ACC Now - What we learned (midweek edition)

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What we learned (midweek edition)

Submitted by jpg on 01/08/2009 - 12:29

• Davidson will ruin your bracket
• The ACC will survive Wednesday's upsets
• Duke's No. 2

Davidson will ruin your bracket

Smart coach, great player, experienced team. What's not to like about Davidson?

Well, after going to the Final Eight, and coming within a 3-pointer of beating Kansas to a spot at the Final Four, everyone's going to be sweet on the Wildcats. That's the first sign to stay away (Rule No. 3: Don't pick a team a year late).

The second is Davidson's tendency to fall behind big and then wait until the second half to rally.

The Cats got away with that against Gonzaga and Georgetown last March. But they fell behind big to Oklahoma and Duke, top 10 teams this season, and came up short in second-half comebacks.

Davidson's more than just Curry and the four amigos — Andrew Lovedale and the French Connection (Max Paulhus Gosselin and Will Archambault) all know their roles and don't get enough credit for understanding the game of basketball — but the Cats miss point guard Jason Richards.

Midway through the first half, with Curry still scoreless, Davidson ran a play that set up Bryant Barr for a clean 3-pointer. The point isn't that Barr missed on the well-designed set play. The point is, he shouldn't have been the one taking the shot.

Davidson coach Bob McKillop wants Curry to run the offense when he should be running the offense through Curry.

Yes, Curry finished with 29 points, but he took 22 shots, many of them ill-advised. Of his eight 3-point attempts, at best three of them were clean looks. The others were rushed, defended or both (he made one).

Davidson benefited from starting the tournament in Raleigh last year. Greensboro is one opening weekend site but I have a feeling the Cats will get "Gonzaga-ed" and shipped elsewhere at CBS' whim.

Davidson may not have gotten out of the first round if the setting wasn't so friendly last year, let alone to the Final Eight.

BC and Maryland didn't help the ACC, didn't kill it either

The good news about Wednesday's losses by BC to Harvard and Maryland to Morgan State is the selection committee values good wins more than bad losses. To be sure, BC and Maryland suffered the latter on Wednesday, but those will be long forgotten come Selection Sunday with the right ACC mix.

Boston College and Maryland are both in position to make the NCAA Tournament as ACC play begins/continues.

The Eagles predictable letdown after upsetting UNC should have been a 12-point win over Harvard, not a 12-point loss.

In the twisted world where everything's UNC or Duke, some Dukies are no doubt the slightest amused that Tommy Amaker was the coach that beat the Eagles.

But with the loss, BC might have gone from "Miami '08" to "Maryland '08." Both Miami and Maryland went 8-8 in the ACC last season but only Miami — with solid, yet unspectacular nonconference wins — made the NCAA Tournament.

Maryland, with an ace-in-the-hole win over UNC (at UNC), watched the NCAA field from the uncomfortable, yet increasingly familiar view of the NIT.

The '09 Terps picked up a pair of Big Ten wins in their 11-2 start and a win over American, a tournament team from '08. But they couldn't beat another '08 tournament team, MEAC champ Morgan State, on Wednesday.

Duke's No. 2

Mike Krzyzewski would like everyone to know that Duke is ranked No. 2 in the country.

Comments

In the preseason

Thu, 01/08/2009 - 13:21 — tarheelfanblog

No one talked about the loss of Jason Richards and I still have not heard much as it pertains to Davidson even now. Obviously that is a missing piece. Curry has to do too much and that will end up biting them.

I would not be so quick to send Davidson away from the Greensboro pod. The current economic turmoil might cause the committee to keep as many teams close to home as possible but you are right CBS is going to get some say on that.

Who wants to be in Greensboro?

Thu, 01/08/2009 - 14:01 — John_Burns

To be in Greensboro, we'd have to be an 8 or 9 seed and play the 1 seed in the second round. No thanks.

Davidson

Thu, 01/08/2009 - 13:01 — John_Burns

The knock on the Cats all year has been "one man team." So they spring another shooter for a good three pointer (he should have made it, grr) and you criticize the play?

Here's the deal. McKillop has been coaching college basketball for 20 years. I'll take his strategic and play-calling abilities over yours.

A for how well they play away from home in hostile environments, I think the game on Oklahoma's home floor was a good test. Purdue just sucked.

You may be right, but if so, you'll be right for the wrong reasons.

To clarify ...

Thu, 01/08/2009 - 13:09 — jpg (author)

I wrote Davidson is more than a one-man team. I think that's where everyone else is wrong. The other players may not score but they understand their role and what the coach is trying to do.

My criticism was they need to run more plays for Curry, at least than they did on Wednesday. Curry never got a clean look like Barr did on that particular play. Last year, they were running those plays for Curry. They need to do the same, and in fairness to them, they try to do that with McKillop's kid at the point.

I'm not trying to coach the team, only trying to point out that McKillop may be over-thinking in using Curry as much as he does at the point.

I don't think there's any question he's a more effective scorer as the 2. Contrary to what K said last night, when he has the ball in his hands, Curry takes too many bad shots — which former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy actually pointed out on the ESPN telecast.

When Curry was in the Steve Alford role, Davidson was in the Final Eight.

— JPG

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