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Wake-up call: why Wake Forest will be the last one standing—plus 64 other tournament tidbits and trends to consider

Sporting News, The, March 25, 2005 by Mike DeCourcy

1 Pending champion: Wake Forest. We know what you're thinking: There are two D's in Demon Deacons but none in their basketball team.

They allowed 102 points to Georgia Tech, 102 points to Duke and 91 to Florida State. So they can't possibly be sound enough defensively to win six consecutive NCAA Tournament games, right?

Maybe. But Wake Forest has played championship-level defense at times and managed to knock out some fairly prominent basketball teams with its breathless offense. Half of Wake's regular-season ACC opponents scored 70 or fewer points, though the Deacs' idea has been to push the pace. Plus, nobody did a better job of stopping North Carolina than Wake Forest.

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Wake knows it will get significant post presence out of center Eric Williams and solid defense from forward Jamaal Levy. What it must have to win the championship is the kind of effort power forward Vytas Danelius delivered in the team's senior night victory over Georgia Tech, consistent perimeter shooting from guards Taron Downey and Justin Gray and another step toward dominance from All-American point guard Chris Paul.

"I think we are guarding better in stretches," says Wake coach Skip Prosser. "We played a difficult schedule, and some of the teams we play, even when we play good defense, they make great plays. It's something that our guys are aware of, that if we want to continue to play that's going to be the divining rod."

2 NCAA Tournaments North Carolina's Marvin Williams is likely to play in. Some NBA scouts have tried to seduce Williams into the 2005 draft with suggestions he'll be the No. 1 overall pick, but every indication from Chapel Hill is that he'll be around another year. So this probably isn't your last chance to see Williams in the NCAAs, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take advantage of this opportunity.

When the Tar Heels are in trouble, he's the one who rescues them. You might not notice because his game is so quiet, but nearly every time something great occurs for North Carolina, Williams is involved somehow.

A 6-9 freshman forward with the length of a 7-footer, Williams averages 22.0 minutes but rarely fails to make an impact. He is a double figures scorer and UNC's No. 2 rebounder. When the Tar Heels need a little extra boost--from a rebound, big jump shot or defensive play--Williams delivers.

3 Illinois guards. Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head form the greatest three-man backcourt in NCAA basketball history, surpassing the trio that claimed the 1997 championship for Arizona (Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon).

That Arizona team also brought Jason Terry off the bench, which kept the Wildcats from having to pace themselves. The Illini must conserve energy occasionally because coach Bruce Weber does not see the same sort of cohesiveness when he sends in sophomore Richard McBride.

The three Illini starting guards have a combined average of 36.6 minutes in their team's eight games that were decided by 10 or fewer points. Fatigue should be less of a factor in the NCAA Tournament because of the lengthened TV timeouts, but the issue isn't really whether the Illinois guards will be tired; it's whether they'll be dynamic.

"Illinois has only got three of them, but all three of them can do everything," says Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "As a basketball person, you've really got to like their team."

4 Three-pointers per game by Boston College. It's not that the Eagles don't shoot it well from long range; they just don't shoot it. The focus remains on Craig Smith's interior power and Jared Dudley's midrange game. The Eagles generate 59.9 points per game on free throws and 2-point field goals.

5 Connecticut point guard Marcus Williams, who insists upon remembering his most forgettable game.

In a tight battle with Boston College on January 5, Williams committed two decisive turnovers. UConn lost, but Williams used it as incentive to grow up.

"When games got to the end, I kept that BC game in the back of my head," Williams says. "I try to think, 'I've got to get us a good shot. Don't try to make the home run play.'"

UConn closed the regular season with nine consecutive Big East victories in which Williams averaged 9.1 assists. He exercised greater control over the offense and presented himself as a threat. "I had to be more aggressive, assert me more at the offensive end."

6 Players Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon has tried at the wing positions since senior Yuri Demetris was suspended in January for violating team rules. As important as sophomore center Chris Taft's progress is, getting consistent offensive and defensive production at shooting guard and small forward will be more important to Pittsburgh's tournament run.

7 NCAA Tournament trips by Charlotte as a Conference USA member. This is the last year for the 49ers before moving to the Atlantic 10. Senior forward Eddie Basden will leave as C-USA's player of the year and defensive player of the year. He'd also like to deliver the 49ers past the second round for the first time since 1977.

Wake-up call: why Wake Forest will be the last one standing—plus 64 other tournament tidbits and trends to consider

Sporting News, The, March 25, 2005 by Mike DeCourcy

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