Heels

I was glad to see the Heels run Michigan State out of the State on Monday night. Not that I'm a Carolina fan. Not that I dislike Izzo and the Spartans. But MSU (does anyone really call them MSU) played way above their heads in the three games leading up to the final. I picked SC to beat them and the Trojans came closer than either Louisville or UConn. They couldn't compensate for Travis Walton having a career game, an 18-point career game I might add. Sparty was also lucky to get by KU which with the exception of Sherron Collins was not a great Jayhawk squad.

But that's the thing. For all the hype the 'Ville got coming into the tourney or UConn received all season long, no one was that great. Because no one in college ball is anymore. At least, not on a team level. Both these Big East teams have some future NBA players on their squads. But no one that intimidates you with their game. Not yet at least.

Which brings me back to the champs. Clearly, they were the best team. In fact, I think future NCAA championships are going to decided just on which big time program (UNC, Florida, Kansas UNC again), can hold on to their recruiting classes the longest. This was always the case. It's just that now holding on to your recruits means keeping guys who could sneak into the mid-first round if they declared. The exceptions you'll note are guys like Marvin Williams or Ed Davis, projected lottery picks who play fewer minutes on loaded squads. Roy Williams has had the luxury of hiding Davis all season, bringing him along slowly. In the end it means he'll be back for another year even though he's a top ten pick as of this moment. Who knows, if he pans out, he could be top five in 2010.

As for the other guys, many people have spent the last few days comparing them to the 2005 team that beat Illinois for the title. That team was led by Sean May, an absolute bust as a pro and Raymond Felton, a streaky, mediocre point who should be a career backup. Then there was Rashad McCants. I, like many other people, thought he was a stud in college. He's done nothing in NBA and is now in purgatory with the Kings.

The best player has turned out to be Williams. I was wondering about him earlier in the year since I hadn't seen the Hawks much. But he's a nice player. He averages 14 points a game, has turned into a decent three point shooter and he's only 22. He hasn't played since early March when he hurt his back, but he still has a big upside.

Now look at this year's Heels. Is there anybody outside of Davis that can make some noise in the L? I'm not sure. Wayne Ellington is a good shooter with size, but can he do anything else? I think it was Jalen Rose who compared him to Vince Carter in size. He has nowhere near the game Vince had or has.

Ty Lawson is an awesome college point and answered a lot of questions about his game this year. I think he's better than Felton, although that's not saying much when you consider Ray hits less than 30 percent from three. But Lawson is not big. He may be strong but he's not a little tank like Kyle Lowry or Will "Diesel" Bynum. Again, I think he's a career backup.

Which brings us to Tyler Hansbrough. Sure, I admire his motor and the numbers he put up, but there are some serious deficiencies in his game. HE HAS NO LEFT HAND. Does anyone notice this? When he reverse pivots back to the center of the lane from the right side, he shoots with his right hand and with two hands. This is not going to wash in the NBA. Factor in his small size, his so-so jumper, his inability to handle and I just don't see him playing much on the next level. I certainly wouldn't waste a first round pick on him even in this crap draft.

UNC was the best team this year but that means less and less these days because there's less talent in the college game. Which is just another reason I've soured on it. I would rather watch say, Warriors-Clippers, than watch a regular season college game or a lot of tournament games for that matter. The play is slow (don't even get me started on the 35-second clock) and the shooting is bad (see UConn-Syracuse in the Big East Tourney). It's supposed to be about the drama but in reality the thrills are far and few between.