Mid-week musings
Feb 17, 2009
There's no question now, in mid-February, that Carolina is the best team in the ACC. The Tar Heels aren't as deep as originally thought, but they will clearly outdistance the rest of the conference. The fight now is for second, third and fourth and to stay out of Thursday play in the ACC Tournament.
Very few teams anywhere have the starting five that UNC does, and it looks like the Tar Heels are going to get 7-foot freshman Tyler Zeller back from a broken wrist. Just having his big body alone come off the bench will be of help, although it remains to be seen how effective he will be. He was out a long time. At worst, though, he can play a few minutes, give others some rest, take up space and get in peoples’ way. And if he does more than that, look out.
The Tar Heels may not be what we thought they were in October, but they're pretty darned good. Better than anyone else in the ACC. However after watching Pitt beat UConn on Monday night, I'm not sure if Carolina is better than either one of those teams. Certainly not as tough. The Panthers and the Huskies battled like men. I have yet to see an ACC team as tough or physical as those two.
The Panthers’ DeJuan Blair is the "Beast of the East." Did you see his take down of 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet? Pitt's a veteran team, but the Panthers’ history says they will flame out in the NCAA Tournament. We'll see.
There are still games to be played, but my vote for ACC Player of the Year might well go to Carolina's Ty Lawson. The Heels wouldn't have beaten Miami without him, and the same at Florida State. He was the catalyst in the second half at Duke. Carolina is also proving that they don't need Tyler Hansbrough to have a big game in order for them to win. He's been held under 10 in two of their last six games. No, Lawson is the fuel in this engine. He's playing at an all-star level.
And how in the world can Duke still be ranked in the Top 10? The Blue Devils have lost four of their last six, including a 27-point blow out loss at Clemson and a 14-point loss at home to Carolina. Plus they couldn't win at Boston College, capping off a horrendous week. I certainly don't think Duke is a Top 10 team, and right now a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament is out of reach. It appears Duke is still thought of around the country as the Duke that used to dominate the ACC. Those days are in the rearview mirror and fading fast.
And what kind of Top 10 is it when the recently seventh-ranked Louisville has a 33-point loss at Notre Dame and eighth-ranked Wake Forest has a 27-point loss at Miami? Throw in the fact that sixth-ranked Michigan State has conference home losses to Penn State and Northwestern plus early season blow-out losses when they weren't completely healthy to Maryland by 18 and Carolina by 35, and it’s got to make you think that if the alleged Top 10 is pushed around like that, then the gates to March are open to anyone.
N.C. State is on a two-game win streak heading to Carolina on Wednesday. I hope Sidney Lowe leaves the Red Blazer at home. It doesn't help, Coach. What is helping is that State has regained some confidence and its point guard play is improving. The Pack probably won't win in Chapel Hill, but they do have the size and depth to make it interesting. That is, if they don't lose their poise and return to those not-so-thrilling days of a couple of weeks ago.
How about Al Skinner of Boston College as ACC Coach of the Year? You look at his roster and, except for Tyrese Rice, it's like, “Who are these guys?” Yet he has them at 19-8 over all and 7-5 in the conference.
Finally, it's hard to believe just how bad Georgia Tech is. They seem like they should be better than they are. You look at their roster and think you see talent, but they are a big mess. A team they are not. Paul Hewitt's Jackets are a perfect example of what early NBA entries can do to a program, and he's got another one-and-done coming in next season in the highly touted Derrick Favors.
