What do you think is the key to Carolina winning it all this season.
- Thread starter smooth as butter
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As usual, we must stay healthy. We cannot afford to lose key players for any significant time. We must keep Hicks on the floor for 25-30 effective minutes a game, which means he must play without fouling. I think Joel Berry will continue to shine. Final point: Justin Jackson becomes a scorer and finisher that we can depend on at big points during the game. Hit the open 3 and finish through contact.
To me the 2 real keys, our getting solid scoring out of our 2 guard position and how Meeks plays for the ENTIRE SEASON. If we get the answers I think we will get from those 2 question marks, I think we can replicate this past season and even take it one win further.
Yep .. consistent production from the front line and going injury free will be key.
Berry is ACC POY and everyone else makes the needed improvements. Though we all know come tourney time it's about the draw each round.
- Overcoming referee bias.
- Overcoming dSPN bias.
- Surviving what will obviously be the hardest bracket, whilst Duke toils away in the easiest bracket.
Not productive to the discussion. But funny. So, I'll allow it.
Making it to the finals and then winning................
Beating the last team we play.
Yes, yes, I know that won't help if we're in the NIT. But you knew what I meant.
Yes, yes, I know that won't help if we're in the NIT. But you knew what I meant.
Here is the problem, we lost a bunch of the scoring and rebounding off last season's team and we have to replace that. I STRONGLY BELIEVE we have to have either guys take their game to another level or we have to have someone step up strong that was not a factor last season.
Hicks staying on the floor more is to me more of a minor adjustment than it would be a big time surprise. I expect him to have less foul trouble so I expect his production to increase. What I don't know is how solid for the entire season Meeks will be or how much Tony can replace Hicks off the bench? Justin Jackson, I expect him to add 2-4pts to his average but I don't expect him to blow up. Same with Joel, I see him playing great but we have already seen that, I am not sure what next level he has over how he played to end the season.
Hicks can replace a lot of what Brice gave us, don't see him replacing all of that, so he is going to need some help. The big X Factor is the 2 guard spot replacing Marcus, not just scoring but his over all game. I actually feel great about the ability to replace Marcus' scoring with the 2 guard talent we have, considering that Marcus struggled to shoot a good bit of last season.
Have to rebound better first. Brice was easily the best rebounder we had. Hicks and Meeks have to do a better job there. Berry has to continue to improve and play at a high level despite being the focus of other teams. Jackson needs to be steady. Make shots. I think this team will be a good perimeter team defensively and probably just ok down low. I think that is preferable to the other way though. Marcus did a lot for this team though. Brice as well of course. It will take some time.
Looks like this thread brought out the don't provide anything useful to the discussion crowd. Great.
Health (Espeically Mr. Berry)
Hicks staying out of foul trouble
JJ finding the 3 point range early and often
Pinson finding a jump shot
Bradley being a big contributor
Health (Espeically Mr. Berry)
Hicks staying out of foul trouble
JJ finding the 3 point range early and often
Pinson finding a jump shot
Bradley being a big contributor
I almost want to start a new thread for this because I think it could be an interesting tangent. But lets try it here, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being you 100% expect it (not how much you want it to happen but how much you EXPECT it to happen) and 1 being it would be a miricle. Give us your scales weighting on each of those questions that we need answers for. If I could, I would like to add scoring from Kenny and the frosh guards. Maybe a brief explain why you used the weight factor, let me start. EXPECTATIONS:
1) Health, I always expect we will be healthy, but injury happens, as a factor for next season, 8
2) Hicks staying out of foul trouble, it is vital IMO but I really expect him to handle this better. It is a big time factor but I expect it so I will go with about a 7, almost want to go to 8 but not quite.
3) Pinson finding a jump shot, well ya know, I am not really expecting that, I will go with a very kind 4. I give him 4 because I love the kid and want really good things to happen for him, if not for that my number would be lower. There is not a single person on this site that would love that kids ranking from me to be 8 more than me.
4) Bradley as a big contributor, tuff one, down the road absolutely but as a frosh much harder call. I am going with a 6, could be persuaded to go to a 7.
5) Our other guards jump shooting from the 2 guard spot (not Theo), I am actually going with an 8, I expect more there than many seem to.
6) Luke stepping up as a solid contributor on both ends of the court? Man, I don't want to hang a 3 on him, going with a 4 because he does seem to have bulked up some and maybe he can stretch 4 some for us.
7) Meeks taking his game up a level and playing for the entire season. Actually going with a solid 7, I think he has more in the tank and I think we see it this season.
Typical response from you. Post something basketball related, for once. Here is a picture of a hoop and ball for you, so you know what we are talking about.
ort
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So that's a basketball? I thought they used peach baskets or something. Thank you for enlightening me. Maybe now I won't get laughed at when I go to sports bars.
We were trying to have a decent discussion and now yet again we are derailed? Isn't the off topic board big enough to take things off topic?
Wait just a second. Who took anything off topic? It wasn't me.
Look if I want to come over here and make a lighthearted, yet entirely factual post about basketball in a basketball thread I don't see why that should bother anyone. Ya don't have to respond, ya don't have to read it, and if you want you can put me on ignore. But if someone's going to call me out as contributing nothing when my post was certainly just as insightful as listing staying healthy, hitting threes, and getting contributions from Bradley as important keys to our success, then I think I'm justified in responding.
P.S. If we don't win our last game, we won't win it all this year. Just FYI.
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To answer the OP's question: I think three-point shooting will be the single biggest determining factor in how far we can go this year.
I think we'll be solid in the post, with Hicks coming on strong as a primary option, Meeks giving his best for his senior year, and some minutes from Bradley. I think Joel will be one of the best facilitators in the country, provide scoring when needed, and play great defense on the opponents' ball handlers. I think overall we have the potential to be pretty good defensively. And I think Justin will continue to impress. But if we can't get enough hitting from outside to at least keep defenses honest and balance the floor, it'll be a struggle all year with a clogged-up post and we won't be able to reach our ceiling.
I think we'll be solid in the post, with Hicks coming on strong as a primary option, Meeks giving his best for his senior year, and some minutes from Bradley. I think Joel will be one of the best facilitators in the country, provide scoring when needed, and play great defense on the opponents' ball handlers. I think overall we have the potential to be pretty good defensively. And I think Justin will continue to impress. But if we can't get enough hitting from outside to at least keep defenses honest and balance the floor, it'll be a struggle all year with a clogged-up post and we won't be able to reach our ceiling.
Yep, I knew you could offer something to this in respect to the OP and the discussion of this thread.
Wait just a second. Who took anything off topic? It certainly wasn't me.
Look if I want to come over here and make a lighthearted, yet entirely factual post about basketball in a basketball thread I don't see why that should bother anyone. Ya don't have to respond, ya don't have to read it, and if you want you can put me on ignore. But if someone's going to call me out as contributing nothing when my post was certainly just as insightful as listing staying healthy, hitting threes, and getting contributions from Bradley as important keys to our success, then I think I'm justified in responding.
P.S. If we don't win our last game, we won't win it all this year. Just FYI.
8, simply because we're overdue. Just have to keep your fingers crossed because we've been plagued by injuries in recent years.
6, I wish I could go higher because I think it's a key to our season but he hasn't learned his lesson in 3 years and that worries me.
3, because his form just isn't conducive to significant improvement.
Depends on your definition of "big contributor". I'm confident to the tune of an 8 that he will be a solid contributor and I think we need him to be with Isaiah(fouls) and Kennedy's(health) issues as yet unresolved. By solid, I mean 6 and 5 in 15-20 minutes of PT.
5, I certainly hope so because it's another one of my keys. If we could find one SG who could shoot a mere 33% from long distance, it would take pressure off of Joel and JJ. I'm hopefully optimistic that one of our SG's can.
6, because I think he was pretty solid last year. He won't put up big numbers but won't make you sweat when he's in there either. That's all we need from him, anything more is gravy.
3, he's simply got to show me before I'll believe it, much like Theo with his jumper.
Hi JuleZ '02 HEEL, SMILE. I like what you bring to the board.Wait just a second. Who took anything off topic? It wasn't me.
Look if I want to come over here and make a lighthearted, yet entirely factual post about basketball in a basketball thread I don't see why that should bother anyone. Ya don't have to respond, ya don't have to read it, and if you want you can put me on ignore. But if someone's going to call me out as contributing nothing when my post was certainly just as insightful as listing staying healthy, hitting threes, and getting contributions from Bradley as important keys to our success, then I think I'm justified in responding.
P.S. If we don't win our last game, we won't win it all this year. Just FYI.
!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TAR HEELS !!!!!!!!!!!!
The key to winning it all this season is simply, how bad do they want it. Are we going to get on the floor for loose balls? Communicate on the floor? Trust our teammates on the court? Be committed to playing defense? The talent is there, it's the intangibles that are holding us back.
The one thing I'm not worried about is effort. From everything I've read and heard, our guys know they left a title at the table last year, not from lack of effort, but because they went ice cold from the field in the second half. Like when they upset Georgetown, Villanova was red hot and made a lot of tough shots, so you have to give them credit. But if we shoot 40% from the field in the second half, we win that game.
So our guys know they have some unfinished business to attend to. I'm more concerned about:
* replacing Brice's double-doubles every night.
* Isaiah(fouls) and Kennedy's(health) issues.
* 3-pt shooting.
* rebounding in general and defensive rebounding in particular.
So our guys know they have some unfinished business to attend to. I'm more concerned about:
* replacing Brice's double-doubles every night.
* Isaiah(fouls) and Kennedy's(health) issues.
* 3-pt shooting.
* rebounding in general and defensive rebounding in particular.
