Roy Hibbert, Luke Harangody, Florida
Been really busy applying to law school. Probably won't be updating regularly for a couple more weeks. But here are three quick thoughts.
1. His game-winning three-pointer notwithstanding, Georgetown's 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert was 6-for-13 for 17 points on Saturday afternoon. Much of that came against 7-foot-3 sophomore Hasheem Thabeet, one of the nation's best shotblockers.
It's been my contention since last year that Georgetown misuses Hibbert. I maintain that he's what makes the Hoyas a top ten team and legitimate title contender; their guards are relatively ordinary for an elite team. And yet Hibbert often seems to be the afterthought on offense.
It struck me as funny, then, that Georgetown went to him on the team's first possession Saturday and never really stopped. On the day, Hibbert took 14 shots, tied for a season-high. Obviously, there's a motivation for attacking Thabeet to get him in foul trouble, and it worked, as Thabeet had to sit for stretches in the second half. But if Hibbert can be that effective against perhaps the nation's premier post defender, just think of the damage he could do against the less competition he's faced this year. We'll see what he does Monday night against Pittsburgh.
2. There aren't too many differences between North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Notre Dame's Luke Harangody. In fact, the biggest one is probably that Hansbrough plays for the number-one team in the land and Harangody does not. There are some slight differences in their games -- Psycho T's a little more athletic; Harangody has better footwork and a softer touch -- but they are really similar players. Given the press that Hansbrough gets, that means Harangody's underrated. And he's a year younger.
3. Florida has impressed me with their play down the stretch this past week. I caught two of their games and was struck by how well they played in crunch time. At Alabama on Tuesday, the Gators battled to find themselves tied at 71 with about seven minutes remaining. It was one of those moments where you expect the more experienced team to pull out the victory, particularly at home. Instead, Florida -- who as you know, lost four players to the NBA Draft this summer and don't have a single senior on the roster -- went on an 11-0 run in the next three minutes to put the game away.
Then, Saturday, against an undermanned Auburn squad, they let the visitors hang around a little too long. The Tigers trailed by just five with 4:29 on the clock. Again, it was one of those situations where you learn a lot about a team. The young Gators' response? Another 11-0 run to close out the game, as they held Auburn scoreless the rest of the way.
These are the marks of a veteran team, not one as young as Florida is. After back-to-back national championships, we expected this to be a rebuilding year for coach Billy Donovan, and he certainly brought in some great players with which to build. But look out for them this year -- they may be ready to contend in a relatively weak SEC sooner than any of us thought possible.
1. His game-winning three-pointer notwithstanding, Georgetown's 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert was 6-for-13 for 17 points on Saturday afternoon. Much of that came against 7-foot-3 sophomore Hasheem Thabeet, one of the nation's best shotblockers.
It's been my contention since last year that Georgetown misuses Hibbert. I maintain that he's what makes the Hoyas a top ten team and legitimate title contender; their guards are relatively ordinary for an elite team. And yet Hibbert often seems to be the afterthought on offense.
It struck me as funny, then, that Georgetown went to him on the team's first possession Saturday and never really stopped. On the day, Hibbert took 14 shots, tied for a season-high. Obviously, there's a motivation for attacking Thabeet to get him in foul trouble, and it worked, as Thabeet had to sit for stretches in the second half. But if Hibbert can be that effective against perhaps the nation's premier post defender, just think of the damage he could do against the less competition he's faced this year. We'll see what he does Monday night against Pittsburgh.
2. There aren't too many differences between North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Notre Dame's Luke Harangody. In fact, the biggest one is probably that Hansbrough plays for the number-one team in the land and Harangody does not. There are some slight differences in their games -- Psycho T's a little more athletic; Harangody has better footwork and a softer touch -- but they are really similar players. Given the press that Hansbrough gets, that means Harangody's underrated. And he's a year younger.
3. Florida has impressed me with their play down the stretch this past week. I caught two of their games and was struck by how well they played in crunch time. At Alabama on Tuesday, the Gators battled to find themselves tied at 71 with about seven minutes remaining. It was one of those moments where you expect the more experienced team to pull out the victory, particularly at home. Instead, Florida -- who as you know, lost four players to the NBA Draft this summer and don't have a single senior on the roster -- went on an 11-0 run in the next three minutes to put the game away.
Then, Saturday, against an undermanned Auburn squad, they let the visitors hang around a little too long. The Tigers trailed by just five with 4:29 on the clock. Again, it was one of those situations where you learn a lot about a team. The young Gators' response? Another 11-0 run to close out the game, as they held Auburn scoreless the rest of the way.
These are the marks of a veteran team, not one as young as Florida is. After back-to-back national championships, we expected this to be a rebuilding year for coach Billy Donovan, and he certainly brought in some great players with which to build. But look out for them this year -- they may be ready to contend in a relatively weak SEC sooner than any of us thought possible.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 2:09 AM
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