SWC75
Bored Historian
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(This will be the beginning of Boeheim’s suspension. Mike Hopkins will be running the team until the Georgia Tech game. Hopkins will be our coach for the first North Carolina game and the Duke, Virginia and Notre Dame games. That’s quite a baptism of fire. But it’s not really his coaching debut. I looked at the time-out huddles back in 2001 when JB had his cancer operation: Bernie Fine, the ostensive interim coach was at his usual positon holding a clipboard to the side of the huddle. We lost both of those games. Mike’s been waiting 14 years for another chance.)
Wednesday 12/30/15 at 9pm in Pittsburgh, PA TV: ESPN 2 PITTSBURGH
We open the ACC schedule with an old nemesis, Pittsburgh, in a place we’ve always had a hard time winning. They’ve had some trouble adjusting to the ACC. The Big East refs let them get away with murder but last year they were only 19-10 and 8-10 in the conference, their worst record in 15 years. They ranked #202 in the country in defensive efficiency. An injury to Cameron Wright and the suspension of Durand Johnson, (who has now transferred) didn’t help.
6-3 point guard James Robertson has a career assist to turnover ratio of 3.3 to 1, (2 to 1 is considered good). 6-9 235 Michael Young averaged 13.4p/7.3r and 6-7 220 James Artis scored 13.6 per game. “We needed rebounding. We needed defense and we needed shooting.” So he opted for transfers over freshman to seek immediate help. Coppin State guard Sterling Smith (6-4 185) hit 41.8 from three point range. 6-9 245 Rafael Maia came from Brown and 6-9 235 Alfonso Nelson-Ododa from Richmond. Normally I’d guess that a Pittsburgh player would be better than anybody from those schools.
Pittsburgh may not be “Pitt” as we’ve known them but they could still be tough to beat.
Saturday 1/2/16 at 2:30pm at Coral Gables, FL.TV: ACC Network MIAMI
The Hurricanes had a nice comeback last year going 25-13 and 10-8 in the conference after a 17 win season the year before. Like many young teams, they had an erratic season, beating Duke and Virginia but losing by 28 to Eastern Kentucky and by 20 at home vs. Georgia Tech. They should be more consistent this year and it should be on the good side.
Sheldon McCellan (6-5 205) averaged 14.5p and 4.7r. Coach Jimmy Larranaga expects him to be a first round NBA draft choice. “I think he’s that talented and that good. He had a very good season last year. I don’t think he got the recognition he deserved but I think everybody around the league knows how good he is.” Angel Rodriguez, 5-11 180, had a difficult, injury plagued first year and should be better this season. 7-0 244 Tonye Jekiri led the ACC in rebounding with 9.9 per game. He averaged 8.6 points and Larranaga expects a double-double this year. He wants his team to be less reliant on three point shooting this year, which is something we might want next year.
Tuesday 1/5/16 at 8pm at the Carrier Dome TV: ACC Network CLEMSON
The Tigers have the #1 football in the nation as I write this but they’ve always been an ACC basketball also-ran. Last year they were 16-15 and 8-10 in conference. This year doesn’t promise to be any better. They lost their center and starting backcourt and their arena which is being renovated. They will play their home games in Greenville and share practice facilities with the women’s team and the volleyball team. That can’t help.
They were a poor shooting team, 325th in the country from the arc. Their best player is Jaron Blossomgame, a 6-7 220 forward who averaged 13.1p and 8.2r. He needs to “improve his outside shooting to stretch the floor against slower defenders”. 6-8 210 Donte Graham averaged 8.8 points. “He got to play through a lot of mistakes as a freshman….he has to be a more consistent shooter.”
Saturday 1/6/16 at 2pm or 8pm at the Carrier Dome TV/: ESPN NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels won the 2005 and 2009 national championships with dominants team. They’ve faded into the background a bit since, not helped by injuries. The writers have them as their pre-season #1 team. The coaches have them at #2 and TSC #4. Reading the write-up in TSN, I’m not sure why there is such enthusiasm for this team. Coach Roy Williams seems more realistic: “If you pick 15 teams that have a chance to win a national championship if they have things fall their way, I think we’ll be one of those 15 teams….we do have good depth but we have to keep it healthy. So many guys have been injured the last few years. We need a year where everybody hangs in there.”
Roy’s luck hasn’t held on that score: top player Marcus Paige broke his right hand, (not his shooting hand) and will be out 3-4 weeks. He’s expected to be back for the Syracuse game. He averaged 14.7p and 4.5 assists last year in an injury plagued season. The 6-1 175 Paige is a guy who can go off for a big game any time. He scored more treys, (4) than the rest of the team combined last year (90). He averaged 17.5 two season ago and was the pre-season ACC POY last year before the injury bug hit. Justin Jackson, 6-8 193, averaged 10.7 but needs to be more consistent. The “bigs” are 6-9 228 Brice Johnson and 6-9 265 Kennedy Meeks. Who averaged 12.9p/7.8r and 11.4p/7.3r. They do have depth with 9 of 10 players who averaged 10 minutes a game or more last year back for more. It remains to be seen what impact the ongoing investigation of the UNC program will have, especially if a decision is announced during the season. They were 26-12 and 11-7 in the conference. They’ll improve but probably not enough to be a national champion.
Wednesday 1/13/16 7pm at the Carrier Dome TV: RSN BOSTON COLLEGE
The Eagles have struggled in the ACC. Two years ago they won 8 games, (one against us in the Dome when we were ranked #1!!!) Last year they were 13-19 and 4-14 in the conference. That’s an improvement but they’ve lost their top four scorers from that team and are projected to fall back into last place in the conference.
Their leading returning scorer is 7-0 250 center Dennis Clifford who averaged 6.9p and 5.5r. 6-2 200 Eli Carter transferred in from Florida after averaging 8.8p there. He’ll be their point guard. They will count heavily on freshman, always an iffy proposition. Guards Matt Millon, (6-4 204) and Jerome Robinson, (6-
6 177), “could immediately provide some scoring punch”, as well as backcourt size. Forward A.J. Turner, (6-7 185), “figures to help”. But not enough.
Saturday 1/16/15 at Noon at Winston-Salem NC TV: ACC Network WAKE FOREST
The Demon deacons used to be a power in this conference back in the Tim Duncan days but they’ve seen hard times in recent years. They were 13-19 last year and 5-13 in the conference. Coach Danny Manning, (remember him?) said “I do feel our roster has improved. Does that translate to more wins? We’d like to think so.”
If it does, Seniors Codi Miller-McIntyre and Devin Thomas will have had a lot to do with it. Both are already 1,000 point scorers. Codi is 6-3 205 and averaged 14.5p/4.8r/4.3a. Devin is 6-9 255 and averaged 12.0p/8.8r. Their backcourt of Cornelius Hudson, (6-6 180), and Mitchell Wilbekin, (6-2 175), returns. They averaged 7.5p and 7.2p, respectively. 6-10 225 Dinos Mitoglou averaged 10.4 in conference play. That seems like a pretty solid line-ups.
Monday1/18/15 at 7pm at Durham, NC TV: ESPN DUKE
And here we go over the falls. Defending national champion Duke, (we will be playing both of last year’s finalists) was 35-4 (15-3). They had no fewer than three one-and-doners: Jahil Okafor, Justice Winslow and Tyus Jones, as well as veteran guard Quinn Cook. It will be hard to match last year’s accomplishments but this is Duke: replacements are on the way.
The new class doesn’t look quite a stellar as the last one but it’s still very good. There are no less than seven of them. The best one should be Derrick Thornton, a 6-2 175 point guard. Top assistant Jeff Capel said “We feel like he’s an elite-level point guard…there will be a learning curve and we think he’ll be able to get through that learning curve.“ They will “lean on” 6-5 180 Luke Kennard in the backcourt, (you’d have to be tall to do that.) ”Brandon Ingram, a wiry 6-9 (190) product from Kinston, NC will likely find work on the wing.” 7-0 250 Marshall Plumlee will be back at center, aided by 6-9 265, a transfer from Rice who averaged 11.4p/9.3r there. “Duke sees him as a rugged interior option who can rebound, set screens and protect the rim.” 6-5 205 Grayson Allen, who came off the deep bench to score 16 points in the national title game. “He’s not going to be a guy who’s not on a team’s scouting report any more.”
This doesn’t look like a national title team but I’m not sure North Carolina will be any better than this. TSN and the writers have them at #5, the coaches at #4, so I think they agree.
Saturday 1/23/15 at Noon at Charlottesville, VA TV: ESPN or ESPN 2 VIRGINIA
Virginia is a different story. They’ve won the conference regular season, (which is not the official championship), two years in a row and the tournament, (the official championship in 2014), going 30-7 and 30-4 (16-2 each year). Unlike Duke, they have 8 of their top 10 scorers back and are prepared to do as well or better. If they have a weakness, it’s the lack of a superstar player to build their team around. But that becomes a strength when everybody contributes so you are taking on the whole team. They also play very physical defense, which may be a disadvantage when the get into the NCAAs and the games get called tighter. (That was always Pittsburgh’s problem.) But maybe it just hasn’t ben their year to make a big run. They’ve run into Tom Izzo’s Michigan State team each year, losing by two and six points, respectively. Maybe this is the year. Syracuse had had no answer for the Cavs, losing by 19 and 12 points, respectively. And we are playing them down there. If we are still a one-dimensional offensive them by then, expect more of the same.
Their top players are 6-5 215 Malcom Brogdon, who led the team with 14.0p and 6-8 230 Anthony Gill who had 11.6p and 6.5r. 6-2 191 London Perrantes led in assists with 4.6. Those are solid but not dazzling numbers. But that the Cavs: they play everybody and everybody shares in ever task. Coach Tony Bennett, who has gained recognition as being among the country’s elite, says “These guys have had some good success. I don’t know a team built like us that doesn’t really try to take advantage of having those upperclassmen. “ TSN has them at #6, as do both the wrtiers and coaches. I think they will be better than Duke and Carolina.
Thursday 1/26/16 at 7pm in the Carrier Dome TV: ESPN/ESPN2 NOTRE DAME
The Irish had perhaps their best ever team last year, going 32-6 and 14-4 in the conference. Then they won the conference tournament, which in the ACC means they were the champion. They lost two stars, Patrick Connaughton and Jerian Grant but get the other 8 of their top ten players back. 6-10 240 Zach Auguste is the leading returning scorer and rebounder at 12.9/6.5. The other double figure scorers are 6-1 198 Demetrius Jackson (12.4, also the leading assist man with 3.1) and 6-5 211 Steve Vasturia (10.1).
But this team is like Virginia: you’re going to be playing the whole roster. “The Irish might not have a player capable of taking over games like Grant and it might not have as versatile a player as Connaughton. But there are still high hopes in South Bend this team could match its immediate predecessor. Mike Brey: “They played in an ACC championship. They cut down nets and played in the Elite Eight and were the talk of college basketball in March. For them, I don’t have to set any goals. Their eagerness is really high to do it all again.” TSN, surprisingly, doesn’t rank the Irish in their top 25. The writers have them #19, the coaches #18.
Saturday 1/30/16 at Noon in the Carrier Dome ESPNU GEORGIA TECH
After facing the cream of the conference, we finally get an also-ran. The Yellow Jackets were 12-19 overall and 3-15 in the conference. They were kind of snake bit, losing 7 one possession games and two more games in over time. “Sometimes you have to show you can compete in games and the next step is to finish games. “
Their best player is 6-5 214 Marcus Georges-Hunt who scored 13.6 and rebounded 5.5. The Jackets are “a quality rebounding team”, led by 6-8 269 Charles Mitchell, (9.8p/7.0r), who will be joined by Alabama transfer Nick Jacobs, (6-8 260) and James White (6-8 220) from Arkansas-Little Rock. Coach Brian Gregory was displeased by Mitchell’s inconsistency last year: he thinks he can be a double-double machine. Quinton Stephens is 6-9 but only weighs 187 pounds and is a three point guy whose shots will be hard to block. The Jackets plucked 6-1 170 Adam Smith from Virginia Tech on the graduate-transfer
rule. He averaged 13.4 for the Hokies.
It seems like pretty good team but Coach Brian Gregory says “Rebuilding in general is difficult. Rebuilding in this league is a monster.”
Tuesday, 2/2/16 at 9pm in the Carrier Dome TV: ACC Network VIRGINIA TECH
The Hokies were the only team in the league with a worse conference record than Georgia Tech and their leading scorer jumped to the Jackets. How do you like them apples? VPI was 11-22 and 2-16 in a conference where they have always had trouble competing in this sport. But Buzz Williams, in his first year, beat Pittsburgh and gave scares to SU, Duke, and Virginia.
6-5 200 Justin Bibbs is their leading returning scorer at 11.4. Wiillaism got a transfer of his own who also scored 13.4 for his previous school, 6-1 190 Seth Allen. Kerry Blacksher is a prospect at power forward at 6-10 240. Assistant Isaac Chew: “We should be vastly more athletic than we were last year.”
Thursday 2/11/16 at 7pm in the Carrier Dome TV: ESPN/ESPN2 FLORIDA STATE
The Seminoles were nothing special last year, going 17-16 and 8-10 in the conference but in this conference, that’s a pretty good team. And they get 87% of their scoring, 89% of their rebounding and 94% of their assists.
6-4 190 Xavier Rathan-Mayes became the first ACXC freshman to score 30+ points three time and averaged 14.9 for the season. Leonard Hamilton: “he was running our team and being productive on the defensive end as well. 6-8 225 Montray Brandon “enjoyed a fine season as well last winter and eh should be a valuable win. He averaged 11.8p/5.5r. 6-7 210 freshman Dwayne Bacon was a McDonald’s All-American. He’s “likely to make an immediate impact”. TSN has the Noles at #21. They “also received votes” in the writer’s and coach’s poll.
These teams we play late in the season that aren’t bad teams could prove difficult if we’ve had a difficult season. You have to have a lot of confidence to negotiate a power conference season.
Sunday 2/14/16 at 1pm in Chestnut Hill, Ma TV: ACC Network BOSTON COLLEGE
See the 1/13 game. This is our first rematch.
Wednesday 2/17/16 at 7pm in Louisville, Ky TV: ESPN/ESPN2 LOUISVILLE
It’s fun to play Duke but probably our best rivalry in this conference is with the Cardinals. Jim Boeheim and Rick Pitino are old friends, (Rick was Jim’s assistant in the early days. The Cardinals and Orange have similar histories, (we have a steak of 45 straight winning seasons: they had 46 at one point, (only UCLA has more with 54). Both love to get out and run: they play exciting basketball. They were playing each other in the Big East and long before that. Also both are in trouble with the NCAA, SU over Fab Melo a couple of other things and Louisville is being investigated for entertaining recruits with strippers and prostitutes. We’ll see what impact, if any, that has on the Cardinal’s season.
Last year they were 27-9 and 12-6 in the conference. They lost their top four scorers and have no returning seniors. Slick Rick “poached a pair of mid-major gems from the graduate transfer ranks. And that’s how it came to be that guys who began their careers at Drexel (Damion Lee), and Cleveland State (Trey Lewis), are now lynchpins for Louisville.” When is the NCAA going to realize the chaos this rule creates? Lee, (6-6 200) scored 21.4 for Drexel last year and Lewis 16.3 for Cleveland State. They won’t score that much for Louisville but they are two more cards for the Cards to play. No returning player scored more than 4 points a game. They will be really young up front. Mangok Mathiang, a 6-10 220 junior and Chinau Onuaku, a 6-10 230 sophomore will be joined by freshmen Raymond Spalding (6-10 210) and Deng Adel (6-7 190). Mathing and Onuaku averaged 5.6 poitns per game between them last year.
It probably won’t be a vintage Pitino team, (nobody is ranking them for the first time in a while), but he’ll get the most out of them- unless scandal overtakes his program.
Saturday 2/20/16 in Carrier Dome TV: ESN/ESPN2 PITTSBURGH
This is a rematch of the 12/30/15 game.
Saturday 2/27/16 in Carrier Dome TV: ACC Network NORTH CAROLINA STATE
The Wolfpack has given us no end of troubles in both basketball and football over the years. They knocked us out of the ACC tournament two years ago and beat us by 14 last year. They were 22-14 and 10-8 in the conference.
They lost leading scorer Trevor Lacey and their best three point guy, Ralston Turner. Anthony “Cat” Barber, (6-2 180) is a fine point guard. He averaged 15.4 and 4.0 assists over the last 14 games. West Virginia transfer Terry Henderson, (6-4 190) averaged 11.7 for the Mountaineers and he could fulfill Turner’s role. Burley B.J. Anya (6-9 and 295 unless he puts his other foot on the scale), is back at center.
TSN has the Pack at #14 but the writers and the coaches aren’t ranking them- yet.
Monday, 2/29/16 7pm at Chapel Hill, NC TV: ESPN NORTH CAROLINA
This is a rematch of the 1/6/16 game.
Saturday 3/5/16 TBA at Tallahassee, Fl TV: ESPN/ESPN2 FLORIDA STATE
This is a rematch of the 2/11/16 game.
I see a bumpy ride here, with a tougher than usual non-conference schedule, a tough as usual CC schedule and the uncertainty provided by Jim Boeheim's suspension. I also don't like being a donut team, especially on defense. Coleman and Okohboh need to grow up fast, especially on defense. This team will be very different than last year's team. I just don't know if they will be better. They have a chance to win more games because they will play more games. And there's always the possibility of a good post season run, because we'll have a post season. We'll blow hot and cold and we need to be hot at the right time.
Wednesday 12/30/15 at 9pm in Pittsburgh, PA TV: ESPN 2 PITTSBURGH
We open the ACC schedule with an old nemesis, Pittsburgh, in a place we’ve always had a hard time winning. They’ve had some trouble adjusting to the ACC. The Big East refs let them get away with murder but last year they were only 19-10 and 8-10 in the conference, their worst record in 15 years. They ranked #202 in the country in defensive efficiency. An injury to Cameron Wright and the suspension of Durand Johnson, (who has now transferred) didn’t help.
6-3 point guard James Robertson has a career assist to turnover ratio of 3.3 to 1, (2 to 1 is considered good). 6-9 235 Michael Young averaged 13.4p/7.3r and 6-7 220 James Artis scored 13.6 per game. “We needed rebounding. We needed defense and we needed shooting.” So he opted for transfers over freshman to seek immediate help. Coppin State guard Sterling Smith (6-4 185) hit 41.8 from three point range. 6-9 245 Rafael Maia came from Brown and 6-9 235 Alfonso Nelson-Ododa from Richmond. Normally I’d guess that a Pittsburgh player would be better than anybody from those schools.
Pittsburgh may not be “Pitt” as we’ve known them but they could still be tough to beat.
Saturday 1/2/16 at 2:30pm at Coral Gables, FL.TV: ACC Network MIAMI
The Hurricanes had a nice comeback last year going 25-13 and 10-8 in the conference after a 17 win season the year before. Like many young teams, they had an erratic season, beating Duke and Virginia but losing by 28 to Eastern Kentucky and by 20 at home vs. Georgia Tech. They should be more consistent this year and it should be on the good side.
Sheldon McCellan (6-5 205) averaged 14.5p and 4.7r. Coach Jimmy Larranaga expects him to be a first round NBA draft choice. “I think he’s that talented and that good. He had a very good season last year. I don’t think he got the recognition he deserved but I think everybody around the league knows how good he is.” Angel Rodriguez, 5-11 180, had a difficult, injury plagued first year and should be better this season. 7-0 244 Tonye Jekiri led the ACC in rebounding with 9.9 per game. He averaged 8.6 points and Larranaga expects a double-double this year. He wants his team to be less reliant on three point shooting this year, which is something we might want next year.
Tuesday 1/5/16 at 8pm at the Carrier Dome TV: ACC Network CLEMSON
The Tigers have the #1 football in the nation as I write this but they’ve always been an ACC basketball also-ran. Last year they were 16-15 and 8-10 in conference. This year doesn’t promise to be any better. They lost their center and starting backcourt and their arena which is being renovated. They will play their home games in Greenville and share practice facilities with the women’s team and the volleyball team. That can’t help.
They were a poor shooting team, 325th in the country from the arc. Their best player is Jaron Blossomgame, a 6-7 220 forward who averaged 13.1p and 8.2r. He needs to “improve his outside shooting to stretch the floor against slower defenders”. 6-8 210 Donte Graham averaged 8.8 points. “He got to play through a lot of mistakes as a freshman….he has to be a more consistent shooter.”
Saturday 1/6/16 at 2pm or 8pm at the Carrier Dome TV/: ESPN NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels won the 2005 and 2009 national championships with dominants team. They’ve faded into the background a bit since, not helped by injuries. The writers have them as their pre-season #1 team. The coaches have them at #2 and TSC #4. Reading the write-up in TSN, I’m not sure why there is such enthusiasm for this team. Coach Roy Williams seems more realistic: “If you pick 15 teams that have a chance to win a national championship if they have things fall their way, I think we’ll be one of those 15 teams….we do have good depth but we have to keep it healthy. So many guys have been injured the last few years. We need a year where everybody hangs in there.”
Roy’s luck hasn’t held on that score: top player Marcus Paige broke his right hand, (not his shooting hand) and will be out 3-4 weeks. He’s expected to be back for the Syracuse game. He averaged 14.7p and 4.5 assists last year in an injury plagued season. The 6-1 175 Paige is a guy who can go off for a big game any time. He scored more treys, (4) than the rest of the team combined last year (90). He averaged 17.5 two season ago and was the pre-season ACC POY last year before the injury bug hit. Justin Jackson, 6-8 193, averaged 10.7 but needs to be more consistent. The “bigs” are 6-9 228 Brice Johnson and 6-9 265 Kennedy Meeks. Who averaged 12.9p/7.8r and 11.4p/7.3r. They do have depth with 9 of 10 players who averaged 10 minutes a game or more last year back for more. It remains to be seen what impact the ongoing investigation of the UNC program will have, especially if a decision is announced during the season. They were 26-12 and 11-7 in the conference. They’ll improve but probably not enough to be a national champion.
Wednesday 1/13/16 7pm at the Carrier Dome TV: RSN BOSTON COLLEGE
The Eagles have struggled in the ACC. Two years ago they won 8 games, (one against us in the Dome when we were ranked #1!!!) Last year they were 13-19 and 4-14 in the conference. That’s an improvement but they’ve lost their top four scorers from that team and are projected to fall back into last place in the conference.
Their leading returning scorer is 7-0 250 center Dennis Clifford who averaged 6.9p and 5.5r. 6-2 200 Eli Carter transferred in from Florida after averaging 8.8p there. He’ll be their point guard. They will count heavily on freshman, always an iffy proposition. Guards Matt Millon, (6-4 204) and Jerome Robinson, (6-
6 177), “could immediately provide some scoring punch”, as well as backcourt size. Forward A.J. Turner, (6-7 185), “figures to help”. But not enough.
Saturday 1/16/15 at Noon at Winston-Salem NC TV: ACC Network WAKE FOREST
The Demon deacons used to be a power in this conference back in the Tim Duncan days but they’ve seen hard times in recent years. They were 13-19 last year and 5-13 in the conference. Coach Danny Manning, (remember him?) said “I do feel our roster has improved. Does that translate to more wins? We’d like to think so.”
If it does, Seniors Codi Miller-McIntyre and Devin Thomas will have had a lot to do with it. Both are already 1,000 point scorers. Codi is 6-3 205 and averaged 14.5p/4.8r/4.3a. Devin is 6-9 255 and averaged 12.0p/8.8r. Their backcourt of Cornelius Hudson, (6-6 180), and Mitchell Wilbekin, (6-2 175), returns. They averaged 7.5p and 7.2p, respectively. 6-10 225 Dinos Mitoglou averaged 10.4 in conference play. That seems like a pretty solid line-ups.
Monday1/18/15 at 7pm at Durham, NC TV: ESPN DUKE
And here we go over the falls. Defending national champion Duke, (we will be playing both of last year’s finalists) was 35-4 (15-3). They had no fewer than three one-and-doners: Jahil Okafor, Justice Winslow and Tyus Jones, as well as veteran guard Quinn Cook. It will be hard to match last year’s accomplishments but this is Duke: replacements are on the way.
The new class doesn’t look quite a stellar as the last one but it’s still very good. There are no less than seven of them. The best one should be Derrick Thornton, a 6-2 175 point guard. Top assistant Jeff Capel said “We feel like he’s an elite-level point guard…there will be a learning curve and we think he’ll be able to get through that learning curve.“ They will “lean on” 6-5 180 Luke Kennard in the backcourt, (you’d have to be tall to do that.) ”Brandon Ingram, a wiry 6-9 (190) product from Kinston, NC will likely find work on the wing.” 7-0 250 Marshall Plumlee will be back at center, aided by 6-9 265, a transfer from Rice who averaged 11.4p/9.3r there. “Duke sees him as a rugged interior option who can rebound, set screens and protect the rim.” 6-5 205 Grayson Allen, who came off the deep bench to score 16 points in the national title game. “He’s not going to be a guy who’s not on a team’s scouting report any more.”
This doesn’t look like a national title team but I’m not sure North Carolina will be any better than this. TSN and the writers have them at #5, the coaches at #4, so I think they agree.
Saturday 1/23/15 at Noon at Charlottesville, VA TV: ESPN or ESPN 2 VIRGINIA
Virginia is a different story. They’ve won the conference regular season, (which is not the official championship), two years in a row and the tournament, (the official championship in 2014), going 30-7 and 30-4 (16-2 each year). Unlike Duke, they have 8 of their top 10 scorers back and are prepared to do as well or better. If they have a weakness, it’s the lack of a superstar player to build their team around. But that becomes a strength when everybody contributes so you are taking on the whole team. They also play very physical defense, which may be a disadvantage when the get into the NCAAs and the games get called tighter. (That was always Pittsburgh’s problem.) But maybe it just hasn’t ben their year to make a big run. They’ve run into Tom Izzo’s Michigan State team each year, losing by two and six points, respectively. Maybe this is the year. Syracuse had had no answer for the Cavs, losing by 19 and 12 points, respectively. And we are playing them down there. If we are still a one-dimensional offensive them by then, expect more of the same.
Their top players are 6-5 215 Malcom Brogdon, who led the team with 14.0p and 6-8 230 Anthony Gill who had 11.6p and 6.5r. 6-2 191 London Perrantes led in assists with 4.6. Those are solid but not dazzling numbers. But that the Cavs: they play everybody and everybody shares in ever task. Coach Tony Bennett, who has gained recognition as being among the country’s elite, says “These guys have had some good success. I don’t know a team built like us that doesn’t really try to take advantage of having those upperclassmen. “ TSN has them at #6, as do both the wrtiers and coaches. I think they will be better than Duke and Carolina.
Thursday 1/26/16 at 7pm in the Carrier Dome TV: ESPN/ESPN2 NOTRE DAME
The Irish had perhaps their best ever team last year, going 32-6 and 14-4 in the conference. Then they won the conference tournament, which in the ACC means they were the champion. They lost two stars, Patrick Connaughton and Jerian Grant but get the other 8 of their top ten players back. 6-10 240 Zach Auguste is the leading returning scorer and rebounder at 12.9/6.5. The other double figure scorers are 6-1 198 Demetrius Jackson (12.4, also the leading assist man with 3.1) and 6-5 211 Steve Vasturia (10.1).
But this team is like Virginia: you’re going to be playing the whole roster. “The Irish might not have a player capable of taking over games like Grant and it might not have as versatile a player as Connaughton. But there are still high hopes in South Bend this team could match its immediate predecessor. Mike Brey: “They played in an ACC championship. They cut down nets and played in the Elite Eight and were the talk of college basketball in March. For them, I don’t have to set any goals. Their eagerness is really high to do it all again.” TSN, surprisingly, doesn’t rank the Irish in their top 25. The writers have them #19, the coaches #18.
Saturday 1/30/16 at Noon in the Carrier Dome ESPNU GEORGIA TECH
After facing the cream of the conference, we finally get an also-ran. The Yellow Jackets were 12-19 overall and 3-15 in the conference. They were kind of snake bit, losing 7 one possession games and two more games in over time. “Sometimes you have to show you can compete in games and the next step is to finish games. “
Their best player is 6-5 214 Marcus Georges-Hunt who scored 13.6 and rebounded 5.5. The Jackets are “a quality rebounding team”, led by 6-8 269 Charles Mitchell, (9.8p/7.0r), who will be joined by Alabama transfer Nick Jacobs, (6-8 260) and James White (6-8 220) from Arkansas-Little Rock. Coach Brian Gregory was displeased by Mitchell’s inconsistency last year: he thinks he can be a double-double machine. Quinton Stephens is 6-9 but only weighs 187 pounds and is a three point guy whose shots will be hard to block. The Jackets plucked 6-1 170 Adam Smith from Virginia Tech on the graduate-transfer
rule. He averaged 13.4 for the Hokies.
It seems like pretty good team but Coach Brian Gregory says “Rebuilding in general is difficult. Rebuilding in this league is a monster.”
Tuesday, 2/2/16 at 9pm in the Carrier Dome TV: ACC Network VIRGINIA TECH
The Hokies were the only team in the league with a worse conference record than Georgia Tech and their leading scorer jumped to the Jackets. How do you like them apples? VPI was 11-22 and 2-16 in a conference where they have always had trouble competing in this sport. But Buzz Williams, in his first year, beat Pittsburgh and gave scares to SU, Duke, and Virginia.
6-5 200 Justin Bibbs is their leading returning scorer at 11.4. Wiillaism got a transfer of his own who also scored 13.4 for his previous school, 6-1 190 Seth Allen. Kerry Blacksher is a prospect at power forward at 6-10 240. Assistant Isaac Chew: “We should be vastly more athletic than we were last year.”
Thursday 2/11/16 at 7pm in the Carrier Dome TV: ESPN/ESPN2 FLORIDA STATE
The Seminoles were nothing special last year, going 17-16 and 8-10 in the conference but in this conference, that’s a pretty good team. And they get 87% of their scoring, 89% of their rebounding and 94% of their assists.
6-4 190 Xavier Rathan-Mayes became the first ACXC freshman to score 30+ points three time and averaged 14.9 for the season. Leonard Hamilton: “he was running our team and being productive on the defensive end as well. 6-8 225 Montray Brandon “enjoyed a fine season as well last winter and eh should be a valuable win. He averaged 11.8p/5.5r. 6-7 210 freshman Dwayne Bacon was a McDonald’s All-American. He’s “likely to make an immediate impact”. TSN has the Noles at #21. They “also received votes” in the writer’s and coach’s poll.
These teams we play late in the season that aren’t bad teams could prove difficult if we’ve had a difficult season. You have to have a lot of confidence to negotiate a power conference season.
Sunday 2/14/16 at 1pm in Chestnut Hill, Ma TV: ACC Network BOSTON COLLEGE
See the 1/13 game. This is our first rematch.
Wednesday 2/17/16 at 7pm in Louisville, Ky TV: ESPN/ESPN2 LOUISVILLE
It’s fun to play Duke but probably our best rivalry in this conference is with the Cardinals. Jim Boeheim and Rick Pitino are old friends, (Rick was Jim’s assistant in the early days. The Cardinals and Orange have similar histories, (we have a steak of 45 straight winning seasons: they had 46 at one point, (only UCLA has more with 54). Both love to get out and run: they play exciting basketball. They were playing each other in the Big East and long before that. Also both are in trouble with the NCAA, SU over Fab Melo a couple of other things and Louisville is being investigated for entertaining recruits with strippers and prostitutes. We’ll see what impact, if any, that has on the Cardinal’s season.
Last year they were 27-9 and 12-6 in the conference. They lost their top four scorers and have no returning seniors. Slick Rick “poached a pair of mid-major gems from the graduate transfer ranks. And that’s how it came to be that guys who began their careers at Drexel (Damion Lee), and Cleveland State (Trey Lewis), are now lynchpins for Louisville.” When is the NCAA going to realize the chaos this rule creates? Lee, (6-6 200) scored 21.4 for Drexel last year and Lewis 16.3 for Cleveland State. They won’t score that much for Louisville but they are two more cards for the Cards to play. No returning player scored more than 4 points a game. They will be really young up front. Mangok Mathiang, a 6-10 220 junior and Chinau Onuaku, a 6-10 230 sophomore will be joined by freshmen Raymond Spalding (6-10 210) and Deng Adel (6-7 190). Mathing and Onuaku averaged 5.6 poitns per game between them last year.
It probably won’t be a vintage Pitino team, (nobody is ranking them for the first time in a while), but he’ll get the most out of them- unless scandal overtakes his program.
Saturday 2/20/16 in Carrier Dome TV: ESN/ESPN2 PITTSBURGH
This is a rematch of the 12/30/15 game.
Saturday 2/27/16 in Carrier Dome TV: ACC Network NORTH CAROLINA STATE
The Wolfpack has given us no end of troubles in both basketball and football over the years. They knocked us out of the ACC tournament two years ago and beat us by 14 last year. They were 22-14 and 10-8 in the conference.
They lost leading scorer Trevor Lacey and their best three point guy, Ralston Turner. Anthony “Cat” Barber, (6-2 180) is a fine point guard. He averaged 15.4 and 4.0 assists over the last 14 games. West Virginia transfer Terry Henderson, (6-4 190) averaged 11.7 for the Mountaineers and he could fulfill Turner’s role. Burley B.J. Anya (6-9 and 295 unless he puts his other foot on the scale), is back at center.
TSN has the Pack at #14 but the writers and the coaches aren’t ranking them- yet.
Monday, 2/29/16 7pm at Chapel Hill, NC TV: ESPN NORTH CAROLINA
This is a rematch of the 1/6/16 game.
Saturday 3/5/16 TBA at Tallahassee, Fl TV: ESPN/ESPN2 FLORIDA STATE
This is a rematch of the 2/11/16 game.
I see a bumpy ride here, with a tougher than usual non-conference schedule, a tough as usual CC schedule and the uncertainty provided by Jim Boeheim's suspension. I also don't like being a donut team, especially on defense. Coleman and Okohboh need to grow up fast, especially on defense. This team will be very different than last year's team. I just don't know if they will be better. They have a chance to win more games because they will play more games. And there's always the possibility of a good post season run, because we'll have a post season. We'll blow hot and cold and we need to be hot at the right time.
