#1o R.P.I. North Carolina @ #39 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s basketball stands in at a reasonable-looking seven-hyphen-one.

The Hokies now host ex-#1, and last year’s national champion #2 or runner-up, big, bad North Carolina. Who (now) checks in a 5 up vs. 3 down. This after opening up 5 up against nil down to begin the 2o22-2o23 regular season. However, the t.Heels have an o-3-sized stone in their Recency Effect hoops shoe. As they have not been as effective of late to boot. Sky-blue apologists would have me opine that U.n.c. is 3-shots removed from being the same (7-1) as defending A.c.c. champion Virginia Tech. Powder-blue apprehendists would have me right or write that if my Aunt Kim packed nutz-n-a-bolt she’d be my Uncle, Tim. Either way and nonetheless, what you wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, read on… to find, out!

North Carolina Head Coach: Hubert Ira Davis Jr.: Age=52, 34–13 (.723) and @U.n.c. alike. Has a rep’ for: don’t know yet? Need data points here, tho’ you’d have to think recruiting and Guarding/backcourting most likely.

$600,000.oo (base;  he will be paid $750,000 per year from his agreements with Nike and Learfield IMG College, plus incentives/performance, tho’ still, had on the cheap!)
Now: jumped quickly up to $2.8 then 3.1-mill!

Baller Ira Davis attended Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, averaging 28.0 points per game his senior year. After the fact, Davis went on to the University of North Carolina, where he holds the record for the highest career three-point percentage in school history. In his junior year, he helped lead the team to its first Final Four appearance since the Tar Heels won it all in 1982. After averaging 21.4 points per game his senior year, he graduated in 1992 with a degree in Criminal Justice.

The New York Knicks then selected Davis with the 20th overall pick in the 1992 National Basketball Association Draft. He made the winning free throws after Hue Hollins called a disputed foul against Scottie Pippen in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls, giving the Knicks an 87–86 win.

Davis remained with New York for four years and was traded to the Toronto Raptors before the 1996-97 season. After Toronto, Davis spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and New Jersey Nets. Davis played his final N.B.A. game in 2oo4, finishing with career averages of 8.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Davis’s nearly 44.1% N.B.A. career three-point shot percentage ranks him third behind Steve Kerr and Seth Curry. Or, living the life 1o1…

Starting in 2oo8, Davis began working for ESPN as a college basketball analyst. Then on May 2, 2o12, Davis returned to U.N.C. as an assistant under then-head coach Roy Williams. Davis also served as head coach of U.N.C.’s junior varsity basketball team, the only JV team in the A.c.c. He helped the Tar Heels win the 2o17 NC2A Men’s Basketball tournament.

Williams retired on April 1, 2o21. Four days later, on April 5, Davis was announced as the 19th head coach in Tar Heel basketball history, and the first African-American to lead the program. Although Davis had never been a head coach of a varsity team at any level, Williams had been grooming him for a head coaching job much in the same way that Dean Smith had groomed Williams during Williams’ time on the U.N.C. bench as an assistant from 1978 to 1988. For example, Williams had handed Davis the reins of the JV team in order to give him experience leading a team in real time.

Poppa-bear Davis and his wife Leslie have three children: Elijah, Bobbie Grace, and Micah. Elijah will play college basketball for the University of Lynchburg starting in the 2o21-2o22 season.
When at the conference announcing his hiring as the UNC basketball coach, when
prompted about being the first Black UNC head coach, Davis caused public
debate by stating he’s proud to be African-American,
yet also proud that his wife is …White.

Davis is a devout Christian.
bra-vo!

North Carolina at a glance:

• 5th in most FT-makes/game!!! (The get a lotta calls here).
• 22nd best in defensive rebounding!!
• 43rd best in Swats/game!
• 5oth in FT percentage.
• 283rd best in turnovers forced/game.
• (Only) 286th best in 3-point percentage.
• 3ooth best in assists/game!
• 3o7th best in Scoring D!
• 336th best in bench points/game!!!
• 1 injury listed. (Coach God bless).

Returning Starters=4!!!

North Carolina Strengths:

• (Lindy’s 1st-string all-A.c.c.): (Lindy’s Player of the year A.c.c.): (Lindy’s Top Rebounder A.c.c.): … do you see see see an A.c.c. trend here? As all of that (and mo’) would be from: one #5, and rarefied stuck-around seniorfic year Armando Bacot is a 6′11″, lengthy/rangy-looking P/F Commonwealth refugee (Richmond, Va.) at 235 lbs. (Which is code for he (somehow) grew an off-season inch and found a handful of pounds, which could make some science-fact sense?)
  Anywho… Bacot led IMG Academy to a prep national championship in 2o19 and he was also a member of the U18 USA Basketball national team with Cole Anthony and Coby White, winning a gold medal with the same. Before that, he won the 2o17 VISAA Division-I state champion at Trinity Episcopal School. Bacot is said to be a true internal player and nobody’s stretch-Euro-F. Bacot has excellent hands and excels on the defensive glass (nearly a tricentennial or almost 3oo d-reb’s already). Armando found about 15 lbs. of sinew last off-season and this helped him drop you a then team-pacing 11.7 points per nite with 7.6 rpg and he led the way in SWAT team work with .8 swats on a sparkling team-besting 62.2% overall. This year he was still bettering himself… up to 16.1 ppg with 11.1 rpg, on 1.o apg a swipe and nearly 1.5-full swats. Tho’ he is down from 63% to a still useful 54.5% this campaign, with only his free-throwing (67.2%) may be tailing a bit. This kid’s prolly a Pro,’ although it does look like he could add another 5 lb. plate or more and fill in a bit more upstairs to me. Tho’ he has a right-elbow-ding (St.Julia) bless history and maybe that is messin’ with that, here? (And oh-yes, did Eye mention the Dimetrodon or Jurassic Park hairstyle, yet?) Overall, he looks about the same to me physically, his measurable did NOT move at all this off-season may or may not be a good thing. The hair however gets you a FREEbe all-day mandatory entry pass into Jurassic Park. Dropping and rolling dimes, foreshadowing, intended! Tho’ Mister Bacot is good, prolly very— the only remainder calculus is… is he, great? UPDATE: this kid was good when I wrote this— this kid is now starting to flirt with being great… legit).
  (UPDATE2: recall: Bacot was babcocked for the last 1.75 games with a cockeyed coccyx | YIKES and St.DeClan bless!)
  (UPDATE3: … tailed off a bit, pardon the pun… since we did actually face the ailing version of him last… makes you wonder where that reptilian tailbone is cocked?)
  (UPDATE4: then he twice sprained his orthodox or right ankle in the semis and in the finals again to close last year (St.Philip bless twice!)
  (UPDATE_V: then we see that Bacot played the Indy game on a hobbled right ankle and briefly left the court to go to the locker room to have his right shoulder taped. (St.Christopher bless).
  So, you have to wonder where Bab’s really is health-wise at this point.

  

• (Lindy’s 2nd-string All-A.c.c.): (Lindy’s Top Playmaker A.c.c.): …would be: 6′4″, 2oo lb. nugget or 3rd-year Caleb Love is only the 2o2o Gatorade High School Player of the Year in Missouri; and yes he will meet you in St.Louie as that’s his home-crib, yo’. Love gave the scholastic box score a lotta 3rd-base loving. Tho’ he never won the home-run state title-wise as a high 20-something ppg pure outburst type of H.S. scorer. Go fig’ on that for your #1 alpha kid state-wide. He is also whispered to be a crack mini-golfer (no bleep), and yet some scouting services list him as mo’ parts One and less parts lead-G. He has a very odd habit of dunking with his right-middle finger wrapping the rim, he is said to have tight handles, and he has real live depth to his J (in theory). This along with a now ascending as I type 1st-best 19.1 ppg, on 4.6 rpg with a team mastering 3.1 apg and 1.5 spg alike… and it kinda makes you one’der what home-position this kid really is or best is best suited two? That… and his former 31% overall has risen up to a somewhat serviceable 4o.6% and an exceptionally streaky game log this season tell you just how hawt-n-cold this kid can run. Likewise, he can shoot at times… 79.2% free-throwing, and yet a now modest useful-looking 25% from triuneville speak to this. They speak to him being down a whopping 16% from triuneville since we saw him last as well. Tho’… the 2o21-2o22 shooting inversion (3 >>> floor) is never a righteous look; the aversion to now splashing 3’s is an even worse look. Thus making c.Love your Agent Mulder or X-factor here. Caleb however… has shrunk 1″ this offseason and yet he did not add a single solitary, oz. Go fig’ on dat? Though do fig on this kid being pro’-paid somewhere, be that domestic or export.
• (Lindy’s 1st-string All-A.c.c.): (Lindy’s Most Entertaining A.c.c.): would be… R.J. Davis. Who is a 6′, 176 lb. Jr., Point-G. Davis gets you: 15.1 ppg with 5.2 rpg, 3.o apg, 1.1 spg, all of which is on a pretty tight 41.3% from three-point-land. Well, it springtime was… now it is down to a nearly lowercase looking: 28.9% from three-point-land. This one vends a Koufax or lefty look from his unorthodox shooting stance. (Which only helps on D). He also fields a twist top with big azz Samuel L. Jax lamb chops served up on the side. You are Sophomorically visually warned, here. Academic All-ACC team honoree is always a most welcome Qb1 of your hoopology O look. +1 u.n.c.edu point awarded accordingly, here. Prior… R.Jay was only named: the 2o2o Gatorade High School Player of the Year in New York and he was also only named: New York’s Mr. Basketball! That does not suck, might even be a clue of sorts… so might Davis’ 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals along the way to back-to-back NYC and NY-State championships alike! Dang… that counts. As did his breaking of a lotta regional scholastic scoring markers along the way. Said to be a pretty good football and futball (soccer) baller as well. And his dad scored 2,118 points (without a three-point shot) from 1982-86 at Mercy College and still holds the Manhattan school’s career scoring record. Dang, and that counts too. As the D.N.A. might just be double-helix N.B.A here. ESPN’s 43rd baller overall and yet only 9th best One or Point-G in his class; (curious, n’est-ce pas?). Whispers say he can lockdown defend, and he has several halting awards on his resumé for it to boot. 48% from the floor is quite reasonable at this stage of his career. Or at least it was… as he has now slumped down to 38.9% overall so early ’22 far. Still yet, this Davis kid is a keeper, the only question is where does the next-level keep, him?

North Carolina Weaknesses:

• Do you yet detect a drop in shooting or shots not dropping themselves thus 20 ft., 9 in., (6.32 m), far this year hint?
• F, Jalen Washington (OUT, knee, St.Nikon bless). Washington is idle while recovering from a torn ACL, and it is uncertain when he will return. 6′1o″, 225 lb., Four. Salutatorian in his H.S. graduating class. .edu much love on dats. Has a seven-foot, four-inch wingspan; that counts. As do his cello and piano accomplishment backgrounds musically alike. So, however, do his history of knee dents. As historically speaking, Washington has not capitalized on-court since 2o21. Having missed his final scholastic season (knee). And yet he was 247’s 51st baller overall, and ESPN’s 40th still yet! So that counts too for this twice hurt Five or true-C. Jalen had the look-n-feel of a more defensive baller as a junior-year high schooler from what I can see. Tho’ we may or may not be seeing him this year… Godspeed here.

  

Heel Bench: (depth=4 to 6)

(Seemingly) 99th year, Leaky Black
-grate grate grate name- is a 6′9″, now 2oo lb., final-season, graduate-year, bean-pole baller who has a history of left-ankle rolls (may St.Philip make that alright). Tho’ he did amass just a little bonus right-mass this off-season; finally. Leaky did pocket a title leading Cox Mill to the 2018 3-A state championship (Nc.) And he sure seems the highlight tape part. As a strong off-the-dribble guy who seems capable of more than 7.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg to me in pure athletic/kinetic terms alone. As he was a towering H.S. Qb1 who got a few eye-catching long looks Pivotally speaking here. As this is a diverse, defending, and distributing Wing whose taking is not (really) his problem. Although his 2o% from 3-point land just does not mesh well with his: 41.2% from the floor and 86% FTA’s at all. Or, at least it did not last season… as this season this Leaky is all patched-up now. What with his: 51.1% overall and 41.2% when dialing long-distance. WOW. Helluva a betterment here… And oh yes… this is one of the most experienced guys in the whole dang A.c.c. As his N.C. stats go all the early way 2o18 back!

6′11″, now 233 lb. Northwestern transfer Pete Nance F, is one of the 2o22 off-season transfer alpha-gets and the rich got richer, here. Vocal guy… see: pic. Apparently is legit bigger than he seems on tape. 5th-year Super Senior and a grad’-transfer alike. NW.edu Charleston Helston alum props on data. Pocketed a Radio/Telly undergrad… so, you may be seeing/hearing from this one again. He has personality (and vocal cords) to spare. Not unspoken or MV1 needed to speak up back in 1999. Anywho… 2o17 Ohio Player of the Year (Akron) does not suck. Neither does being the prodigy of the sky-walker elongated dunker otherwise known as Larry Nance in this case. Yes, I would say the N.b.a. D.n.a. is rather swaggy here— or not less than overseas export-willing. Big bro’ (Larry Jr.) only logged seven Laker or Association seasons. So, that too is careerist encouraging here. This Nance is a bit of a scorer (now ~14 ppg) and has increased his pointing each and every collegiate season. Bit of a rebounder (6.5 rpg) and a bit of a swatter (1.5 bpg). A bit of everything; pretty good baller overall tho’ not a dominant one at anything in particular at all. Again, good baller, a good shooter (50% overall), and high 30’s most years from 3-ball-land. Just not a dominant one at anything. That said, has been a total yo-yo or Smothers Brothers routine down @U.n.c. True kra-kra outburst or output typea alpha games and then a disappearing zeta act for 4o-minutes or beyond Go fig here? Although do fig’ on U.n.c. being a much tougher out if Legacy Nance pops, clean.

Seth Trimble G 6′8″, now 22o lb. Was only the Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin in 2oo2. Only a National High School Slam Dunk Contest participant too. So, you knows he gots hops in his… sox. Trimble also only won a gold medal with Team USA’s U18 Men’s National Team in the 2o22 FIBA U18 Americas Championship. Where he won himself something of a clutch free-throwing rep’ in tight(er) games (88%). Now for U.n.c., he is netting you: 2.6 ppg on 50% from the 3-ball range. 3oth National baller from 247Sports.

Sizey 2-Guard, true-Fr. Puff Johnson (grate name!) was out for a spell with a turned Ankle (St.Philip bless). Out as well were his stretchy 6′8″, 2oo lb. fame. And all of its lopsided perimeter and post-up match-up advantages as well. Back now however would be his 5.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg with 53% overall. This is from my hometown neighborly: (Moon Township, Pa.) hommie. Gone however would be another 5 to 10 lbs. in weight. As this guy is U.n.c. roundball’s Dadi Nicholas when it comes to maintaining the right mass or good weight. (UPDATE: Puffy-dandy was dinged up to begin the campaign, tho’ has rallied back to play in the last 5 straight contests if you are keeping score @home).

6′8″, now 22o lb., big ole Wing or near S/F gone ‘tweener: Justin McKoy. (QUESTIONABLE: with what the resourcing is calling some kinda trick-knee. St.Nikon bless!) Also, questionable, would be his: end of the bench: 1.1 ppg with 1.5 rpg on 0.5 apg. 22% shooting and 25% from behind the arc prolly ain’t super missed. Tho’ Justin was logging spot minutes per half and did play (if not tally) a bit. As in… U.n.c. just got frontcourt even, thinner. hooVa transfer; keeps several ear-blings. Tore it up and emerged post-H.S. out on the Prep-School circuit. Mid-to-high-20s in ppg does not suck at any level. North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association’s Player of the Year has never sucked no matter the (Prep pick) level. Big ole smile on tape… A.c.c. Academic Honor Roll proppers insert here: (____), check! 247Sports’ 229th baller overall. Said to be something of a Point-F, with a high hoops I.Q. and a fluid player more so than pure kinetic freaky-freak. Godspeed McKoy!

D’Marco Dunn (6′5″, 19o lb., super-Soph’) is your prerequisite modern-era shooter in relief for the Heels. 3 ppg on 38% when dialing long-distance. From a double Military family (both: mums and pops have Served the RW&B). Double-propers on dat… his old man played college ball (Angeleno State, football); and Dunn is on the Honor Roll. Not epic, tho’ reliable and disciplined enuff.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Heels who could shoe-in @Tech=7 to 1o.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…

A lotta peeps were taken with 2o22 2nd-place finishing North Carolina to start Fall-ball of 2o22.

The Q&A is… were they taken, in?

---

---

As Lindy’s -among several of my preview magazine others- could not be much mo’ effusive than this: “…don’t expect another slow start. This group has a great argument for the deepest and most talented roster in college basketball.”

‘Ahem’ to that start Lindy’s.
(Tho’ you feel the love as much as Eye pimp for yah).

The point being— most would say that U.n.c. is better than this, right?

Among them would be Coach H.Davis. Who just this week was heard to be preaching (mutually): “patience” from the fanbase… and the need for: “urgency” from his oddball Black Sheep squadron.

Which may or may not be squandering this or that just yet… (mo’ below).

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a pretty soon 12th-month ask back as roundball round-robin fires up in intra-League terms. Soon…

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… VeeTee is up a decent +5% in shooting percentage margin (mostly thanks to the superior shooting O, as both are okay on D); with VeeTee up a useful +8% in 3-point percentage margin (with the O&M 4% more accurate on O and another 4% thriftier on 3-point D) and yet amazingly enuff, these two tallied even or in a dead-heat in rebounding margin terms for the duration so far. (Both are +3 in rebounding differential off the ‘glass).

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… the Hokies are now up +4% in shooting percentage margin (tho’ we have cooled by ≈ –4% on O, it is just that U.n.c. is even cooler than we); with the F’n Gobblers now up a curious +7% in 3-point percentage margin (per: every, single, thing… actually moved recently slightly to V.P.I.’s benefit here. All… as in: O&M O and D, U.n.c. O and D. Again, all slightly helped hook us up), and yet the t.Heels are now up +7 misses in rebounding margin for the last fortnight of play. (Due to… V.P.I. is worsening, tho’ just barely still positive off the backboard; whereas, the one U.n.c. thing on the last two weeks come is rebounding. They are mean-muggin’ and climbing on the fiberglass of late like studs).

Pick-n-pops:
U.n.c. is one unusual preseason No. 1. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it is just the fourth such team in 62 years to L three consecutive games!

The coaching sewing circle ‘whispers’ say… the Hoosiers bullied North Carolina for most of Wednesday’s game. As Indiana had 50 points in the paint, more than doubling up North Carolina around the rim. It shot 57% inside the arc and outscored the Heels in transition.

In the team’s three consecutive L’s, Love and R.J. Davis were responsible for 115 of the team’s 200 field goal attempts (58%). i.e., Black-Holes, the ball goes in and it don’t come, out.

Armchair Pt.Guard’s:

Virginia Tech ranks second in the A.c.c. with 35.5 points per game in the paint! Ked by Justyn Mutts who is averaging 8.3 in the key.

The Hokies are a disciplined bunch, too, only sending opponents to the free throw line 8.9 times per game, which is 4th-best nationally.

“I just don’t think we’re playing very good basketball,” Young said. “We need practice time. We’ve played eight games since Nov. 7. We have strides to make. We do. Numbers are good. I told our team, ‘Don’t get fooled.‘”

The One-Guard or hoops-Qb1 in me sees the very, exact; same.  This O&M hardwood squad needs to accountability-Viagra, stiffen, and be harder on themselves. (i.e., 334th best in Swipes, 339th in FT-makes is a lotta things, gentlemen. With: Hard, Rough, Tough not being among ’em. Now mix in being 8th from last in Fastbreak Points and you see a team that lacks: ‘easy baskets’. Shooters needs them— (in particular early on); as it helps them feel their flow; catch their sexxy!)

The t.Heels just shot a season-worst 33.9 percent from the floor in the L at Indiana. And it was the fifth time this season North Carolina has missed at least seven free throws. snap!

❄️

VeeTee is a 1.oo host; whereas U.n.c is .25o as a guest.
U.n.c. is up +1% at the charity stripe for the year.
VeeTee is up an astonishing +9 in R&R of late.

The Call...

No.17 Net Ranking North Carolina @ no.52 Net Ranking Virginia Tech:

…most would have me call this a mismatch.

Is U.n.c. mo’ Talented and deeper?
“Yes’.

Do we deny this?
“No”.

Though that is not always how the ball bounces, is it?

Don’t seem like it was last Spring, do it?

LOL!

–oOo–

The closer:

So, this is not as deep a U.n.c. team, it is not as defensive of a U.n.c. team, and it generically is not so back-courting of a U.n.c. team; as it has been recently year and possibly still could be future-tensely.

It is, however… a mo’ misfiring U.n.c. team (from deep in particular), it seems to be a less homogenous team at the seams themselves, or a mo’ selfie and less hardwood I.Q.’ed team if you will.

🎬🏀📽

Maybe they be mackin' wif da 'rong... pogues?

Or in other words, there is a lotta outside interests competing for their attention no matter just how outside-in-competitive said interests may interestingly enuf… be.

’cause most would have me type that U.n.c. is better den dis.
Be Chapel Hill 226 miles removed from The Outer Bank(s)-shots or nots…

…now would appear to be a pretty fair-to-middling time to play U.n.c.

The: …”Finish!”
—Nick Saben

So, ex-#1 U.n.c. is now no.23.
Defending All Credit Champion VeeTee is actually no.42.

Frustrating, n’est-ce pas?

Although, so, is U.n.c. according to the coaching sewing-circle vibes… Love in particular has been hinting at displeasure. Bacot is really dinged up in spot(s), plural; and Nance is mercurial.

Again… what mo’ do you want?

As you will not often get a better looksee at a VicTory vs. big, bad, U.n.c.!

💯👣💯

 

(61% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=77, North Carolina=74

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**