Perry Perspective: Jan 5
From
BetWWTS.com
Conference conflict hits the hardcourt
The march towards madness officially tipped off this week as big-name schools began to face each other in conference play.
There has been one big surprise already as No. 2 UConn (11-1) was upset by unranked Marquette (11-3) in the first Big East game of the season Tuesday. The Golden Eagles were listed as 10-point dogs in that game.
The highlight of this weekend?s conference matchups will be an ACC showdown in Chapel Hill between No. 12 N.C. State and No. 25 North Carolina, the defending national champion (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
After being unranked to begin the year, the young Tar Heels have clawed their way to an 8-2 record and a Top 25 ranking. This, despite losing their top seven scorers from last year.
Fortunately, coach Roy Williams and company have done a masterful job of recruiting to keep the team competitive. As it sits now, four of the Heels? top six scorers are all freshmen, three of whom are starters.
One of those freshmen, 6-foot-9 F Tyler Hansbrough, leads the team in scoring averaging 16.5 ppg and is second on the team in rebounds with 7.3.
Hansbrough, who was recently named the ACC rookie of the week for the third time, had a career-high 23 points in an 82-58 win over Davidson College in a non-conference game Tuesday night.
Senior guard David Noel is second on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg) and the leader in rebounds (7.4 rpg). In the game against Davidson, Noel struggled while committing seven turnovers. But he wasn?t alone. The Heels turned the ball over 20 times.
Although he acknowledged the team had played well defensively, the team?s poor offensive performance drew the ire of coach Williams.
?I loved my club from the shoulders down, but we're going to have to see about some brain transplants,? Williams told reporters after the game.
The Heels will have to sharpen their offensive play if they want to have any chance against N.C. State. The Wolfpack boasts the top defense in the ACC allowing just 58 ppg.
Last Friday, the Pack handed then-No. 12 George Washington their first loss of the season, winning 79-58. The Colonials, who have both the top field-goal percentage (49.7) and scoring offense (81.4 ppg) in the Atlantic 10, were limited to just 31 percent shooting.
?They?re one of the best teams in the country,? George Washington coach Karl Hobbs told reporters. ?They?ve got a heck of a basketball team.?
Offensively, the Wolfpack are not nearly as dominant. The team is averaging a little over 77 ppg, seventh in the ACC. But with a stifling defense, the Pack hasn?t had to light up the scoreboard. The team?s top scorer is sophomore C Cedric Simmons, who?s averaging 12 ppg and nearly seven rebounds. In the backcourt, junior G Engin Atsur is chipping with 11.5 ppg and a team-leading 4.7 assists.
At 12-1 SU, the Wolfpack are second in ACC behind Duke. Their one loss came to then-No. 14 Iowa in November. Against the spread, N.C. State has one of the top records in the nation at 8-1.
At 8-2 SU, the Tar Heels are in the middle of the ACC standings. Their two losses came to No. 6 Illinois and unranked USC just before Christmas. Against the spread, the Heels are 5-3.
Other notable game:
No. 18 Ohio State at No. 16 Indiana (4:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Fresh off a win over Michigan in their first conference game of the season, the Hoosiers will host the Buckeyes in a Big Ten tussle.
At 9-2 SU and with one conference win, the Hoosiers were leading the Big Ten as of Wednesday. At 4-4, their record against the spread is of little consequence, however, their 1-6 record on the OVER/UNDER is worth noting.
Interestingly, the team?s O/U record does not reflect an inability to score ? the Hoosiers are averaging more than 80 ppg, second in the ACC.
The Hoosiers? first loss of the season came to No. 1 Duke at home November 30. A week later, they were upset by unranked Indiana St. as 6.5-point road favorites. They?ve won five-straight since then, including a 79-53 win over No. 19 Kentucky.
As of Wednesday, Ohio State was 10-0 SU (2-3 ATS) and sat third in the ACC. Their first conference game was scheduled for Thursday night against 8-3 Penn St.
The Buckeyes have yet to face a ranked team this season.
From
BetWWTS.com
Conference conflict hits the hardcourt
The march towards madness officially tipped off this week as big-name schools began to face each other in conference play.
There has been one big surprise already as No. 2 UConn (11-1) was upset by unranked Marquette (11-3) in the first Big East game of the season Tuesday. The Golden Eagles were listed as 10-point dogs in that game.
The highlight of this weekend?s conference matchups will be an ACC showdown in Chapel Hill between No. 12 N.C. State and No. 25 North Carolina, the defending national champion (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
After being unranked to begin the year, the young Tar Heels have clawed their way to an 8-2 record and a Top 25 ranking. This, despite losing their top seven scorers from last year.
Fortunately, coach Roy Williams and company have done a masterful job of recruiting to keep the team competitive. As it sits now, four of the Heels? top six scorers are all freshmen, three of whom are starters.
One of those freshmen, 6-foot-9 F Tyler Hansbrough, leads the team in scoring averaging 16.5 ppg and is second on the team in rebounds with 7.3.
Hansbrough, who was recently named the ACC rookie of the week for the third time, had a career-high 23 points in an 82-58 win over Davidson College in a non-conference game Tuesday night.
Senior guard David Noel is second on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg) and the leader in rebounds (7.4 rpg). In the game against Davidson, Noel struggled while committing seven turnovers. But he wasn?t alone. The Heels turned the ball over 20 times.
Although he acknowledged the team had played well defensively, the team?s poor offensive performance drew the ire of coach Williams.
?I loved my club from the shoulders down, but we're going to have to see about some brain transplants,? Williams told reporters after the game.
The Heels will have to sharpen their offensive play if they want to have any chance against N.C. State. The Wolfpack boasts the top defense in the ACC allowing just 58 ppg.
Last Friday, the Pack handed then-No. 12 George Washington their first loss of the season, winning 79-58. The Colonials, who have both the top field-goal percentage (49.7) and scoring offense (81.4 ppg) in the Atlantic 10, were limited to just 31 percent shooting.
?They?re one of the best teams in the country,? George Washington coach Karl Hobbs told reporters. ?They?ve got a heck of a basketball team.?
Offensively, the Wolfpack are not nearly as dominant. The team is averaging a little over 77 ppg, seventh in the ACC. But with a stifling defense, the Pack hasn?t had to light up the scoreboard. The team?s top scorer is sophomore C Cedric Simmons, who?s averaging 12 ppg and nearly seven rebounds. In the backcourt, junior G Engin Atsur is chipping with 11.5 ppg and a team-leading 4.7 assists.
At 12-1 SU, the Wolfpack are second in ACC behind Duke. Their one loss came to then-No. 14 Iowa in November. Against the spread, N.C. State has one of the top records in the nation at 8-1.
At 8-2 SU, the Tar Heels are in the middle of the ACC standings. Their two losses came to No. 6 Illinois and unranked USC just before Christmas. Against the spread, the Heels are 5-3.
Other notable game:
No. 18 Ohio State at No. 16 Indiana (4:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Fresh off a win over Michigan in their first conference game of the season, the Hoosiers will host the Buckeyes in a Big Ten tussle.
At 9-2 SU and with one conference win, the Hoosiers were leading the Big Ten as of Wednesday. At 4-4, their record against the spread is of little consequence, however, their 1-6 record on the OVER/UNDER is worth noting.
Interestingly, the team?s O/U record does not reflect an inability to score ? the Hoosiers are averaging more than 80 ppg, second in the ACC.
The Hoosiers? first loss of the season came to No. 1 Duke at home November 30. A week later, they were upset by unranked Indiana St. as 6.5-point road favorites. They?ve won five-straight since then, including a 79-53 win over No. 19 Kentucky.
As of Wednesday, Ohio State was 10-0 SU (2-3 ATS) and sat third in the ACC. Their first conference game was scheduled for Thursday night against 8-3 Penn St.
The Buckeyes have yet to face a ranked team this season.
