Movember Madness

Movember Madness seemed like a more appropriate title than November Nadness. For some reason.

The college basketball has begun – for reals. That's even more exciting, of course, because one of the first two games of the season was a UNC game, as they faced off against the FIU Isaiah Thomases.

The game was pretty much a blowout, but I watched the whole thing hoping to educate myself on this newest Tar Heel team. Here are 10 things I learned from the UNC game:

1. Isaiah Thomas is very good at taking the high road (at least publicly). During an interview with Andy Katz, Thomas was more than cordial and conciliatory about the Magic Johnson situation. Thomas' smile, of course, is pretty notoriously glowing, but I often wonder if it is disingenuous. The bad rumors have to spring from somewhere, and it certainly isn't Thomas' smile and public persona.
   
2. Even sports announcers need some time to get back into "game shape." Jay Williams was calling the game on ESPNU and got a lot of things wrong.
   
3. UNC may play three players 6'9" or taller more than 50% of the time. It looks like freshmen John Henson (6'10") and David and Travis Wear (both 6'10") will all get some time at the three. With a young and somewhat, depleted backcourt, all three should see considerable minutes as the season wears on. Both Wears will also join Deon Thompson (6'9"), Ed Davis (6'10"), and Tyler Zeller (7'0") in the frontcourt. Even though these six only make up half of UNC's potential rotation, they account for well over half of the talent.
   
4. Tyler Zeller's post moves are extremely quick and decisive. Zeller looked really good at the start of last season (before the injury), and it looks like he's only improving. I keep hearing about an outside game that I haven't seen much of though. If he plays with from the triple-threat position with the same decisiveness that he shows with his back to the basket, he could be a very valuable seven-footer.
   
5. Ed Davis' post moves, on the other hand, are fairly slow and elaborate. They're no less effective. Davis went 5-for-8 from the field with 13 total points, 11 boards, and four blocks.
   
6. Turnovers could be problematic but...
   
7. Not for Larry Drew Two. Even though the Heels had 26 turnovers as a team, Drew II only accounted for two of them in 21 minutes of play. Many of them came from fast breaks that Drew II wasn't involved with for some reason or another. Drew II also had six dimes, some of which looked pretty classy.
   
8. There is a facebook group called "Larry Drew II: Electric Boogaloo," and I'm invited. (Technically, I learned this after the game but only by about half an hour, and I thought it was still relevant information.)
   
9. John Henson could be incredible. His stat line isn't immediately impressive (4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block), but it's obviously very well-rounded and a good sign of things to come. I did not learn if he does any cool Muppet voices.
   
10. This is Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard's team. Since Marcus Ginyard put on the red shirt midway through last season, there's been a lot of talk about his leadership role on this year's team, so that's no surprise. Thompson's role, on the other hand, was questionable before tonight, but with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds – 6 offensive – it looks like his role is becoming a little clearer. Thompson may very well be the centerpiece of this team.
    

Event of the Week:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out tomorrow.