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Scouting the CHeats.

It's gonna be a strange UNCheat this year. Do we get to laugh at them for throwing up threes ?
 
UNC will be really good again. I'd say top10-15 with a pretty high ceiling. Anytime you have one of the best guards in the country you'll be dangerous. I also think Theo Pinson has a breakout season. He's due.

They'll shoot the ball really well and have a good pedigree of players to carry them. Their big answers will come down low. Had they been able to keep Bradley they're probably top 6-8....they'll now need one of their new bigs to be pretty good right away.
 
UNC will be really good again. I'd say top10-15 with a pretty high ceiling. Anytime you have one of the best guards in the country you'll be dangerous. I also think Theo Pinson has a breakout season. He's due.

They'll shoot the ball really well and have a good pedigree of players to carry them. Their big answers will come down low. Had they been able to keep Bradley they're probably top 6-8....they'll now need one of their new bigs to be pretty good right away.
I agree with this assessment, I was very happy to see Bradley go bc I figured he would have a big time year. He and Berry in Roys system together would have been one of the best one two punches in college this season. His loss is big, 10-15 is nothing to scoff at and probably very accurate. Regardless, I hope we mop the floor with them and take back what's rightfully ours.
 
I agree with this assessment, I was very happy to see Bradley go bc I figured he would have a big time year. He and Berry in Roys system together would have been one of the best one two punches in college this season. His loss is big, 10-15 is nothing to scoff at and probably very accurate. Regardless, I hope we mop the floor with them and take back what's rightfully ours.
And I also agree with this assessment. It starts with a point guard, and they have a good one. Then you throw in the fact that Roy will play his bench. He will throw guys out there, yes they will make mistakes, but as we have seen, unfortunately, at least one of his freshmen bigs will be productive. Maye will be helpful, not one to build a team around, but he hustles, and that will be a plus for them as well. Think they are a 10-15 team but hope we beat them like a rented drum, then capture title 6
 
And I disagree with the three of you. Not wholly disagree, as I think they will no doubt start the season staying within the top 15, probably top 10. Look at their OOC schedule:

Date Game
10/27/2017
7:30 ET vs Barton College
11/10/2017 vs Northern Iowa
11/15/2017 vs Bucknell
11/20/2017 at Stanford
11/23/2017 vs Portland ESPN
11/24/2017 vs Ark/Okla ESPN
11/26/2017 vs TBD ESPN
11/29/2017 vs Michigan ESPN
12/1/2017 vs Davidson
12/3/2017 vs Tulane
12/6/2017 vs Western Carolina
12/17/2017 at Tennessee
12/20/2017 vs Wofford
12/23/2017 vs Ohio State CBS

Certainly not cupcake, but you can look at that and only really see 1 or 2 possible losses. Just possible, not even probable. That will give them an opportunity to try to find a post presence.

Maye has shown he's legit and Berry is great.

Pinson to me is an oft-injured Tokoto and Kenny Williams isn't great, really a less talented Marcus Gilyard. The problem there is that he, like Gilyard is going to be thrust into a role he might not be totally ready for.

The key other than a post option will be Jalek Felton. That kid can score better than most freshmen, maybe even better than all of Duke's freshmen other than Bagley. He'll hold some things together. Seventh Woods has to show up to alleviate pressure on the guards.

So the Heels have some tools, but they don't show depth, they don't have much of a post, they may not be a great defensive team, and they are one injury away from being and NIT team. I just don't know that the Heels have the team Roy typically wins with. JMO.
 
I just don't know that the Heels have the team Roy typically wins with. JMO.

They have the main ingredient he wins with....a great point guard. And that great point guard is a senior whose already cemented himself as one of the top five or six point guards in UNC history. If even one of their freshman bigs can be consistent they're going to be a really good team.
 
I see them as a very good team, but not the team they were last year. I expect Berry to get significantly more attention as teams won't sag off as much for fear of UNC having established senior bigs and/or Bradley down low. In addition Jackson has graduated so Berry loses that luxury which afforded him more freedom.

Roy plugged in Cam Johnson as a desperation move to fill the Jackson void. He will certainly HELP, but can he be as dangerous as Jackson CONSISTENTLY??? I dont know. Wait and see. Maye will be steady, but not great ( he sees the screws tighten more this year as well from opposing defenses.) Pinson can penetrate, does a lot of nice things, but hes a much better sideline dancer than outside shooter.

One thing they will definitely miss is Hicks, Meeks, Bradley cleaning up. Look for significantly less of commentator's "Carolina's best offense is sometimes a missed shot because they board so well!!"

Lol, OFC
 
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They're one injury away from being an average ACC team IMO. We are perhaps one injury away from being a disjointed mess on offense, but we'd still be the best team in the ACC. I hope UNC puts up good win numbers this year, as that will make our 2-3 wins over them look great.
 
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I think UNC will be good. They have experienced Sr's who will lead the others. I'm going to be interested to see if:
1- Duval can defensively handle Berry without getting into foul trouble
2- Who wins the Pinson/Trent match up is also key.
 
They're one injury away from being an average ACC team IMO. We are perhaps one injury away from being a disjointed mess on offense, but we'd still be the best team in the ACC. I hope UNC puts up good win numbers this year, as that will make our 2-3 wins over them look great.

Denver 2-3 wins over the CHEATS look good no matter what...Speaking of cheating, they will probably get enough of a delay this year on NCAA procedural issues w/the COI to avoid sanctions barring them from postseason play. However I can see a ban at least for '19 postseason play which I think sends Roy off into the sunset. OFC
 
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I think UNC will be good. They have experienced Sr's who will lead the others. I'm going to be interested to see if:
1- Duval can defensively handle Berry without getting into foul trouble
2- Who wins the Pinson/Trent match up is also key.

Jake who do you see winning the inside game w/UNC's bigs vs Bagley, Bolden, Carter, Delaurier?
OFC
 
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We will see how Berry does without the big guys to bail him out on defense and to take off the pressure on offense. In my opinion, Meeks' development was the biggest (literally) reason they were successful in the NCAA tournament. Maye had some big shots but Meeks and secondly Hicks were the mainstays. My hat will be off to Roy if he can develop these lower rated big guys to play at a decent level this year.
 
They always rely on offensive rebounding and second chance points. That dog won't hunt this year. They better light the 3 ball up this season or we are going to crush the ever loving chit out of them.

Preach Show!!

OFC
 
They have the main ingredient he wins with....a great point guard. And that great point guard is a senior whose already cemented himself as one of the top five or six point guards in UNC history. If even one of their freshman bigs can be consistent they're going to be a really good team.

Going back to Jacques Vaughan, the great point guard needs a big man to alleviate the pressure. Felton had May, Lawson/Hansborough and Wright. I agree that Berry can be placed in the same echelon with guys like Ford, Felton and Lawson, but they all had help and Joel's help isn't as good as their help, or even his help from last season.

I just really think with any team (including Duke) health history has to be taken into account and if Pinson and/or Joel go down again for any amount of time, those are almost sure losses. Their margin of error is smaller than most of the top flight teams this season.
 
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Going back to Jacques Vaughan, the great point guard needs a big man to alleviate the pressure. Felton had May, Lawson/Hansborough and Wright. I agree that Berry can be placed in the same echelon with guys like Ford, Felton and Lawson, but they all had help and Joel's help isn't as good as their help, or even his help from last season.

I just really think with any team (including Duke) health history has to be taken into account and if Pinson and/or Joel go down again for any amount of time, those are almost sure losses. Their margin of error is smaller than most of the top flight teams this season.

Eloquently stated sir

OFC
 
My biggest question mark concerning them is the extended minutes for maye. Sounds like he could play upwards to 25-28 minutes a game. He's great for them in spurts, but can he handle this role? We shall see.

And yeah, it did read like some real worry about the 5 from those boys. Don't worry, we'll help them find out how good their centers are before they face the tournament.
 
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To me it's this simple: the Holes will be ok, I expect Duke to be really good, and if we are what we hope we are, we will wax their a** both times, and bring home the trophy where it needs to be and show those idiots who their daddy is.
This ones for you Nature Boy, Whooooooo!!!!
 
To me it's this simple: the Holes will be ok, I expect Duke to be really good, and if we are what we hope we are, we will wax their a** both times, and bring home the trophy where it needs to be and show those idiots who their daddy is.
This ones for you Nature Boy, Whooooooo!!!!

It took a Dean and a Roy to count to 5 nattys. K did it by himself....(w/o cheating)


OFC
 
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A couple of interesting quotes from Joel Berry from the article that was referenced:

"You know, they’re still learning. Once they get the feel for the game and the feel for college basketball, hopefully we can find somebody that can come in and help us in that spot... Hopefully we can tell at least at the start of the season where we won’t be playing that good of a team and those guys can get in and see what it feels like to play in front of the crowd."

- lol sounds like Joel thinks the freshmen bigs are a long ways off from competing with the big boys. He wants to see them play in a game against a team that isn't that good. Encouraging.

"More than anything, Coach doesn’t like to play small ball because he feels like we have an advantage on the offensive end, but this year we might end up playing more small ball where we have to move Luke to the five and go with either Theo or Cameron (Johnson) at the four," said Berry. "The only disadvantage about that is that we can’t get to the boards like we want to and Coach prides our team on offensive rebounding. It’s kind of hard to tell what Coach is going to do, and I’m pretty sure he’s having a hard time with that as well."

- I would love to see UNC play their traditional lineup with two bigs. It's clear that their best players are guards. If he wants to stick to his traditional lineup, have average rebounders in the game, and one-less outside shooter, I'm totally okay with that.
 
Careful, he appears to feed off of being made fun of. Honestly, he and Berry are hard to hate, even if they both wear too much eyeliner. I really like both players. I can't say I care for anyone else on their roster.
Disagree on Berry watch him carefully with him shoving people and getting on their face when their is any contact.If Allen did that their would be a national uproar
 
Most of the people here thought UNC wasn't going to be very good last season, either. They were quite good.

Now, I know this is a different season and a different team, but I like their starting point (no pun intended) with Joel Berry. Like him or not (and I don't), he's a great college player. He makes them a top 10-15 team alone. And yes, he's succumbed to a few injuries, and Pinson more long-lasting one's, but I'm not assuming injuries. If those two are healthy, then they'll be really good. The addition of Cameron Johnson was big for them. Lastly, I'm done doubting Luke Maye. Sure, more eyes will be focused on him....but people tend to forget he was a top-80 kid or so coming out of high school. He's going to be a pretty good college player the next two seasons....both Duke and college basketball fans should just get used to that now.

Again, getting consistent and quality production from their young big men is going to be key. However, IMO, if they're able to do that, then they're a serious Final Four contender.

To steal a line from Coach K....players run their own race. They will have some unheralded sophomores and juniors who will see expanded roles as well.....and that doesn't even mention a guy like Felton who should provide an immediate impact. Players develop....one of the truly great things about college basketball. Even guys who go to UNC, as much as we might hate to admit it.
 
UNC will be good, how good depends on Roy and the teams ability to adapt playing a style that may not be familiar.

Roy has his great pg in Berry, but Roy's teams have always stressed owning the paint, in both points and rebounds. This year looks like that may not be the case, and if so, anytime a coach, player, or the entire team gets outside it's comfort zone, it's a plus for their opponent.

Not only does Roy's past teams get paint points (offensive rebounds) in the half court, but their defensive rebounding (by the bigs) allow their perimeter players to constantly leak out and streak down the court for easy baskets, or score without a half court defense in their face
If the bigs aren't quite as good this year it could force Roy to rebound more by committee and thus crash the boards with players that would normally be on the break. That would take away a major weapon of Roy's offense, and force him into playing more of a half court game. If this comes to be then UNC will stumble a little here and there.

Of course, Duke's talent has to prove itself, but I like our chances, especially since it seems with Carter & Bagley our rebounding should be better, and if Duke's rebounding is better, and Carolina's is worse...well then, they're in for a real ol' fashioned ass kicking,

OFC
 
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Disagree on Berry watch him carefully with him shoving people and getting on their face when their is any contact.If Allen did that their would be a national uproar

Berry can be chippy. I've seen that too. It's not a huge issue for me. Battier was chippy. So was Jason Williams, Dahntay Jones and others.

Grayson, as much as I love him, has acted like an idiot at times. There's a clear difference here. Now, if we're arguing has Grayson been treated unfairly at times by the media and played under more of a microscope? Of course. Part of that is unfair, the other part is on Grayson.
 
I see UNC's inside game as too suspect to make them a final four team, no matter how much their perimeter people help. Its just not Roy's type of team w/experienced bigs on the inside.

I dont care how good Luke Maye plays or hustles, he'll take quite the pounding from our bigs IMO. That was a huge shot he hit against Ky too, but it was hardly Latteneresque....He didnt even have time to think about it, which IMO aided its chances of going in hoop....Cant wait til Carter jams on him...OFC
 
Berry can be chippy. I've seen that too. It's not a huge issue for me. Battier was chippy. So was Jason Williams, Dahntay Jones and others.

Grayson, as much as I love him, has acted like an idiot at times. There's a clear difference here. Now, if we're arguing has Grayson been treated unfairly at times by the media and played under more of a microscope? Of course. Part of that is unfair, the other part is on Grayson.
Grayson has had three incidents where he acted like an idiot but that should be balanced out by the numerous incidents where he had kept his cool.He has been been subjected to more provocative acts that any player that I have ever seen in my life, but that is never mentioned
 
Grayson has had three incidents where he acted like an idiot but that should be balanced out by the numerous incidents where he had kept his cool.He has been been subjected to more provocative acts that any player that I have ever seen in my life, but that is never mentioned

BINGO!

OFC
 
Grayson has had three incidents where he acted like an idiot but that should be balanced out by the numerous incidents where he had kept his cool.He has been been subjected to more provocative acts that any player that I have ever seen in my life, but that is never mentioned

I won't argue he hasn't been subjected to more. But why do you think that is? Do you think it could have been because of his past transgressions? Clearly, he's been a target....but I would counter and say he's put that target on his back, too.
 
Luke Maye disappeared in the final four -- 23 minutes, 0-4 FG, 2 FT

They'll need much more consistency out him.
 
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I won't argue he hasn't been subjected to more. But why do you think that is? Do you think it could have been because of his past transgressions? Clearly, he's been a target....but I would counter and say he's put that target on his back, too.
Clearly stated that he has had three incredibly stupid incidents that started this but the reaction to this imo is twofold.The first is that he plays for Duke,secondly he is white.In any other scenario these incidents would be quickly forgotten
 
Luke Maye disappeared in the final four -- 23 minutes, 0-4 FG, 2 FT

They'll need much more consistency out him.

And that was with a pretty stacked team around him he wont have next year.... OFC
 
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