Thursday, October 20, 2011

Duke, UNC, State and college hoops in the Triangle

I wrote my column today about Harrison Barnes, the UNC forward who may be the best player in college basketball this year and is at least in the conversation.

Barnes was at "Operation Basketball" -- the ACC's annual college basketball preview event. It was in Charlotte this season and provided a one-stop shopping opportunity for reporters to talk to players and coaches from all 12 ACC teams.

It was also interesting to listen to Duke's Ryan Kelly, who didn't lack for confidence. Kelly's Duke team was picked No.2 behind UNC in the media preseason poll (last year, UNC won the regular-season championship and Duke won the tournament title).

Kelly said Duke definitely could win the regular-season title this season, saying: "We believe we can win the ACC. Winning games and winning championships is what we do.”

Kelly said freshman guard Austin Rivers had impressed him so far, too. “He’s a dynamic scorer with a great ability to break down defenders," Kelly said. "There are not many people in the country who have a first step like that.”

And, on Duke itself, Kelly noted: "Some people love us, some people hate us, but everybody knows us."

The same could be said of UNC's program, where three players (Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson) made the preseason all-conference team. N.C. State... not so much.

It was interesting to hear new coach Mark Gottfried talk about the fact that although the Wolfpack can boast of two national championships, the most recent came in 1983 and that doesn't make much of an impact on the 16- or 17-year-old he and his staff might be recruiting these days. (The Wolfpack was picked by the media to finish No.8 in the ACC this season).

Gottfried said N.C. State to today's recruits might not be "fashionable" or "cool," so the program had to "sell the future" more than the present.

It was also interesting to note coach Roy Williams talking about the differences between the '09 Tar Heel national championship team and this current team. "This team simply doesn't have the scoring options that '09 team had," Williams said. He said Harrison Barnes was a natural scorer, that Tyler Zeller was a "great complementary scorer" and that everyone else on the team was also mostly "complementary scorers."

On the other hand, Williams said, this team will be able to defend the basket better than the '09 team and perhaps better than any team he has ever coached.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Scott, there is no regluar season ACC championship. It only decides seeding for the tourney, which names the only ACC champion.

Anonymous said...

the team who has the best record at the end of the season is the "regular season champ", and that also comes with a 1 seed in the tourney....this is nothing new.

Anonymous said...

There is no ACC Regular Season Champion, Unless Duke wins the Tourney Championship, then every Tar Hole fan screams they won the regular season.

ROY>RAT said...

The ACC Tournament means nothing any more. It is as Roy said, a nice cocktail party for the alum, not much more than that. The Heels were the ACC Champs last year, and Dook can do nothing to take that away. Besides, Roy regularly spanks the boys from Durham. Besides the fluke two years ago, Dook has been off the radar of any national powerhouse talk in basketball. The Heels have been to 6 Elite 8's compared to Dooks 1 visit in the last 8 years. That ship sailed long ago, Roy OWNS Rat.

Anonymous said...

You may contact the ACC offices and have them confirm if you like, but the only people who claim there is a mythical "regular season championship" are unc fans. It is not recognized by the conference or anyone else. I am not a Duke fan either.

Anonymous said...

Hey Royisarat, the tourney decides who the ACC champ is, despite what huckleberry claims.

Anonymous said...

if you ever wondered how many gay white men love college basketball just take a look inside the dean dome once the season starts.

Anonymous said...

1:08, that very odd comment says way, way more about you than it does about anything else.

PaulusLovesTBags said...

To Anon 1:08:

Look Christian, you and Bryan showed us all how sweet two lovers could be, but please do not try to bring that to the campus of THE University of North Carolina. It does not play well here. You can now go back to your man love and Rat licking.

heelsboy1010 said...

Dook fans--Kiss the rings and weep cry babies! University of National Champions will cut down the only nets that matter come April, while y`all and ratfink does his yearly American Express commercials. Go Heels and don`t forget to wipe your tears as you leave the Dean Dome!!!

Anonymous said...

As I recall, Coach K has twice as many rings and Roy and Dean. He is also on the verge of becoming college basketball's all time winningest coach. Sure, Duke may not win the title this year, and The Tarholes may be the favorite, but last I checked, being #1 in the preseason does not equal national championships.

Anonymous said...

Go Duke!

Anonymous said...

Go to HELL DOOK!! I love hearing you cry babys!!!!

Anonymous said...

DUKE has won the last 21 of 30 against the Holes....70%. EAT IT

Anonymous said...

Meetings 232
First Meeting Jan. 24, 1920
Most Recent Meeting Mar. 13, 2011
Overall Record 101-131
Home Record 50-45
Away Record 31-60
Neutral Record 20-26
ACC Record 51-65
ACC Tournament Record 12-8
NCAA Tournament Record 0-0
Coach K Record 36-36

Since you Dookies live in the past i got this off a Dook website! That 131 wins is not on the DOOK side. SO EAT IT!!

Anonymous said...

Good one. Cant come up with anything to dispute the argument so you call someone gay. Pretty pathetic to be honest. unc will be GREAT this year no doubt. Congrats on being #1, its been a while. Just act like you've been there before.

Anonymous said...

2 rings for Roy in the last 6 years..... I think the Heels know what it is to be number 1!! EAT IT! how many does RAT have?

Anonymous said...

HAHA. Listen to the tar holes wine.It's much too early to be drinking wine and eating cheese! It wasn't too long ago that UNCheat went 8-20 and missed consecutive NCAA tourneys(no,the NIT -not invited tourney doesn't count)under coach DOH! Duke beat UNCheat twice last season,and that is a yearly thing.It is true....when DUKE wins the ACC TOURNEY,UNCheat fans holler that they won the "real title" by winning the regular season.When duke wins the regular season AND the ACC tourney,hole fans go silent....chirp chirp.If UNCheat lucks out and wins the ACC TOURNEY and DUKE wins the ACC regular season ,all the UNCheat fans say the tourney means everything .HAHAHA.. typical jealous and immature TARHOLES from CHEAT HILL.

safemeds said...

The Heels were the ACC Champs last year, and Dook can do nothing to take that away.