Virginia Tech North Carolina basketball preview!

#242 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #9 R.P.I. North Carolina:

Virginia Tech gets cast in the Atlantic Coast spotlight Sunday night television game vs. mighty North Carolina this weekend down on Chapel Hill.

U.n.c. enters this contest nationally ranked at #15,  …at 13 up and 4 down on the year. Having been beaten by Butler, Iowa, all-world Kentucky and Notre Dame. U.n.c. has however already beaten nationally ranked Ohio State, Louisville, Florida and U.c.l.a. Shew! Talk about a brutal opening docket; geez!

Nevertheless, these T.Heels are pretty damn battle tested and very likely TECHnologically savvy.

 As our R.A.T.T. chances here are pretty south of good.

U.n.c. at a glance:

  • 2nd in offensive rebounding!
  • 4th in rebounding margin (+10.8)
  • 6th in 3-point percentage allowed (26.4%)
  • 8th in assists (17.8 apg)
  • 9th in FG percentage defense allowed (36.2%)
  • 3 injuries: Sasha Seymore  (6’6” 220 lb. S/F, walk-on at 1.8 ppg, knee) and Luke Davis (6′ 178 lb. Sr. 3rd-string Pt.G, foot) both done for the year; neither guy was a major contributor. Coach God Bless. (UPDATE: back-up Pt.G, 6′ 160. Soph. Stillman White now listed out indefinitely via undisclosed illness; Godspeed!)

North Carolina Backcourt: (returning starters=1 of 1)
Marcus Paige: Lefty, southpaw, Koufax junior year quasi star of the team, recently hobbled on a rolled ankle. Although he was very efficacious last time out for it. 6’1” 175 lb. Iowan lead-G who is leading the Heels in scoring at 13.9 ppg. On nearly every single National player of the year award watch-list. 1st-string all-American leading vote getter pre-season. I’d say that counts.

First all-time in U.n.c. history with 150+ FTA’s percentage (86.5%). Something of our very own Smith, on the next level or levels plural as an explosion based scorer goes. Can flat out light it up when he is on. Honor Roll member who also gets you 3.9 apg and a couple of boards on nearly exactly 38% overall and from range alike. Never met a shot he did not like or would not take; hence the lower shooting percentage from the floor. A very good player and a great player when he is feeling it on any given night.

 

BIG Boy
“Where’s the beef” indeed!

Nor.Carolina Frontcourt: (starters back=1 of 4)
Kennedy Meeks: 6’9” 27o lb. (see: pic) bulwark road-grader of a second year P/F who looks just a bit like J.R. Reid. Amazingly enough (to be currently sized) Meeks has actually cut ~50 pounds since arriving at Chapel Hill. The book reads that Kennedy has good court sense and rebounding instincts and that he boasts a deft shooting touch in and around the basket for being such a human mastodon.

Make no mistake here, this is a real live BIG-boy down low, and at 13 ppg, 9 boards and one-n-a-half blocks on 59% shooting, this kid is a serial mismatch for any of our remaining posts.

Basketball state titlist in high school at Charlotte who was also quite an accomplished prep tennis player; which tells you something regarding his nimbleness, footwork and athleticism underneath. This kid is a Pro, only question is imported or domestic?

Brice Johnson: 6’9” 229 lb. junior season P/F who is the opposite number of Mr. Meeks. As Mr. Johnson entered U.n.c. at 188 lbs. and has found about 50 lbs. of right-mass; and still looks like he could carry another five to ten. Smooth looking effortless type of athlete who is a bit off from where he was this time last year. 11 ppg, 7 rpg on 53% shooting and a block is not bad work in the paint, if you can get it. Has a history of bad (right) ankle sprains that have capped his baby-blue development a bit. South Carolina Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors both as a junior and again as a senior. Two time state champ under his father, coach Johnson in South Carolina. Pretty fair offer sheet as a high school Wr to boot. Does need to work on the range on his J a bit, as this is by no means a stretch-Forward. Although this could be someones overseas Pro in another year.

J.P. Tokoto: 6’6” 200 lb. Wisconsin Wing of a Forward with one year of eligibility left after this season. Known for his defense as his all-A.c.c. defensive team nomination would seem to confer. Athletic Wing who can run the floor and up the pace of the game. Thrives in the open court where his activity level reaches its zenith, even if his overall game is still just a bit under-cooked. 9.1 ppg and 5.2 rebounds with a surprising team leading 4.3 assists! Such is almost suggestive of a chapter 11 man’s Point-Forward or a bankrupt man’s Larry Bird. Also leads U.n.c. in steals at 1.2 spg. Is a sky-walking rim-rocker as the 2012 American Family Insurance Slam Dunk contest award winner down in the big easy of New Orleans. If this kid ever puts it all together; he too is prolly a foreign exchange Pro.

Justin Jackson: 6’9” 193 lb. bean-pole Swing in his nugget or rookie year from Texas.  9.4 ppg and 3.4 rpg is not half bad, 19% from the perimeter, is. And yet the September accolades are there, as Justin was named one of the nation’s Top-20 high impact newcomers for 2014-15 by ESPN.com. He was also named one of the nation’s Top-20 Wing players by Sports Illustrated and the he was named preseason second-team All-ACC by Athlon. That does not suck, neither did his 2nd-team USAToday all-U.S.A. pegging after his senior scholastic season. Neither did winning the “pistol Pete Maravich Award (2011), the Sullivan Award (2012) and the Jefferson Award (2013) as the top home schooled player in the country! Can’t say I’ve ever read of a high school baller sweeping all three; well, not until now. BIG time prep recruit who has already hung a youth gold-medal around his neck and one that appears to have superstar written all over him. Give this kid some time, and get this kid some range and he may get there before he is Tobacco Road career all said and done.

T.Heel Bench: (depth=4)

  • Nate Britt: 6’1” 170 lb. swaggy looking sophomoric baller from Michigan. Almost 6 ppg and one-n-a-half rebounds and assists alike on a team leading 92% charity-stripe shooting. Has a history of cartilage tears in his right-knee, 3 year soccer and footballer as well. Long arm and greater defending reach for it. Former starter now gone solid back-up Point.
  • Theo Pinson: 6’6” 196 lb. rookie year ‘tweener at S/F and S/G. 2-time North Carolina state champion, Dunk contest winner with major ups, has a u18 Gold Medal. 3.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 2.7 assists hint at a possible all-round game from a VHT pure athlete who prolly lacks a pure home position.
  • Isaiah Hicks: 6’8” 230 lb. chiseled P/F in his second year. Associated Press Player of the Year in North Carolina in high school in 2013. Epic high school rebounder with 30+ rebounding games, plural. Nets you 6.9 ppg with 3.8 boards on 58% shooting. Interesting kid to watch; as he looks like he could still add some more pure right-mass.
  • Joel Berry II: 6′ 190 lb. nugget or rookie year voter from Florida. Won the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year award …every single year! Back-to-back Sunshine state titlist. u17 Gold Medal winner. 3.2 ppg right now, does need some work on shooting; although this one truly is a a (sky) blue-chip recruit extraordinaire. (UPDATE: just pulled his Groin and is out 2-3 weeks!)

UNC match ups

The best thing about VT basketball thus far ... is???

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:

  1. Seven  U.n.c. Heels have 34 or more FTA’s at this juncture of the season! Guess who gets to play the heel in this one folks?
  2. U.n.c. is coming in on Association like short rest (42 hours).
  3. Everyone I previewed above was a McDonald’s all-American. 100%.Roy Boy

Or in other words, this U.n.c. team is 17th in scoring with a team leading scorer who (relatively) merely leads the way at 13 and change. You do the maths!


As my calculus shows that this U.n.c. team is loaded for bear in terms of courting incredible depth of talent 1 through 9 as their playing rotation goes. As there are T.Heel kids who can not start for Roy who would likely star for Buzz.

And try as I might, I just could not manufacture a credible O&M winning scenario while visiting North Carolina. This U.n.c. roster is young, and it is on short-rest, and beyond that it is miles ahead of Virgina Tech in pure hooping acumen or raw parts talent.

U.n.c. will only improve all year long for so much youth, as this team could be Elite-8 good or maybe even Final-4 great come the final bell of March Madness.

***

Sorry et al, although I just do not like our chances in this one.

As to pick Virginia Tech to win this one is to lie and we all know that …lying is for rugs.

(94% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=6o, U.n.c.=88

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**

1 Responses You are logged in as Test

Comments are closed.