March Madness Group

Peacone36

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Yea, watching both teams I don't see a big-time talent edge to UNC
  • Only at SG is it clear to UNC. Edge goes to Jackson, but the Zags' Matthews is still a good player.
  • Karnowski and Collins can play with Meeks and Hicks.
  • Williams-Goss and Perkins can play with Berry and Britt.
  • Williams can play with Pinson.

Gonzaga has plenty of talent to win this one. I like Few's ability to play to match-ups, way moreso than Roy Williams.

UNC is favored by 1.5. I'll take the Zags in this match-up (as will my bracket).

I'd give the edge to Gonzaga in at least one of those matchups. Karnowski and Collins I think have an edge over Meeks and Hicks. Hicks will be in foul trouble almost immediately, guaranteed
 

orientalnc

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I think last night's game was the worst I have seen UNC play in months. In the Duke games they lost, it was Duke's play that made the difference. Last night UNC just seemed out of sorts. They really need Berry to recover from his ankle injury and playing 35 minutes last night certainly will not help. When he has a 5-9 stat at the FT line, you know something is hurting. Hicks, Pinson, Berry and Maye combined to hit 5-37 shots last night.
 

CuseJacket

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I'd give the edge to Gonzaga in at least one of those matchups. Karnowski and Collins I think have an edge over Meeks and Hicks. Hicks will be in foul trouble almost immediately, guaranteed
I think you can make the case there and at every position other than SG.

Williams-Goss was a 4* recruit. He's got size and can get in the lane. How does Berry guard him? And then Perkins can score. For UNC, Britt is a classic back-up PG. He had a good spurt last night, otherwise you just try to keep him out of transition.

Pinson is an athlete. So is the 'Zags Williams. And I think Williams has an inch or two on him and is craftier around the bucket.

Should be a good game. Kind of reminds me of the UNC hype vs. the 'Nova better team/better coach last year. I think the spread is similar too.
 

orientalnc

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Yea, watching both teams I don't see a big-time talent edge to UNC
  • Only at SG is it clear to UNC. Edge goes to Jackson, but the Zags' Matthews is still a good player.
  • Karnowski and Collins can play with Meeks and Hicks.
  • Williams-Goss and Perkins can play with Berry and Britt.
  • Williams can play with Pinson.

Gonzaga has plenty of talent to win this one. I like Few's ability to play to match-ups, way moreso than Roy Williams.

UNC is favored by 1.5. I'll take the Zags in this match-up (as will my bracket).
The problem I have with your comment is that Berry and Britt aren't usually on the floor at the same time. Berry, Jackson, and Pinson are their normal guys playing 1-2-3. The bring Britt and Maye off the bench to spell Berry and Pinson. Last night was the first time in a while I have seen Britt and Berry on the court so much together. I think it was because Hicks was playing so poorly that Williams decided to go small and moved Pinson to the 4.

I wonder if Hicks gets his hand on Meeks' second miss with 5 seconds left. Pison is so quick that he was able to get his finger tips on the ball.
 

CuseJacket

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The problem I have with your comment is that Berry and Britt aren't usually on the floor at the same time. Pinson, Berry, and Jackson are their normal guys playing 1-2-3. The bring Britt and Maye off the bench to spell Berry and Pinson. Last night was the first time in a while I have seen Britt and Berry on the court so much together. I think it was because Hicks was playing so poorly that Williams decided to go small and moved Pinson to the 4.

I wonder if Hicks gets his hand on Meels' second miss with 5 seconds left. Pison is so quick that he was able to get his finger tips on the ball.
I'm with you on that. I had just already separated Jackson into a comparison with Matthews. My point was meant to be that the next 2 guards for Gonzaga are as good as the next 2 for UNC, imo. If Jackson is on the floor, he's the best scorer in the game.
 

orientalnc

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I'm with you on that. I had just already separated Jackson into a comparison with Matthews. My point was meant to be that the next 2 guards for Gonzaga are as good as the next 2 for UNC, imo. If Jackson is on the floor, he's the best scorer in the game.
I agree with you that Williams-Goss is a match-up problem for Berry, but Pinson is for whomever the Zags put on him.

To me, Hicks has to play a much more effective game or the Heels will get killed inside.
 

CuseJacket

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I agree with you that Williams-Goss is a match-up problem for Berry, but Pinson is for whomever the Zags put on him.

To me, Hicks has to play a much more effective game or the Heels will get killed inside.
I'm not big on Pinson and really don't see him as a factor in "match-up problems", other than being a great athlete and scrappy. I had to look up his stats... 6.1 ppg this year. Johnathan Williams for the Zags is the Pinson offset... a little taller at 6'9", not as quick, putting up 10 ppg. Not sure that they'll match up against each other, but it feels like they fill similar roles.
 

orientalnc

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I have lived in NC almost 20 years and have never pulled for any of the NC teams. But, I am an ACC fan and want ACC teams to thrive when not playing us. Except for Duke.

Aside: I was at the SailPack Interconference regatta dinner and concert last night here in Oriental. The Zag-USCe game was on TV at the time. The USC sailors were huddled over in a corner watching the game on a laptop. Sailors from the other 17 teams were all around talking and waiting for the music to start. When the emcee started introducing the teams, the Ga Tech team was cheered (they were in 7th place out of 18 teams). The UNC team was introduced to mild cheers in spite of the overwhelmingly NC State flavor to the crowd. But the the introduction of the Duke team was met with loud boos!

It was an honor to have the GT team staying at my home this weekend. Four really nice kids.
 

awbuzz

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I have lived in NC almost 20 years and have never pulled for any of the NC teams. But, I am an ACC fan and want ACC teams to thrive when not playing us. Except for Duke.

Aside: I was at the SailPack Interconference regatta dinner and concert last night here in Oriental. The Zag-USCe game was on TV at the time. The USC sailors were huddled over in a corner watching the game on a laptop. Sailors from the other 17 teams were all around talking and waiting for the music to start. When the emcee started introducing the teams, the Ga Tech team was cheered (they were in 7th place out of 18 teams). The UNC team was introduced to mild cheers in spite of the overwhelmingly NC State flavor to the crowd. But the the introduction of the Duke team was met with loud boos!

It was an honor to have the GT team staying at my home this weekend. Four really nice kids.
[emoji106]way cool [emoji41]

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

mstranahan

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Still makes me SMH that people will cheer for a "school" that takes taxpayer money and commits the biggest academic fraud in NCAA history..... then turn around a boo a school that has had no hint of scandal since they took David Thompson to dinner in 1970
 

Texwood

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This is an interesting take. Most people who follow the NBA draft only project one UNC player as a first rounder, Justin Jackson, and he is a junior who improved greatly while playing in college. The most likely one and done in the game is Zach Collins for Gonzaga.

Both teams have a lot of borderline NBA players, which translates to really good college players. UNC hasn't been able to get the true top talent with the possible probation hanging around the last few years.

It's not the first time I've had an interesting take - and I could be dead wrong, but I see Meeks, Bradley, Berry and (obviously) Jackson making rosters. The only guy I see on the Zags playing in the league is Collins, and he would be a major project if drafted this spring. Roy isn't getting the one-and-done's, but he's got a stable of NBA-ready talent on this roster.
 

YlJacket

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It's not the first time I've had an interesting take - and I could be dead wrong, but I see Meeks, Bradley, Berry and (obviously) Jackson making rosters. The only guy I see on the Zags playing in the league is Collins, and he would be a major project if drafted this spring. Roy isn't getting the one-and-done's, but he's got a stable of NBA-ready talent on this roster.

Bradley has a shot. Meeks and berry not so much

As for Collins most freeman bigs are projects. He has the frame and motor to be really good
 

CuseJacket

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15 min left. Too many players trying to do too much. If either team just settles down and plays like they have all year, they'll win.
 
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