Tobacco Road Report
Your source for the latest on ACC Basketball
Search
View From Your Seat
Send us photos of your view of 'the hardwood' at an ACC game and you could be featured on the Tobacco Road Report
Submit Your Photo >Recent Posts
Zeller to UNC
UNC added a second 5-star recruit to its 2008 recruiting class when Tyler Zeller gave his verbal at a southern Indiana Ponderosa. I guess he wanted a good meal before breaking the hearts of many Hoosier fans, but UNC has added a center who can run the floor and score from mid-range. Many feel UNC gained the final edge in a long recruiting battle with Indiana University after Kelvin Sampson was caught with his hand in the cookie jar for the second time. Or maybe, we should say, Sampson was caught with his hand on the speed dial making an illegal phone call...AGAIN. Good pickup for the ACC......
Preseason Preview: Georgia Tech
Pre-Season Preview: Georgia Tech
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
2006-2007 Results: 20-12 Overall, 8-8 Conference
Head Coach: Paul Hewitt
Record at Tech: 127-95 (.572), 7 seasons
Overall Record: 193-122 (.613), 10 seasons
Where is Jimmy Chitwood when you need him?
Last Year in Review:
The 2006-2007 season can be best described as mediocre at best for the Yellow Jackets. With a highly touted freshman class, the Jackets never had the chemistry to consistently play with the conference heavyweights and stumbled to a 20 win season and a first round exit in the NCAA Tourney.
Pre-Season Preview: NORTH CAROLINA
UNFINISHED BUSINESS…….
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Division: Coastal
2006-2007 Results: 31-7 Overall, 11-5 Conference
NCAA Regional Finalist, ACC Regular Season Champion, ACC Tournament Champion
Head Coach: Roy Williams
Record Overall: 524-131 (.799), 19 seasons
Record at UNC: 106-30 (.765), 4 seasons
Last Year in Review
Tar Heel fans will probably remember the 2007 season with mixed feelings. With a stacked roster, the Tar Heels dominated ACC play and made a deep run in the NCAA tourney. As the #1 national seed, the Tar Heels went ICE cold in the second half against Georgetown and finished the season as a regional finalist.
The Tobacco Road Report is Back...
TRR is back for another season of ACC hoops. The season starts in less than two weeks so start looking for our season preview in the coming week. We will start with UNC on Tuesday, October 30th and offer a new preview every day leading into the season. Until then, the TRR will enjoy another weekend of college football and also see if the Rockies have enough juice to give the Sox a good game.
The NBA Draft: Round 1
By Michael
Check out our analysis of the first round of the 2007 NBA draft, including where the top players of the ACC were selected.
Singletary Withdraws, Young Stays In
ESPN.com news service is reporting that Sean Singletary has decided to withdraw his name from the NBA draft and return to Virginia for his senior season. We think this was the right decision given his projected draft position. Though Singletary was an All-ACC performer, his lack of size and inconsitent shooting hurt his draft position. Sean can't fix the size issue, but he can become a better shooter. This is what the NBA draft rules allow for -- players to test the draft waters and learn directly from pro scouts what their strengths and weaknesses are.
ESPN is also reporting that Georgia Tech Freshman Thaddeus Young has decided to remain in the 2007 NBA draft. We think Young could benefit from another year in college, but it's hard to argue against staying in the draft when he's currently projecting in the top 15 and his teammate, Javaris Crittenton, is also leaving Tech. Young has a pro-ready body but will still need some time to develop.
Hansbrough, Lawson, and Ellington to Stay at UNC
At Tuesday night's awards banquet, both Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson announced their intent to return to North Carolina next season. Their joint announcement comes on the heels of Wayne Ellington's decision to return to campus, pleasing Tar Heel fans across the nation. The only remaining holdout at this point is Brandon Wright, who figures to be a lottery pick should he choose to announce by the early-entry deadline on April 29.
Florida Gators: 2007 National Champions
Congratulations to the Florida Gators for being the first team in fifteen years to win back to back NCAA titles.
We also wanted to take this opportunity to thank our readers for continuing to visit our site on a regular basis. The numer of page visits at TRR increased each month during the season...up until the point where the ACC dropped out of contention in the NCAA Tournament. Your support has made the innagural season for TRR a big success.
Our blogging activity will be lighter over the summer months, but that's mainly because we'll be sitting down with our webdesign team to improve the look of the site and add some features we think readers will like. We'll also have some commentary on the upcoming NBA draft and get out any recruiting news that comes our way.
Carolina Comes Unglued
By Michael
Marcus Ginyard made two free throws to put Carolina up 75-65 with 7:19 to play. Normally this is when the vaunted Carolina run comes. Instead, Carolina would only make 2 of its next 24 field goal attempts, eventually falling to the Hoyas 96-84 in overtime and ending the chances of the ACC in the field of 64.
Kansas Wimps Out Against UCLA
By Michael
Everyone will be praising UCLA's defense tomorrow, but TRR didn't necessarily see it that way. Yes, UCLA did force 21 turnovers. Kansas, however, played excellent defense as well, forcing 24 turnovers, limiting UCLA to 7 offensive rebounds, and holding UCLA to only 45 field goal attempts. The defenses were a net-wash in my opinion.
The difference was: (1) UCLA's ability to hit the three, where they finished 8 of 17, (2) UCLA's ability to find offense late in the shot clock through Afflalo, and (3) missed opportunities by Kansas. If you ever want to define what missed opportunities means, just call Bill Self at the Kansas Athletic Department. I'm sure they'd be happy to give you this game tape for free since they'll be burning every copy they have.
Kansas was 14 of 34 on layup and dunk opportunities. They finished about as strong as Britney's stint in rehab. The meek may inherit the earth, but they don't belong in the Final Four.
About the Tobacco Road Report:
Welcome to the Tobacco Road Report
My Monday Morning Basketball Hangover
by David
We at TRR love this time of year, but it can take a toll. So much basketball to watch over these last few weeks of the season can leave one with a headache. Friday night I went to a high school game as preparation for a long weekend of hoops action, little did I understand how it would take a toll on me.
Tempo Free Statistics II: A Primer on Offensive Efficiency
In a previous post, which can be found here, we provided rationale for the use of tempo-free statistics and detailed how to use the information provided in the box score to quickly estimate the number of possessions in a typical college basketball game. In this edition of VITAL STATS, we detail how we use tempo-free statistics to analyze how efficient teams are on the offensive end of the court.
advertisement
