SleepHawk Worldwide
SleepHawk Worldwide
Tar Heels Bounce Back with Big ACC Win
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In this episode, Brandon and Tyler discuss the current state of the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team after their recent win against NC State. They break down the team's NET ranking, conference standings, and key player performances, including the impressive play of Ian Jackson and Jalen Washington. The hosts also touch on the overall competitiveness of the ACC this season and what it will take for the Tar Heels to finish in the top 3 of the conference standings. With the team on a 3-game winning streak, the hosts are optimistic about the Tar Heels' potential heading into the heart of conference play.
and now the sleepwalk worldwide podcast. Here are your hosts, brandon staton and tyler. What's up everybody? Welcome to the sleep. The Sleephawk Worldwide Podcast. This is Sleep Dog with the Big Hawk.
Speaker 2What's up everybody? It's the Big Hawk. A lot going on, sleep, a lot to discuss Rivalry game. I'm pumped up for this pod. It's good to be back in the studio with you and, yeah, this is going to be a great episode.
Speaker 1We're recording this the monday, after the first commanders playoff win since 2006. So sleep dogs in good mood. Uh, heels coming up. Win against nc state at state we'll get on. Uh, we'll cover that. Talk a little bit about bill belichick rumors. You know everybody's starting to freak out a little bit like is he going to take a job in the NFL? Tom Brady's calling a dude and everything. I think we'll put Tar Heel Nation at ease. Definitely Sleep Hog Nation. Just getting into the current state of the Tar Heels. New Year, new Us. Is this our first episode of the new year? I can't remember. We've been a little lackadaisical.
Speaker 2We've had some scheduling issues, guys.
Speaker 1We've had some scheduling issues a little tech issues, yeah, but here we are and coming off a big win man. I think it could have been a little easier on my nerves, but Tar Heels pull it out in Raleigh. 63-61, three straight five last six. Where are the Tar Heels? Pull it out in Raleigh 63-61, three straight five last six. Where are the Tar Heels?
Speaker 2as you see it right now, so right now I'll give you a rundown where we stand amongst conference play and everyone else in college basketball. First of all, our net rankings. The net ranking we're 37th. Okay, and again, the net rankings are put out by the NCAA, so this would be used for selection Sunday and who they pick to go to the tournament. So this carries the most weight in my opinion. So we're 37th, we're 11 and six and we are on a three game winning streak. So Sleep. I'm kind of glad we're doing this episode right now, because a couple weeks back it would have been a tough one to cover. But first of all, the good thing that we have going on for us is we have no bad losses. All our losses are in Quad 1. And we're 1-6 in Quad 1 games, which is not great.
Speaker 2When you play that many Quad 1 games you want to get a little bit more than one win. But we have no losses in Quad 2, quad 3, or Quad 4. Let's just say here in Quad 2, we're 4-0. Quad 3, we're 4-0. And Quad 4, we are 2-0, which you don't want to play. A lot of Quad 4 games, it really doesn't do a lot for you if you win them, but it is devastating if you lose them. But that's where we are.
Speaker 2Amongst everyone in college basketball we're sitting at 37th. I would say probably Alabama, auburn are the top dogs right now. Now Auburn just suffered a big injury to Jani Broome, who's probably the front runner for the player of the year right now. So it's going to be interesting to see how that goes. But that's a different subject and we'll touch on the acc conference standings. First of all, duke's first, pittsburgh's uh and louisville are tied for second. And then let's see here we are tied for fourth uh, with wake forest uh, which is four and one, as well clemson and louisville, five and1. Obviously we lost to Louisville. That would have been a big one and pushed us to second. But right now in conference standing, we are tied for fourth place, which you know it's kind of a down year for the ACC just in general. So we would want to, you know, finish in the top three. I would feel very good about us getting a decent seed come tournament time if we were to finish in the top three of the ACC in the regular season standings. Now a lot of people are debating how many tournament teams ACC has. Listen, when I looked at it I thought we were a lot better than a lot of the criticism that we're getting and I think a lot of the bottom half of the league is pretty bad. But you know, I still think Clemson's a very good team. I think Pittsburgh's a good team. Louisville is playing very well right now. They're a tough team. They surprise a lot of people. So you know, I feel better about the ACC than a lot of people right now. But you know, hopefully we can get some wins coming up and, you know, move up in the standings and finish in the top three. Obviously Duke is 6-0. Duke right now is one of the most dominant teams in college basketball. You can make a case for them being the best team in college basketball. But obviously we've got some big-time conference games coming up and we can improve our standings. But that's where we sit right now with everyone else and that's kind of our current status and you know just in general.
Speaker 2You know from the eye tests and what I've been watching, I think we've really improved as a team in the past couple weeks, not only as a team but also rotations. I think guys are getting consistent minutes and we're figuring out what lineups work. You're really seeing the freshmen come on. Ann and Drake are playing unbelievable and I think overall you're not seeing as many bad shots taken from the freshman. I think you want to kind of give in a little bit of a green light because some of the shots he's taken over games and some of his shots at times have been heat checks. And Drake you would see early on in the year him force up a few shots. I haven't seen that.
Speaker 2He's really developed and Drake's impacting the game in a lot of different ways besides scoring. He's athletic. He provides a lot of length defensively. He can rim, protect at times, get rebounds, make winning plays. I think Drake is very. I think he's improved a lot and I think his value on this team sometimes doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but the two freshmen have been unbelievable Ann and Drake and you know we can talk about Ann later. But he's been better than advertised and you know there's been times, you know, in certain games where I'm just, you know, I'm amazed by him. He's playing hero basketball. You look at Florida and some other games he can take over and he has kind of a torch at times. I love his growth and watching him develop. We're going to talk about another player who's kind of coming into their own when we recap this UNC State game, because there's somebody that's not getting a lot of attention I think deserves a lot of credit.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean you mentioned it. I definitely think that had we had this conversation a couple weeks ago, you know, it seemed a little more dire then. You know, I think I'm curious where these? I was trying to kind of see where these stats roll up in terms of the national rankings. But I mean Carolina's still scoring 83 a game. I mean that's a good clip. It's probably top 25. Field goal percentage at 47. I would have thought that that would have been lower. So I feel like we're making some more shots here lately. Three-point percentage at almost 33. That's still, I mean that's really honestly being brought down by your two volume shooters, which are RJ shooting 28% and Kato shooting 27% from three. So I think the upside there I mean look, you got RJ Davis shooting 38% from the floor and 28% from three-point range.
Optimism for UNC Basketball Team
Speaker 1And the thing I think that I am most optimistic about as a Carolina fan is, if you just believe in the law of averages, that has to change. He's just so much better than that Now they're throwing the kitchen sink at him. They're kind of like giving him the Steph Curry treatment, right, like they know that's the guy that can get hot and beat you and so they're making everybody else beat you and I think maybe you know kind of like we saw in this, the state game and the emergence of Ian Jackson is just like so huge for this team. I mean I think he's the best player on the team. I think he has been for a while. I think RJ has the potential. I think he's playing like the best player on the team. I think RJ has the potential, of course, given his experience and so forth, but Ian Jackson is just an unreal player. So if RJ sort of like retreats back to the norm, that just means he I mean it's hard to believe that he's still going for 18 a game. I mean he's still tops in the acc or near the top in the acc and scoring right yeah. So, um, you gotta feel like those percentages are going to improve. He's going to start seeing shots fall and if that happens it changes everything.
Speaker 1I think Carolina at its best is a tight rotation seven-man moving the ball and you say this all the time getting good shots. The one thing that concerns me I know we're going to get into the state game is Carolina shoots eight free throws in that game and Ian Jackson for as athletic as he is, and that dude. It seems like every shot you need, that's big. I mean he's shooting 51 and 43 from three. I mean dude's having a year, but like he doesn't get to the line very often and to be as, and part of that is weird.
Speaker 1You know, I saw this several times in the state game. Like his ability to carve through double teams and get a clean layup. It's like I don't know that I've seen anything like it since Ty Lawson man, like he just he's at the bucket and nobody's there with him and I don't know how, because there's two or three guys in between him and a basket is it's, it's, it's unreal, man, how he can finish, you know. So I think that's part of the game that I'd like to see them improve on, and, of course, a lot of that probably has to do with the fact they shoot so much from the outside. But getting to the basket, getting to the line, is something RJ does well, but I think he's unique in that regard.
Speaker 1So, look, I mean I've been on a roller coaster ride personally with this team. If I'm being honest, I still haven't seen enough yet where I'm like all right, I think we can make some noise here, but that's the one thing I look at and even Seth Trimble, who's been hurt, I mean, he hasn't done anything in the last two games and again, these aren't knocks. These are me saying, hey, you're winning in spite of that, and these guys are great players and they're going to be great players. And so if I'm being optimistic I think that's what I'm looking at is the ability of these guys to sort of right the ship.
Speaker 1And we saw this. I think and I'll stop on this but in Hubert's first year, when we made the run to the championship game, we were a team that if we were hot we could beat anybody. And I think this is the same thing. I think, if you got RJ Davis making shots, kado distributing and running, getting out on the break, I think this team can do that. I just don't think this team in its raw form is like an absolute contender. But that's not what college basketball is always about. I mean, the absolute contenders often don't win.
Speaker 2So anyway, I mean yeah.
Speaker 1I'm with you, I'm optimistic.
UNC Basketball Team Potential Rise
Speaker 2So Sleep. I just want to piggyback off a few things. You said this is the most optimistic I've been all season and you can look at the schedule and say we played some absolutely tough teams and now we're starting to play conference play and we're looking a little bit better. But first of all, you've got to give the team credit. We fixed somewhat of our bad starts. We haven't been taking haymakers to start games and spent pretty much 75% of the game clawing our way back trying to make it a game. We fixed that. I think our defensive pressure to start the state game was much better. I think we're getting out there. We're starting games with more energy and starting from the jump. And the other thing you're right, this team has not hit its peak.
Speaker 2And a big reason why I'm so optimistic is because I believe in RJ, just like you do. I think it's just a matter of time before we see his torch and see him go off. And a big reason why I think it's coming soon is because N Jackson's going to start getting a lot of attention from the defense. And first of all, n is the third leading scorer in conference play. In the ACC play I think he's averaging like 20.8 points per game in conference play, which is impressive for a freshman.
Speaker 2And I will say I think he's going to get a lot of attention from the defense and I think that's going to open up a lot of things for RJ coming up and I think he's going to have probably a lot better looks than he's had all year. I think he's going to be able to, you know, find his shot, find his rhythm, especially when you add another score on the court with him. I think that's going to be super beneficial. And the other thing I will say is about getting to the free throw line. You're right, we're settling for jump shots. A sign of not attacking the basket or getting inside or playing aggressive offensively is not getting to the free throw line. Now, a little bit of the state game has to do with the rest. They weren't calling fouls that game, I'm going to talk more about that.
Speaker 2First of all, I loved it. I mean, it was just a good old brawl and I think sometimes I love watching the old school physical basketball where the rest are just like hey, you know what? Today we're not giving anybody a foul and teams just go at it. I love that. We'll talk about it later. But you're right, we've got to attack the basket more. We've got to. We can't settle for outside jump shots, and I think Elliott Cadeau has done a much better job of getting the ball inside and not settling for outside jump shots.
Speaker 2That's playing right into the defense's hands when he sometimes settles for long threes, when he's a little bit open. I think he's taking the ball inside and finding teammates much better than he has all season. I like that. But you're right, I'm optimistic, just like you. I know this team has not hit their ceiling. Has not hit their ceiling what we saw from Jalen Washington against State. You've been a big Jay Walsh fan and you've talked about it. He has a huge upside and I think a lot of his slumps had to do with confidence, putting too much pressure on himself and also he's
Speaker 2dealt with injuries his whole career, confidence putting too much pressure on himself and also he's dealt with injuries his whole career and he's backed up one of the best bigs in college basketball. So consistent playing time wasn't always there. So we're just now seeing Jay Walsh start to develop and the way he played against Statesley. If we get some minutes like that from Jay Walsh, this team is different. This team is a sweet six team. They could make, I mean, laugh at me now. This team could make a tournament run.
Speaker 1I believe them is the only consistent multidimensional player from a statistical perspective that we have, and what I mean by that is he's the guy you know. We talked about the 12 rebounds. I looked at it during the game. I mean he's only averaging like four rebounds a game, or five rebounds a game. Maybe it's not a lot, and you know again, again, I don't know. Necessarily you look part of that, I think is you got guys you know shooting perimeter jump shots all game long, so you're gonna have long rebounds and you know so. So and look if, if there are two of those a game, I mean now he's averaging seven and that's a totally different, you know, stat line right, so so there's.
Speaker 1There's like little like innuendos or minutiae in there that you got to consider when you ask why that number is lower than you would otherwise think it is. But you know, 11 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, of course the biggest one to in the game. The funniest thing to me is always the funniest thing to me is just the state fan base. I'm watching a game and Kevin Keats is the perfect coach for NC State and here's why At every, it seemed like every TV timeout. You know there was one where there's a 30 second timeout and when they go away, keats is arguing with a, a referee, like man to man out in like half court, and when they come back he's still talking to him and it's like dude, what are you like complaining like first of all, like don't you got to drop a play or something. I mean I've never seen a coach in my life that complains about officiating as much. I mean every coach gets on the rest and you sort of watch and these guys, their whole fan base. And, by the way, I've been to two or three, maybe three or four games this year and I sat next to Carolina fans that were just awful to sit there and listen to. I mean, guys, you've got to be educated about what's going on. Not everything's a foul, like, not everything's a foul, not everything's a travel, not everything is this, and the state fans do. They'll just go on and on and on about it and you look at the box score. We shoot eight free throws, like to your point.
Speaker 1There were definitely some calls I felt like could have gone either way, but by and large, I mean they established what was going to happen. The officials did, did it's like, dude, we're going to let you play and it led to a great game. I mean, there was a lot of physical, like loose ball rebounds. I mean they're bouncing around and guys getting them. So you know, my point being is, I think Jalen Washington, in addition to what you see in the stat sheet in general, he influences the game in a number of different ways. I mean, when he's inside, he's, he's big, he's all we've got in terms of shot blocking, and so you're going to force people to alternate shots and and stuff like that. So yeah, I mean I think he's, he's a really key piece if he gets going. Seth tremble gets especially.
Speaker 1You know, the emergence of jackson can really space the floor right. It really can open up the offense in a number of ways. I mean, imagine you got RJ and Ian on the wing, you got Jackson in a low post and you got a guy like Tremble over in a dunk spot and then Cadeau can sort of penetrate. And there are a multitude of options. You can swing the ball for open three, you can get the ball inside and then, when they double down, you can throw lobs or or, um, you know, entry passes to the, to the dunker, like there's just a lot of things that I think, strategically, you can do.
Speaker 1If you have to worry about ian jackson, right, and like you said, so I mean I think to your point, if you really watch a team, like we watch Carolina, obviously as fans you're like, how do we figure this out? You're always going to be optimistic about what's going to, and I think that's just what it's going to take, right, and then we either make the shots or we don't make the shots. But I see that there's a rotation man, like those are five. You know, drake Powell is, I think, more of a Seth Trimble than he is of, you know, an Ian Jackson, and what I mean by that is he's strong, lanky, athletic right, he's another guy that should be getting to the basket, you know, and getting fouled on the way in, in my opinion. Guy that should be getting to the basket, you know, and getting fouled on the way in, in my opinion.
Speaker 1Um, so, yeah, it's, it's uh, yeah, I guess, at the end of the day, this is a very long-winded way to say like I'm optimistic and I think, uh, I think what you're gonna see, let's see the, the rest of the, the slate here coming up. We'll talk about cal in a second. Who do we really have ahead of us between cal, it's uh, cal stanford, and then wake forest wake forest is gonna be between Cal it's a Cal Stanford and then wake forest.
Speaker 2wake forest is going to be a big game. That's a Tuesday night, 9 PM, so I should be arrested for that.
Speaker 1In wake forest.
Speaker 2That's going to be a tough one, but obviously we'll need to win that for conference standings.
Speaker 1A week later, we've got pit on the road, followed by Duke on the road, you know, you know. And then, a week later, we've got Pitt on the road, followed by Duke on the road, and then, after Duke, two games later, you've got Clemson on the road. So look, I mean you can say what you want about the ACC. I think you brought up a great point. Bottom half of the ACC, sure, but the top half on the road. We've got some tough games in front of us. Four of the next, let's see one, two, three, four of the next, seven or eight half of the next, games on the road against the top teams in the league, absolutely.
Speaker 1It's a tough one.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1And that's going to make or break it, right. I mean, you're going to go in and you get on a run and all of a sudden you're back in the conversation. You go 50-50, you're kind of right where you are, or it could go the other way. So I definitely think we're on that 50-50 or better trajectory right now. But let's talk about Cal.
Speaker 2First of all, Cal, listen Cal. We need to pay attention to Andre Stojakovic. Obviously, Paige Stojakovic's son. He is the leading scorer in conference play. Let me see, I think he averages like 24 points a game. I think he's in conference play yeah, in conference play.
Speaker 2You know this is one of those games where you've got to come out and start with energy. I think it's more about how we start and how we play versus what Cal does. Now. You need to pay attention to Stojakovic because he is a majority of their offense and he has a torch. We cannot give him open looks. We need to make everything tough for him. We actually need to play him very physical.
Speaker 2I think Seth needs to get up into him, bump him a little bit, wear him down. That bothers a lot of finesse, shooting-type players throughout the course of the game. So that's going to be key for us. I think making his life difficult when he's in the Smith Center against Kyle Stojakovic is going to be key to winning. But we got to continue what we've been doing Starting games well. We got to have guys keep improving. We got to see consistent play from Jalen Washington. I think him having a decent game or something close to a double-double would be huge, and not only for this team but also for him and his confidence, because I really think once he gets that confidence and that mentality, he's going to become some of the you know, the player that a lot of people kind of believed he would. I know you believed in him.
Speaker 2I believed in him as well, I think he's. You know, I think of everybody, all the bigs, he has the highest ceiling, I think. Yeah, you know he has a good touch. Uh, he has a 7-2 wingspan. He is a great rim protector. Hold on, he's, he can provide rim protection. Not a great rim protector. This isn't, uh, my tumbo, uh, but uh no, I just shoot from outside too.
Speaker 1I wasn't upset when he took that that three. No, not at all.
Speaker 2He can shoot the ball, the top of the key three for jaylen. I think he needs to shoot it and I think that's a shot he can make. And the more he takes, uh, of those top of the key three point shots, I think ispoint shots, I think eventually he's going to start making those consistently and I've seen it myself. He's a good shooter, he's in the gym a lot and he's capable of knocking down that top-of-the-key three. And the reason why I say top-of-the-key three is because that's where a lot of big men find themselves and also it's a much easier shot.
Speaker 1But with our offense he's going to be in that spot a lot so and you can super stretch the defense if that starts happening oh yeah knock down a couple of those threes and draw, you know, draw their big man out of the paint and like that just opens up absolutely sleep.
Speaker 2And also a big reason why we're not a great offensive rebounding team which historically carolina has been is because because the defense kind of stays inside, because our lack of outside shooting it allows the defense to stay inside and really clog things up and get the defensive rebound. So it makes us trying to get the offensive rebound is very difficult when a defense just stays inside the paint and just gobbles up the rebound. But if he develops that shot and somewhat brings a little consistency with making that top of the key three, it's just going to draw the defense out. That's a great point. But those are the keys for the California game. Obviously California is new to the conference so I would hope that the guys start the game with energy. And this is one of those games where you look at it like, ah, it's Cal. You know we haven't played him much, you know a lot of distance in between us, not a lot of history, but this is a game we need to win. This is a game that we can't lose just because it's going to hurt our resume.
Speaker 1So here's my question to you Because Stojakovic, I think if anybody's ever followed basketball, I think you've probably got to be an above-average fan to know who Peja Stojakovic is. But if you know who he is, you know he's a sniper, right, and his son seems cut exactly from that cloth I mean 6'7", 205, dude's lighting it up this year, but 205 dudes lighten it up this year. But there's a couple of questions I have for you about him. So he played at Stanford his freshman year and, like you know, you look at the stat line dude shot 54% from the line we were just talking about that before we started Like average, like seven a game, and now he's averaging almost 21 a game for the season, right?
Key Strategies Against Hot Scorers
Speaker 1So my first question is how does a guy improve that much? And then the second part is like, as you're preparing for a team that is, by all indications, very mediocre in cal, their record says it, you know, their stats say it, the eye test says it but then you got this guy. I mean it's almost like I'm not saying steph curry, like don't get me wrong, but like that was kind of the thing at Davidson. Like you know, the team was good, but it was could be great when that guy, when Steph was going off right. So like this, stojakovic is the type of player that could go for 30 on you or more right. And I mean, what is the mentality, is it? You know, how do you, how do you prepare for a team that has one guy that can beat you?
Speaker 2Well, kind of like I said, and I would kind of make the comparison, obviously, stojakovic is not JJ Redick.
Speaker 1But my freshman year, steph Curry.
Speaker 2Yeah, not Steph Curry either, but I'll say this my freshman year we went to the Smith Center and a guy like Stojakovic and Redick they can get it going fast and once they get into a rhythm and they get hot listen, it's going to be a long night because then they start making hero shots and I think from the tip you cannot allow him to get an easy look.
Speaker 2And this is why I think Seth Trimble is going to be such a key factor for this game, because he's one of the best defensive guards in all of college basketball. The way he chases shooters around screens and he pressures the ball. He really does a good job defensively and I think he's going to be a key player that we're going to have to put on Stojakovic just to make sure he's kept in check. And it comes down to knowing plays that they run to try to get him open key plays. And also it comes down to we've got to be aware where he is on the court and we can't allow him to get open looks. You just can't do it. When you have a guy like that on the court, you cannot allow him to just sit there, set up his shot and get an easy, open look from three, because once he gets a few of those going in and he sees a ball going in the basket and his confidence is through the roof night night, I mean it's.
Speaker 2I've seen. I've seen this on a bigger stage with Carmelo. He can drop 60 on you in three quarters. Melo did when I was at Indiana. But you know you just got to make everything difficult for him Sleep and you can't give him easy open looks.
Speaker 1Yeah, it'll be interesting to see here. So we've got Cal coming up and that's definitely the player to watch, and then will we be back before We've got Stanford after that on Both home, yeah.
Speaker 1And then at Wake, and then at Wake. That's next Tuesday. So yeah, we'll be able to review Stanford when we get back. That's probably a far enough look ahead Before we get out of here. Man, let's talk a couple things. So one I think we've got two things that we had jotted down to talk about. One is this Bill Belichick thing, but I'm going to come back to that in a second because I don't even think that's even a remote possibility. Let's talk about Cooper Flagg going for 42. I think everybody would be pretty interested to know your thoughts on him. Espn is just shoving this guy down our throats. He plays for Duke, so we hate him, but he is pretty good.
Speaker 2You know, I tell everybody, let man that dunk he had against Pitt, I think it was. I was watching the game and I immediately texted I think it was actually on a group text with you. I was just like Cooper Flagg just had one of the sickest dunks I've seen in college basketball.
Comparing Cooper Flagg and Duke Basketball
Speaker 2Listen, he's also 18, and it's incredible what he's doing. I mean, also, I have a problem with the hype that he's getting because he plays at Duke. So I'm a little you know, my thought process is a little skewed, but he's unbelievable and he took over the game I think it was against Notre Dame, went for 42. Yeah, it's just, he's got a big upside. And you know, a player that I think he kind of reminds me of and I don't know if people will like this comparison is Andre Karolinko, who you know. And the reason I say that is because, listen, both these guys are super athletic.
Speaker 2Karolinko was a super freak athletically and Cooper Flagg in the same way. Karolinko was a super freak athletically and Cooper Flagg in the same way. Karolinko was long athletic, he could jump. Also, karolinko was a triple-double factor. I mean, he could pass, he could block, he could get rebounds, he could score All those things Cooper Flagg does as well. Now, he did go for 42, but he's actually known for impacting the game in a whole broad spectrum, not just scoring. The reason why he's received so much hype is because he's a shot blocker, rebounder, does all this stuff.
Speaker 1He leads the team in all five categories. Yeah.
Speaker 2Obviously he'll be the first pick in the NBA draft next year. I think he's got a bright future in the NBA. I actually think he's going to be probably better than Zion. And the reason I say that is because Zion, to me, height and length wise, you know he's not, you know super like, it's pretty normal or below average for the NBA. But Cooper Flagg has length, he has size, doesn't have to rely on his athleticism so much he can rely on some of you know his length and you know his height as well.
Speaker 1And he can shoot yeah, and shoot on the move too.
Speaker 2And I also think that Zion, the way his body's kind of built, I think when he starts to lose a little bit of athleticism, his games drastically take a hit where Cooper Flagg. I don't see that having as much of an impact as it would with him versus Zion.
Speaker 1I think at the end of the day, Cooper Flagg just is a more skilled player.
Speaker 2Absolutely.
Speaker 1I think Zion is extraordinarily gifted athletically and physically but he's not as skilled. He doesn't have the same, just, I guess, general acumen and IQ. I think that is required when you're more of a rangy player. I mean, I'm not saying Zion doesn't have a basketball IQ, I mean he attacks the rim but his game is less. I don't know if it's one-dimensional, but it it's more one dimensional than Cooper Flagg in my opinion. You know, I look down here and I mean Duke's won 10 in a row, 12 of the last 13. They lost against Kansas in a close when they beat Auburn and like, but they play a bunch of like nobodies.
Speaker 2Yeah, you want to talk about where they're vulnerable. I'll tell you. Right now they lost to Kansas. Right Then they lost to Kentucky. If you watch those games down the stretch, duke didn't execute as well as I thought they would. They're awfully young and I thought that they relied too much on Cooper Flagg's ability to get a bucket.
Speaker 2And they just kind of gave him the ball at the end of the game and put him in ISO situations where the defense just loaded up. And you know if I'm the coach, I look at Duke and I say we have too much talent around Cooper. I mean, they have a very good team.
Speaker 2We've got to get him a look off the set and actually make our other scores a threat like uh, the knipple kid you've got to like. You know, if they load up on cooper he's, he has the ability to knock down a shot. You just can't be so reliant on him at the end of the game, and I've I've maintained this from day one.
Speaker 2I'm not a big fan of young teams in the ncaa tournament, uh, especially if they're going to run through the conference and they're not going to be tested or take any L's. I think a team like that heading into the tournament is vulnerable.
Speaker 1Yeah, I agree. I hope so. Anyway, we'll just keep this one real short. So rumors are everybody in the NFL, all these coaching openings with the playoffs, everybody's after Bill Belichick and they got this clause in his contract, apparently, where he can leave for a million bucks. Buyout is a million dollars. And everybody says why would you make the buyout a million dollars if you didn't want to? At least think about it? So my question to you is you think there's any chance that Bill Belichick leaves? Absolutely not zero chance.
Speaker 2Billy B's coming to chapel hill. I can't wait.
Speaker 1Chapel bill yep, I got the award okay I don't think it's funny, man, because I don't follow, like the recruiting trail and like all these, you know we get some receiver from washington or a quarterback from purdue or wherever. Like, we get these. I'd be like I've always said this like let's talk about football and the players, we know who the roster is, especially this day, and it might go three different teams before the season starts. But uh, you know, it's funny because everybody's all excited. We got, hey, we got this dude from wyoming and I'm like okay, great, um. But uh, yeah, I'm pumped about about what? Uh, still, it's just super, like it's comical to think about.
Speaker 2Sleep. I got one thing I want to ask you, yeah let's hear it the end of the game against State Jalen Washington. Does the pups downside.
Speaker 1Oh yeah.
Speaker 2Have you ever seen that before? I have not.
Intensity in Rivalry Games
Speaker 1And what did you think of it? I have not. You know, it's funny because everybody's talking about that. Yeah, I was like what is that? It's like he invented it, dude, on the fly, or he was like manifested it in his mind. He's like I'm going to, I'm going to swap the last shot of the game and I'm going to let him know. Because here's the thing about state fans Okay, like and I'm not saying that Carolina fans are any better, because I'm always seeing it through this lens we're better, although I'd venture to guess that we're considered I'm better. All right, big Hawk's better, we're better.
Speaker 1But you go to a state game and they say and do some of the most atrocious stuff I've ever heard anywhere, and so, yeah, I mean, give it back to them. They complain, and then they like they, you know, they're just delirious people, you know, and they're perfectly fine outside of a sporting event, but you go to a football or basketball game and they're absolutely out of touch with reality, period. Okay, so let them know. Yeah, dude, when that happened, I was like what is he doing? Like I don't know what that is.
Speaker 1And then it sort of caught on and of course, it pissed them off, which is great, and the thing I like the most about it because you know I love Jalen Washington, and the thing I like the most about it, because you know I love Jalen Washington is it really, I think, galvanized the team around him and gave him like the shine that I think he needed. He deserves, dude, he has been a consummate, like team player throughout this whole thing. Like you haven't heard any stuff about him leaving. You know he's the kind of guy that I feel like you know you appreciate, right, these guys, the first sign of trouble, first sign of not getting play in time, first sign of this or that, like dude, he's here and he's committed and like I'd love to see him turn a corner and and be a little bit of chip on your shoulder Yep, that's a great indication or a great sign from a guy like that.
Speaker 2Sleep. I just want to say for the record, I absolutely loved it. Oh yeah, the reason why I loved it so much is because Jalen Washington is a pretty reserved, kind of quiet kid, but a great kid, yeah, he works hard, great kid. And when he blocked that shot he was so excited. I looked and I saw State, I think State.
Speaker 2Some of their players started chirping and then all Jalen Washington just went one down and then they started chirping again. Then he went double down on them and I just love the fact that he did that. And you know, maybe this breaks him out of his shell a little bit, but I absolutely loved it that he did that. And you know, maybe this breaks him out of his shell a little bit, but I absolutely loved it. I know the coaches, they can't really be like, yeah, they've got to be like, hey, guys, don't do that, let's win. Blah, blah, blah. I loved it as a fan and a spectator and also I think it's good for the rivalry. They were talking a lot of smack, we were talking a lot of smack, and the other thing I really liked about it is Kevin Keats was in a state of shock.
Speaker 1Oh, he didn't know what to complain about.
Speaker 2He didn't know what he was going to complain about the goaltend, which wasn't even close to a goaltend. And then he wanted to complain about that. Jalen Washington started talking smack. Their players started talking smack. He had no idea what to do.
Speaker 1Get on his players get onay wash or get on the refs. I thought it was, uh, dude, it was a very weird like last two seconds, because the block didn't actually end the game. But it was such a big play that everybody was just like what just happened? Everybody stood there for like the last, nobody even went after the ball and even jaylen washington was just standing there like is it over yet? You know it, it was hilarious. But yeah, I mean, I think that's all the same thing. I was like they're all complaining about a goaltend. I was like you got to be kidding me, dude. But in the other thing, here's the one thing I'll say positive about the whole thing. It was a pretty chippy game, you know, and I thought the players on the court played physical. They played tough, tough, all of them. And you know there were a couple times where I was like this could get, like you know they could get, they can get in a damn brawl here.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, I loved it.
Speaker 1It's what you wanted to and both sides, you know, yeah, I kept kept their cool in that regard, and that's commendable. So, um, I guess that's really all I got. But dude the commanders. I know I'm not supposed to be rooting for them, but I got to say it, man, last night, going to one off the upright. See, we're going to play Detroit. All right, here's what we'll leave on. Who are?
Speaker 2you pulling for.
Speaker 1Who are you pulling for?
Speaker 2I'm pulling for the commanders. You know what I think about Detroit. I can't do the Dan Campbell, I can for the commanders. You know what I think about detroit? I can't do the dan campbell.
Speaker 1I can't watch him cry he'll cry for a year oh man, oh man, yeah, you're on board, dude, if, if washington beats the. I can't believe how many games they've like everything. The crazy thing about being a commanders fan is everything always goes wrong. And this year it's like dude, we shouldn't even I mean we should have lost so many games that we've won that. I mean it. It's almost like we shouldn't even be in the playoffs and we've won 13 games. And last night I mean, for those of you that are out there that even care something's wrong with our kicker.
Speaker 1He like fixes his hair a bunch of times. I haven't seen this. My dad told me that this is like a meme on the Internet now and it has to be. This dude like tick, where he's got to fix his hair like a hundred times before he puts his helmet on. And last night I texted my buddy because of like a month ago they were playing tennessee. Now they're up like 28 nothing in this game and I'm sitting on the couch watching. I'm like what is wrong with this dude? He's like fixing his hair, fixing his hair, and then just absolutely shanks it after 12 hair fixes, puts his helmet on and just shanks. And so last night they called this guy on and we've had a bunch of different kickers. I didn't know we had the same one. And here comes this guy and he's I haven't thought about him again he's. Here comes, this dude, and he's fixing his hair a hundred times.
Field Goal Drama in Washington Game
Speaker 1And I texted my buddy and I was like Brian. I was like this ain't good man. He's fixing his hair again, you know, and 10 seconds later you could see the ball. That's the funny thing about field goals is sometimes the ball just sort of in the air, does a little shake and it's either going to shake the right way or the wrong way. Did a shake and it hit the post and as a Washington fan you just know that it ain't going in and for it to careen off the post through the crossbar, it took me. It was like the Jalen Washington moment for me. I sat on my couch and I was like I had to physically wait and watch the referee put his hands in the air to believe that the ball actually went in. And then the funny thing was the kicker was just like cool about it. He's like, yeah, I was. I was trying to hit the thing.
Speaker 2Didn't even celebrate.
Speaker 1Needless to say, if we get into a field goal situation, he ain't making another one like that, so we're just gonna have to win the rest of them outright. But uh, look, dude commander's fan, I'll take it while it lasts. Um about to put my, my jayden daniels jersey on. I'm with you now though all right, buddy, you got anything else? Big Hawk stay safe.