UNC/OSU Preview
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by Behbigben15
Tonight at 9:15 P.M. ET the #1 College Basketball team (AP Poll), the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, will face off with the unranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The Tar Heels are 5-0 (0-0), and 2nd in the Coach's Poll, behind only UCLA, while the Buckeyes, who were an elite team last year, are 4-1 (0-0). UNC are #1 despite having the 4th best record in the ACC, they are behind #7 Duke (7-0, 0-0), #18 Clemson (6-0, 0-0), and Miami, FL (5-0, 0-0).
UNC's high-powered Offense is lead by 6 foot 9 Junior Foward, Tyler Hansbrough, and 6 foot 4 Sophmore Guard, Wayne Ellington. Hansbrough is what many would say, the best Foward in Division-1 Basketball. He has great size, and power, and he can also get you some points. Hansbrough is averaging 23.0 PPG, and 9 RPG in an average of nearly 30 minutes of the game, which is 75% of the game. He doesn't sit on the bench much. Ellington is not the type of guy you would want to leave open, either. He is averages about 30 minutes per game, as well, and he is a threat from behind the 3-point line. As a team, UNC has just a 72.1 FT % (89th in D-I), and just 59th in Scoring offense, but with Tyler Hansbrough, Wanye Ellington, and PG Ty Lawson, who may be out for tonight's game due to an ankle injury, leading the Offense, I am not sure the 'Heels will lose to many this year. But, they will need to play hard all season in order to keep the #2 UCLA from topping them in the AP Poll.
Last year's 30-3 OSU team is alot different this year. Head Coach, Thad Matta, know's he's got a young team, and that they will need to work hard to train the younger guys. OSU's roster includes 5 Freshman, and 4 Sophmores this year, which means their roster is about 70% underclassmen (Freshman, and Sophmores). The only advantage of having just 3 Seniors, is that you will have alot of returnees the following year, which could be good, or bad. Last year's #1 ranked team in the AP Poll, is now unranked, due to the loss of the NBA's first overall selection in this year's draft, Greg Oden. Oden, the 7 foot, 250 pound Center lead the Ohio State to a Big Ten CHampionship, and helped them to the NCAA March Madness Championship Runner-up, all as a Freshman last year. Oden, along with HS teammate, Mike Conley Jr., who was a Freshman at OSU, as well, lead the Big Ten in APG (6.1), as he helped Oden lead OSU to the National Championship game, where they lost to the Florida Gators. Conley is now in the NBA (Memphis Grizzlies), as well.
So, with Oden, and Conley Jr. out, Matta was left with what could be the youngest CBB squad in Div-I play.
As of right now, UNC is the best CBB team in the Nation, and the Unranked, as well as youngest team, will not stop Hansbrough & Co. on their way to another National Championship (well, they are hoping for another, anyway). Hansbrough is the one of, if not, the best Foward in the Conference, possibly the entire Division-I. He is phenominal on Offense, and Defense, and he is going to dominate on his way to helping the Tar Heels to a blowout win over OSU, as UNC will improve their unbeaten record.
