Friday Look Ahead: Heels back; check out Tigers-Hoyas in D.C.
Last we saw the North Carolina Tar Heels they were running and dunking all over Michigan State, which led to Tom Izzo calling them one of the best teams he has seen in his 25 years at MSU, which led to me calling them one of the best teams I've seen in my 31 years on this planet.
If Tyler Hansbrough left a pair of sneakers at Ford Field just so he wouldn't have to travel with them in April when he returns for the Final Four, who could blame him? The Tar Heels were that good that night. But they've been quiet ever since, taking exams and stuff while enjoying a nine-day break from games.
I, for one, have missed them.
So I'm glad they're returning Saturday.
The opponent/victim will be Oral Roberts. And unless the school's giant praying hands make the trip to the Dean Dome and block 30 shots, I suspect the Golden Eagles will have a rough go of it. Though it's great to have God on your side, it doesn't help much when the other side has Ty Lawson.
Anyway, here's the Friday Look Ahead.
Game worth flying to see in person: There is exactly one game this weekend featuring two Top 25 teams, and that game will be played Saturday in Washington, D.C., between No. 17 Memphis and No. 19 Georgetown. On the court will be two one-loss teams (Memphis lost to Xavier, Georgetown to Tennessee), three freshmen starters (Wesley Witherspoon, Tyreke Evans and Greg Monroe), four McDonald's All-Americans (Evans, Monroe, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman) and a partridge in a pear tree.
Game worth driving to see in person: There's no denying the annual tilt between cross-town rivals Cincinnati and Xavier isn't what it used to be, proof being how the game hasn't yet sold out despite the Musketeers sporting a top 10 ranking. But just because the locals aren't excited doesn't mean I can't be; this is a game between an undefeated Xavier team and a UC squad that is 6-1 with wins over UAB and UNLV. And beyond that, it's sponsored by chili, and what's better than a basketball game sponsored by chili?
Game worth watching on TV: Jamelle Horne issued a statement Thursday denying that he had a "dinner bet" with a San Diego State player, which is too bad because Arizona beat San Diego State, meaning Horne would be owed a dinner if he had made the bet. That's a missed opportunity if I've ever seen one. But if you're reading this, Jamelle, I would advise you to not make a dinner bet with a Gonzaga player in advance of Sunday's game against the fourth-ranked Zags, because Gonzaga is not San Diego State, and do you really think Josh Heytvelt eats off the Value Menu?
Some non-BCS love: Anybody who thought Brad Stevens merely took Todd Lickliter's players and rode them to the NCAA tournament last season is now learning otherwise, specifically that the baby-faced Butler coach can work a revamped roster just the same. The Bulldogs lost five of their top seven scorers from a 30-win team and were picked fifth in the Horizon League preseason poll. But here they are anyway, 8-0 and already in possession of a victory over conference favorite Cleveland State heading into Saturday's game at No. 21 Ohio State. It's an impressive start, no question. And the only bad part for Butler is that if Stevens keeps this up he'll almost certainly join the long list of BU coaches to become hot commodities ... and leave.
An obvious prediction: Rick Barnes has led Texas to 14 consecutive home victories. That number will move to 15 on Saturday when the Longhorns handle Texas State, unless, of course, the BCS screws it up.
A crazy prediction (but it might happen anyway): The best chance for an upset is 10th-ranked Xavier at Cincinnati, because Xavier is on the road, it's a rivalry game, the atmosphere should be rowdy (even if Fifth Third Arena doesn't sell out), and the Bearcats aren't too bad. So let's try that. UC over Xavier, and this is coming from a guy who has Xavier ranked seventh in the Top 25 (and one). In other words, I like Xavier. But this is always a tricky game for the favorite, isn't it?
Player trying to keep rolling: Though most of the recent focus at Syracuse has been on Eric Devendorf's off-court issues, it should be noted that Paul Harris is having some kind of junior season. He has made 15 of his past 22 shots and scored a total of 43 points in his past two outings while raising his season averages to 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. That's a big reason the Orange are 8-0, and they should be 9-0 after Saturday against Long Beach State, provided Harris keeps playing well.
Player trying to get rolling: At this time last week it was still unclear whether Luke Harangody would play for Notre Dame against Ohio State, but who knew Kyle McAlarney wouldn't show up? The senior guard who was called a better shooter than Stephen Curry in the blog of Furman's Connor Nolte -- and statistically, Nolte is correct -- missed all six of his 3-point attempts against the Buckeyes and finished with just six points in the 67-62 loss. That's unacceptable for a guy who had made 37 of 64 (50 percent) shots from beyond the arc in his previous five outings, and McAlarney must get back on track Saturday when the Irish play Boston University.
Three things you should know before you go
1. Ken Pomeroy has a formula that is too complex to explain but usually pretty good at identifying the best teams in the country. As of today, the top 10 schools in his ratings (in order): North Carolina, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Duke, Ohio State, Texas, Tennessee and Kansas.
2. Everybody knows that Stephen Curry is leading the nation in scoring. But do you know who's second? It's Chicago State's David Holston, who is averaging 26.9 points per game. Some other interesting stats heading into the weekend: Oklahoma's Blake Griffin has attempted 19 more free throws than any other player in the country; VMI twins Travis and Chavis Holmes rank first and second nationally in steals, getting 3.9 and 3.8 per game; 29 players are averaging at least 10 rebounds per game, led by Griffin's 15.6.
3. The top five at CollegeRPI.com heading into the weekend (in order): Gonzaga, Clemson, Butler, Pittsburgh and Duke.
Final thought: Nobody has been a bigger Curry cheerleader than me, and if you don't believe it just read this and/or this. But one possible negative trend I've noticed is that though the Davidson star is having a tremendous season, his shooting percentages are noticeably down against BCS-affiliated schools compared to where they are at against non-BCS affiliated schools.
Consider: Davidson has played five non-BCS opponents (Guilford, James Madison, Winthrop, Florida Atlantic and Loyola) and three BCS opponents (Oklahoma, N.C. State and West Virginia). Curry has made 55.7 percent of his field-goal attempts and 45.9 percent of his 3-point attempts against non-BCS opponents compared to just 40.4 percent and 31.1 percent against BCS opponents. That means he's down 15.3 percentage points from the field and 14.8 from beyond the arc when the opposition is from a power conference, and so the question is why?
Is it because he's guarded by bigger guys in those games, which makes things tougher? Or is it because he tries to do more against BCS schools (and thus takes some questionable shots) because he feels it's necessary for his team to win? Or is it just an interesting statistic, and nothing more?
The guess here is that it's probably some combination of all three. But it's certainly something NBA scouts should watch going forward, to see whether Curry consistently shoots a good percentage against the Dukes and Purdues of the world, or if he just scores a bunch in the marquee games because he shoots a bunch in the marquee games before raising his percentages against outclassed Southern Conference opposition.
