I am still working on another post covering last night's games, which I plan on releasing later this afternoon before tonight's slate of games begin. Tomorrow I will have a player ratings post covering tonight's games, and Friday I will release a post covering any games I did not get to today or tomorrow. So, stay tuned because there is more excitement to come. Let me know what your take on last night's big matchups was.
10 VIRGINIA 64 @ OHIO STATE 58
Virginia Cavaliers
C Jack Salt: 4
Well,
last time I saw Virginia play (which was back at the beginning of the
season), I started the #FreeSalt campaign. He is starting now at
center for the Cavaliers, but he only played nine minutes against.
Salt and fellow center, Mike Tobey combined for only 27 minutes. So,
Virginia chose to play smaller with Wilkins and Gill down low this
game. Salt did not get a chance to do much this game. He was just 1-3
shooting, and is not a skilled scorer in the post. He also only had
one rebound. Ohio State found some success attacking the basket when
Salt came out of the game early in the second half.
F Anthony Gill: 6
Anthony
Gill is a consistent frontcourt player for the Cavaliers. He is
capable of making mid range jumpers, but most of Gill's points come
from close to the basket. He is especially good at scoring off of
offensive rebounds. These factors make Gill a usually high percentage
scorer, although not a dynamic one. He was just 3-8 against OSU,
scoring ten points. Gill is a good rebounder, and had eight this
game, three of which came off the offensive glass. Gill struggled
defensively against Jae'Sean Tate. I personally found some of
Virginia's defensive alignments strange, and this was one of the
matchups I questioned. Tate is much smaller than Gill; he's 6'4, but
is a terrific athlete, and consistently beat Gill off the dribble,
and when moving without the ball.
G Marial Shayok: 3
Shayok
is an inconsistent shooter. The stats would have you believe he is a
62% shooter who has made 60% of his 3pt attempts. However, through
six games Shayok has scored in double figures three times, while he
has scored four points or less in the other three games. Shayok was
only 1-5 this game, scoring two points. He does not contribute much
apart from his shooting. He is not a rebounder, and not a great
individual defender, though he had a steal in this game.
G Malcolm Brogdon: 9
Malcolm
Brogdon shot just 3-10 in the first half, but he stepped up his game
in the second, shooting 4-6, and leading Virginia down the stretch.
He scored 22 points total, and shot 6-10 from 3pt range. Brogdon also
had six rebounds (all on the defensive end), and two assists. Brogdon
did struggle at times against Marc Loving defensively, especially
when Loving decided to take the ball to the basket. Brogdon picked up
three fouls in the second half when Loving drove to the basket. This
was another defensive mismatch in my opinion. I would have had
Brogdon on Tate, and Gill on Loving—but what do I know. Perhaps
Tony Bennett figured Loving would force Gill too far away from the
basket defensively.
G Darius Thompson:
8.5
Thompson
received the start at the point guard positon in London Perrantes'
absence. He did a good job stepping up, and shared ball handling
responsibilities with Malcolm Brogdon. Thompson showed off some good
offensive ability. He shot 5-8 from the field, and made two of his
three 3pt attempts, for a total of 12 points, which ties a season
high for him. He also dished out six assists this game, and only
turned the ball over twice. Thompson's shooting potency this game,
helped to free up Brogdon, and the two worked really well together.
Thompson did a nice job containing JaQuan Lyle on defense as well,
especially down the stretch as he prevented Lyle from getting a good
shot off late in the game.
F Isaiah Wilkins: 6
Wilkins
was once again the first player off of Virginia's bench. He scored
two of three shot attempts, scoring a total of six points. He
finished the game with five rebounds, two on the offensive end. He
also played solid defense inside, and delivered Virginia's lone block
of the game. Wilkins is a solid defender. He has a similar skill set
to Anthony Gill, and I consider him Gill Lite. Although, Wilkins is
not capable of making a jump shot. He was the better defender this
game though, as he was not tasked with Tate.
G Devon Hall: 3.5
With
London Perrantes out this game, Devon Hall received an increase in
minutes. He played 24, or more than half the game. Despite this, he
scored only four points, which is below his season average, on two
for five shooting, and missed his only 3pt attempt. Hall grabbed
three rebounds though. Hall played defensively against the bigger
Keita Bates-Diop in the second half, but OSU did not attack this
matchup like I thought they would.
C Mike Tobey: 4.5
Mike
Tobey has been benched for the more defensive Jack Salt since I've
last seen the Cavaliers play. In my first review of the team at the
beginning of the season I criticized Tobey for being defensively
deficient, despite his 7'0 size, saying “he
provided no bite under the basket.”
By saying that though, I DID NOT MEAN TO BENCH HIM, AND PLAY HIM ONLY
18 MINUTES A GAME! Tobey is a terrific scorer, and can score in a
variety of ways both in the post, and shooting jumpers away from the
basket. Virginia's biggest problem is the lack of a go-to scorer
outside of Brogdon. It confounds me why Virginia would have Tobey sit
on the bench for a majority of the game, when he shoots nearly 60%
from the field, and is far-and-away their best low post scorer.
Despite playing only 18 minutes per game, Tobey is still scoring
nearly 10 points on average, while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game.
No, as I have suggested before, Tobey is not going to be a great
interior defender, but I don't think replacing him is a worthwhile
tradeoff. So, I am starting a new movement for the sake of Virginia
fans. #FreeTobey.Now...back to the game against Ohio State. Tobey came off the bench, and shot two of three from the field, scoring six points total. Virginia really did not try to get him involved in the offense. He also only grabbed one rebound. Tobey was little help preventing OSU's forwards from attacking the basket in the second half, but neither was anyone else for UVA.
F Evan Nolte: N/A
Did
not play enough to qualify.
Team Rating: 6.30
Virginia
could not break away from the Buckeyes, and this game was closely
contested until the final 30 seconds. The Cavaliers had to overcome
adversity with their starting point guard, London Perrantes, out
following an appendectomy. Darius Thompson filled in exceedingly
well, though. Malcolm Brogdon was his usual stellar self, and led the
team to victory in the second half. To be completely honest, I'm
still left with the same concerns about this Virginia team I was a
month ago. They are going to struggle against teams that can score
inside due to their lack of strong interior defenders, and they lack
a go-to offensively player next to Brogdon. Gill is a nice consistent
starter, but he isn't a dynamic offensive player. Maybe, if Tobey
goes back to being the offensive player I saw at the beginning of the
year, and Thompson proves to be the scorer I saw against Ohio State,
there is enough offense to finish in the top-four in the ACC. But, I
still do not think this is a team that can compete for another
conference title.
Ohio State Buckeyes
C Daniel Giddens: 6
Giddens
is the first of four four-star freshman who played in this game for
OSU. Giddens proved to be a great interior defender, making the
Cavaliers very jealous. Giddens blocked four shots, and did so while
only fouling twice in 25 minutes. Giddens looked pretty nonexistent
on the offensive end though. He took only two shots, making one, for
a total of two points. He also turned the ball over twice. Giddens
did have an assist. He received the ball against the baseline, was
double teamed, and passed the ball across court to Lyle who was open
for a three pointer. Disappointingly, Giddens also only had one
rebound this game. Giddens is a terrific interior defender, and will
receive a lot of minutes as a result, but he still needs to develop
his offensive game. He could become a dominate big man though.
F Keita Bates-Diop:
6.5
Bates-Diop
is one of three perimeter based forwards who start for the Buckeyes.
He was a five-star recruit just last year, and is one of many high
upside players on this team. Bates-Dip took six of his eight field
goal attempts from beyond the arc this game, making three of them. He
shot 50% (4-8) overall, and scored 15 points. Bates-Diop was a
passive part of the offense, as it seemed to flow through Loving,
Tate, and Lyle. I got frustrated by Bates-Diop in the second half,
especially down the stretch, because he kept taking 3pt shots
whenever he touched the ball. He was being guarded by the smaller
Devon Hall, and I would have liked to have seen him drive more
against Virginia. Bates-Diop has not shot well from 3pt range this
season, under 30%, so I guess he was feeling hot tonight, and tried
to make the most of it. Oh well. Don't get me wrong, he still had a
really good game offensively. However, I think Ohio State could have
won this game, and this was a mismatch they failed to exploit.
Bates-Diop did not rebound well this game, only grabbing two boards.
This may be because he played on the perimeter so much this game.
F Jae'Sean Tate: 8
Jae'Sean
Tate is an interesting player. He is a thick 6'4, and built like a
linebacker. He proved to be extremely versatile on the offensive end
against Virginia. He shot 5-9 for 12 points, moving well with and
without the ball. Anthony Gill had trouble staying with him, and Tate
punished him a couple of times when Gill strayed off of him to help
on a double team. Tate is a surprisingly good ball handler, and often
drove to the basket, where he was able to score at the rim, and also
pass out to open shooters. He turned the ball over only once. One of
the most improved areas of Tate's game this year is his jump
shooting. He shot just 15.8% from three last season, but is shooting
33.3% this year, and was one of two this game (not that he will ever
be Malcolm Brogdon or anything). Tate is good rebounder, and led his
team in that area with eight boards. Tate guarded Anthony Gill often
defensively, and struggled against him in the post, as Gill could
easily shoot right over him. I don't like him defending power
forwards; they are just too tall for him.
F Marc Loving: 8
Loving
led OSU in points this game, like he has all year. He shot an
impressive 7-11 from the field, and three of six from beyond the arc,
for a total of 19 points. Loving found as much success driving on the
smaller Malcolm Brogdon as he did shooting from outside. It was nice
to see OSU's lone upperclassman acknowledge that mismatch, and take
advantage. Despite shooting well most of the game, Loving helped OSU
make some critical mistakes down the stretch. Virginia got the lead
back to six points following a Brogdon three with about six minutes
to go. Loving and Lyle then each missed 3pt attempts early in the
shot clock on back-to-back possessions. Loving then turned the ball
over twice in the following minutes while driving to the basket. Then
Ohio State lost. So, Loving played really well most of the game, and
helped Ohio State stay in the game. However, he did not play like a
veteran during the game's final six minutes, and that led to the
team's loss.
G JaQuan Lyle: 2
Lyle
was the weak link for Ohio State against UVA. The four-star freshman
has a heavy burden on him, taking the place of DeAngelo Russell. He
shot poorly this game, making only one of his seven attempts from the
field; six of his shots came from beyond the arc, including his lone
made field goal. He ended the game with just three points. Lyle's
three point attempts often came either very early in the possession,
when better shots could have been had, or with the shot clock
expiring. Lyle often found the ball in his hands with time expiring,
which credit Virginia's defense for. Lyle's only made shot came after
Tate dribbled into the middle, drawing a second defender, and leaving
Lyle open. Lyle did have four assists, and had some mild success
penetrating, and looking for open teammates. However, he also lost
the ball while driving, and never looked to score inside. The
development of Lyle as a point guard is the biggest factor for OSU
moving forward.
C Trevor Thompson: 6
Trevor
Thompson played some really good minutes off the bench, proving to be
an effective replacement for Giddens. He scored five points on 2-3
shooting. He also grabbed five rebounds. Despite not recording a
blocked shot, Thompson played good post defense.
G Austin Grandstaff:
2
Grandstaff
is yet another four-star freshman. He played quite a bit down the
stretch, but was incredibly unimpressive. He missed his only three
points attempt (he's a 3pt specialist who is shooting 42.1% from
beyond the arc this year), and played some really poor defense. Even
though he was matched up against Virginia's least effective backcourt
scorer, Hall.
G Kam Williams: N/A
Did
not play enough to qualify.
G AJ Harris: N/A
Did
not play enough to qualify.
Team Rating: 5.85
Considering
they were playing the tenth ranked team in the nation, I suppose this
is a positive performance for Ohio State. However, he must be
frustrating for the team, because they could have (should have)
beaten Virginia. Unfortunately, they panicked with about six minutes
left in the game, and completely fell apart offensively. I think you
can confidently say this is the best two win team in the country.
Ohio State is overflowing with potential, and it will be interesting
to see how much they are able to improve the remainder of the season.
Loving, Bates-Diop, and Tate give the Buckeyes three versatile
forwards offensively, while Giddens provides them with a great
interior defender. However, they need a low post presence
offensively, and Lyle needs to mature quickly, and become a better
game manager.
Maryland Terrapins
C Diamond Stone: 6
Diamond
Stone had a quiet game against North Carolina. He shot four of seven,
scoring nine points, which falls in line with his season average.
Stone struggled with Kennedy Meeks guarding him. Meeks did a good job
of denying him the ball, and standing strong in the post when Stone
did get the ball. It's just disappointing to see the top-ten recruit
settling for mediocrity on the offensive end. I would liked to see
him get the ball in the post seeing as he is bigger than any of North
Carolina's players. He could have at least tried to draw fouls on
UNC's Meeks and Brice Johnson, instead the duo only had two and one
foul respectively. Stone hit a a turnaround jumper from the baseline
from about 15 feet out, that one play really impressed me, and showed
a glimpse of his potential. Stone's nine point scoring average isn't
actually bad considering he only plays 16.7 minutes a game. I
don't know why he is playing so little. Maybe it's conditioning, or
maybe Maryland just hasn't needed him as of yet, and are still trying
to ease him into the college game. Whatever the reason. He will need
to be a more dominate player on both ends of the court, and for
longer stretches if Maryland is to challenge for a Final Four bid
this season. Stone also had five rebounds, three of which were off
the offensive glass.
F Robert Carter: 7.5
Robert
Carter looked good against North Carolina. He is a versatile forward,
who has big size, he's 6'9, is athletic, and can shoot. He shot 5-8
from the field, and 1-3 from 3pt range, scoring a total of 11 points.
The transfer from Georgetown is shooting over 60% from the field thus
far this season. I think Maryland needs to make a more conscious
effort to make him (and Stone) a bigger part of the offense. Carter
also looked good on the defensive end blocking four shots (Maryland
only had six as a team); he also had two steals. Although, he only
grabbed five rebounds, and turned the ball over three times. Carter
finished the game with four fouls, but he was never in foul trouble.
He picked up two fouls in the final minute of the game.
F Jake Layman: 4.5
This
was a high scoring game, but Jake Layman was one of the few players
who struggled offensively. He could not get himself going on offense.
Layman shot 1-5 from the field, and missed all three of his 3pt
attempts. Layman has been shooting poorly from beyond the arc all
season. He's made less than 29% of his attempts, compared to 38% last
season. During the broadcast, Jay Bilas suggested his struggles may
be due to playing the three more often this season, rather than being
employed as a stretch-four. So, he is facing quicker, more athletic
wings. Layman was another player responsible for three turnovers. He
did grab eight rebounds though.
G Rasheed Sulaimon:
7.5
Rasheed
Sulaimon is experiencing a career rejuvenation in his final year of
eligibility. He shot 6-12 from the field, and 5-9 from beyond the
arc, scoring 18 points. He is shooting over 50% from both the field,
and from three thus far this season, which is pretty incredible. He
is also proving to be a good passer and creator. He is averaging 3.4
assists per game, and had three against UNC. Sulaimon's struggles
came on the defensive end this game though. He struggled against the
returning Marcus Paige, and looked to be growing frustrated as the
game wore on, especially after slamming into a couple of Tar Heel
screens, which dropped him. He also had three turnovers.
G Melo Trimble: 8.5
Trimble
shows flashes of brilliance when he looks like the best point guard
in the country. He took charge for the first thirteen minutes of the
second half, and led Maryland back to take the lead, before UNC
pulled away in the closing minutes. He looked tremendous off the
dribble, and made Nate Britt look completely silly on a crossover.
Trimble is capable of making every shot offensively. He ended the
game 8-14, making four of his five attempts from 3pt range. He scored
a game high 23 points. Trimble is an excellent passer, and had
several highlight reel dishes this game. He finished with a career
high 12 assists, giving Trimble his first double-double of the
season. On the other side though, Trimble turned the ball over an
outrageous EIGHT times. That's inexcusable. Trimble has only turned
the ball over more than twice in a game on one other occasion this
year (four against Illinois State), which leads me to believe that
North Carolina did an excellent job of forcing Trimble to make
mistakes. Trimble's performance was nearly perfect, but unfortunately
too many turnovers (the team had 22) caused the team to lose.
F Damonte Dodd: 5
Damonte
Dodd matches Diamond Stone in size. He's listed at 6'11 250 lbs. He
usually comes in in place of Stone. However, the two do play together
at times, giving Maryland a big lineup. Dodd is not a dynamic scorer,
but he gets some high percentage looks close to the basket. He made
three of his five attempts, and scored six points agains the Tar
Heels. He is shooting 70% from the field on the season. He also added
two rebounds, and did a decentjob of preventing UNC from scoring
inside
G Jared Nickens: 4
Nickens
is a 3pt specialist. More than 80% of his shot attempts this season,
and all of his against UNC, are from 3pt range. Nickens made two of
his six three point shots, scoring six points. However, he missed a
couple of wide open looks down the stretch, when Maryland was still
in contention. Nickens provides little value outside of his shooting
ability, and his favored defensive technique is fouling when he gets
beat. He picked up four fouls, while playing twenty minutes this
game.
C Michal Cekovsky: 5
Cekovsky
gives Maryland some additional size at 7'1. He scored four point, and
had three rebounds. He is an adequate back up center, but I would
rather see Stone play more minutes.
Team Rating: 6.40
Maryland
shot the ball really well: 50.8% form the field, and 46.2% from
three. Melo Trimble, Rasheed Sulaimon, and Robert Carter all looked
very good on the offensive end. Trimble especially looked like one of
the nation's premier players. However, the team turned the ball over
way too many times. They
cannot possibly expect to win games if they turn the ball over 20
times in a game. Perhaps, the problem was Maryland played too fast,
and got suckered into an uptempo game by UNC. The Terrapins had no
answer for North Carolina's offense, exemplified by Rasheed
Sulaimon's face when he went crashing into Joel James' screen, while
desperately trying to stop Marcus Paige. Maryland still looks like a
top-five team to me. Trimble is a star, and he has great complements
around him in Sulaimon and Carter. They will be even more dangerous
if Diamond Stone can start living up to his potential.
North Carolina Tar
Heels
F Kennedy Meeks: 8
Kennedy
Meeks was his usual solid self on offense against Maryland. He shot 6
of 11 from the field, scoring 12 points. Meeks even made a long jump
shot from just inside the arc. He also had six rebounds, three of
which came on the offensive end. However, it was on the defensive end
that he really shined. Meeks did a great job of jumping in front of
passes destined for the post, and had three steals this game. He also
blocked a pair of shots, and overall did a nice job preventing clean
looks in front of the basket. Meeks also did a nice job staying out
of foul trouble; he finished the game with only two.
F Brice Johnson: 7
Brice
Johnson continues to prove he is a supremely talented scorer anywhere
in the post. He a multitude of moves with which he can score. Johnson
shot 7-12 from the field, scoring 16 points. Johnson was held to only
six rebounds this game, and did not get any off the offensive glass.
This partly could be because North Carolina shot over 50% from the
field though.
F Justin Jackson: 7
Previous
to this game, Jackson had scored more than 20 points in three
straight games. However, he failed to reach even ten against
Maryland. Jackson shot 3-7, making one of his two 3pt attempts. He
also turned the ball over three times. Like Meeks though, Jackson's
greatest contribution this game was on the defensive end. Jackson was
a menace disrupting passing lanes. He finished the game with five
steals, and created even more turnovers often leading to easy points
for North Carolina.
G Marcus Paige: 10
What
a difference Marcus Paige makes on this team. He made his season
debut against Maryland, and energized his team. Paige began the game
with an assist to Meeks. He then hit a 3pt shot on the following
possession. In the second half he scored eight points in a two minute
span to keep his team ahead. In all, Paige shot 7-12, and 4-5 from
beyond the arc. He scored a team high 20 points. Paige's presence
also opened up teammates; he recorded five assists. In a game where
the two teams combined to turn the ball over 37 times, Paige was only
responsible for one of the turnovers. He also played good defense,
disrupting passing lanes, and coming away with two steals.
G Joel Berry: 7
Despite
Paige's return, Berry still played 32 minutes against Maryland. He
shot really well form beyond the arc this game, 3-5, and scored 14
points total. Berry also finished the game with five assists, and two
steals, while turning the ball over twice. Berry missed some free
throws in the final minutes when the outcome of the game was still in
contention, and only made 3 of his 7 attempts from the line. I
personally, prefer Nate Britt to Berry. He's a better shooter. He
plays better defense, and he turns the ball over less. However, it is
clear UNC is going to go with Berry, and he did not discourage them
with his performance against Maryland.
F Isaiah Hicks: 6
Isaiah
Hicks is one of my favorite frontcourt reserves in the ACC (although
he certainly is not ahead of Syracuse's Tyler Lydon). He has good
size, and is athletic. He can be an asset on offense, defense, and
rebounding. He can make a jumper as well. That said, Hicks did not
have the most memorable game against Maryland, playing only fifteen
minutes. He shot 2-3 for four points, and added six rebounds.
F Theo Pinson: 5.5
Theo
Pinson lost his starting spot to Marcus Paige. He and Nate Britt will
have their minutes reduced the most due to Paige's return. Pinson
played just 18 minutes this game, despite averaging 27 minutes on the
season. Pinson is not a great scorer. He had only six points, on 1-3
shooting this game. However, he is a terrific passer especially for
his size, and he dished out a pair of assists. He is averaging just
under five assists per game. Pinson also grabbed four rebounds.
G Nate Britt: 8
Britt
was one of the minutes casualties with Marcus Paige returning. He
played only ten minutes. Britt shot 2-5, making his only 3pt attempt,
and scoring 5 points. He also dished out three assists during his
short time on the court. Unfortunately for Britt, his most memorable
moment on the court was when he fell down, fooled by a Melo Trimble
crossover.
F Joel James: 3.5
James
is UNC's designated get dirty player. He comes out, and just plays
physical. He grabbed just one rebound this game. Turned the ball over
twice, and picked up three fouls. On the bright side though, he made
a nice turnaround jumper, causing me to confuse him for Brice Johnson
for just a moment.
Team Rating: 7.45
Marcus Paige immediately makes North Carolina look like a title contender again. The two best performances I have seen this season are Kentucky's win over Duke, and now North Carolina's win over Maryland. Those two teams are one and two for me, and no one else is close—of the team's I have seen—and that includes Michigan State. Marcus Paige gave UNC an edge offensively that they had lacked prior to this game. He also plays with such confidence that the entire team is elevated on both sides of the ball. He is a really fun player to watch. The frontcourt players, Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks, have had better games offensively, but they deferred to the shooters this game. North Carolina made an incredible 69% of their 3pt attempts (9-13). No, they won't always shoot that well. However, I trust that when they don't the post players will step their game up. The balance and explosiveness on offense is unmatched in college basketball. Kentucky is just as explosive, maybe more so, but they aren't as balanced. North Carolina also showed some good defense despite Maryland scoring 81 points, and shooting over 50%. This is because the Tar Heels grabbed 13 steals, and forced Maryland to commit 22 turnovers. Kennedy Meeks, Justin Jackson, and Marcus Paige were especially impressive on defense. This game just started a whole new season for North Carolina.
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