Wednesday, January 09, 2008

A Few Items

-- Austin's written an excellent article that offers a snapshot of each ACC basketball team.

The Pack does two things really well - get to the line and keep opponents off the line. They are basically the best team in the nation at it. They also do a good job of forcing bad shots, as opponents shoot under 40 percent against them. Of course, they are basically the worse team in the nation at forcing turnovers and they rebound like a team of 5’10” guys even though they are the tallest team in the nation. So, maybe a little more aggressive play would be a good thing even if it means picking up a few more fouls.

Amen to that last bit.

I was glancing through the scouting reports and among the things that caught my eye: Ish Smith's .320 FT% (8-25). He is 12-35 (.343) from three-point range.

-- Dan Wiederer outlines a few reasons why Wolfpack fans should be worried.

Saturday’s boo-inducing first half dud featured a Wolfpack team that looked disinterested and disjointed, not the one picked in October to challenge UNC and Duke for ACC supremacy.

“We’re lacking energy,” said junior guard Courtney Fells. “No matter who we’re playing, Presbyterian or Carolina next weekend, we need to find a way to come out and play with more energy every game.”

What's frustrating is, okay, they've recognized this problem--so why haven't they done anything about it?

-- DaJuan Morgan is outta here:

"The NFL gave me a fourth-round grade," said Morgan. "I was a junior and they said that was a safe projection.

"I didn't run [for NFL scouts] last year, and I think that after I run well at the combine I can do better than that. I believe I can at least be a third-rounder... I probably can go as high as the second."