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Three UNC Freshmen on ACC All-Tourney team   FIRST TEAM Brandan Wright, UNC* Brandon Costner, NCSU* Ty Lawson, UNC Wayne Ellington, UNC Gavin Grant, NCSU * unanimous selection SECOND TEAM Courtney Fells, NCSU Ben McCauley, NCSU Engin Atsur, NCSU Al Thornton, FSU Tyrese Rice, BC Posted by Robbie Allen @ 3/12/2007 09:32:00 AM Comments: Unanimous picks of Costner and Wright to the All Tournament team were reasonable selections. By the numbers, Costner was the better performer during both the regular season (70.8 to 59.8) and in the tournament (60.46 to 47.39) and could have been selected the MVP (and the regular season Rookie of the Year). Some tournament numbers (Costner vs Wright): Points: 96 to 47 Rebounds: 20 to 11 Steals: 2 to 1 Assists: 9 to 2 Blocks: 1 to 6 TO: 11 to 4 RBSA-TO: 21 to 16 Although Wright has great potential, Costner was the superior player in 06-07. NCST played 4 games in 4 days in the tournament; consider Costner's performance in four days of competition: to get to the championship game NCST beat a 2, a 3, and a 7 seed. UNC waltzed with a 4 and a 9 seed. Whoever votes on these things isn't looking at overall player performance and the level of competition. # posted by  Anonymous : 12:48 PM   You aren't comparing apples to apples. Costner played significantly more minutes than Wright. Of course his overall numbers should be higher. Heck, he played a full game more. Also, you need to consider that Costner is State's go-to man. He's is going to get more opportunities than Wright, so I'd expect his numbers to be higher from that alone. If Wright got as many touches as Costner, he'd be off the charts. # posted by  Robbie Allen : 2:34 PM   A. Re: " Costner played significantly more minutes than Wright. Of course his overall numbers should be higher. Heck, he played a full game more. ... He's is going to get more opportunities than Wright, so I'd expect his numbers to be higher from that alone. If Wright got as many touches as Costner, he'd be off the charts." 1. Most player's performance drops the more mins they play (i.e. Roy's logic for platoon basketball). With few exceptions (L. Byrd, Magic), a players performance declines the longer he plays. 2. UNC has good players who have only shown they can perform 60-70% of the time. 3. Platoon basketball could be UNC's Achilles Heel in the NCAA - top teams can match their talent/depth as VT did in ACC play. B. Re: "Heck, he played a full game more." Throw out Costner's Thurs Game vs Duke and he continues to have a better performance rating than Wright: 57.41 to 47.39. Points: 66 to 47 3FG: 6 to 0 Rebounds: 13 to 11 Steals: 2 to 1 Assists: 6 to 2 Blocks: 1 to 6 TO: 8 to 4 RBSA-TO: 14 to 16 Costner also has a FT% advantage of 76.2 vs 42.8. Costner earned the MVP. The Blue N&O's C. Tudor (3/12/07) even acknowledged this fact: "Considering the way Costner played in the 'tournament,' there may not be a better player in the conference next season." Freudian slip? Quite interesting, since Costner and Wright are both freshmen and the statement is based on "tournament" performance. If Wright truly was the tournament MVP, wouldn't a UNC expert acknowledge him as the future best player in the conference. Why Costner? # posted by  Anonymous : 5:06 PM   Post a Comment << Home