Blue vs. Blue - All Posts

Theo Pinson Junior Season Video Highlights

2013-05-22T20:07:07Z

Look ma, a highlight reel that actually features some defense and passing while in transition!

Theo Pinson Chooses UNC over Indiana, Duke and Others

2013-05-22T19:59:54Z

After missing on Andrew Wiggins, it didn't take long for Roy Williams to make another recruiting splash as the Heels landed 6-5 class of 2014 forward Theo Pinson on Wednesday afternoon, who was at one point the top recruit in his class and remains a consensus top-20 player among the big recruit-tracking sites (ESPN has him 13th, Scout 18th, Rivals 15th). You always feel good about seeing the words "matchup nightmare" in a description of a kid who just decided to attend your school:

His rare combination of a forward's length and a guard's skill figures to make Pinson a matchup nightmare at the next level. He's a tremendous passer who can get to the rim at will, and he can guard multiple positions on the other end of the floor.

In case you somehow missed it, that makes three five-star recruits that Roy has landed for the class of 2014 already, with Joel Berry III and Justin Jackson headed to Chapel Hill along with Pinson. That gives UNC the #1-ranked class for 2014 as of right now, although there's still plenty of time remaining for John Calipari to ~~throw some money at the problem~~ recruit his way into the top spot. Most recruiting experts seemed to think he was headed to play for Tom Crean at Indiana (he also had Duke, Louisville and Georgetown on his list although most everyone seemed to think the battle was down to the Hoosiers and Heels), but Pinson cited being able to play close to his family and his great relationship with Roy as reasons for going to UNC.

One of the things I find most interesting about Carolina landing Pinson and Justin Jackson is that they seem like typical "Duke guys" in lots of ways - good on both ends of the floor; utilitarian players who have a variety of skills; they play hard and find ways to win. UNC has had a bit of an intensity vacuum since Tyler Hansbrough left Chapel Hill (which P.J. Hairston is starting to fill, thankfully) so I will more than welcome a guy who seems to go all out every time he's on the court. Take our very own Bart Matthews' analysis for example, for when he watched Pinson in the Peach Jam last summer:

His motor runs at 5,000 RPM all. game. long.[...] Theo has every tool in the basketball chest at his disposal, and while he does nothing spectacularly well, there aren't any glaring weaknesses either. He's one of those guys that's always in the right place at the right time and is an absolute emotional leader on the floor. Combine this well rounded game with a considerable amount of athleticism and the high motor, and you've got a player Duke or UNC (or anyone) would be well pleased to have on their team.

Be sure to also check out Bart's recap from seeing Pinson at the Boo Williams invitational a year ago, featuring the phrases "aggressive defense," "vocal leader" and "I'm-not-going-to-let-us-lose-this mentality." Yeah, something tells me fans are really going to like this kid. Welcome to Chapel Hill, Theo.

UNC 2013-14 Position Previews: Center

2013-05-13T20:33:02Z

This is our fifth and final installment in a series of previews where our UNC contingent (Zeke & Will) looks ahead to next year's Tar Heel squad. Click on the links to read our first four previews of next year's point guards, next year's shooting guards, next year's small forwards and next year's power forwards.

Will: Two questions loom in the center discussion for the Heels next year: 1) Will Roy give upperclassman Desmond Hubert another chance to prove himself as a starter?; and, 2) Will Joel James or Kennedy Meeks step up as the post threat we've been missing for a season?

I hope the first answer is a definitive no. The McAdoo-Hubert experiment can only be chalked up as a failed endeavour. I think Hubert's hit the ceiling for what he can offer as a starter, and I see no reason to return to him as our first option next year. But you can't say Roy didn't give him a chance. Hubert started 18 games for us last season without things ever clicking, yet Roy made the lineup change only after exhausting all other options (by his own admission, he stuck with Hubert five games beyond the dawning notion to yank him). I'd expect Roy to be just as stubborn after making such a decision as he was before making it.

Hubert's a great back-up, however, alongside more offensive-minded players. He brings good energy, has a nose for rebounds and provides a considerable defensive presence as well (he led the Heels with 30 blocks, despite only 9.4 mpg). But he's been a support player from day one, and it'd be a shame to waste any more starting time on him when there are two young, eager, and promising prospects behind him who would better benefit from that experience.
To that point, and to answer the second question, I'd say yes, one of these guys will step up--with my money (and hopes) riding on Meeks. A Hicks-McAdoo starting frontcourt is certainly not out of the question, but if Roy opts for the more traditional power forward-center combo, we'd do well to get Joel James and Kennedy Meeks some serious minutes this year. Much like Paige was able to benefit from an entire year in the starting rotation, with Roy sticking it out even when he faltered, both James and Meeks would benefit from logging significant time, even if it came with some growing pains. I think Meeks will probably be the better player over the long haul, but James's seniority probably makes it his spot to lose when practice opens up in the fall. It would be a fun practice battle to watch.

Zeke: Hubert strikes me as the type of guy who provides great per-minute production in limited minutes, but if you give him a bigger role he doesn't have quite the same impact. Like you said, he has his shot and it didn't turn out great. However, I love having that kind of guy at the end of our bench - Hubert and Jackson Simmons are guys that can be plugged in for 5-15 minutes every game between the two of them and as you said they give energy, rebounding and and have even proven they can supply the occasional highlight-reel play. Carolina fans, myself included, appreciate that kind of contribution and I'm going to say that while Hubert may not be skilled enough to earn back his starting spot, he's going to have a couple of big-time moments this year where he earns himself an ovation from the crowd and a shout-out from Roy in the postgame press conference.

As for the other question, I'm going to actually disagree and say James gets the nod. Between Hairston, Paige, McDonald and McAdoo in the starting lineup, that's a lot of shots to go around. From what I see about Meeks he's a very talented offensive player but he's going to need a year of playing college basketball to get his body into playing shape (so probably not a great idea to give him starter's minutes only to watch him wither down the stretch) and Meeks also seems to have a really talented midrange game for a big man, but that means he hangs around the 12-15 foot range a lot. What we need to compliment those other four starters is someone who doesn't care about touches (James=check) and can spend 99% of his time banging in the paint giving our team the best chance for offensive rebounds. I also think Meeks is a little on the shorter side for a 5, and will probably be better equipped to defend someone's second-string center than he will to bang with some of the really big boys Carolina will be going up against next year. I think he'll be kind of Shaun May-esque as we get glimpses of his talent next year but it'll take him getting into shape in the following seasons to really show how high his ceiling goes.

Will: Very true. You've completely sold me on James. My biggest concerns with him are: 1) conditioning (which clearly makes this not an argument for Meeks), and 2) his Josh Hairston-esque foul problem. Seeing what kind of shape he's in next year (and this summer) will be high on my look-for list, and, hopefully, with the options we have behind him, the second concern won't be that significant an issue.

Zeke: Exactly. I love the thought of bringing in Brice Johnson, Isaiah Hicks and Meeks (in some combination) as our backups in the frontcourt. We have a ridiculous amount of size to throw at opposing teams, and I bet there are going to be games where UNC just wears opponents down through the course of a game and dominates inside in the second half due to the sheer amount of very capable bodies they can throw out there.

Blue vs Blue Podcast, Episode 39: The Blues Visit Boo

2013-05-08T11:54:47Z

After taking a few minutes to turn the page on the 2012-13 basketball season that was, intrepid basketball fanatics Alex and Bart return from the Boo Williams invitational with a full report of which players were most impressive, who they'd most want to see in a Blue Devil uniform in the future, and who of the current crop of recruits they'd most fear wearing Carolina Blue (hint: his name rhymes with Shmandrew Shmiggins).

Also, many thanks to Soundcloud, our new podcast host and a big supporter of SB Nation. Using the player below, you can like, download or share the podcast with your Duke- or Carolina-loving friends, as well as comment directly on the sound file within the player. As always, thanks for listening!

Sixteen Years of UNC Basketball: More Sweet Than Bitter

2013-05-06T13:37:27Z

A healthy discussion with SouthernCub after a completely unrelated post got the wheels turning.

I took issue with some perhaps intended, perhaps imagined insinuations that Duke has been the best--or at least the better--program over the past 10-15 years, and made the counter-argument based largely on NCAA tournament performance. I anticipated a response questioning how the "better" program could be the one that managed to miss three tournaments over the time frame in question. Good point.

This isn't an answer to that question. But that question highlights a fact that's pretty impressive in its own right, one that I'm guessing is unprecedented. Of course, I don't know for sure, which is why I'm asking for your help.

How many other programs in the nation have experienced either of the following two scenarios over a 16-year span:

1. Lost the best coach in the history of their program AND lost 4+ players from four different teams to the NBA.

2. Won 2 National Championships and 10 combined conference tournament or regular season conference titles, and gone to 8 Elite Eights and 5 Final Fours?

And if a program has experienced one scenario (and I realize Duke has--the 16 years from their 1986 Final appearance through their 2001 Championship is probably the most impressive span since Wooden), have they experienced both? North Carolina is the only team I know of that has--and both scenarios occurred within the same 16 years.

I could expect any program having suffered the first scenario to miss three tournaments over that 16-year span. What I wouldn't expect is for that same program to have simultaneously achieved the second.

That's something worth mentioning.

Duke 2013-14 Position Previews : Power Forward

2013-05-03T18:29:00Z

Bart : The power forward is a tough position to parse. Duke has 3.5 of them in Jabari, Amile, Josh and Semi. Jabari is a classic stretch 4, while Amile and Josh are classic low post bangers. so, much like the SF position, the look and style of the team on the floor will drastically change when Jabari goes out. That is unless K thinks it makes more sense to have Semi play the stretch 4 behind Jabari, because it will provide more continuity. I actually think this is the most likely scenario. You could easily make the argument that Semi's game is more similar to Jabari's than anyone else on the team. He's got the body to bang, but loves to score from outside. He lacks Jabari's offensive polish and a couple of inches in height, but other than that, they are a lot alike. I could easily see Semi picking up more minutes here than at SF, but i imagine only foul trouble and fatigue will get Jabari out of any games.

Scott : This is pretty much Jabari's position. I don't see a lot of minutes over the course of the year, if any, where more than two of Jabari, Semi, Amile, Josh, Marshall or (if he comes) Tarik Black are on the floor at the same time. And any of those other guys (other than Semi) when on the floor with Jabari will be taking the 5 spot. If Tarik Black shows up, that may allow more minutes for Amile at the 4 as a true PF to spell Parker some. I also still think we will see small lineups where Hood is the 4 by default where he is on the court with Parker, and some combo of Sulaimon, Dawkins, Cook and Thornton. Hood has the height to do this in college, but I don't know if his defense will allow too much of this except against smaller teams. In games where the other teams 4 is really active offensively, I could see K switching up the defense and having a guy like Hairston guard the 4 while Parker lazes away on the 5. But in the end, Jabari is next year's starting power forward, and his backups are essentially any of our other forwards/centers. When Jabari sits, that backup will depend on who the rest of our guys on the floor are.

Alex : No question in my mind that Parker is the starting PF next year, even though his 'true' position (certainly at the next level) is small forward. It's curious in some ways that Jabari picked Duke knowing the personnel in place and that he would be playing more 4 than 3. But I think besides all the normal selling points, probably the thing that is the most convincing is the lack of true position in a lot of Duke's offensive sets. He will be free to spend as much time on the perimeter as he wants and can take smaller guys trying to guard him inside. He will be a true matchup nightmare. I think Bart could be on to something with his Semi at the 4 theory. If A) we don't get Black or B) MP3 is not healthy then that theory is going to have a lot more legs - since it would only be a 2 man rotation of Josh and Amile at the 5 spot. If either of those pieces do come through, then I would certainly see Amile getting some minutes at the four next season. He is a hard worker and instinctual rebounder. Plus you gotta love how he always seems to get the ball in the basket. I'm really excited to see his growth next season with a few months to add some bulk.

McLeod : Like the SF position, the PF position seems to have an easy short answer and a lot of if’s and but’s to the long answer. Conventional wisdom will say it’s Jabari’s spot with Amile and/or Hairston backing him up. With all the hype around this kid, a lot of focus will be on him and this position. If he delivers as promised, it will be hard to keep him off the court. That said, keeping him on the court could mean moving him to the SF or the C spot. Jabari has talked about playing C in some of his interviews, so if Psycho 3 can’t produce in the post, or if his recent foot surgery slows him down, we may well see Parker at the C spot and Amile/Hairston at the PF. But, if Tarik Black shows up in Durham, that would probably cement the C spot and give Duke a more traditional look.

UNC 2013-14 Position Previews: Power Forward

2013-05-03T15:11:50Z

This is our fourth in a series of previews where our UNC contingent (Zeke & Will) looks ahead to next year's Tar Heel squad. Click on the links to read our first three installments on next year's point guards, next year's shooting guards and next year's small forwards.

Will: With two McDonald's All-Americans (McAdoo and Hicks) playing off or in support of each other, and our most productive non-McAdoo big man from a year ago (Johnson) in reserve, power forward should be a strong suit for us this season. The problem is, the strength of our power forwards depends, to a large extent, on the strength--or at least the presence--of our centers.

Despite being our leading rebounder (7.3 rpg) and second-leading scorer (14.4 ppg), most assessments of McAdoo's sophomore season (including, probably, his own) ranged from mediocre to disappointing. Of course, this is largely due to the lack of even a semblance of a post threat to complement him, which forced him to either play out of position at the five or force a post game that really isn't his for most of the season. Give us Serge Zwikker, and McAdoo becomes twice as effective. Regardless, McAdoo was a second-team All-ACC performer last year. He was projected as a mid-to-late first-rounder in this year's NBA Draft, and his decision to return for his junior season can only mean he intends to up that draft status with his play in the upcoming season. Whether he accomplishes that or not, you have to love the extra incentive.

Meanwhile, Roy has added another slight-but-athletic four-man to his ranks in 6-8, 210-pound Isaiah Hicks. Following Marvin Williams, Brandon Wright, Ed Davis, John Henson, and McAdoo, Hicks is the latest in a long line of characteristically aerodynamic Roy Williams power forwards. If Joel James or the incoming Kennedy Meeks shows some mettle in the post, Hicks may actually be coming off the bench. But he's got game-changing talent, and while it might seem a step backwards to return McAdoo to the five, a Paige/McDonald/Hairston/Hicks/McAdoo lineup could be a fun thing to watch. Hicks may actually have enough talent and motivation underneath to at least ease some of the post burden that buried McAdoo last season. Maybe that's enough. Anyone who posts 34 points, 30 boards, and 7 blocks to win their high school state championship has to have some inside game. Speaking of sleek power forwards, the offensive-minded Brice Johnson (5.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 10.6 mpg) will be ready to pop off the bench for us when needed. But with a slew of big men to contend with (7 of our current 12 spots in the rotation go to centers or power forwards), it's hard to see how he'll improve his 10 mpg from a season ago. Still, Johnson was one of only four Heels to play in all 36 games last year (McAdoo, Strickland, Hubert), so he seems to be a favored commodity.

Ready to battle Johnson for some of those minutes is Jackson Simmons, who proved to be one of the steadiest hands for us at times this past season. He had the lowest turnover-per-minute rate on the team (.0256--only 6 turnovers in 234 minutes) and the highest field goal percentage of anyone attempting more than two shots on the year (65.8%, 25-for-38), including a ridiculous 81% from the field during conference play (17-for-21). I'm guessing there's not a better fourth-string power forward in the nation.

Zeke: I think your assessment of the need to have someone in the middle step up this year is right on: in fact, Roy Williams even confirmed as much this offseason already. And I don't think that means playing McAdoo at the 5: we found out from the smallball era that he struggled quite a bit in that scenario, and yes I realize he was having to go against bigger guys a lot of nights or getting boxed out by multiple players so his rebounding totals suffered some, but even before Roy went small I wasn't especially impressed with McAdoo's ability on the glass, and his quickness is of much more benefit to Carolina when he can hang around outside the paint both on offense and defense. I'm less bullish on him in general than you are I think - but I struggle rooting for volume shooters in general. He smells a little bit like the "potential never quite materialized into what we thought it could have been" type of guy that UNC has been fortunate not to have too many of - here's how Eamonn Brennan of ESPN summed up his sophomore season:

"Fact is, McAdoo had kind of a rough year. His counting numbers (14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game) look solid, but he shot just 44.7 percent from the field, turned it over on 18.2 percent of his possessions, grabbed just 8.5 percent of available offensive rebounds, and finished with a 91.3 offensive rating. It was pretty ugly stuff. "

The turnovers and shooting percentage are what kills me. If he gives us those identical numbers on points and boards next year but boosts his shooting percentage and cuts his turnovers, I'll be ecstatic. But right now, I'm a little skeptical.
One guy that I am overly bullish on, however, is Isaiah Hicks. When I saw that he pulled 30 boards in a state championship game, I went into full man-crush mode already. I am predicting an irrationally big year from him just based on the fact that he both runs the floor and crashes the boards, which Roy absolutely loves as a coach, so I think earns him more minutes out of the gate. Not to mention he has some pretty great hops and I think he's going to make it on our year-end highlight reel a handful of times. I have not been this giddy about an incoming freshman in a while - let's hope he doesn't disappoint.

Concerning Johnson and Simmons, I actually could see Brice getting some burn at the 5 off the bench because he's probably not in danger of going up against a bigger guy when most opponents' second unit is on the floor. He's clearly got offensive skill but he's gotta buckle down a little bit more on defense and with rebounding to earn himself more than those 10 minutes. I imagine with as many bigs as UNC will have at its disposal next year it's going to be a bit of a roulette game every time Carolina plays seeing how the minutes pan out. That can be good or bad - I honestly feel a little bad for Simmons and someone like Desmond Hubert, who you want to love because they're energy and hustle guys but you can tell just aren't quite talented enough to earn big minutes. They'll be fantastic practice players for Carolina battling the bigs in front of them every day, and I love the fact that our first and second stringers get to bang with guys that can actually challenge them and make them work. I imagine there are going to be some epic battles in practices next year with all the post talent at Chapel Hill.

Will: Yeah, McAdoo's weakness (to the extent that it's a weakness) is that he struggles being the lead guy (which results in what Roy describes as "playing too fast" or "trying too hard"). That's not necessarily a bad thing (though it frustrates guys like Brennan who await and expect superstars), it might just be part of his constitution. But it becomes a bad thing when you don't have other guys that can step into that lead spot. I think McAdoo excels when he's playing off or in support of his teammates rather than being the go-to guy. To the extent that Paige, Hairston, and one of our post guys continue to step forward and ease some of that pressure, McAdoo's efficacy will likewise increase. Not that we won't need big plays and big contributions from him this year, but right now he feels like he has to make every big play and devotees of "potential" expect him to (every player's potential is greater than his actuality, after all). He really just needs to quit thinking and play ball, and allow the chips to fall where they may.

Boo Williams Report Part 2 : Rising Junior Targets for Duke and UNC

2013-05-02T04:54:34Z

via ny2lasports.com

C Elijah Thomas 6'9" 240 Strength : 17 Dexterity :17 Speed : 14 Intelligence : 17 Leadership 11 Special Ability : Hands : If any part of his hands touches the ball, it's his ball until he decides what else to do with it. This is a country strong yet agile big ( and I mean big) young fellow. As noted, he has amazing hands ( whatever his momma is feeding him, it wasn't on the Plumlees' menu) and when he catches a pass in the post it sounds like an m-80 exploding. He is a fantastic rebounder in traffic and a superlative interior passer. His offensive game lacks polish, but he has two years to put a solid shine on what are some very promising beginnings. His basketball IQ is very high ( Harvard is currently on his list of schools), though his on-court demeanor reminds you that he is only 16 years old, as it sometimes borders on the petulant. Duke and UNC have yet to extend offers, but both are interested and I would expect a Duke offer to be forthcoming. Player Comparison - Elton Brand

via vmedia.rivals.com

PF Ivan Rabb 6'9" 200 Strength : 16 Dexterity : 17 Speed : 15 Intelligence : 14 Leadership : 13 Special Ability : The Bounce : His third jump is better than most players' first one The number one power forward in his class, Ivan showed us why. For a guy who is just finishing his sophomore year, he's a pretty polished player. While his teams' style of play wasn't super conducive to allowing us to see his post game, he did show several nice skill moves on the blocks. What he did demonstrate with great aplomb, was an ability to 1) get great rebounding position ( particularly on the offensive end) 2) get up off the floor ( and up off the floor, and up off the floor) and 3) get lots of putbacks. Ivan is long and wiry strong. His relies on his athletic ability for his defense, so that part of his game is pretty intermittent at this point. He currently holds an offer from UNC. Player Comparison - A normally proportioned, stronger John Henson with more offensive polish.

via images.maxpreps.com.edgesuite.net

SG Austin Grandstaff 6'4" 165 Strength : 13 Dexterity : 16 Speed : 14 Intelligence : 15 Leadership : 11 Special Ability : Confidence Man - There is no shot he thinks he can't make...for better or worse Austin is a coaches' son who looks to shoot first, then shoot, and then , as a third option, he will shoot it. (Hmmmm, now why does that sentence sound so strangely familiar to a Duke fan ? ) The thing about coaches' sons is, while they have a really good understanding of the game, they've also had the green light x 1000 since the day they started playing organized hoops. Now, Austin can really light it up, make no mistake about it. In one of the two games we saw him play he was positively JJ Reddick- esque, dropping in 5-6 from 3. However, he also took about 6 ill-advised, off-balance leaning 10 foot floaters in the lane, when he should have been trying to work inside out with his big-man best buddy, the aforementioned Elijah Thomas. Suffice it to say, discretion has yet to be learned, but he is a bright kid, so there's no reason to think he can't get some of that by the time 2015 rolls around. Duke has not offered, but is showing fairly strong interest. Player comparison - JJ Reddick with a dash of Austin Rivers