Bleacher Report - ACC Basketball

Duke Basketball: Head-to-Toe Comparison of Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins

David Aldridge — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:25:55 -0400

Is Andrew Wiggins the next LeBron James? Is Jabari Parker the next LeBron James?

Both have had the question asked of them during their high school playing careers, which should make Frank Vogel a little nervous.

As the top two high school basketball players in the country, Wiggins and Parker are regularly compared to each other. There is great debate about which one will be more successful in college and the NBA.

Let's take a look at how these two talented recruits measure up against one another.

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UNC Basketball Recruiting: Does Pinson Commitment Signal a Title Run Brewing?

C.J. Moore — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:09:24 -0400

Roy Williams is putting together the banner recruiting class that usually leads to Final Fours and net-cutting.

It's a bit early to predict future greatness for the Tar Heels, and Williams could still sign another star or two, but UNC fans have to be excited about the latest commitment from Theo Pinson. The local product became the third player ranked in the top 21 of the 2014 class (according to Rivals.com's rankings) to commit to Williams. No other program has had more than one player ranked in the top 30 commit.

This is the kind of class that usually re-energizes ol' Roy. He usually recruits in cycles and every few years—even back to when he was at Kansas—he'll land a star-studded class or back-to-back great classes that give him the players necessary to win a title.

Take a quick stroll through Williams' past.

In 1993, he signed Scott Pollard and Jacque Vaughn. The next year he landed Raef LaFrentz, followed by Paul Pierce the following season. In Vaughn's senior season with that core of future pros, the Jayhawks had one of the best teams ever to not win a national title.

In 1999, Williams signed Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich and Drew Gooden. That trio led KU to the Final Four in 2002. Collison and Hinrich then took KU to the title game in 2003.

Williams' first championship was led by Sean May, Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton. He can thank Matt Doherty for that one.

The 2009 title team was led by two seniors—Tyler Hanbrough and Danny Green—and three juniors—Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Deon Thompson. Brandan Wright, the star of that junior class left early, but Williams had recruited enough depth to compensate for his loss.

Now take a look at what the 2014-15 Heels could look like.

In the post, Williams will have 2013 signees Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks along with Brice Johnson and Joel James as juniors. Desmond Hubert and Jackson Simmons will provide depth as seniors. It's not likely, but there's a possibility that James Michael McAdoo could be around for his senior year.

On the wing, Pinson will be joined by fellow five-star recruit Justin Jackson. Both could potentially start as freshmen if P.J. Hairston leaves after next season. Off the bench, J.P. Tokoto should be a solid option as a junior.

At point guard, Williams will have Marcus Paige in his third year as a starter. 2014 signee Joel Berry could create a situation similar to Kendall Marshall's freshman season, where he eventually displaced Larry Drew II as the starter.

Paige also has enough height and a good enough jumper to slide over to the 2 spot. Incoming 2013 point guard Nate Britt should also provide depth at the point.

Here's a realistic starting lineup for the 2014-15 team with the Rivals' ranking of each player coming out of high school in parentheses.

PG: Marcus Paige (34)
SG: Theo Pinson (15)
SF: Justin Jackson (14)
PF: Isaiah Hicks (16)
C: Brice Johnson (49)

That's an average ranking of 25.6. It would drop to 17 if you replace Pinson with Hairston (13) and Johnson with McAdoo (8), or it could be as low as 14.4 if you also replace Paige with Berry (21).

Here's how those lineups compare with UNC's last seven starting lineups, ranked as prospects:

2006-07: 20.4
2007-08: 26.0
2008-09: 26.0
2009-10: 60.2
2010-11: 21.2
2011-12: 16.4
2012-13: 19.8

These are all hypothetical scenarios. Last season proved that these projections don't always pan out, especially when you lack experience. But Williams has to love the versatility he'll have in 2014-15 and going forward. There's enough depth in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 classes that the Heels will be able to survive if anyone bolts for the NBA.

And Williams might not be finished yet with this class.

According to CBSSports.com's Jeff Borzello, North Carolina is being considered by 2014's consensus top-ranked recruit Jahlil Okafor. UNC was also a leader for star shooting guard Rashad Vaughn several weeks ago.

The fact that the current class is missing a top 10 stud might not be the worst thing. Williams has thrived when he's been able to get his best players to stick around for a few years and get used to his system.

In the one-and-done era, Williams might just be putting together his ideal roster.

If for some reason anyone was questioning whether Williams still had it as a recruiter when the Heels were struggling this past season or when they didn't land Andrew Wiggins, go ahead and stop.

Williams is building again and he's still one of the best architects in the game.

Read more ACC Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

UNC Basketball Recruiting: Pinson Commitment Proves Roy Hasn't Lost His Touch

Rollin Yeatts — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:50:34 -0400

Following two somewhat disappointing recruiting seasons by North Carolina standards, Roy Williams is back to his dominant ways.

Yesterday, 2014's 13th-ranked recruit (ESPN 60), Theo Pinson, committed to UNC after just about everyone had him slated to land in Bloomington with Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers. Little did we know, the North Carolina native—and self-proclaimed Duke fan—had the Tar Heels on his mind.

And a Carolina blue hat in his bag.

“Me and Roy had a very good relationship, and I feel comfortable with him being my head coach," Pinson told Inside Carolina (subscription required). "I feel like he’s going to put me in the best situations and I still want to play in front of my peers."

With Pinson's verbal commitment, Coach Williams has managed to lock up the No. 12, No. 13 and No. 14 recruits for 2014. Point guard Joel Berry and small forward Justin Jackson were the others to make the early pledge to North Carolina.

Considering only two other players in the top 15 have even committed, it's safe to say Ol' Roy is off to a great start—and could very well end up with the top class when all is said and done.

So what happened the other two years?

My theory on that has been—and still remains—that the concerns over the academic scandal at UNC and Williams' health affected recruiting.

Investigations of the scandal have been ongoing for a couple years now, and were ramped up again last November. That just happened to be during the early signing period for the 2013 recruits Coach Williams was still trying to land.

For the last two years, the News & Observer's timing on its investigative reporting has been impeccable. There is no doubt the timing of these reports has affected his ability to pull in top recruits.

In September of 2012, before the aforementioned report surfaced, Coach Williams was in surgery to remove a tumor on his kidney. That brought immediate speculation on how much longer Roy would be able to coach the Tar Heels—if ever again.

These are the things that will scare recruits away. Nobody wants to commit to a program and a coach they respect and then have him leave before they do. And nobody wants to pay for others' violations by being banned from postseason play.

As it turned out, Carolina's leader was just fine, and continued to coach through the 2012-13 season without a hitch. He was the same spunky Roy we've always known.

Though there are people out there that refuse to drop the scandal, it would appear UNC athletics is clear of any wrongdoing. And Coach Williams no longer has to recruit with a handicap.

Now that he has Pinson and Jackson at the small forward spot, you can expect Roy and company to focus heavily on the shooting guards they have offered. That list includes No. 9 Rashad Vaughn, No. 19 Devin Booker and No. 24 D'Angelo Russell—who has been playing alongside Joel Berry in the Nike EYBL.

UNC will lose rising senior Leslie McDonald to graduation, and it is very unlikely P.J. Hairston will stay for his senior season. That leaves no shooting guards on the 2014-15 roster, making the 2-guard a position of priority for the Tar Heels.

But the way things are going for this recruiting class, that may not be a concern for very long. Already having three top-15 recruits and a wide-open spot at the 2 should be quite the lure for the remaining prospects.

It has been a very sticky situation in Chapel Hill for the past few years. But as the clouds of gloom begin to depart, we can clearly see Roy Williams is still the shining light of the program.

His two titles in 10 years wasn't an accident. And it looks like the program is shaping up to make another run.

Never count Roy out until he turns in his whistle for a set of golf clubs.

Follow @TSBRollin

Read more ACC Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

Syracuse Basketball: ACC Teams Orange Should Be Most Worried About

Josh Schoch — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:02:29 -0400

Syracuse will finally makes its move from the Big East to the ACC this season, making the ACC arguably the top conference in college basketball.

The Orange will be moving with fellow Big East school Pittsburgh, and will be followed by Notre Dame and Louisville in due time.

Jim Boeheim's bunch will be entering into brand new rivalries with some of the best programs in the country. However, there are three schools that the Orange should fear in their new conference in the 2013-14 season.

Let's take a look at each of those three teams.

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Theo Pinson to UNC: Tar Heels Land 5-Star Prospect

Alex Kay — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:27:58 -0400

Theo Pinson, one of the most skilled basketball players in the Class of 2014, has reached a decision on where he will play at the next level.

According to ESPN's Dave Telep, Pinson will be taking his talents to the University of North Carolina.

He made the announcement at his high school, Wesleyan Christian Academy, Wednesday afternoon.

Considering Pinson’s junior season just wrapped up, it’s a bit surprising that he was willing to commit to the Tar Heels at this juncture. However, it seems that he just fell in love with the program and wanted to avoid a long, drawn-out recruiting process.

Coach Roy Williams isn’t going to complain, as he was able to convince this 5-star swingman to come to Chapel Hill, despite some strong competition.

A number of high-profile college basketball blue bloods had the No. 12 recruit (via 247Sports) in the 2014 class in their sights, but he felt UNC was the best choice.

ESPN’s Dave Telep listed Indiana, Duke, Louisville and Georgetown as four other possible destinations Pinson was considering, with IU seen as the front-runner.

The decision ultimately came down to a simple phone call that Williams placed last week, as the coach convinced Pinson that he is an ideal fit on the roster.

According to Bret Strelow of The Fayetteville Observer, that call had a profound effect on the recruit:

"It just pushed me over the top that this is where I want to be," Pinson said. "I was looking back at all the visits I took there, I knew where I was going, I knew where everything was. I was like, 'That's home.' "

The Greensboro, N.C., native is certainly a great fit with the Tar Heels.

Pinson is a natural scorer who isn’t afraid to fire away, knowing full well that he’s often the best player on the court. Whether he’s bombing away from deep or slashing to the rim, the youngster always finds a way to get his buckets.

However, he’s by no means a selfish player. Pinson is a top-notch facilitator who loves to kick it to open teammates and is capable of making some flashy passes.

Add in the fact that this kid grades out as an elite athlete, hard-nosed defender and relentless worker, and you have the recipe for a perfect Tar Heels recruit.

The 6’6”, 190-pound star has to work on his handle and extending his shot out to the NBA three-point line, but he should have no problem picking up those skills during his time under coach Williams next year.

Tar Heels fans are going to have to wait over a year to watch this elite prospect star on the hardwood at the Dean Smith Center, but it seems Pinson will be well worth the hype.

Read more ACC Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

North Carolina Basketball: 5 Burning Questions for Tar Heels' Offseason

Rollin Yeatts — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:07:43 -0400

North Carolina traveled a rocky road last season with the departure of the Big Four. The Tar Heels were working with very little starting experience, and most players were forced into roles they haven't been at UNC.

Heck, by the end of the season, P.J. Hairston was playing power forward and James Michael McAdoo was at center. It worked out, though.

So did starting Marcus Paige as a freshman.

Now all three players have starting experience, and everyone is much more aware of these players' deficiencies. With a six-month break before the 2013-14 starts, they will all have time to work out those kinks with coaches, teammates and former Tar Heels.

That goes for the rest of the team, too.

How much success the Tar Heels will have next season will all hinge on positive answers for these five burning questions.

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Duke Basketball: 5 Biggest Reasons Blue Devils Will Be ACC Favorites in 2014

David Aldridge — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:26:30 -0400

The past two seasons of ACC basketball have seen new teams emerge as competitors in the battle for conference supremacy. Duke finished second in the regular-season standings in each of the last two years, and Florida State and Miami have won the past two conference titles.

Considering the importance Mike Krzyzewski places on winning the ACC, he will be hungry to bring a conference title back to Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2014.

In looking at the way Duke's roster has been put together, it's easy to see why the Blue Devils have a good chance at returning to the top of the league.

Let's take a look at the five biggest reasons Duke will be the favorite to win the conference in 2014.

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Duke Basketball: ACC Teams the Blue Devils Should Be Worried About

Dantzler Smith — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:42:15 -0400

Even for an absurdly talented Duke team, the road to an ACC regular season title and tournament win will be tough. Maryland is around for one more year and newcomers Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Syracuse are staunch opponents.

Whether it’s just a head-to-head matchup or a threat to Duke’s chances at winning the conference, there are at least five teams that should worry the Blue Devils.

While those five most obvious threats are probably the best teams in the conference alongside Duke, even the mid-tier teams can’t be overlooked. Pitt won’t be a pushover and both Georgia Tech and Boston College should be much improved.

So what follows is a list of the biggest threats to Duke, but even the teams not mentioned constitute their own challenges.

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Duke Basketball: Setting Expectations for Each Projected Starter

Dantzler Smith — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:43:44 -0400

Duke always has high expectations for the team. This year is no different.

Of course, to realize the expectations of the team, each individual player must meet his own expectations. Depending on their role, different Blue Devils will be required to meet a variety of different requirements.

For the starters, these expectations will be fairly lofty. And yet, if the starters are able to meet the following expectations then the Blue Devils will be genuine title contenders.

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North Carolina Basketball: Ranking the 5 Most Hyped Recruits in 'Heels History

Rollin Yeatts — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:33:29 -0400

When it comes to North Carolina basketball, hyped—and many times over-hyped—recruits are the norm. It's just a part of the territory for distinguished programs such as UNC.

But with that, ranking the five most hyped recruits in Tar Heels' history becomes quite the daunting task. Including the latest recruits, Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks, Chapel Hill has housed 67 McDonald's All-Americans since its inception in 1977.

With all the star recruits that have landed at UNC, many players are virtually interchangeable. However, these five recruits stand above the rest.

Given the fact recruiting hype has never been at the level it is today with the internet and 24-hour media coverage, modern-era recruits have a little more weight in these rankings. Recruiting hype used to travel through word of mouth and the occasional newspaper.

In 2013, you couldn't avoid Andrew Wiggins talk if you wanted to.

The recruiting trail has simply become a whole new demon. But even so, that didn't keep a couple pre-90s Tar Heels out of this top five.

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Syracuse Basketball: Setting Expectations for Each Projected Starter

Josh Schoch — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:05:05 -0400

Coming off a trip to the Final Four, the Syracuse Orange are looking to reload after losing three stars to the NBA. The team will need big contributions from each of its starters to have the same success it did last season.

Syracuse's starting five is still a bit of a mystery since the team brings in six new players. It's tough to pick which of the team's many wings and big men will be starting come November, and even tougher to figure out which will be starting in March.

Let's take an early look at the projected starters and how they'll fair this season.

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Duke Basketball: Ranking the 5 Most Hyped Recruits in Blue Devils History

Chad Lykins — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:33:39 -0400

High school recruiting has come a long way. From the days of bare minimum media attention to today where social networks, a vast assortment of recruiting publications and recognition from the media is highly warranted, the landscape of recruiting has become the driving force behind college and professional athletics.

For the Duke Blue Devils, they've experienced an inordinate amount of success on the recruiting trail that has spanned for decades. Year after year, highly coveted recruits have viewed the Duke basketball program in Durham, N.C. as a preeminent step towards paramount player development, major national media coverage and above all else, excellence.

With that being said, how do you go about selecting five Duke recruits that exemplified greatness while being attached with an excessive amount of hype and expectations to succeed?

That is an extremely tough question to answer. Nevertheless, it has to be done.

Without further ado and through careful consideration, these are the five most heavily hyped recruits in the storied history of the Duke basketball program.

Agree or disagree? Be sure to express what you think in the comments section. Also, to add to the debate, include your five most heavily hyped Duke recruits.

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Duke Basketball: 5 Burning Questions for Blue Devils' Offseason

David Aldridge — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:03:32 -0400

Can Duke advance past the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament next season? Will Jabari Parker outplay Andrew Wiggins when Duke and Kansas face off in November? Does Alex Murphy have what it takes to earn a regular spot in the rotation?

Duke fans are pondering all these questions over the painful period that is the offseason in college basketball.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to know the answers to any of these until we see the Blue Devils take the court next season. However, that doesn't prevent us from enjoying the speculation of what we hope the answers will be.

As we continue to look forward to next season, let's look at the five most burning questions for Duke's offseason.

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