Bad night for the ACC, no matter how you look at it. UNC
was a helpless giant, if you will, against
Charleston. Charleston is hardly a powerhouse, mind you. They're
frequently tough, but just on the basis of watching this team, they weren't
particularly impressive. UNC
was less so, though they are improving. Defense is periodically good,
but the offense is still a disaster - three point shots by guys who can't shoot,
an inability to figure out the defenses, and the like.
It was ugly. Here's more from the
Winston-Salem paper.
Lifer Lefty Driesell, who likes to point out that Reagan became president at
the same age Lefty is now, 69,
had a nice win over #18 St. Joe's. We're sure he would have loved to
get UNC, but not in the consolation game.
Charleston got 23 offensive boards -
against an ACC team. That's amazing. There's also a discrepancy
between the Herald-Sun stats and ESPN's, which says that Charleston got 18
offensive boards. Regardless, UNC was pounded on the boards.
Actually, the discrepancy is huge: The Herald-Sun says Charleston got 23
offensive boards and the rebounding totals were 54-37. ESPN says it was 18
offensive boards and 43-30 total. The
Greensboro paper says it was 54-37
Even stalwart UNC types are giving up -witness
Andy Britt.
John Kress said, ?if my two twin sons in high school could play for anybody
in the country, it would be for Matt Doherty." Right about now, Matt
Doherty would probably take them. Couldn't hurt.
Special props to Kris Lang, subject of many a joke between his own essential
goofiness and, lately, his ridiculous beard, which looks like it belongs beneath
the rim of a moonshiner's hat. Lang has shown significant heart lately,
and even though he long ago went to the Dark Side (i.e., light blue), that kind
of heart should be noticed and appreciated. Duke fans know that losing
becomes a test of character. We knew this in basketball some time ago, though
the lesson is mostly lost in the flush of success, and learn it again in
football on pretty much an annual basis.
It doesn't get any easier for UNC. St. Joe's is actually a much better team
than Charleston. Next up are opportunities to lose at home to NC A&T -
unthinkable, yet obviously possible this year - and Texas A&M. If things go
as they have gone, UNC will head into the ACC at about 4-6, and then there are a
lot of ACC teams who have a lot of scores to settle. Things could get very
ugly very fast.
Maryland
- what can you say? They sucked. They stunk.
They got punked. We got some flack for these comments, but they seem on the
money now:
When we look at the roster from last season and compare it to this years,
we immediately notice a big difference. Whereas last year Maryland had three
guys who were rangy and capable of doing a lot of things in the part of the game
that guards and centers can't usually do - Terence Morris, Danny Miller, and
Byron Mouton - this year, they only have Mouton. They have six players 6-3
and under and five players 6-9 and over. We count Lonnie Baxter there though he
is 6-8 because he can in no way, shape or form play anywhere except inside.
This is significant, because while Maryland has a remarkable backcourt
with Juan Dixon and Steve Blake, and a tough center in Baxter, their versatility
is sharply reduced, and their ability to chase guys like Dante Jones, Adam
Hall, Jawad Williams, and Julius Hodge is likely to become an issue.
That's Oklahoma! Where the pass comes whistling down the plain!
In the second half, they ran over, around, through and past the
Terrapins. They did this while only shooting 43%. Typically we think
of Kelvin Sampson teams as being sound but unflashy, more like maybe a Terry
Holland team - steady, top 30, dangerous but not a team to lose sleep over. In
this case, Sampson has put together a pretty nifty group - athletic, strong, and
last night anyway, quite confident.
The Deacs head back to the Garden
to take on St. John's, but they look at the trip as a chance to make up for
the last trip to New York.
Georgia
Tech stuck it to Wofford last night, and the Jackets seem to be improving
quickly.