Friars strong finish has them poised for a Big East Title Run

With the college basketball regular season coming to a close, the Providence College Friars have found themselves playing their best basketball of the season.

                  After a frustrating stretch in the middle of the season from December to February in which the Friars went 4-9, falling to then #17 Xavier, #13 Butler, #10 Creighton as well as unranked Boston College, DePaul and Seton Hall the Friars appear to have found their stride. Winners of their last 6, all over Big East opponents including #22 Butler and their first round opponent #23 Creighton, the Friars are one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament and with their 86-75 win over St. John’s on Saturday, have matched their Big East season win total from a year ago. A feat many analysts thought would be virtually impossible for this Providence squad after losing superstars Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil to the NBA.

                   Since the heartbreaking overtime loss at Seton Hall which dropped PC to 4-8 in the Big East, the Friars have done a complete 180 and earned themselves a 3 seed in the Big East tournament and may find a way to sneak into the NCAA tournament if they are able to keep up their strong play. What has been the “X Factor” in the Friars sudden surge into the postseason? The answer has been the contributions from the young guys who seemed lost at the beginning of the year. Coach Ed Cooley claims in an ESPN Radio interview “5 of the 8 guys in the rotation are first-year guys. So I think earlier in the season we were trying to find their identity trying to get comfortable with synergy, timing, execution.” Talking about the slow start to the season but how everything has seemed to come together in the month of February. Cooley goes on to say “The other thing is, once you win one or two games here or there, the power of belief kind goes beyond the talent. Those guys have bought in.” The change in this Providence team coming down the stretch has been the team first mentality and how everyone has found their identity and what their role on the team is. There is no question that the Providence teams in the past two years have been much more talented than this team we see today. But the way this team has overcome adversity and the lack of talent this year has really been special to watch. Contributions from guys like Isaiah Jackson, (18 points vs. St John’s) Alpha Diallo and Jalen Lindsey (both had 17 vs. St John’s) have played huge roles in the Friars success of late.

                  The difference between is Friars team and the teams of the past two years is that they have not relied on one or two players to carry them. Past teams with Kris Dunn (16.4 ppg), a lottery draft pick, and Ben Bentil (21.1 ppg) the leading scorer carried much of the workload for the Friars all season. Both of them put up more than 500 shots a year ago. This season the Friars have not had the explosive scoring offered by Bentil or the overall consistency of Dunn, but what they have had is the overall team first mentality. These players know they don’t have the same amount of talent to rely on as in the past so they have bought into a system provided by Coach Ed Cooley. Although the Friars are a young team loaded with freshman and sophomores, they have been able to rely on strong veteran leadership from juniors Kyron Cartwright and Rodney Bullock, who were just named to the second team all big east. Cartwright who leads the league in assists, averaging 6.8 per game, also averages 11.3 ppg and 3.5 rebounds, was recently named the Big East’s most improved player. Bullock leads the team in scoring averaging 16.1 ppg as well as 6.4 rebounds. Bullock has also recorded a team-high five double-doubles this season and has put 20 or more points nine times this season with his career-high 36 points coming against UNH on November 30^th.

                  Although it took the Friars a while to get kick-started, they have found their stride and are going into New York white hot. The Friars may not have the talent to match up with the defending national champion Villanova, but their will to win of late has been virtually unmatched by anyone not named Kansas or UCLA. Despite the slow start the Friars have found a way to win and are poised to make a run at their second Big East title since 2014.

Jackson Roderick

3/6/17

#5 ranked Seton Hall

Cinderella Story

Conf. record: 10-8

Overall record: 20-10

In last year’s big east tournament Seton Hall was an upset machine, churning out wins against big time schools, ruining their chance at the big east title? In this years edition they look for the same effect. Seton Hall should be a well-respected team entering the 2016-2017 big east tournament as they have been able to split the season series stealing a game and going 1-1 against #13 ranked butler and #20 ranked Creighton. Seton Hall has the potential to fair well in this years tournament if some of their key players can continue to play well for them. Khadeen Carrington a second team Big East selection is a key part to this Pirates team averaging 17.0 points a game on about 43.0% field goal percentage from the field. If the pirates are going to make a run for the title, they are going to have Carrington continue with what he been able to do all season long and that is score the basketball. Another key player to this Seton Hall team is a forward from the Dominican Republic, Angel Delgado. Averaging about 33.0 min a game this year for the pirates Delgado has been able to put up stellar numbers averaging 15.7 PPG, 13.1 RPG, and 2.0 APG. Heading into the tournament this year Seton Hall has come off a couple of good wins, but most recently there win against butler where they beat the bulldogs 70-64. Angel Delgado who netted 20 points while also grabbing 16 boards turned out a big game and was a big reason why the Pirates where able to pull out the W. This win will instill some confidence into the team to maybe make a pretty decent run at the title this year. Although the percent chance to win it all this year for the pirates is 1%, they pirates can upset some teams and mix up the table before taking the bus home to New Jersey.  Seton Hall’s first matchup in the Big East tournament is Marquette. The pirates have split the season series with Marquette so far at 1-1. This is a very winnable game for Seton Hall, even with a 1% chance of winning the whole tournament if they are able to pull of a win against a talented Marquette team that could very well get the ball rolling for them and they might be able to string off a couple of wins. 

Jack Horsman

2/6/17

Louisville Post Season Preview

The Louisville Cardinals enter this week's basketball tournament as the number 4 seed.  Being the number 4 seed, they already surpass the first and second rounds, and don't play a game until the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 9.  Louisville sits at 12-6 in the ACC, with an overall record of 24-7.  They will play either number 5 Duke, or the winner of the game between number 12 Clemson and number 13 North Carolina State.  They beat all three teams earlier this year, with the closest game being a 78-69 win over Duke.  No matter who Louisville plays on Thursday, they will win and move on to the semifinals.

Earlier in the season Louisville beat Clemson 92-60, and North Carolina State 85-60.  Louisville beat Clemson by 32 points, with starting point guard Quentin Snider out of the lineup due to a strained hip.  Louisville beat North Carolina State by 25 points, with not only Snider out, but also guard Tony Hicks.  In Louisville's win against Duke, the game was closer than the score indicates.  The lead changed 7 times, and the score was tied another 5 times.  If Clemson or North Carolina State manage to win two straight games to set up a matchup with Louisville in the quarterfinals, Louisville will easily beat either of them.  Louisville is a much better team than both of those two.  If Louisville ends up playing against Duke, which is most likely, that game should be a good back and forth game.  However Duke will be tired from their probable close game against Clemson/North Carolina State.  But, one game isn't enough to get the team into a good rhythm where they are firing on all cylinders and fell like they could beat just about anyone.  Because Louisville will have that one extra day of rest as well, they should beat Duke and advance to play in the semifinals.

In the semifinals Louisville will play either North Carolina, Syracuse or Miami.  The quarterfinal matchup will be North Carolina against the winner of Syracuse and Miami.  If Miami beats Syracuse, then it should be a good game.  Miami beat North Carolina a month ago, by a score of 77-62.  North Carolina will be out for revenge against Miami.  Four of North Carolina's starters this year were members of the team that made it to the national championship game last year.  Those players remember what it felt like to lose, and that feeling has been pushing them all year long and will push them past Miami in what should be a close game if Miami can beat Syracuse.  If Syracuse beats Miami, then North Carolina should definitely beat them.  On January 16 North Carolina beat Syracuse by a score of 85-68.  North Carolina should be able to repeat a similar performance, and come out with a win that wasn't ever really in question.

In a presumed semifinal matchup between Louisville and North Carolina, North Carolina should be able to come out with a win.  North Carolina has the 9^th highest scoring offense in the nation, at 84.6 points per game, while Louisville is 36^th in scoring, allowing 65.4 per game, but 73.e over their last three games.  Part of the reason that North Carolina scores so many points a game is rebounding.  Rebounds and second chance points will be the name of the game in this matchup.  North Carolina leads the nation in rebounds with 43.5 per game, and Louisville is 15^th in the nation at 39.8 per game.  North Carolina and Louisville are the two best teams in the nation when it comes to effective possessions, with North Carolina at 1.024 and Louisville at 1.016.  Neither team is very good at containing their opponents' effectiveness in possessions, North Carolina is ranked 91^st with 0.924, and Louisville is ranked 115^th with 0.930.  The teams are close together when it comes to rebounding, effective possessions, and opponents' effective possessions, but North Carolina holds an edge in all three, plus is one of the best offenses in the nation, so Louisville will not advance past the semifinals in the ACC tournament.

When the NCAA tournament comes around, Louisville is pretty much locked in. They should get a 2 or 3 seed depending on the outcome of the conference tournaments and be positioned to make a run, pending an upset.

Alex DerVartanian

Marquette’s Chances in the Big East

Marquette is not a huge favorite going into the Big East tournament, but have a chance. Marquette is ranked as the number four seed.  Now over the past five games they have played, they are 4-1. This is good if they can make a strong finish to the season at 5-1 beating Seton Hall. Seton hall is the number four team with a 10-8 record along with Marquette, Creighton, and Providence. Providence is right above them at the number 3 seed with the same record at 10-8. In Marquette’s season, they are 1-1 against Seton Hall. The first game they lost with a score of 69-67. The second game which was the most recent they won with a score of 89-86 in OT. Key players in this game were Markus Howard who had a 22-point game and Katin Reinhardt with 4 big free throws in the final 29 seconds of the game.  Seton Halls best player that night was Desi Rodriguez with 30 points. If Marquette can shut him down and keep their offense rolling, then they will be a big favorite for Thursdays game.

With a big win on Thursday, they will be going up against Villanova in the semi finals. This is going to be their hardest game of the season playing the number one team in the Big East. According to their past this season they are 1-1 against Villanova. Marquette has been apart of Villanova’s staggering three losses this year which opens the door for some chance. Their win was only by two points with a final of 74-72. Again in this game like the other one against Seton Hall, Katin Reinhardt was a key factor with 19 points and he came in clutch hitting two free throws with 11.6 seconds left in the game which ended up winning he game for them. Marquette came back from a 17-point deficit. Katin Reinhardt is a key man in this Marquette basketball team and to keep him healthy throughout these next games will be a blessing. In the end, Villanova is a big favorite, but with Marquette having won four of their last five games could spill trouble for Villanova.

Marquette’s key players to look out for are Markus Howard, Katin Reinhardt, and Jajuan Johnson. Markus Howard, who is 5’ 11” 175lbs, is their best scorer. He averages 13.1 points a game. Keeping him strong and healthy to finish the season is a big must for Marquette. Most of their games ahead should be close so they need to score a many points as they can.

Katin Reinhardt is the clutch guy on the team. With an average of 10.9 points per game, he is close with Markus Howard to score a good chunk of the teams points if he has a good day. Also, Katin has saved them twice this season against two good teams. They are playing both of those teams in the quarter finals and the semi finals, if they even make it to the semi finals. If these games are close towards the end, he should be the guy to get the ball to when they need to score. Against Villanova during both of the games his three point shots were at 9-17. You can put him in a spot to hit a little more than half of the shots he gets.

Jajuan Johnson is another strong point scorer on this team averaging 12.0 points a game this season. Being 6’ 5” and 205 pounds puts him in a good spot to catch a lot of rebounds. Averaging 4.1 rebounds a game. Jajuan needs to be very physical in these upcoming games to give his team the most chances to score. 

Friars strong finish has them poised for a Big East title run

            With the college basketball regular season coming to a close, the Providence College Friars have found themselves playing their best basketball of the season.

            After a frustrating middle of the season from December to February in which the Friars fell too then #17 Xavier, #13 Butler, #10 Creighton as well as unranked Boston College, DePaul and Seton Hall the Friars appear to have found their stride. Winners of their last 6, all over Big East opponents including #22 Butler and their first round opponent #23 Creighton, the Friars are one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament and with their 86-75 win over St. John’s on Saturday, have matched their Big East season win total from a year ago. A feat many analysts thought would be virtually impossible for this Providence squad after losing superstars Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil to the NBA.

             Since the heartbreaking overtime loss at Seton Hall which dropped PC to 4-8 in the Big East, the Friars have done a complete 180 and earned themselves a 3 seed in the Big East tournament and may find a way to sneak into the NCAA tournament if they are able to keep up their strong play play. What has been the “X Factor” in the Friars sudden surge into the post season? The answer has been the contributions from the young guys who seemed lost at the beginning of the year. Coach Ed Cooley claims in an ESPN Radio interview “5 of the 8 guys in the rotation are first year guys. So I think earlier in the season we were trying to find their identity trying to get comfortable with synergy, timing, execution.” Talking about the slow start to the season but how everything has seemed to come together in the month of February. Cooley goes on to say “The other thing is, once you win one or two games here or there, the power of belief kind goes beyond the talent. Those guys have bought in.” The change in this Providence team coming down the stretch has been the team first mentality and how everyone has found their identity and what their role on the team is. There is no question that the Providence teams in the past two years have been much more talented than this team we see today. But the way this team has overcome adversity and the lack of talent this year has really been special to watch. Contributions from guys like Isaiah Jackson, (18 points vs. St John’s) Alpha Diallo and Jalen Lindsey (both had 17 vs. St John’s) have played huge roles in the Friars success of late.

            The difference between is Friars team and the teams of the past two years is that they have not relied on one or two players to carry them. Past teams with Kris Dunn (16.4 ppg), a lottery draft pick, and Ben Bentil (21.1 ppg) the leading scorer carried much of the workload for the Friars all season. Both of them put up more than 500 shots a year ago. This season the Friars have not had the explosive scoring offered by Bentil or the overall consistency of Dunn, but what they have had is the overall team mentality. The players know they don’t have the same amount of talent to rely on so they have bought into a system provided by Coach Ed Cooley. Although it took the Friars a while to get kick started, they have found their stride and are going into New York white hot. The Friars may the talent to match up with the defending national champion Villanova, but their will to win of late has been virtually unmatched by anyone in college basketball not named Kansas or UCLA. Despite the slow start the Friars have found a way to win and are poised to make a run to capture their second Big East title since 2014. 

Luc Fox

Norte Dame’s Chances of Winning the ACC and NCAA Tournaments Are Slim, Can the Big Players Play Big?

Norte Dame looks to take a run to win the university’s second ACC Men’s Basketball Championship as they head to the Barclays Center in New York. Norte Dame has only registered six losses in conference play and an overall total of eight loses. With all their conference losses to top six teams except for the loss to Georgia Tech. Norte Dame will have good chance of making it past the quarterfinals but they will have to bring all they have to win in the semifinals.

Norte Dame will play either the sixth seed Virginia (0-1), eleventh seed Georgia Tech (1-1), or fourteenth seed Pittsburgh (1-0). Norte Dame has beaten each team besides Virginia.

Bonzie Colson a Junior from New Bedford, Massachusetts will need to continue to put up 20 point nights to help carry his team. The same goes for V.J. Beachem who has put up almost 30 points in a few games, he needs to push himself a little bit more to get his team into the semifinals. Norte Dame’s top players have been around for a while as they are Seniors and Juniors.

Top players have proven that they can put up 20 plus points in games but they have been struggling to be consistent. Some of the top best players can come to play in big games but players like Bonzie Colson and V.J. Beachem have struggled to put up big numbers against teams they have lost to. They can be pushed to play well when the team needs points but the mindset is to get enough points not get points to win the game. These players have proven they can play good enough to put up huge numbers but they will they be able to be consistent during the post season.

Norte Dame might have what it takes to go all the way to the Championship but right now their stats show otherwise. They have a solid record but they have lost big games to big teams and that will affect them when it comes to trying to move on to the next round. Most of their losses this season have been by around ten points, Norte Dame’s top players have to produce more points and get the offense going if they want to win a Championship.

Last season Norte Dame finished in a similar position in the standings and they made it to the semifinals, they fell short to the power house North Carolina. They also lost one more game last year ending with an 11-7 record in ACC compared to this year’s 12-6. They weren’t the same team they were last year, they have improved a bit but is that improvement enough to win?

Now for the NCAA tournament it’s a different conversation as the Fighting Irish are sitting in fifth place. As of right now they will be playing twelfth place UNC Wilmington. Wilmington has the benefit of playing in two more games as their record is 28-5 (overall), this is compared to Norte Dame’s 23-8 (overall). Although UNC Wilmington has played Clemson and took an 87-73 loss, Wilmington hasn’t played any other teams that Norte Dame has played. Norte Dame beat Clemson 75-70 in a close game. The same goes for the NCAA tournament as for the ACC, the team will most likely move on to the next round but it depends on how well the big players come to play.

Once Norte Dame takes down UNC Wilmington, how are they going to do against Florida or Bucknell? If Norte Dame is to take on Florida it will be a very close game, it will all come down to how well the Norte Dame offense can perform against the higher seeded Florida team. Bucknell seems to be on the rise and can prove as a threat to Norte Dame. The Fighting Irish will not make a Championship run, they will only win a game or two when it comes to the ACC and NCAA. The team can have good potential to make it past the first and maybe even the second but they will have no match when it comes to playing top teams.

Duke’s Post Season Preview

With the recent loss to North Carolina on Saturday, the Blue Devils are now the 5^th seed in the ACC conference behind North Carolina, Florida St, Louisville, and Notre Dame.  The 1-4 seeds getting a first and second round bye, and the 5-9 seeds getting a first-round bye, this will pit Duke against the winner of 12 seed Clemson vs. 13 seed NC State.  With Duke’s arsenal of offensive weapons such as national player of the year candidate Grayson Allen and 1,000-point scorer Luke Kennard, I see no way Duke loses to any one of those two teams.  However, this means they will face a very good Louisville team.  Louisville has a pair of guards just as capable as Allen and Kennard.  Sophomore and Junior guards Donovan Mitchell and Quentin Snider are often overlooked when it comes to talks about backcourts, especially in the ACC.  Overshadowed by players like Joel Berry, Grayson Allen, and Dwayne Bacon, Louisville’s’ dynamic guards are capable of achieving big numbers in big games.  Not to mention Louisville’s big man inside Anas Mahmoud who was too hot to handle for the Blue Devils earlier in the year.  Going for 17 points while also collecting 11 rebounds.  Even though this is a very winnable game for Duke, I see them losing in a closely contested game.  Even though Allen and Kennard inevitably will score big numbers, Duke’s bench will have to step up if they want to advance.  Earlier in the year, when these two teams met, Allen and Kennard combined for 40 points but the bench, nowhere to be found only scoring 3.  No matter how many points Duke’s superstars score, their bench will need to show some life if they want to advance to the semi-finals.

                Having said that, I would love to see a third Duke UNC game this year.  No matter what seed these teams are, the games are always closely contested.  Both teams bring their overwhelming fan base and the atmosphere at these games is one you won’t find anywhere else.  If Duke beats Louisville, and UNC beats either Syracuse or Miami, then these two teams will compete in a grudge match.  Each team winning one game this season, the winner gaining ultimate bragging rights.  In the first contest, Duke’s superstars performed immensely well.  Allen had 25, Kennard added 20, and Tatum pitched in with 19.  If Duke wants to win this game, their bigs need to step up and contribute in a major way.  Not necessarily in the points column, but certainly in regards to defense and rebounding.  In both games this season, North Carolina’s forwards have dominated, leading in both points in the paint, and second chance points.  With Duke’s lack of a true center, their forwards Amile Jefferson and Jayson Tatum need to be exceptional in order to contain the overpowering presence of North Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks and Luke Maye.

                Even though Duke might not have had the season they wanted, (projected #1 seed in the tournament in the beginning of the year, now projected #5 seed) superstars like Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard thrive in March.  Three years ago, when Allen was just a freshman, he thrived under the immense pressure brought upon by this tournament.  Allen notched 16 points and boosted his team to a national championship.  Even though Duke might not have the best seed, look for Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard to get hot and carry their team further than some people would otherwise think is possible.

Spencer Haigis

Sports Journalism

3/6/17

                                                Villanova’s Chances and Why

Villanova will do very well in both the Big East tournament and in March Madness. They are first place in the Big East with a record of 28-3, 15-3 inside their conference. The Big East tournament a few days before March Madness starts and will be less challenging because there are fewer teams. Villanova has a good chance of winning the Big East for many reasons.

First off, Villanova is in first place in their conference, which means that they have a better record than any team in the Big East. Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson lead the team in scoring. Hart, who is only a sophomore, averages 18.7 points per game while Brunson, a senior, averages 14.8 points per game. They have only lost two games during the regular season. They lost to Marquette once and Georgetown twice. They lost to Georgetown by only eight both times and fell to Marquette by only two. These two teams are the only threats that Villanova might have for this tournament. Butler more than Marquette because they beat them earlier in the season by twelve.

Villanova gets a buy for the first round and will either play Georgetown, who is the 9^th seed, or St. John’s, the 8^th seed, in the quarter finals. Either of these teams would easy for them. They easily beat St. John’s 70-57 and 92-79. Villanova also recently beat Georgetown 81-55 with Josh Hart scoring 21. After that round they would play the winner of Seton Hall and Marquette. They have beat both teams before, but Marquette would be more challenging considering Villanova has lost to them this season. I still believe that Villanova would move past both these teams and advance to the finals. In my opinion, Villanova will be playing either Butler or Providence. They beat Providence, who is in 3^rd place, by ten earlier in the season. Butler, on the other hand, is in 2^nd place and has a 12-6 record. They beat Villanova in both of their match-ups by eight. I believe that Villanova could beat Providence and Butler in the finals and win the tournament.

March Madness will be a complete different story for Villanova. There are many more teams in the tournament compared to the Big East. There are 68 teams in March Madness compared to only ten in the Big East so it would be a bigger challenge for them to win it all. Villanova still has a decent chance to win March Madness. They are a potential first seed in this tournament and are defending March Madness champions. They have many returning seniors from last year that will lead the team this year as well under the coaching of Jay Wright

There are many excellent teams that are favored to win March Madness this year like Kansas, Gonzaga, UNC, and UCLA. Many say that Villanova will not be able to beat teams like Kansas. Kansas has always been a strong team, and with Frank Mason III leading the team with an average of 20.5 points per game.

Villanova would not have to face other high-ranked teams until further into the tournament, considering their high seed. They will be playing teams that are ranked lower than them for the first couple rounds. In my opinion, they will advance past the first couple rounds with ease. Eventually they will face a team that they cannot beat and will lose to them. I do not believe that the will win it all this year. I think they can still make it far into the tournament. I predict that they will make it into the elite eight at least and possibly final four.  Some teams that could potentially beat Villanova include Kansas, UNC, Duke, and UCLA.

Villanova has had a tremendous season so far and it is not over just yet. They still have two more big opportunities to extend their season. We will see how it plays out and if my predictions were correct. I predict that they will win the Big East tournament and make it to the elite eight in March Madness. 

Grace Bellefeuille

How Far Will Seton Hall Go?

            Although Seton Hall is ranked 5^th in the Big East tournament, we know they have the power to beat the bigger teams like Butler (No.12), but also has lost to St. Johns (No. 8 in ACC) by eight points. This inconsistency could be their flaw going into it. But with players like Myles Powell who has one of the highest 3-point percentages on the team, and was the clutch against Butler making a three with 35 seconds left to give Seton a 70-64 win. You could say Seton is an underdog team with a lot of resilience.

            If wins are something Seton can’t carry consistently then what they need to carry is that toughness. In the Big East tourney the first team they face is the No. 4 Marquette who they have beaten 69-66 and have lost 89-86 to in an OT. Marcus Howard, the teams backbone, needs to show that all of the 6-4, 195 of him can do better than a 45% FGM against a characterized opponent like Marquette. The downside to being right in the middle of the pack like this is who ever wins the Seton – Marquette game has to play the No. 1 seed Villanova, who is also the NCAA No. 2 seed and last years National Champions. The odds of winning that game are so slim, with previous games played against them this season are both over 20 point loses.

            One thing Seton lacks compared to a lot of other teams is experience. Over half the team are underclassmen, the leading scorer being a junior. Could this hurt Seton chances? No, but, playing teams like Villanova who stand over Seton with over half the team being upperclassmen, they know what it’s like under more pressure.

            Although I’ve been talking a lot of crap about Seton and their chances. We do know what they are made of. They have a 12-2 record at home, have beaten two teams above them in the rankings, and all their starters average 20 points or more a game. “Our motto is never quit,” junior guard Khadeen Carrington, says after beating Butler. This teams determination and grit is what could give them a chance throughout the tourney. They have what any college team is looking for, but other teams just do it better. They lack depth and experience, but lets see if the resilience can over come what they lack.  

Journalists!

Aidan Travis

Mon March 6

Sports Journalism

North Carolina preview:

                                                North Carolina’s Hope to Win it All

North Carolina is looking to win this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Tar heels lost in the finals last year to Villanova by a score of 77 to 74 by a buzzer beater in a game that was surely one to remember. Looking for a bounce back from last year’s heart break, coach Roy Williams, is leading his squad to a playoff run.  The team is led by seniors, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, with team leading scorer Justin Jackson. Coach, Roy Williams, is in his 14^th season with North Carolina and in that span he has had over 750 with the team, putting him at 15^th all time. Only six teams have more wins in march madness than coach Williams, his teams are 65-23 in twenty-five appearances, that ties him at second place behind Coach K from duke (88). His teams have made twenty consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

The Tar heels are ranked number one in the ACC tournament, with their first game being against the winner of the Syracuse-Miami game. It is looking good for UNC moving on to the semi-finals, because earlier this year they beat Syracuse by a score of 85-68. The tar heels did lose to Miami this year 77-62. Miami did lose to Syracuse earlier this year and they are on a two game losing streak, UNC has a good chance that they won’t have to play Miami.  Most recently UNC beat Duke by the score of 90-83 who is ranked fifth in this tournament, further showing their strength in the tournament. Their latest game against duke was a close game, but they came away with the victory. A few defensive mistakes were made, such as when Justin Jackson fouled Grayson Allen for a four-point play, however their offense could pick up the mistakes made on the defensive side of the ball. Joel Berry II lead the team with 28 points and he went 5-5 from the three-point line and he scored a crucial 7 straight points to help push the team to a victory. Isaiah Hicks had 21 points of his own.  This game consisted of 24 lead changes. Duke shot 51 percent in the first half, but fell to an abysmal 37 percent in the second half. UNC rebounded tremulously, getting 15 second chance points compared to dukes 5.  This is huge for UNC going into the ACC tournament, beating their biggest rival and playing so well on the boards. Even as favorites, when it comes to tournaments playing your best basketball is always important.  At Half time of this game, Michael Jordan revealed the apparel partnership between Jordan and North Carolina.

Some of North Carolinas key players are Justin Jackson, Joel Berry II, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. All of which are scoring over 11 points per game. Justin Jackson, a jr. from Tomball, Texas, is leading the team in minutes per game and points per game. It is vital that he stays healthy for the duration of this tournament, if the team wants to win a national title. Joel Berry II is another very important piece of the team, as he is scoring the second highest on the team and as the highest free throw percentage on the team with a minimum attempt of 20 attempts. Berry also has the highest three-point percentage on the team.  Kennedy Meeks is tearing it up on the boards this year and averaging almost a double-double per game, with 12.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG. He is a key factor to UNC success and getting second chance points in the upcoming tournaments.  With Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II both being juniors, the team has a great future for next year as well.  The team only consists of four seniors, four juniors, two sophomores, and four freshmen, making this a largely unexperienced team. With four freshmen on the team, the inexperience could hurt the team later on into the tournament.

Certain things I could add: Talk about certain plays that the team runs that can lead to their success. Talk more about past games and go in depth with the games. 

Jakob Beck

Seminole Playoff Preview

            Heading into the postseason, Florida State seems primed for a bid in the ACC Championship.  With three potential NBA Draft prospects on the roster, they have the talent to compete with anyone in the country.  Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes have proven they have what it takes to lead Florida State past other top-ranked teams.  They are 7-2 against ranked opponents this season, including wins against #12 Virginia, #7 Duke, and #12 Louisville.  However, out of the 7 losses, only 2 of them have come against ranked teams, one of them being North Carolina.  With 5 losses to unranked teams this season, they have shown their youth and inexperience that contributed to their inconsistency against inferior teams. 

North Carolina is the only visible threat to the Seminoles in the ACC Tournament, other than themselves.  With only two seniors on the roster, they don’t have the experience that North Carolina does with 5 seniors.  North Carolina is possibly the most impressive team in the ACC.  With the size and skill their wings possess, Florida State will have trouble guarding them across the court.  Justin Jackson will provide the Seminoles with one of their toughest tasks yet, stopping him.  Averaging 18.3 points per game, he can take over a game and pull Carolina ahead of FSU from just about anywhere on the court.  Roy Williams also provides an edge for the Tar Heels, since he holds 3 ACC Tournament Championships under his belt, while Leonard Hamilton of the Seminoles only holds one from back in 2012.  North Carolina is stacked with talent, but then again, so are the Seminoles.  Their stars match up well with North Carolina in a potential ACC Championship game, but the Seminoles still have 2 games to advance to the big game.

            Dwayne Bacon is clearly the leader of this Florida State team, leading the Seminoles in scoring over the past two seasons.  With a strong supporting cast around him, he has emerged as one of the premier scorers in the country, with his ability to shoot the three and relentlessly attack the basket.  Bacon is being projected as a first round pick by many experts, where he will be a solid impact player at the next level.  He is the key to Florida’s State success.

            Jonathan Isaac has seen his draft stock rise dramatically since stepping on the court this season.  At 6’10”, he has the height and length to compete for playing time right away at the NBA level.  Often compared to current NBA superstar Kevin Durant, he will most definitely be a lottery pick, bringing shooting and rebounding, along with athleticism uncommon for a player at his size.  In the past couple of weeks, Isaac has played an even bigger role than usual.  He has continued to play well recently and has shot the ball at an impressive .520% this season.

            Although his points per game average has dropped each year while at Florida State, Xavier Rathan-Mayes has continually shown his versatility to scouts.  Averaging almost 5 assists per game, he has proven to be a dynamic playmaker, one that Florida State was in desperate need of coming into the season.  His ability to distribute the ball has proven to be crucial to Florida State’s success because stars like Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac are able to free up and score at will.

            Looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament, the Seminoles will most likely find themselves as a top 4 seed, which makes them a contender to advance far into the tournament.  Their strength of schedule is there, and they have proven that they can beat title contending teams.  However, it is difficult to say they have what it takes to advance past the Elite Eight, due to the inexperience they possess across the board.  What it comes down to is playing to their potential in the biggest of games, which they have displayed over the course of the year.  Dwayne Bacon will need to put on a brilliant offensive performance for them to compete, but that is not out of the question.  If the Seminoles come into their own, they have the talent to beat any team in the country. 

Maxwell Ray

March 6, 2017

Sports Journalism

Butler Big East Overview

After a successful regular season by the Butler Bulldogs, they have finished second overall in the Big East with a record of 23-7 (12-6 within conference). They came in well ahead of the four trailers with an in-conference record of 10-8 (Creighton, Seton Hall, Providence, and Marquette), but fell behind Villanova who led the league with a 15-3 record. Villanova will definitely be their biggest competitor in the Big East Tournament, a likely matchup in the final game this Saturday. But Butler has shown this season that they can defeat Villanova without issue. During their two showings this season, Butler came out on top in both games with scores of 66-58 and 74-66.

As they are seeded #2 in the Big East, they have a bye during the first round and will face either DePaul (#10) or Xavier (#7) both of which Butler has defeated twice during the regular season. There is no doubt that they can beat either team once again and move on to the semifinals.

But they will have more trouble during the Semifinals when they face off against either Creighton (#6) or Providence (#3). They’ve had troubles against both teams so far this year,

a 1-1 record against Providence and an 0-2 record with Creighton.

In my mind, their biggest competitors will come during the semis and if they can make it through then they will have a great chance of beating their opponent in the finals on Saturday. As aforementioned, Butler has topped Villanova during their two games this season, but Villanova will still be tough to beat in the finals during the tournament. They are the reigning champions of the Big East and they continued their domination of the league this year. A big effort will be needed by the entire team to win the tournament and their usual point scorers such as Kelan Martin and Andrew Chrabascz must perform well in every game. They have shown that they can beat any team in the league, with at least one win against every team except Creighton.

Butler is currently being led by Kelan Martin (#30 F) a junior from Louisville, Kentucky. He’s averaging at 16.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Martin has led the team in points in 13 of their 30 games this season, 11 of which were wins for Butler. He’s also led the team in rebounds in 14 of their 30 games, 10 of which were wins.

But among the team there are no players who stand out much within the league. The only “league leader” that Butler has is Tyler Lewis who is averaging 4.0 assists per game which puts him fourth overall in the league. Ways behind assist leader K. Cartwright from Providence who averages 6.8 assists per game.

Last year the Bulldogs had a disappointing appearance in the Big East tournament. They came into the tournament as the fifth seed and faced Providence as the fourth seed during their first game in the quarterfinals. Both teams came into the tournament with a 10-8 in-conference record so the game was expected to be close. But Butler didn’t show up ready to play and took a crushing 74-60 defeat which is sure to leave a bad taste in their mouth that will carry over to this year’s tournament. Hopefully it will fuel the fire that is needed for them to win the tournament, but it will be tough to overcome Villanova who could continue their domination through the Big East.