College Basketball season is in full swing!

What do they tell you? You want to get two good things for one bad thing, right? That's what they tell you when it's parenting. You give them a good, you give them a bad, you give them a good. You let them feel good walking away. We're going to try to do that.

Yes, positive sandwich. Exactly. We're going to try to do that with college basketball being played in the 9-1-9. Brian Geisinger, who knows more about hoops than anybody I know to be honest, he joins us, what, everywhere, 22 forward, 24-7, right? 24-7 sports. I should know, I should know all of your accolades.

Buzzbeat podcast does everything. Again, he's my basketball guru. So let's start with the good. I want to start with North Carolina because I know they lost to UConn. They lost to UConn in a feisty game at Madison Square Garden between two outstanding teams.

Not, both teams can't win. So let's get to what you have really liked so far about the Tar Heels. Yeah, there's a lot to like. I mean, offensively, they've been pretty awesome this year. And I think the addition of Harrison Ingram, who of all the transfers coming to the ACC this year, he was the one I was maybe most excited about. And just seeing how well he's played, like getting to the line more frequently this season, shooting it at a higher rate and a higher efficiency from three. And just like the versatility he gives to them as a front court playmaker that you can use in the post, you can run pick and roll with. He's been awesome in transition and it allows them to have another guy that can create with the ball along with Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis. So have really, really liked Harrison Ingram a lot.

I like the way the pieces fit. Cormac Ryan's going to start shooting better from three. There's like a lot of historical precedent that says this guy is like a very good shooter off movement, off range.

You know what Baycott is. And at this point, I think you know what RJ Davis is too, which is like one of the best spot up shooters in the country. And the guy that's just totally mastered, like all facets of North Carolina's offense, like whether it's a secondary break, whether it's their pick and roll schemes and they have court. And he's an excellent shooter and one of the best free throw shooters in the country too. So I like the way the pieces fit offensively.

I like the multiple playmakers they have, and certainly having a hub, like, you know, Baycott in the post simplifies everything when you need a bucket. Yeah, because you have to, you have to respect, you can't, you can't cheat because if he's on the court, I mean, we know where he's going to be. He's not going to be straying out by the three point line.

So you can't help off of his man. You're just going to give up points and points and points. And he should ultimately be a great offensive rebounder. And that's where Carolina ultimately does hurt a lot of teams is on the offensive glass.

I said this yesterday. First, I think Harrison Ingram is their best player. I think their offense should make him option one.

I think Davis, aside from all of the things that you said about him, and they're all true. I think he also understands the big moments. And he is he relishes that there's no drop off in his game.

And maybe there's an elevation in his game. In those moments, he tried to keep him in it against Connecticut. He was the reason they nearly they, you know, they kept eating into that lead, I thought.

And I think that ultimately, they're dead. They have enough depth. As long as they don't get hurt. I mean, Jalen Washington, I think is a good player. Trimble is good player. I think they've got options off the bench.

I think they can go to as many as eight players. And that's enough, right? Yeah, and I'm I'm bullish, like really bullish on Washington long term. I think he's a really nice offensive player. I thought he showed stuff last season as well. Trimble is a really good athlete in the guard room. Yeah, that's that's honestly like more than enough depth. And then it's nice that they already have multiple ball handlers.

Yeah. And you got a guy like Ingram that you can move around on the court like depth isn't always just, you know, having, you know, nine or 10 guys you can play but having maybe seven or eight that you really trust and are really good and a couple of those guys can float between positions and do different things for you. Ingram is so versatile. He's been a really nice player in the Pac 12 for a couple of years now. But he's he's playing kind of a different game with UNC again, shooting more threes getting to the line more passing less and just more of a play finisher while getting to play next to Davis and kiddo like it's been it's worked very well for all parties so far. All right, now let's get to the stuff that has not been as good although I think there are legitimate reasons why it has not been as good and that's Duke. There are questions being asked about, you know, our Duke's problems too much for them to overcome. Am I wrong for saying no Tyrese Proctor leads to bad defense at Georgia Tech when it counted and honestly, I watched the Arkansas game. They could have drop kicked the ball from three-point range and maybe that's bad defense, but I mean they shot it like an NBA team. Yeah, I mean, I have been worried about Duke's Duke's defense basically all like since last spring when they didn't, you know, when they weren't able to go out and land like a plus defensive drive, you know, in the portal. They tried Caden Shedrick.

They tried to run homes. There were some other names that got thrown around but I mean, I do think for starters like you realize just tell how good Derek Lively is how important he was the last year's team. Like he was so he was so good. Just watch the Mavericks. Yeah, he's he's like their fourth most important player it with the Mavs now like he's he's a terrific player and I think Proctor is like a very solid defender, but I think even he has has been like a slipped maybe a little bit on that side of the court this season. It's made me wonder just like, you know, was he a bit of like a lively Merchant at times last season too, but overall, I think he's like a rock solid like guard defender. But um, look, they don't have they don't have the rim protection from a season ago of lively just flying around covering ground and making up for mistakes. They've mostly been having Kyle Philpowski play the center spot.

They mostly have him up at the level of the screen. And when they do that, that requires everyone else on the backside to rotate around and in and make plays and be on assignment and close out properly and contain drives. And that's something I think I've really liked Jared McCain offensively so far this season. He's been like he's really struggling defensively. Like if you go back and rewatch any of Duke's games, like he gives up a couple of really tough drives.

The close outs have not been good. He missed multiple rotations on pick and roll screens in the Georgia Tech game that produced points at like key moments in the second half. Like at long term, I really liked McCain a lot, but he's had issues defensively. You know, they need Mark Mitchell for his team defense. But the way teams are guarding him is making him almost unplayable at times for Duke like teams. It is it is wild how much in the what second or third game of the season when they played Arizona, like Tommy Lloyd threw such a wrench into Duke's plans this year with his willingness to play off of Ryan Young. Now you've seen other opponents like Bucknell and like Eric Musselman in Arkansas, like way off of Mark Mitchell, who shot like, you know, in the mid 30s last season from deep.

I think he's one of 13 now this season, like it's in his head. And Duke was trying to come into the season playing five out like that was supposed to be the strength of this team. You know, no longer you don't have Derek Lively, you move Kyle Filipowski to the five as his main position. And that's supposed to really open up the offense.

You let Philip house he initiated the high posts from the elbow. You run all the triple handoff actions with all these good guards. But if the defense is ignoring the guy in the corner, then then like part of the like, what are the advantages of five out isn't just supposed to be like, Oh, you check a bunch of threes.

It's supposed to be that you open the lane up for drives and to get downhill. And that's a lot harder to do. If you've got an extra defender ignoring Sean Stewart, Ryan young, or Mark Mitchell, that's why you've seen since the Arkansas game do trying to use TJ power a little bit more to give them some stretch in the forward room. But like, for this dupe team to be a lead to be good.

They've got to be like an awesome. I mean, they've got to be better defensively too. But they've just got to be an awesome offensive team. That's supposed to be the strength of this team is that five out Tina is going to make them so difficult to guard. And teams can load up on Kyle, they'll pass key, they can be in gaps against Tyrese Proctor picking roles or Jared McCain trying to get downhill or Jeremy roach or Caleb Foster. Um, so they're gonna have to problem solve a little bit more, because, you know, either Mark Mitchell is gonna have to make some threes, they're gonna have to turn him, you know, online more as like a guy that will drive and attack the space or use them as a handoff guy and try to take advantage of the the inattention because my guess is more teams as especially as they get into ACC play, are going to see that this blueprint is working against them. And they're in teams are going to try to replicate that we're already seeing that, you know, and it's not even the second week of December.

Brian Geisinger is joining us 247 sports. Here's the thing about it. It that if I were john shire, one for 13 is nothing to me. Like seriously. I mean, I'm sure he's not a 7.7% three point shooter. So the only way to get out of it is to be willing to miss. So I would I would, I would be imploring him, keep shooting Mark, if it's a good shot. And if it comes out of the flow of the offense or off an offensive rebound, feel free, have at it. Because in order for that to work, he has to be a willing shooter. You know how I feel about Ben Simmons. My problem with Ben is not that he misses shots is that he is not willing to take them.

And once you are proven to not be willing to take them, I don't have to guard you. So Mark Mitchell needs to make people I mean, if he never makes another one, then I'm wrong. But I think that Mitchell should continue to shoot, because their offense won't work if he's on the court if he is not a willing shooter.

All right, let me let me move on to something good before we have to say goodbye. MJ rice played for the wolf back last night, and I don't know what their ceiling is as a team. Their defense wasn't very good. Ole Miss made a billion threes it seemed in that ACC SEC Challenge game down in Oxford. But I, I think there's a lot of good from what I have seen from the wolf back so far this year. What's your what's your read on them?

Yeah, I will. I thought they made some really nice adjustments after that Ole Miss game when they went up to Boston College. That's a weird place to play, you know, the forum, not, you know, not a lot of fans in the crowd in Quinton post is a seven foot center.

That's a 40 whatever percent three point shooter can pass and score from a bunch of levels. And I thought state's defense was so much better prepared for that. You know, they go in there, they have mo Jara in bed Middlebrooks be the guys that are guarding post they have DJ burns, guarding the power forwards as the primary defender for Boston College. They switch, you know, most of the actions with Quinton post involved so they can stay out of rotation against the pick and pop and then they have DJ burns scramble switch behind the play. So picking the guard out and having him go on the post.

And it worked really well. I think it was they did a really nice job executing Jara was was like awesome. He was just kind of everywhere for big stretches of that game. I'm having rice back is really, really nice. Like he not only is he just like a talent boost, like a, you know, six five six five power wing former top 20, whatever prospect, but he adds more lineup versatility to them. And so when you've got guys like rice and Dennis Parker Jr, who's looked awesome, my opinion as a freshman forward like they just they can open up a bunch of different lineups with those guys either floating between the three and the four. Um, I think the guards overall have played pretty well this season like Jaden Taylor had an awesome stretch against Boston College.

He just took the game over defensively. DJ horn is a is a big time shooter. more cells grown as a player, you know, in a different role this year. I think they're kind of still kind of missing like the one like go to primary ball handler.

But other than that, I really liked the roster. Like I think there's a lot of really interesting pieces that can fit together in some cool combination. So I'm excited about state going forward encouraged. I just I sort of worry about them when games turn into like half court slugfest. Yeah, you know, where where's the shot making going to come from? They need they need an open they kind of need an open court game, don't they?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or or in half court, you know, obviously they can play through DJ burns and like he's awesome. He's one of the best post up. Yeah, you know, scores and passing hubs in the entire country.

It's just that's a little bit easier to defend, I think, as opposed to, you know, like having like a charcoal joiner, you know, pull up shooter that can hit you from a bunch of different spots. Brian Geisinger, I appreciate your time at B guys underscore bird on Twitter. If you want to follow the sport and become a smarter basketball fan, you'd follow Brian on Twitter. All right, my friend, we're gonna get you in studio one day soon. Let's do it. All right, man. A piece.

I'll talk to you soon. Yeah, take it easy, guys. Hey, well, we we have ad in the past. Brian and Brendan.

They're the old for people who remember the league pass layer. Oh, yeah. They I mean, when they come, we talk. I just let them go. I leave.

That'd be fun. I leave. I just let them go talk basketball for like 20 minutes and I'm gone and I get I go get stuff done. Got a snack. Yeah. Get shopping done or something. So very cool.