Yesssir it's that time of the year again and before we talk NCAA Tourney let's get 3 quick notes in on the regular season.
Last season UNC marched through the tourney and ended their season 34-4 and more importantly as the National Champions. This season started off promising but the Tarheels finished 16-16 (5-11 in ACC) and Duke ended the regular season with a 32-point ass whooping of the Tarheels. And yeah I know you Tarheels fans are saying "we're too young" or "we're rebuilding," but seriously you can keep those excuses. Schools like UNC don't rebuild they reload and with 7 McDonalds All-Americans on their roster they had the talent to succeed. What this team lacked was chemistry and a go to player. Hell Ed Davis was on everybody's draft board as an easy top 5 pick BUT now he has to come back to college one more year to regain the money he lost this season. No worries though UNC fans, because UNC will be back next season.
Yeah before you open your mouth and call this a fan choice just shut up and listen. Nobody (not even me) could've imagined a 28-4 season and #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for Syracuse this season. Let's remember Syracuse's top three players from last year all decided to leave early, and only one of them is enjoying success in Johnny Flynn (the other two will remain nameless). And let's not forget Syracuse suffered a preseason loss at Syracuse to a DIVISION 2 school that ended up having a mediocre season. The fact that Boeheim got this far only going 7 deep in the hardest conference in America is amazing. He has this group playing the best 2-3 zone known to man, and they're an unselfish team with all 7 players averaging between 8 and 16 points a game. Yeah you have to give it up to the talent, but let's remember coaches play a HUGE part in a team's success.
I'm sure people will question this pick, because most people are so in love with John Wall. Wall deserves all the praise he gets, but honestly Evan Turner is the best player in college basketball hands down. I don't even think it is close, and if you don't believe me look at the numbers. Turner's numbers (19.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 5.9 apg) are better than Wall's (16.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 6.3 apg). No player means more to their team's success than Turner does, and that was proven as Ohio State struggled starting off in the Big Ten as Turner dealt with an injury. Once Turner got back to full strength, he led Ohio State to both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. At 6-7 Turner handles the ball like a point guard and shoots like a 2-guard. He reminds me of Penny Hardaway before the injuries, but most scouts compare him to Brandon Roy (I'm still clueless as to why). Also, don't be surprised if Ohio State makes a run and wins the national championship. Turner can do what Melo did in 2003 and put his team on his back all the way to the title, but the thing is unlike Melo he doesn't need someone to get him the ball.
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