Again, kind of a subjective exercise here, but why not? Some grades for the team through 21 games. Obviously these could change drastically depending on the toughest part of the schedule (which is the last 7 or 8 games).
Player/Coach Grades
Tyus Battle: A-
So Tyus is a bit tough to grade b/c if you want to look at the numbers specifically you could make a case whichever way you wanted. You could argue he hasn't been great b/c he's been inconsistent with his scoring (he's had 10-12 points in four conference games) and he's shooting poorly from three (he's still only at 30% in conference play after a 4 for 8 night vs. BC).
But Tyus does a couple things I love -- he works hard and he can occasionally put a team on his back and simply win a game on his own. He is constantly trying to add to his game -- see his ball handling improvement over the course of the year and how it's allowed this team to bring buddy onto the floor for shooting but still be able to run everything through Tyus. The BC game and Cornell games are good examples but sometimes you just get stretches where he simply takes over and gets you the W. That's a huge benefit for a team that doesn't have much pure scoring.
What to watch: The Tyus as PG development is an interesting one. Prior to his 9 assist game against Miami, Tyus had only reached 5 assists twice in his career. He then sets his new career high against Miami and adds 6 more in a game where he still was looking for his own offense quite a bit last night. If he can truly run the point, this team has even more flexibility with it's lineups and personnel. Never a bad thing.
Oshae Brissett: C+
Tough grade for Oshae, who actually has still been a relatively effective player and is another kid who works his a$$ off on the floor which I think all of us can at least respect. His per 40 numbers in conference play are very similar to last year with his 2-point shooting being up (surprisingly) and 3-point shooting down. Otherwise it's pretty close with a few more assists and slightly fewer rebounds.
But Oshae's struggles to finish around the basket are confounding. He had two nice finishes last night -- crazy dunk and nice little righty floater going to his left -- but then had a drive where he missed about a foot left while out of control and a couple more where he just got himself in a bad spot and had nowhere to go.
To me it's one of those things where Oshae the athlete, at least right now, is better than Oshae the basketball player. Sort of the opposite of Elijah Hughes who I would say is a good but not great athlete but his athleticism plays up on the court (blocked shots, fast-break finishes, getting a hand in the passing lane) because he has nice instincts. Where I think this shows up the most for Oshae is that he rarely is just catching and finishing a play. Think about how much guys who were good offensive bigs (Grant, Hak, RJ, Wes, etc.) were catching and finishing a play in close or on a lob? I just feel Oshae is constantly dribbling somewhere or shooting a 15+ foot jumper. And he always seems so rushed when doing those things -- even if you just contrasted him with a guy like Taurean Thompson who was so calm and relaxed with the ball in his hands (or when playing defense ...).
What to watch: I would say minutes b/c he's down about 5 mpg from last season (which is a good thing, IMO) and there is a fairly significant threat to steal a few mins in Dolezaj, but really I think the biggest key for Oshae is can he get into the habit of going up vertically instead of sort of flattening out and almost flailing at certain points in the lane. Still really like the kid but it hasn't been the soph year we (and probably he) were hoping for.
Elijah Hughes: B+
I'm sure some may be surprised to see Hughes grade in the same general vicinity as Battle but I think this kid has done a really nice job for this team. He's a little limited in terms of putting the ball on the deck or if he has to fight off two guys for a weakside rebound the way Brissett is able to do on the other side. But he's been a really solid player and I think his confidence and shooting has been huge for this team.
Last night, for example, not the world's biggest game for Hughes, but that three he hit with the clock winding down and Cuse down 15-6 was a HUGE shot in that game. It really wasn't a great look but he drained it and then followed it up with another three to cut it to 15-12 and we were off and running from that point. Having a guy who has pretty reliably knocked down a shot from deep has been essential to this team with not only Tyus and Oshae struggling and Frank still playing his way back, but also with Buddy struggling early.
When you add in the fact that he has pretty quick hands and good anticipation defensively and he has a knack for blocking a shot or two most games, he's really been a nice addition to this team and a big reason I think we're better than last year.
What to watch: Can Hughes remain productive consistently throughout the ACC slate? Haven't seen this as much in recent years -- Brissett was excellent all the way through as a frosh, don't really remember Richardson or Lydon dealing with a big swoon, per se -- but we desperately need Hughes shooting and scoring. If he can remain productive that will be a big key for us.
Frank Howard: C
Frankie's been OK. Getting him back allowed Battle to move off ball, which is big (even though we've seen him playing effectively at the point a bit lately) and improved our defense. Frank's gotten more productive as he's played his way back from what seems like a pretty significant injury. He hit double figures once in his first 10 games and now he's done it in four of the last seven with a big game against Duke. He's averaging double-figures in ACC play as well.
So that's the good. The bad is that he just seems a little off. He drained a couple long jumpers and a three against BC and he had just one TO, but something just seemed off. Bobbled the pass for the turnover for no reason and had a couple other careless plays that you just hope are few and far between for a senior.
One thing for Frank is that he's a pretty solid spotup shooter. He went 4 of his first 24 threes but has shot 35.5% since that point. Hope he can keep knocking down threes b/c that certainly would help our balance.
What to watch: Frank is one of these guys that could be very interesting to watch in terms of minutes the rest of the way. He's a good, veteran player and will be a key member of the rotation. But Buddy has been playing well, Battle is tough to take off the floor and while it appears Carey won't be much of a factor he certainly offers something different than Frank with his speed/quickness. Don't see Frank disappearing but it will be interesting to see if he's more in the 25 mpg range than the 35 mpg range the rest of the way. Also, an interesting sidebar, Frankie has to average around 11 ppg if we play 12 more games (10 regular season, at least one in ACC tourney and then probably at least one in a postseason tournament somewhere) to get to 1,000 points for his career.
Pascal Chuckwu: C+
Consistency is the question here. I give Chuckwu a C+ b/c I don't know how much more than we got last year any of us could have realistically expected. But it would be great to see production more like we got in the three games leading up to VA Tech, then what we got vs. VA Tech and BC, which was largely very little.
Chuckwu's caught the ball better this year, then gathered himself and been a bit better finishing some of those lobs.
What to watch: I'm not sure. I like Chuckwu but it feels like he is what he is. Hustles, plays hard, good size, takes up some space and is a nice anchor defensively in most games. That's what he is and, really, it's pretty solid.
Marek Dolezaj: B- (probably should be an A since he took a charge from Zion ...)
We all would have loved to see a Dolezaj with a little extra junk in the trunk this year and playing a bigger role offensively, but he's still been pretty effective. He hasn't scored much or been quite as effective on the glass (anecdotally) but he's been very effective when he's put the ball up and he's been a really nice weapon against opposing teams' zones.
There were some posts in the thread on Part I about regression for Marek (as well as Chuckwu, Brissett and Sidibe) but I'm not sure I see Marek as having regressed. I think he's a guy who's had a tough time getting all that much of an opportunity to really spread his wings offensively. I mean, we know he's not going to create a ton for himself so he needs others to facilitate. We don't do that well.
Dolezaj clearly has improved his shot and he's an excellent passer. He hustles, he battles. Ultimately, he's a pretty nice asset. But, having said that, he hasn't been able to establish any kind of consistent level of performance.
What to watch: Can Dolezaj pick up his game down the stretch like he did last year. Doubt we'll see him miraculously start putting up 11 or 12 a game, but he has quietly played a pretty big role in our solid ACC start. He had a really nice game against clemson and then had 6 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals in 25 mins vs. Ga Tech. Got limited minutes after getting broken in half by Zion but then he bounced back with two straight games of at five assists and five rebounds (he actually had six in one game) vs. Pitt and Miami. Anyway, two pretty quiet games back-to-back since then but Dolezaj is definitely a potential 'x factor' for us.
Buddy Boeheim: B+
I might be a bit high on Buddy's grade and you could argue recency bias but I'll say I didn't really even expect him to meaningfully crack the guard rotation so the fact that he has played a big role in three ACC wins is exceeding my expectations (which may only prove I'm not a great talent evaluator).
As far as I'm concerned his last four games are pretty eye-opening. He's averaging basically 10 ppg and he's hit 11 of 18 threes while we've gone 3-1 with a road win (in a venue we got demolished last season). I also think he's made some strides defensively. Wouldn't call him good or even average -- he's a little weak on that end -- but he's made a few more plays there as well. Couple steals, couple deflections.
At this point he's almost exclusively a shooter -- BC was just the second time this season that he's had multiple 2-point baskets in a game -- but his shooting is extremely valuable to a team that is inconsistent shooting the ball.
What to watch for: Does Buddy play more? If so, at who's expense? Frank? Oshae? Marek? Interesting to watch the lineup combinations but you've got to figure he's not going to have many more games like Va Tech where he essentially didn't get off the bench. Also, his value is tied to almost exclusively to his shooting. So he needs to keep making shots.
Jalen Carey: D
Listen, the grade is the grade. It reflects the fact that Jalen had some expectations this year and after some really intriguing moments early in the season, he has essentially found himself a nice warm seat next to Howard Washington. OK, so that's the harsh review. In reality, this is a kid who's had three seasons in 21 games. He was averaging 11.5 ppg through four games and was a key rotation guy. Then Frank came back, his minutes dipped but he still registered at least 15 minutes in 5 of the other 8 non conference games and had some nice moments -- played a nice role in the W of G'town and actually was ok against ODU for stretch and UB for a stretch (something basically none of the rest of the roster can claim).
But the big games really, really start to count in Jan and he's struggled. The 19 minutes against Duke/Ga Tech were brutal, which led to the DNP vs. Pitt (in a comfortable win?) and he didn't play much against MIami. Got on the floor a bit vs. Va Tech but back on the bench vs. BC.
How much is JB or off the court/practice related concerns? No idea. But he's really struggled.
What to watch: I don't think his season is over. If he can manage to keep working and keep a solid attitude he remains the only player on this roster that can truly break an opponent down off the dribble. Having a unique skill is a good thing so while I wouldn't expect huge minutes from him, if buddy struggles and Jalen gets a shot, he can work his way back.
Bourama Sidibe: C
I just randomly picked a grade. I mean, I like his skill set and think he was trying to work his way back early. He also has some pretty stiff competition for playing time with Chuckwu playing really well at times and Dolezaj handling some minutes here as well. But the plus side of Sidibe is this -- JB feels OK going to him. He's played in all 21 games which he wouldn't have if JB didn't feel he was at least adequate. He's had some nice moments -- he has one of just eight double-doubles this season (Oshae with 4, Chuckwu with 2, Hughes with 1) , thought he played well vs. ND and Clemson -- and he's in a tough spot for numbers b/c we don't do a great job getting the ball to the post but Sidibe does look for it there (which I feel sometimes Chuckwu does not).
Overall he's been able to contribute. The downside is that I think I'm in line with most people here that think Sidibe actually has a chance to be a very nice player and we haven't seen much of that. WE haven't seen much growth and I think that's disappointing.
What to watch for: Think we're basically seeing what we're going to see from him this season but if he is healthy and moving well the rest of the year, that is a plus.
Howard Washington: A
Nothing really to mention here other than I love that this kid seems so engaged and positive on the bench when he's been faced with adversity personally. Good sign for the kid whatever ends up becoming his future.
Jimmy B: C
Weird year to grade JB, who i'm sure would tell me to take my grade and stick it in a bad spot. But the reason I feel it's important to include him in here is that I generally give JB the benefit of the doubt of being an excellent basketball coach. No one is ever going to be perfect and JB does a pretty amazing job and he bleeds orange, so I think sometimes the criticism gets a bit overdone here. I also am on record here as saying I think there were a lot of factors that weren't entirely things you could throw on JB over the past couple years -- not to rehash but guys leaving earlier than expected, sanctions, the poorly handled succession plan (which I don't entirely blame anyone for as much as simply acknowledging that it's a factor when you've got a coach who's 70+, etc.).
That said, this was the team that I thought was going to break away from the previous few groups. It wasn't an especially daunting out of conference slate and we had a veteran team that, on paper at least, fit together well. A two-man tandem at C, two veteran guards and a talented newcomer, three versatile, promising forwards. Really thought, even if we dropped a game to Oregon and maybe even UB, that we would cruise into ACC play at 11-2 and make a statement with an 11 or 12-win ACC season.
That hasn't happened. In addition, we've had a weird trend lately of guys not progressing the way we sort of assumed they would. Oshae and Sidibe are about the same players. Marek added a shot and Battle smoothed his out, but they've been largely the same guys. We just seem to be stuck in this rut where year in and year out our best players seem like they are the newcomers while a lot of the returning guys seem stuck in neutral.
We've also continued our trend of seeming to have a few struggles on the recruiting path. There are ebbs and flows in any program we just seem to be stuck in a not great moment right now.
What to watch for: The thing with JB is that he has so much experience he doesn't panic. He knows he can win games and we've proven that even in our worst seasons. Dude won 18 games with a team that essentially had only Rak. Anyway, not a lot of gimmes from here on out, so we'll see if JB can get this team to 10+ wins. If he does, we're in OK shape. It'll also be interesting to see what rotation he eventually settles on as we get into the big boy portion of the sked starting with NC State and/or Louisville.
Player/Coach Grades
Tyus Battle: A-
So Tyus is a bit tough to grade b/c if you want to look at the numbers specifically you could make a case whichever way you wanted. You could argue he hasn't been great b/c he's been inconsistent with his scoring (he's had 10-12 points in four conference games) and he's shooting poorly from three (he's still only at 30% in conference play after a 4 for 8 night vs. BC).
But Tyus does a couple things I love -- he works hard and he can occasionally put a team on his back and simply win a game on his own. He is constantly trying to add to his game -- see his ball handling improvement over the course of the year and how it's allowed this team to bring buddy onto the floor for shooting but still be able to run everything through Tyus. The BC game and Cornell games are good examples but sometimes you just get stretches where he simply takes over and gets you the W. That's a huge benefit for a team that doesn't have much pure scoring.
What to watch: The Tyus as PG development is an interesting one. Prior to his 9 assist game against Miami, Tyus had only reached 5 assists twice in his career. He then sets his new career high against Miami and adds 6 more in a game where he still was looking for his own offense quite a bit last night. If he can truly run the point, this team has even more flexibility with it's lineups and personnel. Never a bad thing.
Oshae Brissett: C+
Tough grade for Oshae, who actually has still been a relatively effective player and is another kid who works his a$$ off on the floor which I think all of us can at least respect. His per 40 numbers in conference play are very similar to last year with his 2-point shooting being up (surprisingly) and 3-point shooting down. Otherwise it's pretty close with a few more assists and slightly fewer rebounds.
But Oshae's struggles to finish around the basket are confounding. He had two nice finishes last night -- crazy dunk and nice little righty floater going to his left -- but then had a drive where he missed about a foot left while out of control and a couple more where he just got himself in a bad spot and had nowhere to go.
To me it's one of those things where Oshae the athlete, at least right now, is better than Oshae the basketball player. Sort of the opposite of Elijah Hughes who I would say is a good but not great athlete but his athleticism plays up on the court (blocked shots, fast-break finishes, getting a hand in the passing lane) because he has nice instincts. Where I think this shows up the most for Oshae is that he rarely is just catching and finishing a play. Think about how much guys who were good offensive bigs (Grant, Hak, RJ, Wes, etc.) were catching and finishing a play in close or on a lob? I just feel Oshae is constantly dribbling somewhere or shooting a 15+ foot jumper. And he always seems so rushed when doing those things -- even if you just contrasted him with a guy like Taurean Thompson who was so calm and relaxed with the ball in his hands (or when playing defense ...).
What to watch: I would say minutes b/c he's down about 5 mpg from last season (which is a good thing, IMO) and there is a fairly significant threat to steal a few mins in Dolezaj, but really I think the biggest key for Oshae is can he get into the habit of going up vertically instead of sort of flattening out and almost flailing at certain points in the lane. Still really like the kid but it hasn't been the soph year we (and probably he) were hoping for.
Elijah Hughes: B+
I'm sure some may be surprised to see Hughes grade in the same general vicinity as Battle but I think this kid has done a really nice job for this team. He's a little limited in terms of putting the ball on the deck or if he has to fight off two guys for a weakside rebound the way Brissett is able to do on the other side. But he's been a really solid player and I think his confidence and shooting has been huge for this team.
Last night, for example, not the world's biggest game for Hughes, but that three he hit with the clock winding down and Cuse down 15-6 was a HUGE shot in that game. It really wasn't a great look but he drained it and then followed it up with another three to cut it to 15-12 and we were off and running from that point. Having a guy who has pretty reliably knocked down a shot from deep has been essential to this team with not only Tyus and Oshae struggling and Frank still playing his way back, but also with Buddy struggling early.
When you add in the fact that he has pretty quick hands and good anticipation defensively and he has a knack for blocking a shot or two most games, he's really been a nice addition to this team and a big reason I think we're better than last year.
What to watch: Can Hughes remain productive consistently throughout the ACC slate? Haven't seen this as much in recent years -- Brissett was excellent all the way through as a frosh, don't really remember Richardson or Lydon dealing with a big swoon, per se -- but we desperately need Hughes shooting and scoring. If he can remain productive that will be a big key for us.
Frank Howard: C
Frankie's been OK. Getting him back allowed Battle to move off ball, which is big (even though we've seen him playing effectively at the point a bit lately) and improved our defense. Frank's gotten more productive as he's played his way back from what seems like a pretty significant injury. He hit double figures once in his first 10 games and now he's done it in four of the last seven with a big game against Duke. He's averaging double-figures in ACC play as well.
So that's the good. The bad is that he just seems a little off. He drained a couple long jumpers and a three against BC and he had just one TO, but something just seemed off. Bobbled the pass for the turnover for no reason and had a couple other careless plays that you just hope are few and far between for a senior.
One thing for Frank is that he's a pretty solid spotup shooter. He went 4 of his first 24 threes but has shot 35.5% since that point. Hope he can keep knocking down threes b/c that certainly would help our balance.
What to watch: Frank is one of these guys that could be very interesting to watch in terms of minutes the rest of the way. He's a good, veteran player and will be a key member of the rotation. But Buddy has been playing well, Battle is tough to take off the floor and while it appears Carey won't be much of a factor he certainly offers something different than Frank with his speed/quickness. Don't see Frank disappearing but it will be interesting to see if he's more in the 25 mpg range than the 35 mpg range the rest of the way. Also, an interesting sidebar, Frankie has to average around 11 ppg if we play 12 more games (10 regular season, at least one in ACC tourney and then probably at least one in a postseason tournament somewhere) to get to 1,000 points for his career.
Pascal Chuckwu: C+
Consistency is the question here. I give Chuckwu a C+ b/c I don't know how much more than we got last year any of us could have realistically expected. But it would be great to see production more like we got in the three games leading up to VA Tech, then what we got vs. VA Tech and BC, which was largely very little.
Chuckwu's caught the ball better this year, then gathered himself and been a bit better finishing some of those lobs.
What to watch: I'm not sure. I like Chuckwu but it feels like he is what he is. Hustles, plays hard, good size, takes up some space and is a nice anchor defensively in most games. That's what he is and, really, it's pretty solid.
Marek Dolezaj: B- (probably should be an A since he took a charge from Zion ...)
We all would have loved to see a Dolezaj with a little extra junk in the trunk this year and playing a bigger role offensively, but he's still been pretty effective. He hasn't scored much or been quite as effective on the glass (anecdotally) but he's been very effective when he's put the ball up and he's been a really nice weapon against opposing teams' zones.
There were some posts in the thread on Part I about regression for Marek (as well as Chuckwu, Brissett and Sidibe) but I'm not sure I see Marek as having regressed. I think he's a guy who's had a tough time getting all that much of an opportunity to really spread his wings offensively. I mean, we know he's not going to create a ton for himself so he needs others to facilitate. We don't do that well.
Dolezaj clearly has improved his shot and he's an excellent passer. He hustles, he battles. Ultimately, he's a pretty nice asset. But, having said that, he hasn't been able to establish any kind of consistent level of performance.
What to watch: Can Dolezaj pick up his game down the stretch like he did last year. Doubt we'll see him miraculously start putting up 11 or 12 a game, but he has quietly played a pretty big role in our solid ACC start. He had a really nice game against clemson and then had 6 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals in 25 mins vs. Ga Tech. Got limited minutes after getting broken in half by Zion but then he bounced back with two straight games of at five assists and five rebounds (he actually had six in one game) vs. Pitt and Miami. Anyway, two pretty quiet games back-to-back since then but Dolezaj is definitely a potential 'x factor' for us.
Buddy Boeheim: B+
I might be a bit high on Buddy's grade and you could argue recency bias but I'll say I didn't really even expect him to meaningfully crack the guard rotation so the fact that he has played a big role in three ACC wins is exceeding my expectations (which may only prove I'm not a great talent evaluator).
As far as I'm concerned his last four games are pretty eye-opening. He's averaging basically 10 ppg and he's hit 11 of 18 threes while we've gone 3-1 with a road win (in a venue we got demolished last season). I also think he's made some strides defensively. Wouldn't call him good or even average -- he's a little weak on that end -- but he's made a few more plays there as well. Couple steals, couple deflections.
At this point he's almost exclusively a shooter -- BC was just the second time this season that he's had multiple 2-point baskets in a game -- but his shooting is extremely valuable to a team that is inconsistent shooting the ball.
What to watch for: Does Buddy play more? If so, at who's expense? Frank? Oshae? Marek? Interesting to watch the lineup combinations but you've got to figure he's not going to have many more games like Va Tech where he essentially didn't get off the bench. Also, his value is tied to almost exclusively to his shooting. So he needs to keep making shots.
Jalen Carey: D
Listen, the grade is the grade. It reflects the fact that Jalen had some expectations this year and after some really intriguing moments early in the season, he has essentially found himself a nice warm seat next to Howard Washington. OK, so that's the harsh review. In reality, this is a kid who's had three seasons in 21 games. He was averaging 11.5 ppg through four games and was a key rotation guy. Then Frank came back, his minutes dipped but he still registered at least 15 minutes in 5 of the other 8 non conference games and had some nice moments -- played a nice role in the W of G'town and actually was ok against ODU for stretch and UB for a stretch (something basically none of the rest of the roster can claim).
But the big games really, really start to count in Jan and he's struggled. The 19 minutes against Duke/Ga Tech were brutal, which led to the DNP vs. Pitt (in a comfortable win?) and he didn't play much against MIami. Got on the floor a bit vs. Va Tech but back on the bench vs. BC.
How much is JB or off the court/practice related concerns? No idea. But he's really struggled.
What to watch: I don't think his season is over. If he can manage to keep working and keep a solid attitude he remains the only player on this roster that can truly break an opponent down off the dribble. Having a unique skill is a good thing so while I wouldn't expect huge minutes from him, if buddy struggles and Jalen gets a shot, he can work his way back.
Bourama Sidibe: C
I just randomly picked a grade. I mean, I like his skill set and think he was trying to work his way back early. He also has some pretty stiff competition for playing time with Chuckwu playing really well at times and Dolezaj handling some minutes here as well. But the plus side of Sidibe is this -- JB feels OK going to him. He's played in all 21 games which he wouldn't have if JB didn't feel he was at least adequate. He's had some nice moments -- he has one of just eight double-doubles this season (Oshae with 4, Chuckwu with 2, Hughes with 1) , thought he played well vs. ND and Clemson -- and he's in a tough spot for numbers b/c we don't do a great job getting the ball to the post but Sidibe does look for it there (which I feel sometimes Chuckwu does not).
Overall he's been able to contribute. The downside is that I think I'm in line with most people here that think Sidibe actually has a chance to be a very nice player and we haven't seen much of that. WE haven't seen much growth and I think that's disappointing.
What to watch for: Think we're basically seeing what we're going to see from him this season but if he is healthy and moving well the rest of the year, that is a plus.
Howard Washington: A
Nothing really to mention here other than I love that this kid seems so engaged and positive on the bench when he's been faced with adversity personally. Good sign for the kid whatever ends up becoming his future.
Jimmy B: C
Weird year to grade JB, who i'm sure would tell me to take my grade and stick it in a bad spot. But the reason I feel it's important to include him in here is that I generally give JB the benefit of the doubt of being an excellent basketball coach. No one is ever going to be perfect and JB does a pretty amazing job and he bleeds orange, so I think sometimes the criticism gets a bit overdone here. I also am on record here as saying I think there were a lot of factors that weren't entirely things you could throw on JB over the past couple years -- not to rehash but guys leaving earlier than expected, sanctions, the poorly handled succession plan (which I don't entirely blame anyone for as much as simply acknowledging that it's a factor when you've got a coach who's 70+, etc.).
That said, this was the team that I thought was going to break away from the previous few groups. It wasn't an especially daunting out of conference slate and we had a veteran team that, on paper at least, fit together well. A two-man tandem at C, two veteran guards and a talented newcomer, three versatile, promising forwards. Really thought, even if we dropped a game to Oregon and maybe even UB, that we would cruise into ACC play at 11-2 and make a statement with an 11 or 12-win ACC season.
That hasn't happened. In addition, we've had a weird trend lately of guys not progressing the way we sort of assumed they would. Oshae and Sidibe are about the same players. Marek added a shot and Battle smoothed his out, but they've been largely the same guys. We just seem to be stuck in this rut where year in and year out our best players seem like they are the newcomers while a lot of the returning guys seem stuck in neutral.
We've also continued our trend of seeming to have a few struggles on the recruiting path. There are ebbs and flows in any program we just seem to be stuck in a not great moment right now.
What to watch for: The thing with JB is that he has so much experience he doesn't panic. He knows he can win games and we've proven that even in our worst seasons. Dude won 18 games with a team that essentially had only Rak. Anyway, not a lot of gimmes from here on out, so we'll see if JB can get this team to 10+ wins. If he does, we're in OK shape. It'll also be interesting to see what rotation he eventually settles on as we get into the big boy portion of the sked starting with NC State and/or Louisville.
