chicago510;1081497 wrote:I don't think you want a SG that can't play off the ball to go with your scoring PG.

Rivers is at his best off the ball and on isolation. Also, Kyrie can score, but I wouldn't label him as a true scoring PG. He just HAS to score because most of his teammates can't do it consistently.

Again, if Rivers is best available I'd take him no question.

Rivers wouldn't be my first choice obviously, but I wouldn't be upset if we had to settle for him.

reclegend22;1081118 wrote:Agreed. Proving that point, I actually turned that game off and began to play NCAA Final Four 2000, I am ashamed to say. But flipped back just in time to see the final game-tying basket in regulation. I still hate myself a little bit. But I was younger then. Needless to say, I've never turned off another game since.

I am certain that many a fan woke up this morning and contemplated suicide for turning their televisions off yesterday evening. I'd be willing to bet thousands upon thousands did once the spread reached 14. What an incredible finish.

Yeah I learned a long time ago to never turn at game off. Sometimes I quit paying a lot of attention to it if it gets bad but I won't ever completely turn a game off. Last nights game when it got to about 14 I figured Duke was done took my laptop and turned the game on ESPN3 and just listened/watched the game.

chicago510;1081497 wrote:I don't think you want a SG that can't play off the ball to go with your scoring PG.

Bingo. He needs the ball in his hands to be successful.

He isn't a good enough passer to be a true point, but he isn't an elite shooter and doesn't do much without the ball.

ironman02 wrote:A national championship contender doesn't choke away a 10 point lead in the final two minutes of the game with countless mental errors and failed execution...at home...against their biggest rival.

Maryland did. Then Duke met them in the Final Four. North Carolina will be a team to be feared come March. The glaring athleticism and overall imposing nature of the Heels is, at least for me, what makes last night's victory for Duke so rewarding. We beat a really, really good team. I think you guys will be fine. If anyone has anything to fret over come tournament time, it is me (Arizona, anyone?) I just hope that Duke is a transformed team after the extraordinary happenings in Chapel Hill.

We have one more classic to play before the regular-season concludes, and then see you in Atlanta.

reclegend22;1081730 wrote:

Maryland did. Then Duke met them in the Final Four. North Carolina will be a team to be feared come March. The glaring athleticism and overall imposing nature of the Heels is, at least for me, what makes last night's victory for Duke so rewarding. We beat a really, really good team. I think you guys will be fine. If anyone has anything to fret over come tournament time, it is me (Arizona, anyone?) I just hope that Duke is a transformed team after the extraordinary happenings in Chapel Hill.

We have one more classic to play before the regular-season concludes, and then see you in Atlanta.

Carolina certainly has the potential to be there in March/April. I'm just worried that they're never going to realize that potential. I hope that last night's loss doesn't have any type of hangover effect going forward, and the Heels simply use it as motivation. I would have thought this group would have learned these lessons well before now, but maybe, just maybe, losing in that fashion to Duke will finally be the trigger that they need.

I'd love to just fast forward to March 3rd right now. A win in Cameron would erase some of the bad memories from last night, but I think it might just take two (or three) more wins against the Blue Devils this season to truly ease the pain.

ironman02 wrote:I'd love to just fast forward to March 3rd right now. A win in Cameron would erase some of the bad memories from last night, but I think it might just take two (or three) more wins against the Blue Devils this season to truly ease the pain.

Good luck with that, iron. Duke has claimed 5 of the last 6 in The Rivalry and is 22-10 against North Carolina since 1999, including winning 8 of 13 in Chapel Hill. Just as a reminder

For Duke fans, a warning, this might seriously lower your body temperature.

[video=youtube;DyVKM08KgIU] index=4&feature=plpp_video[/video]

ccrunner609;1082850 wrote:For UNC to have no bench is pathetic. Every player on that team is an all state player. For coaches to not develop something that can go out and play a role is terrible. Of course UNC could be a tough out in March, they should be. But until they have a coach that knows how to develop players........they will be this bad in spurts.

They've had two of their top 7 or 8 go down for the season dipshit.

By far my favorite part of that video is the zoomed shot of Rivers staring Zeller dead in the face while motioning for him to come and get it. "I'm about to drop a game-winner on you, son."

Total chills. Duke Basketball Never Stops.

reclegend22;1084261 wrote:By far my favorite part of that video is the zoomed shot of Rivers staring Zeller dead in the face while motioning for him to come and get it. "I'm about to drop a game-winner on you, son."

Total chills. Duke Basketball Never Stops.

LOL

ccrunner609;1084304 wrote:Exactly.....its UNC. EVERY player is a all state player. They have nothing outside of 2-3 players in the starting lineup.

Take two players from any team in America and they will have depth issues. Imagine duke without the plumlees. LOL

ccrunner609;1084304 wrote:Exactly.....its UNC. EVERY player is a all state player. They have nothing outside of 2-3 players in the starting lineup.

An.

There is depth and there is talent. The two don't always equate. Losing McDonald was not that significant to UNC because of who they had. If he's around, their "depth" isn't necessarily increased, rather the minutes just push back some of the others who could have seen time.

If you think about it, depth is only really important if you need to use it. When McDonald went down, UNC did have to accelerate it a bit, but losing Strickland really makes it vital for them to continue to develop Hairston even more.

In today's game, I think you need 7 players, and can get away with that depending on how versatile the team is and where the strengths are. Now obviously this makes an injury or foul trouble a bit more of a concern, but when a team's biggest strength is touted as their depth, it doesn't really hold much weight until you are actually in a situation to rely on it.

It's kind of like Louisville. Before some injuries, they had what I would consider 12 quality players. However, they can take any 5 of them and it won't EVER equate to a better starting 5 than the top 10-15 teams in the country. So, unless they make each game dependent on who has the best 10 players, depth is meaningless.

Azubuike24;1084465 wrote:There is depth and there is talent. The two don't always equate. Losing McDonald was not that significant to UNC because of who they had. If he's around, their "depth" isn't necessarily increased, rather the minutes just push back some of the others who could have seen time.

If you think about it, depth is only really important if you need to use it. When McDonald went down, UNC did have to accelerate it a bit, but losing Strickland really makes it vital for them to continue to develop Hairston even more.

In today's game, I think you need 7 players, and can get away with that depending on how versatile the team is and where the strengths are. Now obviously this makes an injury or foul trouble a bit more of a concern, but when a team's biggest strength is touted as their depth, it doesn't really hold much weight until you are actually in a situation to rely on it.

It's kind of like Louisville. Before some injuries, they had what I would consider 12 quality players. However, they can take any 5 of them and it won't EVER equate to a better starting 5 than the top 10-15 teams in the country. So, unless they make each game dependent on who has the best 10 players, depth is meaningless.

Well stated.

Losing Dexter >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Losing Leslie.

And I really like both players. But Leslie went down before the season even started. They were used to playing without him.

Yes. The McDonald loss was not an excuse. The Strickland loss is. Not only was he the better player, but it was already 3 months into the season, he was a vital part to the rotation and he was the 2nd of the 2 (at similar spots) to go down. It's a legit excuse if something were to come up where UNC loses because of that depth.

ccrunner609;1084304 wrote:Exactly.....its UNC. EVERY player is a all state player.

WTF are even talking about? Damn near every college basketball player in the country was all-state.


To the rest of the people who are actually intelligent enough to discuss basketball (read as, everyone but ccrunner),

The loss of Strickland does hurt because he was the best on-ball defender and because he was the back-up PG. It hurts even more because McDonald was already gone and now Hairston has injury problems. Carolina went from having a ton of depth at guard to practically no depth at all, at least until Hairston comes back.

Anyway, none of that really matters. You play with what you have, and Carolina certainly has enough talent to get by. Marshall will have to play extensive minutes, and so will Bullock until PJ is back. McAdoo is finally starting to come on, which is certainly a good thing, and Stilman White is doing everything he can to at least give Kendall a breather here and there.

Tough stretch of games coming up with road tests at Miami, NC State, Virginia, and Duke, plus Clemson and Maryland at home. I think the Heels are fully capable of winning out, but that's much easier said than done, especially when they still struggle so much with consistency. Now is the time to start putting it all together. We'll see if they can.