Random College Basketball Thoughts

Being that I live in the heart of ACC country and the college hoops season is underway I have a few random thoughts rattling around as it pertains to the young season.  I have not had a chance to watch too many games but I have seen a few, most of which have been ACC contests involving either Duke or UNC.

North Carolina is probably going to lose a game or two it has no business losing this season, but, it will also win a game or two it probably should not win.  They just do not have the 3-point shooting or ball handling depth it had last season and that is going to come back to bite them at times this year.  Something tells me they are going to split their games with Kentucky and Texas.  Somehow, some way they will find a way to beat one of those two teams.

Someone will take a second round flyer on Deon Thompson simply because he is a UNC big man and he will promptly earn a spot at the end of some team’s bench.  I have never seen someone as talented as him make so many mind-numbingly bad plays.

I am a huge believer in Ed Davis’ talent, but, I think he is one of those guys who needs three years of college ball if he wants to succeed in the NBA.  He needs to get a little bigger and to work on his offense a bit more.  A lot of points seem to be garbage points and not as a result of him getting the ball in the post.

Larry Drew II seems to play a bit better every time I see him play.  He still makes some bad decisions and the key for his success will be limiting his turnovers.  One major improvement in his game has been his overall shot selection and his accuracy.  He is shooting .558 from the field thus far and has already made more 3-point field goals in 8 games this season than he did in 38 all of last season.

Duke’s Nolan Smith is one of the most improved players I have seen this year.  He is finally playing like the guy Coach K thought he was getting when he recruited him three years ago.

Andre Dawkins has been impressive for Duke thus far.  He shot Duke back into the game against Wisconsin with four big three-pointers in the second half.  He has hit on 55.6% of his three-point attempts and leads the Blue Devils with 20 triples in their first seven games.  After starting the year hitting 6 of his first 18 three-point field goal attempts Dawkins has hit on 14 of his last 18 attempts and is averaging 11 points in 19 minutes per game off the bench.  Not bad for a kid who was supposed to be playing his senior year of high school ball this winter.

I was impressed with what I saw out of Ohio State’s Evan Turner.  He has two triple-doubles and six double-doubles in his first seven games for the Buckeyes.  He is one of those guys who always seems to be around the ball and makes plays.  The biggest knocks on his game right now are his ball-handling, he is turning it over 4.4 times per game, and he is only a so-so 3-point shooter.  For him to excel at the next level the 6′ 7″ wing player is going to have to develop a consistent jumper.

Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson is another wing player who is raising some eyebrows around the country.  He can flat out shoot the ball and is a good shot blocker and rebounder for a guy his size.

After Clemson’s epic second half meltdown against Illinois the other night one has to wonder if Oliver Purnell’s seat is getting a little warm down in Death Valley.  Purnell needs to start showing he can win some games of significance.  After six years he may need to win a tournament game or two to save his job.  Early season losses to Texas A&M and Illinois is not a good way to start off the year.

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