ACC
ACC's teams, coaches and style of play.
Kyrie Irving’s slated to be Duke’s next great guard. The 6-1, 165-pound point guard, is one of the top recruits for the class of 2010 thanks to his ball-handling, savvy passing and leadership.
More impressive? He brings actual thespian skills to Durham.
Irving acted in his school’s rendition of “High School Musical,” which is a natural for him. It’s all about basketball players and how they deal with off-court pressures. ... C’mon, don’t act like you haven’t seen it.
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If one game is any indication, North Carolina’s the team you don’t want to play. And if you have to, do it early.
At least, that's what I'd take away from their opener against Florida International.
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Losing to an NAIA school does have one benefit for Isiah Thomas’s Florida International squad.
Monday can hardly be any worse.
That’s Thomas’ actual coaching debut – Wednesday was an exhibition – and it comes against defending champion North Carolina, replete with McDonald’s All-American and future NBA players. Yes, the Heels lost most of their players and are fine-tuning a new offense. But it’s still UNC. Get ready for a blowout.
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The last time North Carolina won an NCAA title and lost most of its players, it needed Tyler Hansbrough to do the yeoman’s work to ensure it remained among the NCAA’s elite.
This time, the Heels are trying something different.
Tar Heel Fan has extensive details from an observer who watched them practice at length a few weeks ago – length being the key word. Unlike the 2005-06 season, UNC is loaded with tall, athletic players. Shooting could be an issue, but rebounding and defense won’t be mostly because of fleet forwards like Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, Tyler Zeller and freshman John Henson.
And Roy Williams is going to put those forwards to use in a revamped offense. The days of dumping the ball into Hansbrough are over. These guys are going to run -- a new offense.
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Every coach starts the season optimistic. Maryland’s Gary Williams is no different.
Yet it doesn't sound like he's desperate to fulfill any preseason expectations. Neither of his highly touted freshmen are going to start, which speaks volumes about the players Williams has returning.
And when was the last time he felt that way?
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So Duke and North Carolina are picked to finish atop the ACC. This is new?
Seems like the Tar Heels and Blue Devils are always picked to rule the roost, and usually do. Since 1954, one of those two has either won or tied for the ACC title 44 times.
But this is the first time in the 41 years of the conference’s preseason day that they’re officially co-favorites.
Huh. So this means the ACC media guys can’t settle on which team’s gonna be better, either.
But this could be an issue for the rest of the ACC. In the media’s eyes, everyone else is a loooong way back.
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Been a lot of talk about Duke’s “demise” the last few years.
The Devils haven’t been to the Final Four since 2004. No titles since 2001. Last year’s thrashing by Villanova seemed to signal a turning point that Duke wasn’t … well, Duke anymore.
That talk is about to stop, all because of one player.
Kyrie Irving, one of the elite prospects from the class of 2010, will reportedly commit to Duke, perhaps as early as Wednesday.
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Sometimes it’s hard to explain the animosity surrounding Duke to people who aren’t die-hard college basketball fans. Anyone who’s filled out an NCAA tournament bracket in March is used to seeing the Devils and knows they’re supposed to be good.
And surely they’ve seen and recognize Coach K -- even if they couldn’t come close to spelling Krzyzewski.
But why the hate? Well, everyone has their reasons. Maybe the players are smug, maybe it’s the fans, maybe it’s because Duke seemingly gets preferential treatment from the refs and the media. But a casual fan may not get it. And maybe you don’t want to explain it to them.
Well, it just got easier.
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Height usually makes people overthink thing. My favorite was when Kevin Durant entered the NBA draft, but there was heated debates among NBA pundits if he could actually play power forward. You know, ‘cause he’s 6-10.
“He’s gonna have to bulk up to bang down low in the NBA.”
“Durant could rebound in college, but that was because of his long arms. That won’t fly in the NBA.”
“Can he guard opposing power forwards?”
It was a bunch of hooey. Anyone who saw Durant play knew he’d be a 2 or 3 in the pros, even if he did struggle to guard shorter, quicker guards. Won’t they have to guard him as well?
Turns out a similar discussion surrounds incoming freshman John Henson at North Carolina.
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Recruits are meant to feel welcome when they visit college campuses.
Just not too welcome. Ask Duke.
Star prospect Kyrie Irving, potentially the game-breaking guard Mike Krzyzewski needs to get back to the Final Four, visited Durham last weekend.
And, like any hoops school, the students knew about the visit and wanted to do their part, posting signs around campus to welcome him. Nice, right?
Turns out it’s too nice.
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