by Jameson Fleming… Simply, this North Carolina team is great.
The Tar Heels finished one of the most dominant NCAA Tournament runs of the modern era with a whipping of Michigan State team that had won every NCAA Tournament game by at least nine points.
Roy Williams’ squad backed up the pollsters’ decision to unanimously vote them the top team in the preseason. It’s a squad that everyone knew was the best team entering the season with talent bursting at every seam of their iconic baby blue jersey.
No team possessed the kind of talent the Tar Heels could put on the floor. At least five future NBA players graced the floor of Ford Field in a quest for this group of player’s first championship.
How does a team stop a four-time All-American, the country’s Bob Cousy Award Winner, two lethal shooters, and an array of deadly post-players? The answer is you don’t.
When things mattered, the Tar Heels always pushed forward, established their game and laid a punishment on the puny opponents that stood in their way.
It’s fitting that when UNC established its game, the Heels did it not only with offense, but equally decimated opponents with a man-to-man defense. Everyone knew of the juggernaut Tar Heel scoring attack, an attack that featured four players that ranked in the top 50 in the country in offensive efficiency.
But it was the defense that most pundits kept questioning. A defense that supposedly would keep this team from winning a national title.
But it’s a defense that all year long ranked in the top 20 in the country. It’s a defense that features tremendous athleticism and size. It’s a defense that stepped up on the national stage and held four very good offenses—Gonzaga, Oklahoma, Villanova, and Michigan State—to one of their worst games all season.
The defense has allowed the Tar Heels to leave a legacy that will be remembered in a positive light. It’s a legacy that extends past the Class of 2009 that features Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, and the pesky Bobby Frasor.
Two more core players of the Class of 2010, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington are likely leaving to play professional ball while freshman Ed Davis has showed against college basketball’s elite he could have started almost anywhere in the country—and dominated.
This class of players entered with such high expectations as they rode the coattails of Roy Williams’ first title team in Chapel Hill.
The 2005 team laid the foundations for what could have been one of college basketball’s greatest dynasties. But the Tar Heels floundered in the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, only to finally cash in on the talent gap between themselves and the rest of the country.
And as that class and likely also Lawson, Ellington, and maybe Davis, they, like the title team before them, leave a coattail for Roy Williams’ next great recruiting class to ride.
Incoming five-star recruits John Henson and Dexter Strickland will try to fill the shoes of Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson. Leslie McDonald will help Carolina fans get over the likely loss of Wayne Ellington.
Incoming power forwards and twins, David and Travis Wear will give UNC the Stanford effect in the frontcourt. As those two could someday become as dominant as Cardinal twins, Brook and Robin Lopez once were.
But back to the present day, UNC also paved the way for the future of college basketball. The Tar Heels won a championship with not only pure talent, but the experience rivaled by few teams.
Six of the top seven players in Carolina’s rotation were in the midst of at least their third year in Chapel Hill. For four of those players, they could have been gone to the NBA well before their ‘09 title campaign. Tyler Hansbrough could have left after his freshman year to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft.
But he stayed.
And stayed again.
And stayed one more year.
For the other three of UNC’s stars, last season could have been their last in the Tar Heel State (unless they received the unfortunate honor of being drafted by the Bobcats).
Danny Green, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington all declared for the NBA draft, but made a pact similar to the ‘06 Florida Gators to all return to school in order to improve their draft stocks, but more importantly win the national title that they didn’t want to be remembered as the group of Carolina players that couldn’t win the championship that mattered.
If the ‘06 Gators and ‘09 Tar Heels are trailblazers in a new era of college basketball, then North Carolina’s subsequent blowout in this year’s title game may be good for the game as a whole.
If the Heels’ performance keeps one group of players in school an extra year, it has done the sport good. Just think what college basketball could look like next if say Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins stuck around in Kansas, or Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, and Paul Harris stayed at Syracuse or finally Hasheem Thabeet and Stanley Robinson finished their Connecticut careers?
If any of that happens, it is pretty safe to say: Roy Williams’ 2009 Tar Heels changed the brand of college basketball.
Has a college player been subject to more criticism and pure hatred in the last few years than Eric Devendorf?
The perfect storm of villainous characteristics have culminated to paint a putrid picture of displeasure and disapproval. Devendorf’s status as “America’s Top Villain” has drawn every media outlet’s attention. If a website provides any kind of college basketball coverage, then they’ve provided an article about the ” villain” Eric Devendorf is.
According to these article’s datelines, all of the writers for the following websites sent a journalist to Miami to cover the Miami Regional: Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, and CBS. That’s pretty much the mecca of online sports coverage. They sent someone to cover that regional and the Syracuse related story they all wrote about is the vilification of Eric Devendorf.
In their defense, they all essentially put a positive spin on the article, and none went the length of really criticizing Devendorf. But all their story lines did revolve around Devendorf being the player everyone loves to hate. A Syracuse sports blog, Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician, aptly puts the recent increase of anti-Devendorf talk by entitling a post, “Hating Eric Devendorf Officially Recognized as a Sport.”
I guess we’ve gotten to the age of sports coverage where we don’t want to read about the game or about the great, uplifting stories.
Apparently we want to know what kind of asshole Eric Devendorf supposedly is instead of wanting to know about the incredible turnaround Syracuse has experience over the last month.
Apparently we want to know about how Eric Devendorf’s tattoos make him a punk instead of how Eric Devendorf’s leadership on the court make him the best teammate Syracuse legend Gerry McNamara says he ever played with (according to a Pat Forde article).
Yes, most athletes will defend a former teammate. But there is defending a teammate and saying something nice about the guy and then there is calling him the best teammate you’ve ever played with.
McNamara was always known as one of the most well-respected, fiery individual known for his clutch performances.
Devendorf’s opponents know his game and certainly respects what he does. Opponents know Devendorf has a penchant for hitting the big shot and letting the opponent know what he just did.
Ironically, Forde says McNamara is “the guy who shows up in Madison Square Garden to watch his old team in an argyle sweater.”
The Syracuse blogosphere knows Devendorf is that same kind of guy after what Syracuse sports blog, “Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician” deemed Argyle-Gate. Devendorf never showed up in a flashy suit that you wonder how a college kid can afford. But he never stopped showing support for his teammates.
Last season, when Devendorf tore his ACL and sat out the last two-thirds of the season, he cheered for his teammates more than the Syracuse cheerleaders. He showed the kind of passion from the pine as he does after putting home a layup from the paint.
Devendorf doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Several of the articles linked above begin to touch on the fact that Devendorf is a very proud father. Ryan Miller of The Orange Segment documented Devendorf’s life after the birth of his now nine month old daughter, Madelyn.
Nobody mentions the fact that Devendorf is a good student. The senior (in terms of academics) was named a “Scholar Athlete of the Week” last year. Rarely does a Syracuse scholarship basketball player receive that award, but Devendorf attained the level of academics needed to garner recognition.
Devendorf after all is just an amateur athlete. He’s just a student. He’s just a father.
The amount of hate directed to one man who is just an amateur athlete, a student, and a father is incredible, unjust, and unfair.
He’s targeted because of his fire on the court. “E” as his teammates called him, usually directs most of his passion at his teammates and fans. Sometimes he’ll jaw at an opposing player (see Jeremy Hazell and Louisville’s guards), but anyone who watches this team knows his emotion is usually headed for his teammates, not the opponents.
Then there’s the jumping on the scorer’s table after he hit what almost was the buzzer-beater three. Some accounts have him screaming “f-bombs” when he jumped onto the scorer’s table which is a bit excessive and the wrong word choice. But most people who criticize him for that action don’t make any mention of what he says, but rather the action of jumping on the scorer’s table.
How often do players stand on the scorer’s table in celebration? The answer is all the time. It will probably happen in this NCAA Tournament at some point. Two years ago on Syracuse’s senior day, Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins stood proudly on the scorer’s table after beating a ranked Georgetown team.
Nobody criticized them.
People don’t realize Devendorf thought he had hit the biggest, most important shot of his entire career in the world’s greatest arena in the nation’s top conference tournament. If a player isn’t allowed to go nuts over that, what is he allowed to go nuts over?
Then there’s the off the court incident. Devendorf did get into altercation with a woman. But the story got way out of hand. Even the women’s lawyer later said that the police got the story wrong and that Devendorf never hit the woman.Yet everyone calls him a “women beater.” Georgetown’s student section even went as far as singing “Hey Devo, won’t you hit my girl” instead of “Hey baby, won’t you be my girl.”
He missed one of the biggest games of his collegiate career up to that point (at Memphis) to do the time for his crime. The kid spent his Christmas break at a kitchen for the needy so he could get back on the court ASAP.
He’s done some wrongs off the court in the past which can’t go unmentioned, but those wrong-doings shouldn’t make him the country’s “most hated player.”
Finally there is one last point that supersedes Devendorf’s situation and that’s the issue of race.
Devendorf gets singled out the most because he is white. It is as simple as that. A writer for Slate began labeling players as “annoying white guys.” Devendorf made his list as a freshman three years ago and would become America’s Most Annoying White Guy someday.
To single a player out as annoying not only because of his style of play, but his skin color is as racist it comes in my book. Levance Fields does everything an “annoying white guy” does, but he’s not white. I’ve never seen him called annoying and certainly never seen him labeled “an annoying black guy.” If I did, I’d know that writer probably be joining many Americans in the unemployed line.
Devendorf also take a lot of heat for his tattoos. According to many, they automatically make him a punk. Most don’t realize the majority of those tattoos are dedicated to loved ones. Across Devendorf’s neck, he has the birth date and name of his only daughter. Across his arm, he’s got multiple crosses.
But those tattoos make him a punk especially because they are white and stand out on his skin. It’s not like Devendorf has a spider web tattooed up his neck or labels himself as the “Chosen 1″ like LeBron James does.
Louisville’s Terrence Williams is covered in tattoos as well, but the Cardinals’ forward is “an excellent personality.” I’ve never seen Williams labeled a punk. In fact if you google “Eric Devendorf + punk” the first link says that will yield over 1,000 related links. For Terrence Williams, you get about two vague references to him being a punk.
But Devendorf has the tattoos like Williams. Devendorf plays with fire like Williams (who shows lots of emotion sometimes directed at his teammates, sometimes at his opponents). But one is a punk, the other a great personality.
If Devendorf’s actions make him a punk, then Williams must be a punk. If Williams’ actions make him a great personality, then Devo can’t be a punk. There’s no both ways.
But Devendorf knows it doesn’t go both way. He knows the fans will hate him for things he didn’t do. They’ll hate him for the clutch shots he makes. They’ll probably hate him if he clips his finger nails too short.
But for Devendorf, that hate inspires him to be a better basketball player, but most importantly, prove to his haters that he’s a better person and father.
Why the Cardinals will win: These two teams met already this season and Louisville won the first matchup by almost 40 points. The Cardinals are the hottest team in the nation, winning the regular season title and the country’s toughest conference tournament, the Big East Championship.
Why the Eagles will win: Morehead State has four players that average double-digit points, which could give Louisville problems trying to stop all of them. That’s really the only logical reason the Eagles could win this game.
Who will win: Louisville. Obviously. The Cardinals’ second-stringers could beat the Eagles with the kind of pressure they can crank up.
(8) Ohio State vs. (9) Siena
Why the Buckeyes will win: Ohio State is playing some of its best basketball of the season after reaching the Big Ten Championship game, knocking off Wisconsin and Michigan State along the way.
The Buckeyes aren’t going to push the ball up and down the court, but with the half-court offense, Thad Matta’s club is deadly. Ohio State ranks 26th in the country in offensive efficiency. That’s going to allow the Buckeyes to score at will against Siena’s porous defense.
Ohio State also won’t be afraid to fall into Siena’s up-tempo style. Some of the Buckeyes’ most efficient offensive games came in their fastest paced games this year.
Thad Matta has three solid scorers in Evan Turner—who quickly has become one of the best players in the conference—Jon Diebler, and William Buford.
The majority of the games the Buckeyes lost this year were against stout defensive teams, not in games against great offensive teams. That’s exactly what Siena is—a bad defensive team, but a great offensive team. Siena provides for a great matchup for Ohio State.
Why the Saints will win: Siena has incredible scoring depth, with six different players tallying at least eight points per game, including three scoring more than 13 per contest. Ohio State isn’t a very good defensive team also. The Buckeyes’ zone defense hasn’t progressed enough to prevent teams from getting wide open three-pointers.
Teams shoot 35.2 percent from three against Ohio State and score over 40 percent over their points from beyond the arc—two extremely high ratios. Siena isn’t about to light it up from long range, but Siena does have a few strong shooters that could knock down an extra long bomb or two if they get the open looks.
Siena will try to get to the hoops as often as possible and get easy baskets in transition. They are one of the most productive teams from two-point range. If the Saints find holes in the zone, they’ve got the kind of players that can drop mid-range jumpers.
Ohio State has had success in its most up-tempo games, but if Siena runs as much as they can, Ohio State will be forced to play the fastest it has all year. This could take the Buckeyes out of their comfort zone.
Who will win: Ohio State. Siena couldn’t beat anyone of note during its tough non-conference schedule. The Saints feasted on less athletic, less talented teams in the MAAC. If the Buckeyes keep this game from turning into a track meet, they will dominate Siena in a halfcourt game.
Miami, Florida
(5) Utah vs. (12) Arizona
Why the Utes will win: Get to know Luke Nevil. It’s 7′2”, Australian, and should be known as Andrew Bogut Jr. Despite the fact that Utah doesn’t like to run up and down the court, the Utes still boast four players in double-digits. Utah will not have trouble scoring against Arizona’s matchup zone. The Utes are a very talented team in the paint and beyond the arc.
‘Zona’s defense has statistically been awful despite the problems a zone can create.
What will win this game for Utah more than its offense will be suffocating Arizona in the halfcourt. Arizona hasn’t seen too many teams that are as good defensively as Utah. The Utes are the best defensive rebounding team in the country and will clog the paint, forcing teams into becoming jump-shooting teams.
Arizona also only plays six players, which can cause issues of wear and tear.
Why the Wildcats will win: Becoming a jump-shooting team is what ‘Zona can do best. The ‘Cats get a high percentage of their points from three-point range to begin with, so if Utah gives them that shot, it could be a long night for the Utes.
Arizona has multiple players that can absolutely go off from long range, so Lute Olson’s former team won’t have any qualms with launching long bombs.
Arizona shouldn’t be too worried about its depth because even though they only play six players, the ‘Cats play a zone defense that allows them to conserve energy. This is also an Arizona team that isn’t going to push the tempo like many of the great Wildcat teams of the past.
Arizona’s matchup zone can also cause problems if Utah doesn’t adjust to the ever-changing gaps of the zone. Finding those gaps is key to developing an offensive rhythm. The zone has caused a few teams to have some of their worst offensive games of the season.
Arizona has three outstanding scorers in Chase Budinger, Nic Wise, and Jordan Hill. All three score at least 15 points per game.
Who will win: It’s very, very tempting to pick this upset because of the incredible talent of Budinger, Wise, and Hill. But Arizona has too often than naught been absolutely awful defensively. The odds are Arizona is bad defensively again and Utah wins the game.
(4) Wake Forest vs. (13) Cleveland State
Why the Demon Deacons will win: Wake Forest has three future NBA stars in Al-Farouq Aminu, Jeff Teague, and James Johnson. Typically, teams with the most future NBA talent do the best in the NCAA Tournament. Teague is one of the best scoring floor generals in the country. He’s shown a penchant for scoring 30 plus points on any given night.
Johnson is a good rebounder with a great scoring touch as well. When the Wake Forest inside-outside combo gets going, the Deacons are almost impossible to beat.
Wake Forest has had no trouble this year forcing teams to speed up the tempo play to the Deacons’ liking. Cleveland State will try to make it a halfcourt game, but that won’t hold up when Wake tries to score every possession within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock.
Why the Vikings will win: Cleveland State is one of few mid-majors that are as long and athletic as major-conference programs. They are a very scrappy bunch that can slow down even the most explosive offensive teams. The Vikings slowed the Syracuse attack to a halt and made scoring impossible for West Virginia.
They might not be able to slow things down much, but there’s a good chance the Vikings will be able to force Wake Forest to grind things out during enough possessions to prevent the pace of the game from getting completely out of hand.
Wake Forest has struggled holding onto the ball, while Cleveland State is extremely strong at forcing turnovers. CSU must make WF get careless if it wants to have a chance.
Who will win: Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons may be a young team, but few teams with this much NBA talent lose this early in the NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest was too good for too long this year to lose to a Cleveland State that can’t score.
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Simply, this North Carolina team is great.
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