Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Duke/North Carolina

As you probably know by now, Duke was able to beat North Carolina 87-83 tonight in Chapel Hill. Sadly, I didn't get to watch a lot of it because I was studying for two tests I have Wednesday, but I did catch the last 5 minutes, which were rather interesting.

This was thanks in large part to J.J Redick, who had 35 points, and firmly established himself as the leading candidate for Player of the Year. He shot 12-22, and hit a couple of big 3-pointers late in the game to propel Duke to the victory.

However, I also saw some of the things that continue to lead me to believe that he won't be all that great in the NBA. For example, late in the game, when UNC came up and put more pressure on, he struggled handling the ball. When the score was 84-81, Redick was being pressured heavily in the backcourt because they didn't want to foul him. He tried a crosscourt pass to Greg Paulas, but there was a miscommunication and Redick threw it away. Next possession, with the score 84-83, Redick got the ball just past half-court, and tried to dribble through a trap, but lost the ball. Forunately for him, Duke was able to get it and hit some free throws, but again, Redick struggled with the pressure.

Which is a main part of my Redick thoughts. He's a great shooter, but I don't know if he can handle the ball well enough and I don't know if he's quick enough to be able to consistently create his own shot in the NBA. I see him as more of a Steve Kerr type, not that there's anything wrong with that.

The other thing that struck me in this game was how good UNC's young guys are. Freshman Tyler Hansborough is averaging nearly 18 points a game and might be the best freshman in the country. Junior Reyshawn Taylor averages 14 a game and is a very solid player. True freshman Bobby Frasor made some key plays down the stretch. They're not there yet, but with the young guys improving, and Roy Williams as their head coach, UNC could once again be dangerous come March.

Other basketball thoughts:

- Kentucky is in trouble after a 75-67 loss to Tennessee tonight. Tennesssee is very good this year, but this is not a game that Kentucky usually loses. This puts them at 15-8 overall, and 2-3 in the SEC, even with Randolph Morris back. Their saving grace might be the fact that the SEC is not that good this year.

- Stick a fork in Detroit's chances for 70 wins after a 99-98 loss to the now 15-32 Atlanta Hawks. The loss puts them at 39-8, which means that they'd have to go 31-4 to reach 70 wins, which seems unlikely, even for them.

8 comments:

rstiles said...

I agree about Kentucky being in trouble....the Cats needed that win last night against a top team in Tenn....and with Louisville struggling, the Cats win over them earlier this year is not that impressive...

Will two Kentucky teams (Louisville and Kentucky) be in the NIT

Pradamaster said...

Kentucky is actually 5-4 in the SEC. With the high RPI they have, even though they look like they might be in trouble, I would be shocked if they weren't in the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville, however, is another story.

mhofeld said...

I agree with pradamaster. I will be surprised if KU is left out.

twins15 said...

Yeah sorry about the conference record messup. I was reading something, and must have read it wrong.

I don't think Kentucky's in trouble from the standpoint that they won't make the NCAA Tourney. I think more the trouble lies in the fact that they lost to Tennessee at home, which is something they just don't generally do.

As for Louisville, yeah, at this rate, they're having trouble just making the Big East Tournament.

Pradamaster said...

As much as I hate JJ, I think you're nitpicking a bit. He had only one turnover in addition to the play you mentioned. If previously this season it wasn't obvious how much Redick has grown this year, see how he scored 35 points in a place he has struggled over his career. I see him more as a Reggie Miller or Rip Hamilton than a Steve Kerr.

UK is in trouble, but this is a different Tennessee team. UK also lost at home to Vanderbilt this year, which was much worse than losing a competitive game to Tennessee. Hard to believe, but Tennessee is actually 4th in the RPI right now. They can really play. Give credit to the Vols where credit is due.

twins15 said...

Oh, I know Tennessee can play, though 4th in the RPI is higher than I thought, and Tennessee plays a style that should suit them well come tourney time. But I think this was the second time in 27 years Tennessee beat Kentucky at Kentucky. Kentucky's still got a lot of talent, and they may be able to make a run come tourney time, but it doesn't look great for them now.

About Redick, another comparison that might be better for him is Jeff Hornacek (and not just because he's white). Another thing to keep in mind is that Redick is about 6'4'', whereas Miller was about 6'6'' or 6'7''. Redick has improved a lot this year, but I don't think he the potential of a Miller/Hamilton, but I think he'll definitely be a very solid player.

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