Author Archives: heelsgeek

The 2nd Annual Heels Geek All-ACC Teams

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No, I don’t have a “real” pick. But what the hell, right?

For reference: last year’s teams. (Still like the picks, except I probably should’ve found a third-team spot for Ish Smith, horrible inefficiency or no.)

First Team

Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech)
Reggie Jackson (Boston College)
Nolan Smith (Duke)
Jordan Williams (Maryland)
Tyler Zeller (UNC)

Second Team

John Henson (UNC)
Reggie Johnson (Miami)
Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech)
Kyle Singler (Duke)
Chris Singleton (Florida State)

Third Team

Jeff Allen (Virginia Tech)
Harrison Barnes (UNC)
Jerai Grant (Clemson)
Kendall Marshall (UNC)
Demontez Stitt (Clemson)

Freshman team: Barnes, Marshall, C.J. Leslie (North Carolina State), Travis McKie (Wake Forest), Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
Player of the Year: Nolan Smith
Defensive POY: John Henson
Coach of the Year: Roy Williams
Rookie of the Year: Harrison Barnes

Thoughts after the jump.

Continue reading →

North Carolina 81, Duke 67: Winning

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Dexter Strickland dunks on Plumlee

Dexter Strickland enjoys barbecue, Brunswick stew, and YAMS.

Well then. That happened. And it happened in nearly the most humiliating way possible for Duke, which was, with apologies to Tina Fey, fetch. To recap: Ryan Kelly is being asked to take himself off this mortal coil, Kyle Singler continues to have his draft stock eviscerated by Harrison Barnes, Coach K continues to ruin Andre Dawkins‘ confidence, and the Plumlees commit so many dumb fouls that they could make “If I Only Had a Brain” the family theme song (though, in his defense, Miles was decent).

Sure, Nolan Smith got his, and I can tell I’m gonna be real tired of Seth Curry by the time he graduates … so props to those two. But other than that pair of minor inconveniences, everything came up Dadgum last night, and UNC got to cut down the flippin’ nets — two months after Ken Pomeroy said they had just a 3% chance to win the ACC.

Continue reading →

Duke at North Carolina: How to Knock Off the Evil Empire

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The depths of the NIT in 2010. Then the loss of two players — and, before the season starts, another. Then the loss of another lofty preseason ranking — and three of the first seven games of this season.

Now, 13 weeks later and rid of yet another headache, the Tar Heels are playing at home, for the ACC title, against the Evil Empire.

But don’t call it a comeback. Don’t. This is what we do. This is what we always do.

Hit ‘em up. Continue reading →

Your Newest Tar Heel, J.P. Tokoto

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As you all know by now, 2012 wing J.P. Tokoto became a Tar Heel last night, committing to North Carolina over hometown Wisconsin. He becomes the second 2012 commitment for Carolina, after point guard Marcus Paige.

This was probably the worst-kept secret in college basketball, but (lookin’ at you, Delvon Roe) you never know for sure. So welcome to Chapel Hill, J.P. You will find the weather exceedingly pleasant, the people exceedingly nice, and the women as sweet as Tupelo honey.

THF has all of the Tokoto vitals — check that out if you want the rundown.

And here’s some video. You can’t tell much from this stuff, but it’s abundantly clear that the kid is an athlete, which is a pretty nice trait to have when scrawny white kids are guarding you.

Harrison Barnes’ Clutch: By the Numbers

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The this-is-getting-ridiculous, massive stones of one Harrison Barnes have now won the kid his own, Lil B-referencing Tumblr. But I’m a nerd, so I thought I’d run down the numbers real quick and see just how well Harrison shoots under the following conditions:

  • ACC game (this is as decent an estimate as any of when he began to play more confidently, though it sadly excludes the #tigerblood shot against Texas)
  • Under five minutes
  • Game within 10 points

Ran it through twice, double-checked the numbers, and Harrison Barnes — shouldn’t we be calling him the Assassin by now? — is shooting 13/21, 62%, in those situations.

The caveats: Some of these shots were more clutch than others. A dunk against Maryland with the Heels up 9 and two minutes left counts the same, for the purposes of this exercise, as the daggers against FSU and Miami. This is also a tiny, tiny sample size. And it’s safe to say that Barnes’ level of clutch is probably unsustainable going forward — as even Roy Williams says in this profile of Harrison (and his moms!), “He’s going to miss one day.”

‘Course, Roy also goes on to say: ”He’s got a lot of them left in his tank. I know that, and he knows that.”

Oh. You don’t have to tell us, Coach. Barnesbot knows.

Of note

In Which We Wade Into the Brandon Davies Debate

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Later today, we’ll have a number-licious post up about Harrison Barnes and his incredible late-game performances. (Your body ain’t ready for this jelly.)

But right now, I want to talk about BYU player Brandon Davies.

Fair warning: This ain’t much about basketball.

Continue reading →

Quick Preview: North Carolina at Florida State

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You all know what’s at stake: the ACC title, a better NCAA seed, another dose of revenge at the home of All-Time Villain Ryan Reid.

FSU is obviously playing without Chris Singleton, but that doesn’t seem to have made the Tar Heels into serious favorites. Carolina opened as a one-point favorite and, barring any last-minute shifts, will head into tonight’s game favored by 2.5 points.

For what it’s worth, the last time Vegas expected Carolina to have a close game on the road — when they were one-point underdogs heading into Clemson — the Heels won 64-62. Yeah, Kendall Marshall shredded the FSU defense the first time these two teams played … but do you really expect that to happen again? Much more likely is that this game lives up to its billing as a matchup between Pomeroy’s No. 2 (UNC) and No. 4 (FSU) teams in adjusted defensive efficiency. In other words, U-G-L-Y like a Duke cheerleader (and the Vegas over-under, a whopping 138 points, would seem to confirm this).

So get your squeeze toy, or your gin and tonic, or whatever it is that you keep by during close games. Odds are pretty good that you’ll need it.

EDIT: Almost forgot.

The Reggie Bullock Post: Analysis and Idle Speculation

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The injury to Reggie Bullock puts a thin North Carolina team down a player. It also is crap luck for a good kid who’s been through a lot this season, both on the court (getting hurt a few months ago when Roy Williams was ready to put him into the starting lineup) and off the court (dealing with the death of his grandmother).

But if we assume that his performance going forward was going to be similar to his performance over the last month, Carolina is not going to miss the injured Reggie Bullock. Continue reading →

Something That Atlanta Hawks Coach Larry Drew Actually Said

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On the Hawks’ deadline trade that sent Mike Bibby to the Washington Wizards in return for Kirk Hinrich:

“We have been searching for a point guard, someone who can come in and run this club,” Drew said. “I am not saying that Mike didn’t do a good job. There just comes a point with the team where a change has to take place.”

Beware the Goudelock: Or, Why Carolina Needs to Keep Winning

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I don’t know how many of you are familiar with The Bracket Project, but it’s a wonderful resource. Once the bracketology season begins, these fellows (ladies? I don’t even know) put together a consensus bracket, compiled from the work of 66 bubble watchers across the Internet. Some of these folks are more reputable than others, and I wish the Bracket Project people were more discerning — one bracket has Ohio State as a 2 seed, which should be grounds for instant disqualification — but, in all, it’s a useful snapshot of the state of the field.

What does this bracket tell us? Continue reading →