It's that time of year again. Thousands of college basketball players across the country are lacing up their sneakers and preparing to battle on the hardwood.
Friday is the first day with a full slate on action in the young season. In the most-anticipated of these early-season battles, North Carolina faces Michigan St. on a ship for the inaugural Carrier Classic. The top-ranked Tar Heels face a stiff test against a Spartans team that advanced to the Final Four last season before losing to Butler, 52-50. Tom Izzo will have his team prepared to take on the number one team in the country and the game should be exciting.
The Tar Heels return a trio of exciting future NBA players in Tyler Zeller, John Henson, and Harrison Barnes. As soon as all three players decided to return to Chapel Hill for another season, the Tar Heels quickly became a favorite to win a national championship.
Barnes is seen as a potential national player of the year candidate after showing glimpses of his potential in the ACC tournament last year. Henson is widely considered to be one of the best defenders in college basketball and Zeller has reminded fans of another player named Tyler now playing in the NBA who was a force at the collegiate level.
For the Spartans, a new leader will have to emerge after losing leading scorer Kalin Lucas to graduation. Lucas has the ability to change a game by himself, scoring in double figures in each of his four seasons in East Lansing. The Spartans also lost guard Korie Lucious after he transferred to Iowa State after his junior season. Lucious led the Spartans with 4.1 assists per game last season.
Aside from the teams, the atmosphere of the game will create an exciting element. Playing on a makeshift court outdoors might have an effect on the play early in the game as players adjust. The game may have the feel of a Cameron Indoor Stadium with limited seating and a close to the court environment. While it will be near impossible for the game to live up to the immense hype surrounding it, these teams will create an exciting forty minutes of basketball to kick off the season.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
A Championship in November
Tomorrow, LSU and Alabama will meet in prime time in what is a sort of regular-season title game pitting the top two teams against each other.
These two teams feature the top two scoring defenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Crimson Tide are allowing a minuscule 6.9 points per game, while the Tigers are giving up 11.5.
The fact that both teams play in the same division of the same conference, makes this game essentially an SEC West title game. The winner of the game will control their destiny for a trip to Atlanta in December for the conference championship.
The Crimson Tide are led offensively by junior running back Trent Richardson. Richardson has rushed for 17 touchdowns this season, and nearly 1,000 yards, while adding 212 yards and another touchdown receiving. Two weeks ago against Tennessee, Richardson saw his streak of six straight 100-yard rushing games come to an end, but contributed two touchdowns in a 37-6 win. He has found the end zone at least once in every game this season, whether it be rushing or receiving. When Richardson decides to enter the NFL Draft, he will be sure to hear his name called quickly as an elite talent.
Richardson's ability to change the momentum of the game every time he touches the ball takes pressure off of sophomore quarterback A.J. McCarron. McCarron has played well this season, completing 67 percent of his passes, along with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. The unknown factor, however, is how McCarron will respond to facing one of the best defenses in the country. The Tigers will bring constant pressure and try to force McCarron into errant throws.
On the other sideline, redshirt senior Jarrett Lee will line up under center for the Tigers. Lee has started in spurts throughout his time in Baton Rouge but has played near-flawless football this season. Lee has thrown 13 touchdowns as opposed to one interception thrown nearly two months ago in a 19-6 win over Mississippi State. Lee completing eight of 21 attempts against Kentucky in early October, but has looked near-unstoppable in his last three outings, completing at least 70 percent of his passes in each game.
For a coach such as Les Miles who routinely uses unusual packages to confuse opposing defenses, Lee is a perfect fit. He has impeccable ball control and rarely forces throws in coverage.
Having a quarterback with composure and a pocket presence to release the ball in time to complete throws is essential. These traits have helped Lee to lead the Tigers to the number one ranking.
The game will be highly entertaining with great defenses on both sides, an future first-round pick in the backfield for the Crimson Tide and a precise passer for the Tigers. In the end, Richardson will lead the Crimson Tide to victory with a multi-score game and improve his team to 9-0.
Prediction: Alabama 24, LSU 20
These two teams feature the top two scoring defenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Crimson Tide are allowing a minuscule 6.9 points per game, while the Tigers are giving up 11.5.
The fact that both teams play in the same division of the same conference, makes this game essentially an SEC West title game. The winner of the game will control their destiny for a trip to Atlanta in December for the conference championship.
The Crimson Tide are led offensively by junior running back Trent Richardson. Richardson has rushed for 17 touchdowns this season, and nearly 1,000 yards, while adding 212 yards and another touchdown receiving. Two weeks ago against Tennessee, Richardson saw his streak of six straight 100-yard rushing games come to an end, but contributed two touchdowns in a 37-6 win. He has found the end zone at least once in every game this season, whether it be rushing or receiving. When Richardson decides to enter the NFL Draft, he will be sure to hear his name called quickly as an elite talent.
Richardson's ability to change the momentum of the game every time he touches the ball takes pressure off of sophomore quarterback A.J. McCarron. McCarron has played well this season, completing 67 percent of his passes, along with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. The unknown factor, however, is how McCarron will respond to facing one of the best defenses in the country. The Tigers will bring constant pressure and try to force McCarron into errant throws.
On the other sideline, redshirt senior Jarrett Lee will line up under center for the Tigers. Lee has started in spurts throughout his time in Baton Rouge but has played near-flawless football this season. Lee has thrown 13 touchdowns as opposed to one interception thrown nearly two months ago in a 19-6 win over Mississippi State. Lee completing eight of 21 attempts against Kentucky in early October, but has looked near-unstoppable in his last three outings, completing at least 70 percent of his passes in each game.
For a coach such as Les Miles who routinely uses unusual packages to confuse opposing defenses, Lee is a perfect fit. He has impeccable ball control and rarely forces throws in coverage.
Having a quarterback with composure and a pocket presence to release the ball in time to complete throws is essential. These traits have helped Lee to lead the Tigers to the number one ranking.
The game will be highly entertaining with great defenses on both sides, an future first-round pick in the backfield for the Crimson Tide and a precise passer for the Tigers. In the end, Richardson will lead the Crimson Tide to victory with a multi-score game and improve his team to 9-0.
Prediction: Alabama 24, LSU 20
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
#1: A Blessing and a Curse
Recently, the North Carolina men's basketball team was named the number one team in the country in the preseason poll.
While this is great news for any Tar Heels fan with Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes and John Henson returning to Chapel Hill, the ranking means there will a target on their backs all season. There will much greater pressure for them to have an excellent season and avoid being upset by a mid-major squad early in the season. Every move that the team makes will be analyzed in detail as the date draws nearer to their first meeting with Duke.
For the Tar Heels to have the season that the media expects them to have, coach Roy Williams will have to remind his players to forget their place in the top 25, and play every game as if they were playing Duke. A two-hour loss of concentration is all it takes for the dreams of a perfect season to disappear and the shock of losing to a team that should have been an easy win, to set in.
The Tar Heels will have to be at their best in a Dec. 3 showdown against Kentucky. While it is important to stay focused in every game, a loss against the Wildcats would not be tragic. A loss would ease the mounting tension that comes with the top ranking, and allow Williams and his players to focus on what is happening on the court.
Showing how difficult it is to run the table and finish a season undefeated, it has been 35 years since a men's college basketball team finished unbeaten. The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, coached by Bob Knight, ended the season 33-0 and captured a national title. In an era now where every game featuring a team that is undefeated is headline news, pulling off such a feat is both mentally and physically taxing. A team may finish a regular season with an unblemished record, only to lose in their conference tournament, or worse in the NCAA Tournament.
While there is never a great time for a loss, it would be ideal to lose an early-season game against tough competition to allow the media to focus on the new flavor of the month and have the rest of the season to play well.
Williams has a very talented groups of players at his disposal this season and it will interesting to see if they can manage to pull off an undefeated season, or if another team can run the table.
While this is great news for any Tar Heels fan with Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes and John Henson returning to Chapel Hill, the ranking means there will a target on their backs all season. There will much greater pressure for them to have an excellent season and avoid being upset by a mid-major squad early in the season. Every move that the team makes will be analyzed in detail as the date draws nearer to their first meeting with Duke.
For the Tar Heels to have the season that the media expects them to have, coach Roy Williams will have to remind his players to forget their place in the top 25, and play every game as if they were playing Duke. A two-hour loss of concentration is all it takes for the dreams of a perfect season to disappear and the shock of losing to a team that should have been an easy win, to set in.
The Tar Heels will have to be at their best in a Dec. 3 showdown against Kentucky. While it is important to stay focused in every game, a loss against the Wildcats would not be tragic. A loss would ease the mounting tension that comes with the top ranking, and allow Williams and his players to focus on what is happening on the court.
Showing how difficult it is to run the table and finish a season undefeated, it has been 35 years since a men's college basketball team finished unbeaten. The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, coached by Bob Knight, ended the season 33-0 and captured a national title. In an era now where every game featuring a team that is undefeated is headline news, pulling off such a feat is both mentally and physically taxing. A team may finish a regular season with an unblemished record, only to lose in their conference tournament, or worse in the NCAA Tournament.
While there is never a great time for a loss, it would be ideal to lose an early-season game against tough competition to allow the media to focus on the new flavor of the month and have the rest of the season to play well.
Williams has a very talented groups of players at his disposal this season and it will interesting to see if they can manage to pull off an undefeated season, or if another team can run the table.
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