Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Teams on the rise

Clemson (10-0)
-While they don’t have any truly outstanding victories to show off they are a perfect 10-0 to start the year and did win on the road in a rivaly game over South Carolina 74 to 53 as well as knocking off Mississippi State 69 to 66 and Old Dominion 74 to 70.
The Tigers have gotten improved player from James Mays on the interior as the younster is playing great defense on the interior and producing around 12 points and 8 boards a game.  They also have a trio of guards in their back court that give them experience, depth, athleticism and quickness in Vernon Hamilton, Cliff Hammonds and K.C. Rivers.  All three average in doubles figures in points.
It’s an athletic and deep team that goes a solid nine deep in their rotation.  They play hard noised defense and really get after you with the basketball.  Offensively, they thrive off of dribble penetration from their guards and second chance points off the glass. 
This isn’t the most skilled team in the country and some of their games tend to get sloppy but one thing is for sure…they’ve improved from last year and are a bonafide NCAA Tournament caliber team.

Purdue (8-1)
-The Boilermakers sure have been awful the last couple of years, however, that’s not the case this year and a lot of that can be credited to their head coach Matt Painter.  Purdue’s only loss of the year came at the hands of Georgia Tech but they’ve also been able to reel off four quailty victories over the likes of Oklahoma, Virginia, Loyola(Chi) and Missouri.  None of those wins are of the shocking nature but they’re still wins that may help this team punch it’s tournament ticket come March.
What this team has is one of the best interior players in the country in Carl Landry.  He’s literally a one man wrecking ball who’s averaging over 20 points and 8 rebounds a game this year.  He’s the most reliable post scorer in the Big Ten and has really opened up the perimeter for players such as Chris Kramer, David Teague, Chris Lutz, Tarrance Crump, Keaton Grant and Marcus Green.  And that’s key because none of those players outside of may be Teague are good enough with the ball to consistently create their own shot. 
Lastly, what Matt Painter has brought to Purdue is the same tough defense that he taught at Southern Illinois.  Not only is Purdue stout in the half court setting holding opponents to low field goal percentages but they’re also pressuring the basketball and forcing turnovers in route to easy buckets at the other end of the court.

Missouri (9-1)
-Missouri rolled off it’s first nine wins of the season before falling to a new and improved Purdue Boilermakers team mentioned above.  For the most part Mizzou has stock piled it’s win column by beating up on lesser opponents but that’s still an improvement from last year when Mizzou was the lesser opponent that other teams were beating up on.  They do have one impressive victory though and that was a 22 point drubbing over the Great Alaskian Shootout Champion, Arkansas.
New Head Coach Mike Anderson has installed toughness, pressure defense and a high energy, up tempo style of play to Missouri this season.  The Tigers are getting out and running and scoring through pressure defense.  This style of play will certainly bring attention to recruits that want to play at this type of pace in a conference like the Big 12.
Missouri might also have the newcomer of the year in the Big 12 in junior college transfer Stepfon Hannah.  The combo guard is a gifted passer and ball handler with solid scoring abilities as well.  Not to mention they’ve recieved improved play from Matt Lawrence on the wing.  The sophomore wing played seven minutes a game last year but is shooting nearly 50% from behind the arc this year and is putting up 12.4 points per game.
This is not the most talented team by any means and they’ll certainly struggle against teams that can handle their pressure defense as well as beat them to death on the boards but it’s been an exciting and certainly entertaining start to the season for Missouri fans.  This team is probably not a tournament caliber team or at least not, yet, but at the same time they’re certaintly not a team that anyone is going to be excited about having to play this year.

Notre Dame (7-1)
-If you were a ND fan last year you deserve a hug and a couple hours of free counseling.   ND lost more close games than any team I can think of in recent memory.  It truly was one of the more unfortunate and unlucky teams in college basketball history.  Thankfully, the 2007 season has started off much much better with victories over at the time #5 Alabama and on the road against #19 Maryland.
This ND team is winning with crisp and well executed offense.  There hasn’t been a more enjoyable team to watch play this year from an offensive stand point than that of Notre Dame.  They have four players that can step outside and shoot from long range in Colin Falls, Russell Carter, Rob Kurz and Kyle McAlarney.  They also have smooth operating and intelligent lead guards with McAlareny and freshman Tory Jackson, a solid interior operator in freshman Luke Harangody and skilled post players such as Rob Kurz and Luke Zeller.  Outside of Carter it’s not the most athletic team in the world and at times they do look vulnerable on defense.

Providence (7-2)
-The Friars got off to a slow start with the injury to returning leading scorer, Randall Hanke as well as a loss Brown.  Things were not looking good but then Providence starting clicking offensively and players such as Herbert Hill, Geoff McDermott, Weyinmi Efejuka and Sharaud Curry started playing together.  The wins started coming and before you knew it Providence had beaten Boston College and George Washington.
Offensively, this team is playing very good basketball right now and have seen significant improvement from players such as center Herbert Hill and point gaurd Sharaud Curry, both of whom are averaging around 16 points a game this season.  They also have one of the best kept secrets in the country in Geoff Mcdermott  at smallf forward who is averaging 11 points, 5 boards and 3 assists a game.
Providence could emerge as a power in what appears to be a down year for the Big East.  They’ll need to tighten up their ball handling though and limit their turnovers which are beyond excessive right now.  Keep an eye out though for the Friars this year because they have a team that is capable of making some noise.

Oregon (8-0)
-Will the Oregon Ducks finally play up to their potential this season?  Who knows but it’s looking good right now.  Their win away from home against Georgetown is their most impressive win to date, however, their win against Nebraska could prove to be helpful as well come March.  Needless to say though they’re 8-0 and they’re winning games that they’re suppose to win and that’s not something that you used to be able to say about this team.
Why the improvement this year?  They’re playing at a faster tempo and using their athleticism and depth in the back court to generate offense.  The last couple of years Oregon has tried to slow games down and win in the half court setting.  That wasn’t working.  This year Oregon is getting out and running a little more and they’ve done it for most of the season without their best all around player in Malik Hairston.
They’re getting excellent play from 5′7 freshman guard Tajuan Porter who is currently averaging 20.1 points per game.  Jet quick senior point gaurd Aaron Brooks is also flourising in the uptempo style and is finally living up to his hype coming out of high school.

Washington State (9-1)
-Don’t look now but Wazzu is 9-1 and has already knocked off in state rival Gonzaga 77 to 67.  They’ve also beaten decent teams in UAB and Boise State.  This isn’t a team that will knock your socks off in the talent department but they are an experienced team that is dominated by upperclassmen.
Junior guard Derrick Low has stepped up as the teams go to scorer at 16 points per game.  They’ve also received steady and consistent play all year out of Kyle Weaver, Ivory Clark, Robbie Cowgill, Marc Hobson and Daven Harmeling.  They do a good job of taking care of the basketball and are loaded with deadly perimeter shooters on the perimeter.

Georgia (6-1)
-It may be too early to tell whether or not the Bulldogs are for feel since they really only have one notable victory over Wake Forest but it’s all about the way this team is playing that is getting my attention.  Head Coach Dennis Felton realizes that his team is a guard dominated team and he’s playing to that strength this year.  Sophomore guard Mike Mercer has stepped as a possible breakout star this year averaging 17 points, 4 boards and 4 assists a game while Junior College All-American Takais Brown has given them a reliable post presence on the interior at nearly 17 points a game as well.
If Georgia can continue to rebound the basketball as well as they have this year they’ll have a very good shot at finishing in the upper half of the SEC which would surprise a lot of people out there.  Their guards are good enough to compete against any team in the SEC but if they’re interior players start to struggle once conference play rolls around this team will likely have to settle for an NIT birth.

Posted by hater in 15:37:24 | Permalink | Comments (2)

The most improved players of 2007

Lewis Clinch- Georgia Tech, SG-Sophomore
-The 6′3 shooting guard has really blossomed as Georgia Tech’s new starting shooting guard this year.  As a freshman he sveraged around 9 points a game but was hampered by injuries and was used mostly as a spark plug off the bench to relieve Georgia Tech’s leading scorer Anthony Morrow.  When Morrow went down with an injury in the offseason it paved the way for Clinch to step into a starting role and show off his scoring abilities.  He’s done just that so far and hasn’t looked back ever since.  He’s leading Georgia Tech in scoring at 17.4 points per game while shooting a blistering 57% from the field and 51% from behind the 3pt line.

Kyle Visser- Wake Forest, C-Senior
-Visser spent his first three years riding a lot of pine for Wake Forest while being considered an underachieving 6′11 center with fading potential.  His senior year has been a completely different story though.  Head coach Skip Prosser has made Visser the focal point of the offense and Visser has delivered averaging 19.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting a league best 71% from the floor.  It will be interesting to see if Visser can continue to post these types of numbers once ACC play roles around though. 

Drew Neitzel- Michigan State, PG-Junior
-Michigan State lost their three leading scorers from last year that combined to net 71% of the Spartans offense last year.  Heading into the 2007 season, it was clear that Neitzel had to pick up his play and become more than a setup point guard in order for Michigan State to succeed this year and he’s done just that.  Neitzel is currently leading Michigan State in scoring at 17.4 points per game while still dishing out 4.7 assists per game.  In order for Michigan State to reach the NCAA Tournament they will need Neitzel to continue to be a consistent scoring threat and playmaker. 

Derek Raivio(SG-Senior)/Josh Heytvelt(C-Sophomore)- Gonzaga
-The losses of leading scorers Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista meant that Gonzaga needed someone to step up this year.  What they got were two players to step and in big ways.  Raivio has been a starter the last two years for Gonzaga but slipped and underachieved as a junior last year.  This year though he’s become the teams go to and leading scorer at 20.4 points per game.  The move from point gaurd to shooting guard has made him one of the most feared and deadly outside shooters in the country.
Heytvelt on the other hand was a rather sparingly used post player last year but the loss of graduating senior, J.P. Batista in the post gave Heytvelt a chance to start on the interior and show the Spokane faithful how much he had improved.  He’s currently averaging 17 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55% from the floor.  It was his game against North Carolina that was most impressive though.  He thoroughly out played his All-American counterpart, Tyler Hansbrough for much of the game

A.J. Abrams- Texas, SG-Sophomore
-Texas lost all five starters from last year and were left with only one returning player that saw significant minutes last year.  That player was the 5′10 155lb A.J. Abrams and while Texas was set to bring in their most highly regarded recruiting class of all time it was obvious that they needed a big year out of Abrams.  Thus far he’s quickly asserted himself as the teams top outside shooting threat as he’s averaged over four made three pointers a game while putting up 17.9 points per contest.  Abrams ability to stretch the defense with his shooting as well as handle the basketball are going to be very key towards the success of Texas basketball this year.

Gavin Grant(SG-Junior)/Brandon Costner(PF-Sophomore)/Ben McCauley(PF-Sophomore)- North Carolina State
-Welcome to the most improved trio in the country.  North Carolina State lost four starters from last years squad as well as their head coach and entered the 2007 season with only seven scholarship players.  Fortunetly, three of those players have improved drastically from last year and are all playing All-ACC basketball right now.
We’ll start with Gavin Grant who last year came off the bench and gave NCST inconsistent but good all around play.  This year though he’s had to step up as the teams do it all player.  Grant can score(16.8ppg), rebound(5.3) and pass(4.9).  He’s developing himself into one of the best all around players in the ACC and has reminded a lot of folks of Julius Hodge while he was at NCST.
Coster came into NCST last year as a raw but very hyped freshman forward.  He wasn’t able to crack into the rotation though and played only 13 minutes a game.  This year though he was more or less throw to the wolves as the teams starting power forward and has been able to show off his much hyped and improved abilities this year.  He’s currently averaging 15.8 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game as well as the versatility to score inside and outside offensively.
McCauley did not have quite the hype that the highly athletic Costner had heading into his freshman season last year and as expected played very little as a freshman.  However, this year, he too was thrown into the starting lineup from day one and has surprised many doubters.  McCauley has good size at 6′10 but he has more of a skilled game than that of a power game.  He’s a very crisp passer and he’s shown so by averaging over three assists a game.  He’s also averaging over five boards and 14 points a game.

Rob Kurz- Notre Dame, PF-Junior
-If you’ve never heard of Rub Kurz before then you’re probably like most people.  The 6′9 combo forward has come out of relative obscurity to help revamp Notre Dame this season with wins over Maryland and Alabama.  Kurz is not the most athletic player in the country but he is a very skilled player with range on his jumpshot, a solid handle and a very good feel the game.  Kurz is currently averaging 15.3 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game.  Very solid all around numbers for a player who was nothing more than a role player coming off the bench last season.

Herbert Hill- Providence, C-Senior
-Last season Herbert Hill was considered sort of a surprise player while playing alongside Randall Hanke in the post last year.  He averaged a modest nine points per game last year but with the injury of Randall Hanke, Herbert Hill has stepped up as one of the most improved players in the country this year for the Friars.  He’s second on the team in scoring at 16.1 per game, averages 7.3 rebounds per game and three blocks per game.  Hill has always shown the ability to score, rebound and defend at a high level but was just never consistent enough to warrant the attention or minutes at Providence.  This year though he’s being relied on to anchor Providence offensively and defensively.

Darren Collison- UCLA, PG-Sophomore
-UCLA’s epic run to the National Title game last year was led by the clutch play of point guard Jordan Farmar and when Farmar elected to turn pro after his sophomore season that meant that back-up point guard Darren Collison was going to have some major shoes to replace in 2007.  How’s he done thus far?  He’s done so well that he’s led some UCLA fans to ask, “Who’s Jordan Farmar?”  Collison may just be the quickest player in the country but he’s also a very pure point guard who knows how to control his quickness while not playing out of control.  The sophomore has raised his game this year and is averaging 12.8 points per game, 6.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game.  UCLA might be ranked #1 in the country right now but they’ll only go as far in March as Darren Collison takes them.

Mike Mercer-Georgia, SG-Sophomore
-Not that Mike Mercer wasn’t a key player for the Bulldogs last year but he’s stepped up this year as the teams best defender, scorer, passer and has become by far their best all around player.  Georgia has a very deep back court and that hurt Mercer last year because he was fighting for minutes as a newcomer and was used as a back up for most of the season.  However, it was evident heading into the 2007 season that he was Georgia’s best all aroung player and deserved a starting role.  He hasn’t let Bulldog fans down one bit either as he’s leading the team in scoring(17.6), is second in assists(4.1) and 2nd in steals(2.9) while shooting nearly 50% from the floor.

Other Players worhty of notice
-James Mays(Clemson), Warren Carter(Illinois), Matt Lawrence(Missouri), Chris Douglas-Roberts(Memphis), Joe Alexander(West Virginia), Lawrence Hill(Stanford), Chris Low(Washington State), Randolph Morris(Kentucky) and Alonzo Gee(Alabama)

Posted by hater in 06:12:32 | Permalink | Comments (2)