Not Quite: Finland Falls to Croatia 84-79 on Exciting First Day of EuroBasket

Despite a valiant effort, simple mistakes cost Finland a nail biter against

the Croatians.



Out of the five teams in Group C, Greece may be the only superior to a cool, calm, and collected Croatian club.  Before this game, Finland did not appear as if they would pose any sort of threat to Croatia.  However, if you can sink your three pointers, anything is possible.  Although they only shot 40.7% from distance, they still made 11 three pointers, led by Gerald Lee Jr. who hit three from beyond the arc for the 'Fins.  And even though Croatia decisively won the rebounding battle 43-28, it was still any one's game heading into the final few minutes.  This is a time where you need to execute and make plays down the stretch.

On offense, Croatia continued to find Bojan Bogdanovic open for shots.  He scored 26 points on 9 for 13 shooting from the floor and 6 for 8 from deep.   For Finland, free throws proved to be the difference maker in my mind.  With 1:13 to play and Croatia up four, Salin missed two foul shots that would have shifted momentum and made this opening day contest a one possession game.  And finally, with three seconds remaining, Gerald Lee missed two foul shots that would have cut the lead to three points.  Croatia rebounded the second miss and let the clock run.  While Croatia found a go-to-guy in the closing minutes of a game that most believed should have been a blowout, Finland's failure to simply convert towards the end cost them greatly.

For Finland, things will only get rougher tomorrow as they take on a Greece team that many expect to win the 2011 EuroBasket tournament, and are ranked 4th in the Fiba Rankings.  Croatia should have somewhat of an easier game tomorrow, as they take on 0-1 Macedonia. 

Next Game:     Croatia (1-0) vs F.Y.R. of Macedonia (0-1)

                       Finland (0-1) vs Greece (1-0)

Dominican Republic Rolls Past Cuba 90-60

On the first day of the Fiba Americas from Argentina,

the D.R. blew past the Cubans, taking advantage of their talent &

experience to collect a 30 point opening game victory.

Now, when you think of the Dominican Republic, you typically think of baseball.  It is one of, if not the biggest international crop of talent on the globe.  Then, you have their basketball program.  Although they have never qualified for the Olympics, I personally believe that this may be the year.  With Kentucky Wildcat head coach John Calipari at the helm, gameplan should never be an issue for the Dominicans, especially since Calipari's dribble drive motion offense suits the international game so well.  So let's talk about the talent on this team:  You have NBA All-Star Al Horford, the Kings' Francisco Garcia, Detroit Piston Power Forward Cahrlie Villanueva, as well as former Lousivlle standout Edgar Sosa at the point. 

This game was no contest form beginning to end.  The Dominican Republic led 18-8 after the first period, and never looked back from there.  For those who watched this game, Cuba was simply outclassed.  The quicker & more experienced Dominicans forced bad shots, and the majority of the time made the Cubans go one and done offensively, with Jack Michael Martinez grabbing a game high 10 boards.  Horford poured in a game high 24 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes of play. 

This Dominican team can play with any team in this year's field, while Cuba's young talent needs to gain better chemistry amongst themselves and make better decisions with and without the basketball.  Too many times in this game poor help defense by Cuba would lead to open shots for the D.R. 

Next Game:  Dominican Republic (1-0) vs Venezuela [8/31]

                     Cuba (0-1) vs Venezuela [9/1]

Team Preview: #1 North Carolina



After appearing out of virtually nowhere to win the ACC outright in 2010-11,

a final four berth for the Tar Heels in 2012 is all but locked up.

Okay, I'm just going to ask it.  How is North Carolina this good?  You're looking at a team that was one win away from reaching the final four last season returning its top four scorers.  Harrison Barnes, a man who is being compared to Kobe is primed to have a breakout year.  In my opinion, he is the early front runner for the Naismith award.  With a cast of players that proved they can win games, Roy Williams is primed to coach yet another national champion, if all goes right.

The Talent

If you look at Kendall Marshall's final stats from last season, nothing in particular may jump off the page and grab your attention.  However, for anyone that watched him play throughout the second half of the season, ACC, and NCAA Tournaments know that he just may be the glue that holds the Roy Williams project together.  With his unselfish play and ability to facilitate on the offensive end of things, Marshall's assist total should go up substantially with Carolina's offensive talent.

Somewhat of a tweener as a 6'3" shooting guard, Dexter Strickland may struggle early on as part of a talented Carolina backcourt.  While he does have the ability to control the pace of the game, he will most likely be the weakest link on this team.

Harrison Barnes is being compared to Kobe.  Enough said.

John Henson is one of the more intriguing prospects in the 2012 draft class.  The reigning ACC defensive Player of the Year, Henson is a versatile player as well, averaging 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks last season.  He should give this Carolina team all the balance that they need between offense & defense.

While he still has room for improvement, Tyler Zeller is still one of the more talented big men in America.  Standing at an even seven feet, Zeller will provide another rebounding presence along with John Henson.  Also, second chance opportunities will go through the roof with the blue collar Zeller attacking the boards hard.

Contributors

Everyone who has watched James McAdoo play realizes how NBA ready he is, so there is no need to talk about his ability to change the game with his overall explosiveness and high basketball i.q.  What people do need to realize, however, is how truly talented the bench players are for UNC.  While Leslie McDonald is out indefinitely, people are anxious to see 6'7" guard Reggie after his freshman season was cut short by injury.  Also, P.J. Hairston should be a reliable three point specialist in his freshman year for the Heels. 

All in all, if everything goes well for North Carolina this season, there should be reason to celebrate in the beginning of April in Chapel Hill.