I attended the first-ever Carrier Classic college basketball game between North Carolina and Friday night on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson, docked in Coronado, Calif.
For those wishing to read about some of the flavor of the event, click on this hyperlink and read the story I wrote for the Orange County Register Friday night:
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/first-326668-ago-ever.html
Now, on to my thoughts about the game
*Really getting a solid gauge on either the Tar Heels or Spartans, of course, isn’t possible after the opening game of the season.
We’ll know much more about Michigan State – and, in actuality, North Carolina – when we see how the Spartans compete against Duke Tuesday night in New York City.
*This is a much deeper UNC team than the one that Roy Williams put on the floor last season – mostly because of the presence of freshmen James Michael McAdoo and P.J. Hairston
Hairston played only eight minutes against the Spartans and hit his only shot attempt – a 3-pointer. His presence will lessen the summer loss one of the program’s best jump shooters (Leslie McDonald, to knee injury).
*The Tar Heels’ on-ball defensive pressure is much than it was throughout most of last season.
The added year of defensive maturation of returnees Kendall Marshall, Dexter Strickland and Harrison Barnes is a factor. So is the presence of junior John Henson, who swatted nine MSU shots Friday night and altered at least that many. Is there a better college shot blocker right now?
*Even with as gifted an offensive a scorer as is Barnes – a sophomore consensus preseason first-team All-America – the players Williams can least afford to have on the bench for large stretches of a game are Marshall and Henson.
There a dozens of playmakers with more artistic flair than the sophomore left hander possesses. But, in terms of decision making and delivering the ball when and where it needs to be, Marshall may not have more than a very few – as in two or three – equals this season.
If I have to explain why the Tar Heels will need Henson to be on the floor at least 30 or so minutes to beat any high-quality team, you didn’t watch the game Friday night.
*The Tar Heels got man-handled under the backboards, with the Spartans snatched 24 of their own missed shots. Their size in and around the lane (via Henson and 7-footer Tyler Zeller) kept Tom Izzo’s players from getting many clean follow opportunities, though.
I’m sure Williams will put a strong emphasis on establishing stronger bases while trying to box out.
*As for the Spartans, this appears to be another “typical” Izzo team in that it rebounds forcefully on both ends and doesn’t take possessions “off”, defensively.
*Sophomore Keith Appling has always been primarily a scorer. His transition to full-time playmaker will be a work in progress for a while.
*Branden Dawson will have as much immediate impact as any freshman has for Izzo in a while. He did a reasonably good job of defending Barnes (blocking two of his shots) while scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds
*Draymond Green’s shooting (six of 19) woes were largely due to Henson’s wingspan. But he impacts games in so many ways (he grabbed 18 rebounds). I’ll be surprised if he isn’t say, at least a third-team All-American in March.
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