Gary Parrish

Who's the man most bothered by what happened at Madison Square Garden late Friday?

It has to be North Carolina coach Roy Williams, right?

I mean, Syracuse just ran his team off the court.

But second to Williams, I'm guessing, is Iowa State coach Greg McDermott, whose former player, Wesley Johnson, led the Orange to an 87-71 win over the Tar Heels while establishing himself as the star of a team that has rebounded from the exhibition loss to Le Moyne with wins over the Pac-10 favorite (California) and ACC favorite (North Carolina). Johnson finished with 25 points and eight rebounds against the Tar Heels; he was the best player on the court. When the Orange move into the top 10 of the Top 25 (and one) late Sunday, he'll be the main reason, making it difficult not to wonder if he could've done the same for Iowa State.

Think about it.

How good would a Wesley Johnson/Craig Brackins combo be this season?

Both are possible lottery picks in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Both are All-American candidates.

If McDermott had them to go with Lucca Staiger and Marquis Gilstrap, the Cyclones might've been the smart pick to finish third in the Big 12 behind only Kansas and Texas. As it is, Iowa State was picked eighth. And it's things like these that can change a coach's entire career.

What if Johnson never transferred? Could he have led Iowa State to the NCAA tournament last season? If so, would the "winning culture" created by an appearance have been enough to convince Ames High star Harrison Barnes to reject an offer from North Carolina and play at the school for which his mother works?

Obviously, we'll never know the answers to those questions.

But they are interesting questions, aren't they?

"We're so thankful to have him here from Iowa State," Syracuse guard Andy Rautins told ESPN's cameras right after the win over UNC. "He's helping this team in more ways than we could've imagined."

Indeed, Johnson is doing exactly that.

Now imagine what he could've done for Iowa State.