami doesn't have a great basketball pedigree, and it will take some work for Larranaga to change that. He does inherit some pretty good players. Johnson decided that he will not stay in the NBA Draft, and will return to Miami. Grant and Scott will be back as well (assuming they don't transfer). In fact, the only senior is Adrian Thomas, who was a 3-point specialist. If Larranaga can get the players to buy in to his style, they could move up in the conference next year.
Miami
21-15 (6-10 ACC)
There was a lot of optimism coming into last season for Miami. They hadn't played well the year before, but had a strong ACC Tournament and had pretty much everyone coming back. What most fans overlooked was the fact that this was still Miami - a team that continually underachieved. And the result this year was another disappointing season.
The Canes played okay in the early season. They beat West Virginia and Ole Miss but lost to Rutgers by 16 and to UCF by 6. Miami was largely untested in the first month or so of the season, and it showed when conference play began. They started 1-6 in the ACC, with many of those losses being really tough, close games. Miami had a stretch of 7 conference games where the largest margin was 4 points. That is a lot of close games! They did win three games in a row to get back into decent position, but were never really in the hunt to make the NCAA Tournament. They were able to play the role of spoiler a couple times, hurting the NCAA Tournament chances of Boston College and Maryland with wins over them. Miami was able to make the NIT, where they ended up losing to Alabama.
Miami was carried throughout the year by the three players expected to carry the team. Malcolm Grand, Durand Scott and Reggie Johnson combined for about 40 points per game. The problem is they never seemed to have all of them playing well at the same time, and didn't get much out of the bench. They often would get into streetball mode and feature one guy driving against the other team, putting up a wild shot. Coach Frank Haith was a hot name early on in his career at Miami, but really didn't do much the last several years and was on the hot seat. Fortunately for Miami, Haith was surprisingly offered the job at Missouri and bolted.
Biggest Win:
79-76 vs. West Virginia on 12/4
This was Miami's only win over a team that made the NCAA Tournament. They won in dramatic fashion, coming back from a 13 point deficit in the second half thanks to 26 points from Grant. This was also a rare game that Miami was able to win at the end.
Worst Loss:
61-45 at Rutgers on 11/21
Rutgers is an okay team at home, but there really is no excuse for going up to New Jersey and scoring only 45 points, losing by 16. Miami only shot 29 percent against the Scarlet Knights, and only got 3 points from Grant. Rutgers ended up winning only 5 games in the Big East this year.
Postseason Play:
The ACC Tournament was an adventure for Miami. They had an improbable win over Virginia, in which the Cavaliers lost a 10 point lead in the final 40 seconds. It was a combination of total ineptitude by Virginia and some clutch plays by Miami to complete the comeback. The shoe was on the other foot for the quarterfinal game. Miami built a big lead over #1 seed North Carolina before completely blowing it in the last 10 minutes and losing by 2. Miami did earn an NIT bid, winning home games over Florida Atlantic and Missouri State fairly easily before losing to Alabama by 15.
Looking Ahead:
After Haith left for Missouri, Miami took a long time on its coaching search before coming up with an unexpected hire. They lured longtime George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga away from Northern Virginia. Larranaga had unquestionable success at Mason, with that unforgettable trip to the Final Four and numerous NCAA bids. How he will be able to win at a school with the pressure to compete in the ACC is another question. Miami doesn't have a great basketball pedigree, and it will take some work for Larranaga to change that. He does inherit some pretty good players. Johnson decided that he will not stay in the NBA Draft, and will return to Miami. Grant and Scott will be back as well (assuming they don't transfer). In fact, the only senior is Adrian Thomas, who was a 3-point specialist. If Larranaga can get the players to buy in to his style, they could move up in the conference next year.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Update: Maryland
A lot has happened in the past 48 hours for the Maryland Terrapins program since I wrote the Season In Review. Yesterday, we learned that Jordan Williams has hired an agent and will not be coming back to school. While this was expected, it is still a big blow for the team. He was the best player on the team by a wide margin and the only true post threat.
The worst news came this afternoon - with Coach Gary Williams' retirement. This definitely came as a surprise. While Williams has been at Maryland for a long time (22 years), he is not that old and seemed to still enjoy the challenges of coaching. Williams wasn't the best recruiter in the country - in recent years especially he missed out on some big name recruits. But he was probably the best motivator and in-game coach in the conference besides Coach K. The program will definitely miss him. At this late juncture, it's going to be tough to get a top level coach to replace him. Maryland has a good tradition even before Coach Williams got there (mainly because of Lefty Driesell) but I can't help but wonder if this might be the start of a significant decline for Maryland hoops.
A lot has happened in the past 48 hours for the Maryland Terrapins program since I wrote the Season In Review. Yesterday, we learned that Jordan Williams has hired an agent and will not be coming back to school. While this was expected, it is still a big blow for the team. He was the best player on the team by a wide margin and the only true post threat.
The worst news came this afternoon - with Coach Gary Williams' retirement. This definitely came as a surprise. While Williams has been at Maryland for a long time (22 years), he is not that old and seemed to still enjoy the challenges of coaching. Williams wasn't the best recruiter in the country - in recent years especially he missed out on some big name recruits. But he was probably the best motivator and in-game coach in the conference besides Coach K. The program will definitely miss him. At this late juncture, it's going to be tough to get a top level coach to replace him. Maryland has a good tradition even before Coach Williams got there (mainly because of Lefty Driesell) but I can't help but wonder if this might be the start of a significant decline for Maryland hoops.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Season in Review
Maryland
19-14 (7-9 ACC)
Even the most die-hard Maryland fans had to acknowledge that this past year would be a down year following the loss of Greivis Vasquez. And that's how it turned out. The Terps had a lot of young players who played a lot of significant time - and that led to some inconsistency. For the most part, Maryland beat the teams that it was better than, but just couldn't get a big win over a better team.
The Terps handled themselves pretty well in Madison Square Garden early in the year, but were ultimately overmatched in losses to Pitt and Illinois. The rest of their non-conference slate was pretty undistinguished, and they had a disappointing loss in their ACC opener at home to Boston College. As the ACC season went on, the Terps just couldn't seem to string together a series of wins to get any momentum. They were on the outside of the NCAA bubble much of the year, and seemed to run out of gas at the end of the ACC season, losing their last three conference games. Somewhat surprisingly, the Terps did not even get an NIT bid, and the ACC Tournament marked the end of their season.
Jordan Williams did it all for Maryland. He had a long streak of consecutive double-doubles, and ended up with 16.9 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game on the year. When he didn't play well, the Terps didn't play well. Other than Williams, the only other double figure scorer was freshman Terrell Stoglin. Veteran players like Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Sean Mosley didn't produce consistently enough to lift Maryland. And three point shooting was a big problem. No one that played on a consistent basis shot better than 36% for the year from three point range.
Biggest Win:
78-62 vs. Florida State on 2/23
It was tough to find a signature win for this Terps team. They had only a few wins against teams that made the NCAA Tournament. They did manage a nice 16 point win here against a Florida State team that made the Sweet 16, although FSU was just learning how to play without Chris Singleton. This got the Terps to 7-6 in the ACC before they lost three straight.
Worst Loss:
74-60 vs. Virginia on 3/5
Maryland came into this Senior Day game against their rival Virginia needing a win to finish 8-8 in the conference. They were very flat in this one and let the Cavaliers control the game from the opening tip. This came after Maryland had won the game in Charlottesville by 24 points.
Postseason Play:
Maryland came into the ACC Tournament as the 7 seed, and had a fairly easy eight point victory over NC State. They then had to play Duke on short rest. That proved to be very tough, as they ran out of gas in the second half and lost by 16. Maryland probably didn't think that would be the end of their season, but they didn't get an NIT bid.
Looking Ahead:
Maryland fans pin much of their hope for next season on the decision due soon from Williams. If he decides to come back to school (which at this point seems unlikely) the Terps could have a very solid team next year. If not, they have a big hole in the frontcourt. The team's other frontcourt starter, Dino Gregory, is graduating. Bowie and Tucker are graduating as well. What Maryland is left with are two rising sophomores in Stoglin and Pe'Shon Howard who could end up being great players. James Padgett could be a solid player in the post, but the Terps need more if they are going to make it back to the NCAAs next year.
Maryland
19-14 (7-9 ACC)
Even the most die-hard Maryland fans had to acknowledge that this past year would be a down year following the loss of Greivis Vasquez. And that's how it turned out. The Terps had a lot of young players who played a lot of significant time - and that led to some inconsistency. For the most part, Maryland beat the teams that it was better than, but just couldn't get a big win over a better team.
The Terps handled themselves pretty well in Madison Square Garden early in the year, but were ultimately overmatched in losses to Pitt and Illinois. The rest of their non-conference slate was pretty undistinguished, and they had a disappointing loss in their ACC opener at home to Boston College. As the ACC season went on, the Terps just couldn't seem to string together a series of wins to get any momentum. They were on the outside of the NCAA bubble much of the year, and seemed to run out of gas at the end of the ACC season, losing their last three conference games. Somewhat surprisingly, the Terps did not even get an NIT bid, and the ACC Tournament marked the end of their season.
Jordan Williams did it all for Maryland. He had a long streak of consecutive double-doubles, and ended up with 16.9 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game on the year. When he didn't play well, the Terps didn't play well. Other than Williams, the only other double figure scorer was freshman Terrell Stoglin. Veteran players like Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Sean Mosley didn't produce consistently enough to lift Maryland. And three point shooting was a big problem. No one that played on a consistent basis shot better than 36% for the year from three point range.
Biggest Win:
78-62 vs. Florida State on 2/23
It was tough to find a signature win for this Terps team. They had only a few wins against teams that made the NCAA Tournament. They did manage a nice 16 point win here against a Florida State team that made the Sweet 16, although FSU was just learning how to play without Chris Singleton. This got the Terps to 7-6 in the ACC before they lost three straight.
Worst Loss:
74-60 vs. Virginia on 3/5
Maryland came into this Senior Day game against their rival Virginia needing a win to finish 8-8 in the conference. They were very flat in this one and let the Cavaliers control the game from the opening tip. This came after Maryland had won the game in Charlottesville by 24 points.
Postseason Play:
Maryland came into the ACC Tournament as the 7 seed, and had a fairly easy eight point victory over NC State. They then had to play Duke on short rest. That proved to be very tough, as they ran out of gas in the second half and lost by 16. Maryland probably didn't think that would be the end of their season, but they didn't get an NIT bid.
Looking Ahead:
Maryland fans pin much of their hope for next season on the decision due soon from Williams. If he decides to come back to school (which at this point seems unlikely) the Terps could have a very solid team next year. If not, they have a big hole in the frontcourt. The team's other frontcourt starter, Dino Gregory, is graduating. Bowie and Tucker are graduating as well. What Maryland is left with are two rising sophomores in Stoglin and Pe'Shon Howard who could end up being great players. James Padgett could be a solid player in the post, but the Terps need more if they are going to make it back to the NCAAs next year.
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