Tonight UNC faces Louisville in the East Regional Final (9:05 pm, CBS). Both of these teams like to run, so this game should be fun.
Louisville’s strengths: Louisville distributes the ball very well. Four players average double digit points, and eight average more than six points per game. UNC has depth, but Louisville is more than able to match it. In particular, Teraance Williams, a big yet speedy player, could be a nightmare of a matchup against UNC’s defense. On defense, Louisville has been able to contain the best scorers of each they’ve faced in the tournament so far.
Louisville’s weaknesses: They’re the only team left in this tournament without a true point guard. Jerry Smith fits the height profile, but he’s kind of awkward at the point. If Ty Lawson can take advantage of this matchup, it could be a long day for the Cardinals. The guards are also susceptible to foul trouble.
What UNC needs to do to win the game: Like in the Washington State game, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green need to get incorporated into the offense early, and the Heels need to play solid defense and outrun their opponent. Unlike the Washington State game, Hansbrough cannot be outplayed by David Padgett for the first 25 minutes.
Prediction: UNC will almost surely get their first close game of the tournament. These obliterations, as much as we would like them, cannot be expected to continue. However, I expect the Heels to get a close win in this game.
Merry Basketball Christmas to all this Good Friday. I would be in a much more celebratory mood today had Belmont performed the upset of upsets over Duke. Give credit to Gerald Henderson, he wouldn’t let the Blue Devils lose that game. But I digress.
Last year’s North Carolina team was a testament to the importance of experience. The Heels of 2006-2007 was perhaps the deepest, most talented squad ever to grace Chapel Hill with its presence. Just look at this lineup:
F-Tyler Hansbrough, Sophomore
F-Brandan Wright, Freshman
F-Deon Thompson, Freshman
F-Alex Stepheson, Freshman
F-Rayshawn Terry, Senior
G/F-Danny Green, Sophomore
G/F-Marcus Ginyard, Sophomore
G-Wayne Ellington, Freshman
G-Wes Miller, Senior
G-Ty Lawson, Freshman
G-Bobby Frasor, Sophomore
G-Quentin Thomas, Junior
And that’s just the regular rotation. Nobody played more than 30 minutes a game, everyone had fresh legs, and when their heads were in the game they could run just about any college team in America into the ground and out of the building. Every one of these twelve players would be either starters or important bench players at most other schools. In Chapel Hill, they were some kind of Baby Blue Voltron.
Alas, therein lay their weakness. Nine of the 12 players in the regular rotation were underclassmen, Q might as well have been an underclassmen, and only Miller and Terry had any kind of starting experience, and they were 5th and 8th options in our offense, respectively. This inexperience led them to lose quite a few games they had no business losing, and they squandered a few close leads. The most glaring example was the Georgetown game, where they went the final seven or eight minutes without scoring a field goal. On defense, they allowed the Hoyas to shoot over 70% from the field in that same span. Georgetown went on to lose in overtime, and I may have overreacted a bit. I’m pretty sure I scared my non-fan neighbors by screaming “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” to the television at the top of my lungs (I had made the mistake of leaving my windows open that day; it was 68 degrees, get off my case).
I’m sorry, where was I? Oh yes, this year’s tournament. So how do we avoid…that?
Win close games. This characteristic of a team tends to come with experience. Carolina is a much more experienced and focused team this year, if a bit more shorthanded. With graduation (Terry and Miller), NBA eligibility (Wright), injury (Frasor) and in lieu of incoming freshmen, our rotation is now 8-deep (with a bit of Will Graves and Mike Copeland peppered in). The backcourt is much more mature, and it shows. The close losses of last year have turned into close victories, as UNC’s players kept focus and clamped down on their opponent when they absolutely needed. Don’t expect a Georgetown-like late collapse this year. If anything, expect the implosion to happen early. Which reminds me…
Have your head in the game for all 40 minutes. If the Heels ever let a game mentally get away from them, it’s usually in the early going. Maryland jumped out to a double-digit first half lead, and the Heels never quite got into their rhythm, leading to their only loss of the season with Lawson in the lineup. Against Clemson (twice) and Georgia Tech the Heels let their opponents get ahead with poor execution before taking the game in the final seconds. And I don’t need to tell you what happened in Chestnut Hill. The Heels will keep it close no matter who they’re playing; if they stay focused for 40 minutes, they should be able to win all of their games.
Tyler Hansbrough must get to the line. That may sound like an easy concept, as he already holds the UNC and ACC career records for free throw attempts, and free throw shhoting usually accounts for about a third of his offense. Against Duke on March 8th, however, Duke managed to go the entire game wothout putting Hansbrough on the line once. You can bet that every prospective Carolina opponent will be poring over that game to try to reduce his trips to the stripes, and take 6-8 points out of UNC’s offensive production.
The perimeter shooting cannot go cold. In Carolina’s loss to Duke, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington were a combined 4-24 shooting, including 1-11 from three. In big games down the stretch, Roy needs to be able to count on them for about 20-25 points.
Point guard play. We’re still not 100% sure that Ty Lawson’s ankle is completely healed. Q has really stepped up for the Heels both in Lawson’s absence and coming off the bench when he came back. Q will need to continue that into the tournament.
Congratulations to the Tar Heels for their great season so far, and best of luck to them staring tonight against Mount St. Mary’s. Billy Packer following our every move aside, it’s going to be a fun ride.
(apologies for the layoff. Life got in the way during the ACC Tournament, but THM back just in time.)
Perhaps I can be rational about the result of this game at some point. But not yet.
First things first, let’s get this out of the way: Quentin Thomas did not lose this game. It may have been a completely different offense without Lawson on the floor, there were several stretches in which he struggled. However, there were many other points of failure points in that game, any of which could have won the game had they been corrected.
For example: Wayne Ellington and Danny Green combined to shoot 2 for 153. The statisticians began to feel sorry for them and stopped tracking their misses, only writing down “2-24”. True story. Below, a visual representation of Wayne and Danny’s shooting nights, respectively.
It was expected that without Lawson on the floor, Carolina could not play their transition game. When forced into a halfcourt team against a halfcourt press, running effective screens becomes crucial. I did not see the Heels run effective screens against Duke, which I think led to a lot of turnovers and low-percentage shots.
Deon Thompson played like a beast for the first five minutes of the game. Then he seemed to become unfocused and devolved into the human fouling machine, fouling out after just 18 minutes. For lack of a better expression, he was the black Shavlik Randolph.
Duke is very effective in playing with the human psyche. When you see a Duke player driving he lane. a defender’s first instinct is always to help out. This plays right into their game, as this leaves plenty of Blue Devils open for threes. Coach K has been using this strategy for years, yet few teams are ever disciplined enough to override their instincts and and defend the perimeter no matter what happens inside. Carolina was no exception on Wednesday night. Credit is due to Duke for running a system so well, but Carolina needs to get better on defense.
This bears repeating: when Marcus Ginyard and Quentin Thomas account for 1/3rd of your offense, you’re in trouble.
There is absolutely no need to panic about the result of this game. Remember this: Duke played perhaps their best game all year, and Carolina obviously played a bad game, severely shorthanded at basketball most crucial position…and yet it was a two possession game after 39 minutes and 5 seconds. I don’t know what that says about Duke, but it shows that, with Lawson in the lineup, this team is still a national championship contender. Unless, of course, we lose to Clemson on Sunday. I would hate for this to be the team that ended the streak.
And finally: I don’t care what you think, this is funny.
This is obviously not the same Penn team who won the Ivy League for the last two years (most notably, without Matt Zoeller and Ibrahim Jaaber). However, the Palestra is one of the toughest places to play in college basketball, and it will be absolutely raucous tonight.
7:05 pm: 4-4. Ty Lawson is back in the starting lineup today. He definitely seems to be playing at full speed.
7:08 pm: 6-4, UNC. Hansbrough hits two free throws to give UNC the lead, but Penn is playing some good defense right now. On the latest possession they trapped Lawson in a corner, and forced an offensive foul.
7:09 pm: 9-6, UNC. Penn is getting their baskets by forcing a fast pace. The problem for them is that it almost always results in a quick basket for the Tar Heels, whose strength is the transition game.
7:10 pm: 9-9. Bernardini has all 9 points for the Quakers, and he hits the first three-pointer of the game to tie.
7:12 pm: 13-9, UNC. Hansbrough fights for second and third chances at the basket, finally charging inside for an easy dunk to take the lead. Thompson follows with a basket off of a Penn turnover on the next possession.
7:15 pm: The Quakers’ turnover woes continues, as Qyooooooooo!!! gets the steal, draws a foul, and hits his free throws. 17-11, UNC.
7:16 pm: 21-13, UNC. The Tar Heels are scoring almost at will in transition, and they force Penn to take a timeout. Deon Thompson continues to impress in this 4 game road swing.
7:18 pm: 23-15, UNC. Hansbrough scores on the alley-oop. He has 11 points already in this game on 4-4 shooting.
7:19 pm: Ty Lawson is called for another offensive foul, and may have to hit the bench with foul trouble eight minutes into this game.
7:22 pm: Tar Heel fans travel well. Nearly half of the fans in the Palestra is wearing Carolina Blue.
7:23 pm: 25-19, UNC. Tyler scores again, but they’ve now committed their 5th turnover of the game. UNC’s mistakes are keeping the Quakers in the game, as Penn has been able to take advantage of those miscues.
7;25 pm: 27-22, UNC. Our guards are not defending a the perimeter well, and Penn has made them pay. A three-pointer brings the Quakers to within five.
7:28 pm: Heading into the TV timeout, neither team has been shooting the ball well in the last few minutes. Penn has done a good job defensively, keeping every scorer except Hansbrough and Danny Green at bay.
7:31 pm: 29-26, UNC. The Quakers are getting baskets inside way too easily right now.
After a foul on Ellington, I can audibly hear our leaders of tomorrow chant “Bull—-!” in the Penn student section.
7:33 pm: 34-26, UNC. You can see how much more efficiently the Heels’ transition game is run with Lawson on the court instead of Frasor at point.
7:34 pm: 36-28, UNC. Ellington finally gets on the board, fighting for a basket inside.
7:35 pm: 38-30, UNC. Carolina still hasn’t been sealing off the defensive paint very well.
7:36 pm: 40-30, UNC. Hansbrough collects UNC’s 11th offensive rebound, and hits a jumper to give the Heels their first double digit lead…
7:37 pm: 40-32, UNC. …which they quickly relinquish on the other side of the court.
7:41 pm: 48-34, UNC. The Quakers are paying dearly for allowing the Heels to play their transition game. A backcourt steal opens the flood gates, as Danny Green continues to have a good game off the bench.
7:45 pm: 48-37, UNC. Bernardini can;t be stopped; he’s 8-9 from the field in the first half.
7:46 pm: Hansbrough hits an inside shot to end the first half. UNC leads, 50-37 at halftime. The Tar Heels are definitely playing their transition game in this game, but some unwarranted mistakes, in particular a few spurts of lax defense, have helped to keep the quakers in it. If they can just clamp down on the inside, they should be able to hold a comfortable lead in the second half. Expect Penn to to eventually run out of gas, unless they can force a halfcourt game.
8:03 pm: 54-37, UNC. Penn simply does not have an answer for Tyler Hansbrough. But you probably knew that already.
8:04 pm: 57-41, UNC. Bernardini keeps blowing past Ginyard on these backdoor cuts. He need to play better in the perimeter if the Tar Heels want to reduce the Quakers’ 57% FG shooting from the first half.
8:07 pm: The Heels’ main saving gracs on defense has been turnovers. Lawson’s steal, the 11th for Carolina tonight, gives them a 20 point lead. 63-43, UNC.
8:08 pm: 65-43, UNC. If Penn gets blown out tonight, it will be in part because they have allowed the Heels to get a huge amount of offensive rebounds and second chances.
8:12 pm: 67-43, UNC. Marcus Ginyard is having a tough night. Even when he has a dunk in his sights, he missed completely. Fortunately for him, Hansbrough was there to clean up. Tyler has 22 points and 7 rebounds.
8:16 pm: 69-48, UNC. Tyler Bernardini hits a three. He now has 21 points for the Quakers.
8:19 pm: 73-48, UNC. Ellington is finally heating up, and the Heels now seem to have an insurmountable lead.
8:23 pm: 75-52, UNC. Qyoooooooooo with the assist.
8:25 pm: 77-53, UNC. No one should leave Tyler that open in transition. He will kill you every time.
8:29 pm: 79-55, UNC. Tyler Bernardini continues to score at will from everywhere on the court. I still don’t have an explanation as to why the UNC defense is letting him have such a huge night.
8:33 pm: 86-57, UNC. Believe it or not, tonight’s game marks the first time that Tyler Hansbrough has recorded three consecutive double-doubles in his UNC career. Particularly impressive is that all three have come on the road (@ Ohio State, Kentucky, and Penn).
8:40 pm: 91-58, UNC. Danny Green’s three pointer rattles in, as he has 19 for the game. UNC has shot 75% from the field in the second half.
8:40 pm: 93-58, UNC. Alex Stepheson gets his first basket of the game. Where has he been all night?
8:45 pm: 101-65, UNC. Qyoooooooooooooo!!! puts the Heels in triple digits.
8:47 pm: 104-65, UNC. Will Graves hits a three pointer, as this game is getting very ugly for Penn.
8:51 pm: 106-65, UNC. Mike Copeland gets an easy basket inside, as all of UNC’s reserves are on the court for the final two minutes.
8:54 pm: The game officially ends, as UNC wins, 106-71. Aside from not being able to stop Tyler Bernardini, the Tar heels played very good basketball, particularly early in the second half to put the game away. The Tar Heels won’t play again until after final exams here in Chapel Hill, when they play at Rutgers on December 16th. Carolina has made it through the difficult part of their non-conference schedule, and are unlikely to be tested again until their ACC opener against the Clemson Tigers on January 6th.
Tonight, the Tar Heels play the first of two true road tests this week, as they face the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus tonight as part of the annual Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Obviously, this isn’t the same Buckeyes team who played in the Final Four last year (most notably without Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Jr., Daequan Cook, and Ron Lewis), and whom UNC beat 98-89 last year in Chapel Hill; however, they bring some star freshmen players such as center Kosta Koufos, and bring back talented upperclassmen like point guard Jamar Butler and forward Othello Hunter. Against a inconsistent Tar Heels squad, Carolina needs to be on upset alert tonight.
9:34 pm: 13-13. Sorry…some tchnical difficulties at the worst possible time. But we’re up and running.
Ellington is left open for a three to give UNC a 16-13 lead.
9:36 pm: 18-13, UNC. Deon Thompson gets an easy shot inside, forcing Ohio State to take a timeout. After UNC started slow, they have outscored the Buckeyes 12-4.
9:38 pm: Michigan State clobbered NC State tonight. Either the Spartans are scary good this year, or NC State was a bit overhyped this year. I think this may be an aberration, but it certainly looks like the Wolfpack aren’t as effective a team without Engin Atsur.
9:41 pm: Hansbrough is struggling on offense to start the game. The Buckeyes have done a good job of keeping him in check.
9:42 pm: 18-15, UNC. After a Butler layup, Koufos get two straight blocks on UNC shots, the second one on Hansbrough.
9:43 pm: 18-17, UNC. How is Othello Hunter left that open inside?
9:44 pm: 21-20, UNC. Ellington hits the three, but the Buckeyes respond immediately.
9:45 pm: 23-21, OSU. Diebler hits a three from what looked like 27 feet out. A huge momentum swing, as the Buckeyes take back the lead.
9:51 pm: 27-23, UNC. Koufos spent time on the bench, and the Heels took advantage. Ellington hits a floater in the lane to take the lead, and then Hansbrough dunks over Hunter to give UNC a four point lead.
9:53 pm: 27-26, UNC. Diebler hits another open three. He’s caught fire tonight.
9:54 pm: Butler blows by Ellington, and he gets the layup and the foul. 29-27, OSU.
9:55 pm: A great pass to hansbrough, who finishes with authority. 29-29.
9:56 pm: Insane. Diebler starts 2-24 from 3 to start the season, and he decides to end his slump against us. his buzzer-beater off the glass gives Ohio State a 32-29 lead at halftime. UNC has not been running at their normally fast pace, and they’ve een taking bad shots. No Ty Lawson at point guard always hurts, but no one outside of Hansbrough and Ellington is getting much of anything done on offense. To win in the second half, Someone else needs to come up big on offense, the Heels need to improve their rebounding, and someone has to guard Diebler at all times.
10:13 pm: The second half starts, as Ohio State’s defense continues to confuse the Tar Heels.
10:14 pm: Ginyard hits a floater in the paint, but Jamar Butler hits a three on the other end.
10:15 pm: Where is Quentin Thomas? In the absence of Lawson, He’s much better at running the transition than Frasor.
10:16 pm: Ellington falls hard on the floor, and he’s shaken up.
The good about the Ohio State Student section: their unique way of distracting the free throw shooter.
The bad about the Ohio State student section: their chants. “YOU-CAN’T DO-THAT!” clap-clap-clapclapclap…
10:19 pm: Hansbrough ties the game at 35 with a three point play.
10:19 pm: Koufos hits his first shot of the game to take a 39-37 lead, but Ginyard ties the game 10 seconds later.
The Buckeyes still aren’t allowing the Tar heels to play their transition game.
10:23 pm: What a steal by Ellington, who gets it to Q, who finds Ginyard for the layup and the foul. See? Quentin Thomas enters the game, and the pace picks up immediately.
10:24 pm: Othello Hunter with a big block on Danny Green. 42-39, UNC.
10:26 pm: What was Green thinking throwing that pass?
Carolina has some serious issues on the defensive boards. They just gave Ohio State four different opportunities in the paint, and now Hunter is at the line.
10:28 pm: Deon Thompson gets a huge dunk on the offensive rebound. Where has he been all game?
Ellington hits a three pointer off the gall on the next possession to make it 47-40, UNC.
10:31 pm: Thompson gets another offensive rebound, and he gets a shot off of the glass. UNC now has a 49-40 lead, the biggest margin of the game.
10:35 pm: Thompson hits another one, this time a mid-range jumper. He’s finally come into his own tonight.
10:36 pm: Deon gets another defensive rebound, and then he hits a hook jumper to give UNC a double digit lead. Thompson now has 12 points and 5 rebounds, as the Tar Heels may have figured out this zone.
10;38 pm: Now it’s the Tar heels defense that’ seems to be giving the Buckeyes fits, but it looks like no one on the court outside of Thompson can hit their shots right now.
10:40 pm: Or, maybe not. Deon’s free throws were ugg-lee, and we’re still at 53-42 with less than 8 minutes left.
10:44 pm: Why wasn’t there anyone behind Hansbrough for him to dump the ball and restart the offense.
10:45 pm: Ellington hits a nice jumper on the right side. 55-43, UNC, as absolutely no shots are falling for Ohio State.
10:43 pm: Hansbrough with the tough shot in the middle. He has 13 points and 10 rebounds, and the Heels have a 14 point lead with less than 6 minutes left.
10:48 pm: Lighty hits a three, Diebler gets a dunk, and suddenly the Buckeyes are within 6, getting 8 points in 54 seconds, but who cares? I just found out that Roy Williams is a Yankees fan! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
10:49 pm: Thompson stops the bleeding, but Othello Hunter scores on a putback. 59-53, UNC, with 3:52 left. How did the Heels let Ohio State back into this game so quickly.
10:53 pm: The Heels do nothing for 30 seconds, and then Ellington simply drains the three with a guy in his face. 62-53, UNC.
10:54 pm: Uh-oh. Hansbrough missed his last three free throws. Is he out of gas?
10:56 pm: Diebler with the tough dunk, but he lands awkwardly on his elbow. UNC takes advantage on the other end with an easy shot. 64-55, UNC.
10:57 pm: Inside the paint, UNC and OSU have been playing the last few minutes like a football game rather than a basketball game.
10:59 pm: 64-55, UNC, 35 seconds left. After Diebler misses a three, Ellington gets a rebound, and that should about seal this game.
11:01 pm: The game is over, and UNC wins, 66-55. Aside from the quick 10-2 run with about 5-6 minutes left, Ohio State could not get anything done on offense in the second half. The Tar heels dominated the end of the game, outscoring them 28-11 until the Buckeyes run. Ellington and Thompson really stepped up, which they will need to do throughout the season for Carolina to live up to expectations. Overall, this was an important road win for the Tar Heels as they develop throughout the season.
Every time I’m starting to feel bad about our collapse against Georgetown, I think about this and I cheer up. Seeing UNC’s coaches (and for that matter, their players) try to dance is just hilarious.
Tonight UNC plays Southern Cal in game 2 of the East Regional semifinals. For a preview of UNC, see What UNC must do to win the National Championship. North Carolina will be looking to play a very fast game, dominate the pain,t and tire out the comparably thin Trojan lineup. USC, coming off a win against Texas, will be relying on Taj Gibson and Abdoulaye N’Diaye to defend the paint, but their undersized lineup will need to rely on good perimeter shooting and clamping down on UNC’s guards. Ironically, that’s exactly how teams have beaten us this year.
10:07 pm: Ginyard is starting in place of Terry, who will see limited action due to strep throat.
10:08 pm: 2-1, USC. The Trojans score first, a turnaround jumper inside.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Jim Nantz and Billy Packer!
10:09 pm: 6-1, USC. Wow. USC is attackin ght einside, and they’re winning. Spreading the ball out forces our forwards outside, which gives USC better opportunities.
10:10 pm: 6-3, USC. Lawson drives inside and gets a layup, the Heels’ first basket of the game.
10:12 pm: 10-5, USC. Hansbrough gets lucky as his 18 foot jumper rims in, but the Trojans get a three on the next possession.
Southern Cal has been quite comfortable playing a transition game.
10:16 pm: 12-5, USC. The Tar Heels seem to be lapsing defensively. Nick Young completely fools the defense.
More importantly, the UNC faithful are very tepid in East Rutherford tonight.
10:18 pm: 15-7, USC. Gibson gets the basket on Hansbrough AND the foul. Ugh. Where the hell is Brandan Wright?
10:20 pm: Okay, something is definitely wrong with the Tar Heels right now. They aren’t battling for balls, they just let the Trojans get the long rebound. They need to contest every ball.
10:21 pm: 18-7, USC. This is very,very frustrating. USC hits another three, and they take a double digit lead.
The Trojans have done a good job of keep the ball away for Hansbrough and Wright.
10:22 pm: 18-12, USC. Deon Thompson scores off a putback, and on the next possession hits an open three from a kickout pass inside.
10:24 pm: As we go to an official timeout (less that 11 minutes left), Tyler Hansbrough is already in foul trouble.
10:27 pm: 20-14, USC. Wright finally gets on the board with a nice hook shot.
10:28 pm: 22-14, USC. How can such an undersized team have their way against one of the best frontcourts in the country? This doesn’t make sense.
10:29 pm: 22-18, USC. At least things seem to be clicking for the Heels offensively. Wright gets an easy putback off the transition.
10:30 pm: What is Hansbrough doing on the court with two fouls and this much time left?
10:31 pm: 22-20, USC. Wayne Ellington gets an offensive rebound and hits the baseline jumper to bring the game within two.
10:32 pm: 24-20, USC. Official timeout, 7:54 left in the first half.
10;35 pm: So it isn’t my imagination. USC HAS severely outrebounded the Heels, 16-8.
10:36 pm: 24-22, USC. Wright gets another easy basket inside, but Lawson picks up his second foul. Quentin Thomas comes in.
10:37 pm: 26-24, USC. Brandan Wright has taken over the paint for the Tar Heels.
The Heels have actually done a better job with some bench players in the game.
10:38 pm: 32-28, USC. Gabe Pruitt makes an unbelievable three point play. He steals a pass in midair, drives insides, gets the basket and the foul.
10:40 pm: 34-33, USC. Terry hits two straight shots, the last a three. I think that’s only our second three of the game. That’s a big concern, and yet it’s not.
10:44 pm: 38-33, USC. The Trojans, and Gibson in particular, continue to get easy shots inside. I’m concerned because Roy isn’t exactly a master of mid-game adjustments.
10:45 pm: USC continues to dominate the boards. It looks like the Tar Heels aren;t even trying to box out.
Wow. Tyler Hansbrough has brass ones. He’s taken two charges even though he has two fouls.
10:47 pm: 39-33, USC. Right now, the Heels have inexplicably stooped looking inside and started chucking up outside shots. The Heels seem to still be in a collective mental haze. USC is outhustling them 80% of the time in this game.
10:50 pm: 42-33, USC. Young gets the basket and the foul to put the Trojans up 9.
Bobby Frasor is playing really bad tonight. He can’t get anything done versus the speedy backcourt of Southern Cal.
10:53 pm: Ellington’s buzzer beater rims out, but USC leads 42-33 at halftime. The Trojans have been able to use their small but fast lineup to their advantage, giving the UNC defense fits with guards consistently getting easy shots inside. They’ve outfought UNC for every ball, adn the Heels have shown a lack of mental focus, their biggest weakness from this season. To get back in the game, Lawson will need to stay out of foul trouble, the Heels will need to attack the inside, getting more contributions from Wright and Hansbrough, and they need to contest every Trojan shot, shutting the lane away from USC’s guards. I thought Wright vs. Young would heavily favor Wright, but Nick Young has had a field day of his own on offense. The Heels may need to go with a smaller lineup for short periods of time, with maybe Terry playing Young on defense.
11:15 pm: 44-33, USC. Oh crap. If we lose this game, I will forever hate Nick Young.
In case you’re wondering, the second half has begun.
11;16 pm: 46-33, USC. Damn it, Tyler, you can;t let your man get behind you lie that! he’s going to have a field day.
11:17 pm: 49-33, USC. The Trojans have scored the last 15 points. I am shocked at how badly the Heels have played thus far.
11:18 pm: 49-35, USC. Ellington finally stops the bleeding.
When is Roy going to make a coaching adjustment? Our gameplan doesn’t seem to be any different in the second half.
11:24 pm: 49-37, USC. Wow. Jason Ray, the man in the Rameses costume, was hit by a car today and is in critical condition. Here’s to hoping his full recovery. The game isn’t the same without you, Rameses.
11:25 pm: 51-39, USC. Danny Green throws it away underneath his basket AGAIN, and Pruett scores for the Trjoans AGAIN! This game is starting to get really frustrating. What’s it going to take to snap the Heels out of this?
11;27 pm: 53-45, USC. Terry hits a tough Jumper to bring the lead back to 10. Lawson steals the inbound pass and gets the layup to cut the lead to 8.
11: 28 pm: 57-45, USC. The Trojans hit two straight easy shots, but Gisbon goes to the bench with his fourth foul. He’s their only inside player; I hope that the Heels can finally take advantage of this clear mismatch.
11:29 pm: 57-49, USC. Brandan Wright takes advantage of Gibson’s absence with two straight baskets inside.
Official timeout. 11:10 left in the game. UNC is creeping back into it.
11:36 pm: 59-54, USC. Ginyard goes up for the unbelievable putback and the foul. The Heels are now within five.
11;37 pm: We had a perfect fast break opportunity. How did Wright not finish that?
11:39 pm: 59-56, USC. Wright nearly dunks in the opposing basket trying to catch a rebound, but he gets the nice baseline basket to cut the lead to three. I didn’t expect Hansbrough to struggle this much in the game, but Wright has certainly picked up the slack with 23 points and 9 rebounds. USC has been reeling in Taj Gibson’s absence.
11:42 pm: Gibson is back in with over 8 minutes left. UNC needs to attack them.
11:43 pm: 59-58, USC. Ginyard gets two offensive rebounds, including the putback to bring the Heels within one. The Trojans were too concerned with double teaming Wright, and Ginyard slipped by.
7:11 left in the game.
11:47 pm: 62-59, UNC. The Heels have taken the lead! YYYEEEEAAAAHHH!!!
It looks like our deep bench has finally gotten to the Trojans. They seem tired.
11:48 pm: 64-59, UNC. Brandan Wright cannot be stopped…
…except at the free throw line. 65-59.
11:49 pm: Playing the same type of game against an opponent until they run out of gas is a good strategy for winning. But damn! Watching these kinds of game are going to take 5 years off my life.
11:51 pm:67-62, UNC. The Trojans finally break n 18-0 run by the Tar Heels. UNC is capable of those kinds of runs all the time, and while I wish they’d play like that earlier, how you finish a game is what matters.
11:53 pm: 69-62, UNC. 3:29 left. USC seems to be completely out of gas.
I can;t believe that we’ve made this comeback without Hansbrough being any factor whatsoever.
11:58 pm: 70-64, UNC, 2:45 left. USC is trying to run the full court trap. Damn it, we did not come all the way back to squander this game with a few turnovers.
12:02 am: Taj Gibson fouls out, but them Tim Floyd gets a technical foul. With 48.5 seconds and UNC getting two free throws and possession, that essentially ends the game. A huge lapse of judgement by Floyd.
12:06 am: The game ends, and UNC wins, 74-64! WHOOOOOOO!!!
This game scared the s— out of me, but after USC ran out of gas in the second half, UNC (in particular Wright and Ginyard) took over, outscoring the Trojans 25-5 to end the game. That is the level that the Heels are capable of playing, but where was that for the first 28 minutes? I have to admit, USC was a much tougher opponent than I had expected.
We play Georgetown next. I actually think we match up better against the Hoyas.
Tonight the Tar Heels play Michigan State in the final game of day 3 of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of this game goes to the regional finals in East Rutherford. If the Tar heels can stay focused, dominate the paint and play good perimeter defense, they’ll win. I just hope the Spartans wearing green on St. Patrick’s day doesn’t play a factor.
8:16 pm: 2-2. Marquise Gray scores first for the Spartans, but Terry hits a midrange jumper to tie.
So far this game is going at a fairly slow pace. That favors the Spartans.
8:18 pm: UNC already makes their first substitution, as Green comes in for Terry.
8:19 pm: 4-4. Lawson penetrates inside and makes a great pass to Hansbrough, who gets an easy layup.
8:20 pm: 6-4, UNC. Hansbrough gets another basket inside to give the Heels their first lead of the game coming into the first TV timeout.
8:24 pm: 9-7, UNC. Lawson hits a three, but Neitzel responds.
8:26 pm: 14-9, UNC. Lawson Misses a shot, but gets his own rebound and hits the putback over three Spartans.
8:27 pm: 17-12, UNC. Hansbrough’s aggressiveness will now be tested, as Wright is out with two quick fouls.
Gray gets three to hard way to cut the lead to two.
8:28 pm: Wow. All the players in for the Heels are bench players (Frasor, Ginyard, Green, Stepheson and Thompson).
8:29 pm: 19-15, UNC. Hansbrough comes in without his mask, and he drains his first shot. He’s 3-for-3.
Neitzel hits a three pointer. I’m shocked that Michigan State has been able to keep up with our pace so far.
8:33 pm: 21-18, UNC. Now this is the Tyler Hansbrough we’ve come to know and love, the kind who can take over a game. He has 8 points in as many minutes.
Wright’s back in with 2 fouls.
8:34 pm: 23-20, UNC. Ginyard makes a great coast to coast play, stealing a pass on the defensive end and an easy layup.
8:35 pm: 26-20, UNC. Hansbrough is a man on a mission. He just got three the hard way, and now has 11 points in as many minutes.
8:37 pm: 26-23, UNC. Raymar Morgan hits another Spartan three to cut the lead in half. The Heels need to do a better job of defending the perimeter.
8:38 pm: Wright and Wes Miller made a great hustle play. Hansbrough made a bad long pass, which the Spartans intercepted. But Wright swiped the ball away, and he rolled it toward the right wing, and Miller dived in for the ball and got fouled. Jay Bilas responds with, um, something weird: “Get on the floor for it!”
8:41 pm: Wright is making some very smart plays, the latest a dunk off his own missed shot to make it 28-23, UNC. The Tar Heels definitely seem to be in this game mentally.
8:42 pm: 28-26, UNC. But our weakness still seems to be perimeter defense. Even Miller can;t stop Neitzel from hitting threes.
8:43 pm: RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!! BRANDAN WRIGHT IS SHOOTING FREE THROOWWWWSS!!!! AHHHHH!!! 29-26, UNC.
8:44 pm: More Bilas weirdness: “Roy Williams can bring in fresh body after fresh body…they signal with a fist”
8:45 pm: 31-26, UNC. Lawson makes another great pass, and Thompson gets a layup.
8:46 pm: 34-26, UNC. Wow, UNC is running the transition really well. Lawson passes to Hansbrough, displaying nice touch by getting the inside basket and the foul while being twisted around. He has 14 points.
8:48 pm: 36-27, UNC. Quentin Thomas is in the game, but Hansbrough continues to be the offensive focal point. He has 16 points in 16 minutes.
For a Dookie, Bilas really seems to be blowing UNC’s horn (pun intended).
8:50 pm: 36-31, UNC. UNC has two straight turnovers that lead to two straight Spartan baskets.
8:51 pm: 36-31, UNC. How is that a foul?!? Terry wasn’t even standing up!
8:54 pm: 36-33, UNC. Drew Neitzel likes it in the back door! The Spartans are now in striking distance.
8:56 pm: UNC has seemed out of sync for the last few minutes. Ellington just missed a free throw, and the Heels have made quite a few mistakes since the 4:30 mark.
8:57 pm: 38-33, UNC. The Heels now have three Spartan forwards in foul trouble.
9:01 pm: TAR! HEELS! TAR! HEELS! TAR!…
9:02 pm: 41-33, UNC. The Heels force a turnover, and Hansbrough gets a nice basket in transition to end the half. UNC leads, 41-33 at hafltime. We seemed to be running the transition game well, and we seemed mentally in it for about 15-16 of the first 20 minutes. Hansbrough had 19 in the first half, and his wearing down the frontcourt and the very fast pace of the game os foing to take a toll on the Spartans on the second half. For UNC to win, however, they must shut down the chances that Michigan State gets in the perimeter. We aren’t putting pressure on Neitzel, and he’s made us pay. The Spartans will need to continue shooting well from the outside, and the need to slow the pace of the game down to a halt.
9:23 pm: Drew Neitzel looks like a small MC Serch.
9:24 pm: 41-38, UNC. Jay, I know you think Tyler Hansbrough is the toughest player in America, but that’s about the fifth time you said that! You’re going to jinx us! The Spartans just scored two straight baskets to start the second half.
9:25 pm: 43-38, UNC. Wright gets an easy basket in transition.
9:26 pm: Gray picks up his third foul.
Suton did a great job of defending Hansbrough on that play, not allowing him to gain position inside.
9:28 pm: The Spartans have decided to try and shut down Hansbrough, and it really seems to be disrupting our offense. More importantly, Michigan State has begun to impose their halfcourt game, which concerns me greatly. It also looks like the Heels may not have made a full mental return to the game yet.
9:30 pm: 43-42, UNC. How did the Spartans keep getting those offensive rebounds? UNC needs to do a better job of boxing out. And shot selection.
9:31 pm: 45-44, UNC. The Spartans gets their first lead of the half after Neitzel stole the ball from Ellington and Suton got the basket inside. Michigan State got away with a travel on that play. But Deon Thompson gets a putback almost immediately as UNC tries to reinsert a fast pace to the game.
9:32 pm: 46-45, MSU. Suton gets another basket inside, slipping away from a screen and behind his defender.
9:36 pm: 46-46. Lawson hits one of two free throws.
9:38 pm: 47-46, UNC. Hansbrough is fouled, and he hits one of two free throws to give UNC the lead back.
9:40 pm: 49-47, MSU. Raymar Morgan gets the basket off the inbound pass and the foul.
Michigan State has imposed the halfcourt game onto this game. UNC needs to speed the game up.
9:41 pm: 50-49, UNC. Hansbrough makes a great play inside, getting the turnaround basket and the foul. Walton now has 4, and Hansbrough has 23 points.
2nd official timeout of the half.
9:47 pm: 52-51, UNC. Lawson manages to break through between several defenders and go inside for an easy layup to take the lead.
9:48 pm: 54-54. Neitzel hits another three, but Hansbrough slams it in to tie. He has 25 points in the game.
less than 10 minutes to go.
9:51 pm: How does Gray get that rebound?
57-54, MSU. Neitzel hits another three. He’s killing us!
9:53 pm: 57-56, MSU. I can’t believe we haven’t forced any of the Spartans to foul out yet. Lawson hits two free throws.
9:55 pm: 59-58, MSU. Hansbrough shoots free throws to give the lead back to the Heels, but Neitzel strikes again.
Less than 8 minutes to go.
9:59 pm: At some point, the fact that we can’t hit our outside shots is going to bite us in the ass. Even if it’s not tonight, it will really cost us at some point.
10:00 pm: 60-59, UNC. Terry’s free throws give the lead back to UNC.
10:01 pm: 62-59, UNC. Wright gets a great rebound, after which my first thought is “where the hell has he been for the last 10 minutes?”. Lawson drive the ball up quickly, and he makes a great dish to Hansbrough, who finishes easily. He now has 27.
10:05 pm: 67-61, UNC. Lawson hits the huge three to put the Heels up six with less than five minutes left. he has 18 points and has played just as well as Psycho T, if not better, especially in the second half.
10:07 pm: Wright picks up an offensive foul, his fourth. Thompson comes in.
10:09 pm: 68-61, UNC, 3:50 left. Our final official timeout.
10:13 pm: Michigan State misses the front end of a 1+1. The Spartans can;t afford to make those kinds of mistakes this late in the game.
10:14 pm: 70-63, UNC, 2:50 left. Terry hits a midrange jumper.
10:15 pm: 73-65, UNC, 2:15 left. It seems that even though he struggles most of the game Terry seems to always make a big shot late in the game.
Neitzel is out of gas; he just airballed a shot attempt.
10:17 pm: 74-65, UNC, 1:34 left. Brandan Wright makes a huge rejection, Hansbrough takes the ball, and he’s fouled. It looks like the Spartans are finally out of gas.
10:20 pm: 75-67, UNC, 1:26 left. Neitzel has 26 points, but is it too little, too late?
10:21 pm: 77-67, UNC, 1:15 left. Suton dribbles the ball off of his foot, it goes out of bounds, and it’s Carolina ball. The Spartans are definitely empty. Izzo players don’t make those kinds of mistakes without serious fatigue.
10:23 pm: 81-67, UNC, :26 left. Terry delivers the exclamation point with a three as the shot clock ran down.
10:25 pm: Now there’s a stat: Michigan State only hit one field goal in the final 8 minutes.
10:27 pm: The game ends, as UNC wins, 81-67. Hansbrough had 33 points and 9 rebounds, and he and Lawson helped to dictate the pace of the game, as the Spartans tired out in spite of Neitzel’s 26. UNC moves on to the Sweet 16. My bracket is rooting for Texas, but my heart is rooting for USC. I really don’t want to see the matchup nightmare that is Kevin Durant.
Tonight the Tar Heels begin their run toward the Final Four in their first round game against Ohio Valley Conference champion Eastern Kentucky. For a preview of UNC, read my article on what UNC must do to win the title. The only way the Colonels can keep it close is if their guards, Mike Rose and Adam Leonard, hit the three early and often. Then again, perimeter defense has been one of our weaknesses all season. God help me if this is the first 1-16 upset. But I doubt it.
10:07 pm: We in Tar Heel country should dedicate this year’s run to Roy Williams’ sister, who died last night.
Hansbrough has a different mask today, and it seems to be working, as his baseline shot draws first blood. 2-0, UNC.
10:09 pm: 7-0, UNC. Lawson hits a three, and Ellington scores on a putback. They might be running away with this game already.
10:10 pm: 13-3, UNC. Mike Rose finally gives the Colonels their first score, but Hansbrough gets another basket inside, and Lawson gets a four-point play (score, foul, miss, rebound, score again).
10:11 pm: 15-3, UNC. Ellington gets another easy layup. This is getting really ugly, really fast.
10:19 pm: 19-3, UNC. The Heels are playing so well, the game looks like practice so far. Frasor travels, our first mistake of the game.
10:22 pm: 24-6, UNC. Rayshawn Terry, Winston-Salem Native, gets the night;s loudest cheer after hitting a three.
Hansbrough looks so much more comfortable with his new, sleeker mask.
10:24 pm: 26-8, UNC. Mike Rose has all 8 of E. Kentucky’s points in the first 8 minutes.
2nd TV timeout.
10:28 pm: 26-10, UNC. Julian Mascoll finally puts someone other than Mike Rose on the board for the Colonels.
10:30 pm: 34-12, UNC. WAYNE’S WORLD! WAYNE’S WORLD! PARTY TIME! EXCELLENT! WHOOOOOOOO! (riff) He;s having a big game so far tonight. Brandan Wright scores to give the Heels triple the Colonels’ score, 36-12.
10:33 pm: 39-14, UNC. There’s just something creepy about Dick Enberg using the phrase “attracting young players”.
10:41 pm: 41-20, UNC. Break up the Colonels! They scored a whopping sic unanswered points on the Tar Heels! AHHHH!!!
Brandan Wright returns us to sanity.
10:44 pm: 41-26, UNC. Adam Leonard hits an unbelievable shot, and before the first half’s final TV timeout, the Colonels have reduced the lead to 15. Eastern Kentucky is on a 12-2 run.
This is one of UNC’s big remaining problems. They get too comfortable with a lead before it it truly becomes out of reach.
10:48 pm: We now have a reason to want to absolutely obliterate Eastern Kentucky. Apparently their coach, Ken Neubauer, proposed to his wif at midcourt of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Booo…
10:50 pm: 45-33, UNC. The Tar Heels are really not in this game mentally. They’re doing exactly what they shouldn’t do, and the Colonels have cut the lead in half because of it.
10:53 pm: At halftime, UNC leads 47-35. UNC has a double-digit lead at halftime of an NCAA Tournament game. And yet I’m really really mad at how the Tar Heels played. They really mentally left the building after gaining a quick 25 point lead. And as you can plainly see, when we mentally check out, almost any team can compete with us. This game should already be over, but we have allowed the Colonels to hang around. UNC needs to make some serious adjustments in the second half.
11:12 pm: The second half begins.
11:15 pm: 47-39, UNC. No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! UNC turns the ball over again, Eastern Kentucky slams is home, and the Colonels are within 8.
11:16 pm: 47-42, UNC. Adam Leonard hits another three, and Eastern Kentucky is within five. They’ve outscored us 30-8 in their run.
11:19 pm: 48-44, UNC. Who are you, and what have you done with the real Tar Heels? Did Coach K set you up to this? What kind of sick act has a Tar Heel committed t=for this team to have that kind of karma?
First TV timeout of the second half.
11:23 pm: AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! MY EYYYESS!!! Brandan Wright is shooting free throws!
11:24 pm: 51-44, UNC. UNC finally gets a basket, off a big block on defense by Wright. The Heels were finally able to run their transition offense.
11:26 pm: 53-44, UNC. The Heels force another turnover, and it leads to another basket, this time by Hansbrough.
The crowd is really into the game now.
11:27 pm: 55-46, UNC. Hansbrough hits another shot to bring the lead back to double digits, but the Colonels immediately respond.
11:31 pm: 57-46, UNC. Lawson delivers a great pass inside to Ginyard, who gets an easy layup and bring the Tar Heel lead back to double digits.
11:36 pm: 60-48, UNC. Hansbrough gets the basket and the foul inside. Darnell Dials was simply overmatched.
11:39 pm: UPDATE: Xavier wins an unbelievable game against BYU, 79-77.
11:40 pm: 67-52, UNC. Terry has suddenly come up big to extend the lead back to 17 before the Colonels stop the run. Terry always seems to be quiet for the first half, but come up big when the Heels need him most.
11:44 pm: 71-52, UNC. Terry scores again, a layup that he made look easy, and UNC has a 19 point lead with 8 minutes left.
I don’t care how much Axe product you use. If you’re ugly, girls will not be attracted to you.
11:48 pm: 75-54, UNC. Brandan Wright hits a noce shot inside to extend the lead to 21. With 5 and a half minutes left, the Colonels are pretty much done at this point.
11:49 pm: 77-56, UNC. I can’t recall the last time UNC fans have had to scream “TAR! HEELS! TAR HEELS!” in a stadium this late at night.
11:51 pm: 81-58, UNC, 3:00 left. Wright puts the exclamation point on this game with a huge dunk to put the Heels up 23.
11:55 pm: Bring in the benchwarmers! We should not have three of our starters still in the game.
11:58 pm: The game ends, as UNC wins 86-65. Overall, UNC played 20 good minutes, 10 great minutes and 10 horrendous minutes of basketball. The Colonels can hold their heads high knowing that they outplayed one of the best teams in college basketball for 10 to 15 minutes, outscoring them 32-9 for a stretch of time.
Meanwhile, I can take solace that I’m the last undefeated player in Just Call Me Juice‘s Bracket Challenge. I was the only player who was 12 for 12, and so far I’m 15 for 15. Pitt is going to beat Wright State, which will give me my first loss. but still. I can say that I was the last undefeated player. Kind of like Clemson. And knowing my history in bracket predictions, my fall may be just as meteoric. But let me cherish this moment. Please.
Today, UNC plays their final game of the season in the Dean Dome against the University of New Jersey at Durham. This is an extremely important game not only because of our opponent, or because it’s the last home game for Rayshawn Terry, Wes Miller, and Dewey Burke. The Heels are still vying for ACC and NCAA tournament position.
That was a sentence I would not have believed I would be typing at the beginning of the year. The ACC is a tough conference, but considering how well the Heels played last year and how good the incoming freshman are, everyone was fully expecting the Heels to run away with the conference title and a #1 seed in the Big Dance by this point. One of the problems is unrealistic expectations (last year was a freak of nature that we may never see again), but the main problem has been our gameplan, or specifically our deviation from it. Our bench players have seen significantly less time. We haven’t been aggressive on defense. Our inexperienced guards are not shooting well, but more importantly they’re shooting too much. Our strength is in the low post. But Hansbrough and Wright have not been reliable defenders either. The bench is their biggest asset, and they need to take more advantage of that. For example, Quentin Thomas is their best passer. He should play at least 10 minutes in this game, probably 15. That will leave 20-25 for Lawson, and 5 for Frasor. Perhaps the most important matchup will be Jon Scheyer versus Wayne Ellington and Marcus Ginyard. If the main objective is improving our defense, Ginyard should start and shut down Scheyer in the game. Ellington shoots too much, anyway.
But I am confident that UNC will win this game and clinch a share of the ACC championship. Don’t take it from me, take it from a corrupt, boring senator:
4:05 pm: Wow. The start of the game almost got pre-empted by the Missouri Vally Conference Championship. That’s how far the Mid-Majors have come.
4:07 pm: Burke and Miller start in the backcourt. WHOOOO!!!
Virginia Tech did its job by losing, now we need to do our job.
4:08 pm: 2-2. McRoberts and Wright each get an easy shot inside to begin the game.
4:09 pm: Duke has already attempted 6 shots. UNC is doing a bad job of defensive rebounding so far.
4:10 pm: 4-2, UNC. Wright goes inside and again scores easily. Dewey Burke comes out of the game.
4:11 pm: 8-2, UNC. Lawson makes a great dish to Terry for the basket, and then Hansbrough tips in a miss to give them 8 straight points. UNC is doing exactly what they should do, attacking the inside on every possession.
4:13 pm: 10-2, UNC. McRoberts tries to cheat by pushing a basket out from inside the net. UNC has all the momentum right now.
Ellington is in for Miller.
4:14 pm: 12-2, UNC. Green and Thompson are already in the game, and Green gives the Heels another easy basket.
4:15 pm: 14-8, UNC. What the Hell? Gerald Henderson was a non-factor all season, and suddenly he hits three straight shots? I of all people should know that UNC-Dook exists in separate bizarro universe, but even I cannot comprehend this. Thankfully, Hansbrough gets another basket and brings back a semblance of sanity. Speaking of insanity…
4:18 pm: Presenting the most bizarre advertisement ever made. For crying out loud, you’re a chemical company!
4:20 pm: 16-10, UNC. Wright scores again, but what the hell is up with Gerald Henderson? Since when did he stop stinking and do stuff like this?
4:21 pm: 18-10, UNC. Wright scores again, this time off a steal and pass by Ellington. There isn’t anyone on this Duke team with the skill set to defend him. Unless Lance Thomas can leap like a combination of a kangaroo and Tyrone Biggums.
4:26 pm: 23-14, UNC. Terry hits a huge three to put the Heels up nine. He’s playing unusually well; normally I would not have heard from him at all at this stage in the game.
4:28 pm: 25-17, UNC. Ginyard makes one off a drive in the lane, but Paulus hits Duke’s first three of the game.
Bobby Frasor is in the game. I’m still awaiting the arrival of Quentin Thomas.
4:29 pm: 27-19, UNC. Hansbrough gets another tip-in, but he gets into early foul trouble. He’s probably the one guy the Heels can ill afford to have on the bench for a long time.
4:31 pm: 27-22, UNC. How does UNC leave Paulus that open? How does Deon Thompson miss a layup? Most importantly, how has CBS managed to resist a Coach K closeup? They haven’t become, like, sane, have they? Nah, probably just an oversight.
4:34 pm: UNC has to do better at rebounding. Their shooting percentage is nearly double that of Duke, but they keep getting second chances.
4:35 pm: 29-22, UNC. Now that’s what I call defense! Thomas gets position inside, but Terry rejects him, and the Heels are able to get a basket in transition by Thompson.
4:36 pm: 32-22, UNC. WAYNE’S WORLD! WAYNE’S WORLD! PARTY TIME! EXCELLENT! WHOOOOOOOOO!!! (riff) Ellington gets three the hard way to bring the lead back to double digits.
Hansbrough’s back in the game. Odd as it may sound, I’m not sure I like this decision. UNC was doing fine in his absence, why risk a third foul? We need him in the second half.
4:39 pm: Finally, A Coach K closeup after he takes a timeout. I knew CBS would return from their senses eventually.
4:42 pm: 32-24, UNC. Paulus breaks the drought with an easy layup off a backdoor cut.
Still awaiting the arrival of Quentin Thomas.
4:43 pm: Hansbrough, a great steal, but what the hell kind of a shot was that?
4:47 pm: 34-24, UNC. OOOOHHHHHHH!!!! OOHHHHHH!!! What a pass by Lawson, and Hansbrough is in the paint, all alone. I don’t think I need to tell you what happened next.
4:48 pm: 34-25, UNC. I love you Wes, but what are you doing?!?!?
4:49 pm: How is that a foul on Brandan Wright? It was McClure who was reaching for his nutsack!
4:50 pm: 38-25, UNC. Great defense by the Tar Heels, and it leads to easy transition baskets, the latest by Lawson.
4:51 pm: 38-28, UNC. Just as I type that, Scheyer hits a three to reduce the lead to 10.
4:53 pm: The first half ends, with UNC leading 38-29. UNC played well in the first half, playing good defense and attacking the inside. Three things still concern me about the game so far.
Duke won the rebounding battle in the first half; UNC cannot let Duke keep getting second chances.
Dewey Burke has played more in the game than Quentin Thomas. This is inexcusable; Q passes better than anyone on our team, even if he can’t shoot a lick.
UNC has only attempted 3 free throws so far. Hansbrough and Wright need to be more physical when they get the ball. More importantly, the guards need to get the ball to them when they are in better position to attack. Which brings us back to number two; that’s still one of Lawson’s weaknesses.
Back in the second half.
5:09 pm: 42-29, UNC. Hansbrough gets two straight baskets to start the second half, the first one of which was too easy.
5:10 pm: Correction: when I said Scheyer hit a three, he didn’t/ I turns out he’s has been held scoreless so far.
4:11 pm: 44-35, UNC. Who are you, and what have you done with the real Gerald Henderson?
Wright hits a basket again. He hasn’t missed yet.
Scheyer finally hits a three to bring the lead back to single digits.
5:16 pm: 46-37, UNC. It takes a minute and a half for Duke to score. It takes 6 seconds for Ty Lawson to drive in for a layup.
5:17 pm: 46-40, UNC. What the hell is happening? Suddenly UNC decided to make really bad decisions, and they’re letting the Dookies back in the game. That’s their problem; when they’re mentally focused, they can blow any team out of the sky. But if they’re not mentally focused, well…they lose to 5 players and Sidney Lowe’s red suit.
5:22 pm: 46-42, UNC. Hansbrough finally gets fouled, but he should have made that first shot.
5:23 pm: 50-44, UNC. Hansbrough makes a tough fadeaway jumper to extend the lead.
I am still awaiting the arrival of Quentin Thomas. Does he have an injury I don’t know about?
5:25 pm: 50-48, UNC. Once again, UNC is in danger of losing their lead, and it will be because they didn’t play as hard as the opponent. I am really starting to get sick of this.
5:26 pm: 53-48, UNC. Hansbrough gets the basket AND the foul on McRoberts. He now has 19 points and 12 rebounds.
5:27 pm: 53-50, UNC. Robot Henderson scores again. I’m mad at UNC’s sudden bad decision making, but I guess it wouldn’t be UNC-Duke if it wasn’t a nail biter, would it?
5:31 pm: 56-50, UNC. Ginyard hots a huge three at the top of the key, and Lawson almost steals the inbound pass.
McRoberts flops like an Italian soccer player.
5:32 pm: 58-50, UNC. Hansbrough scores again! This time it’s a hook shot. He now has 21 points.
5:34 pm: 58-50, UNC. If Dook loses, McRoberts should be held single-handedly responsible for their demise.
5:36 pm: 60-50, UNC. Ginyard makes some great moves for a layup to bring the lead back to double digits. It looks like the Dookies may be running out of gas.
5:39 pm: 62-50, UNC. Paulus is on the bench with 4 fouls.
5:41 pm: If Lawson is going to be our point guard, now is a good time to rest him for two to three minutes. Guess who gets my vote?
5:42 pm: 66-52, UNC. Scratch that. Lawson is responsible for two straight buckets, one an assist to Hansbrough. Robot Henderson’s basket is canceled out by a Wright rejection of McClure.
5:45 pm: 68-54, UNC. This Tar Heel team has to realize that they have to play with this kind of intensity for six games in a row if they want to win the national championship. They have yet to show me that they can maintain that mindset long enough to pull it off.
5:48 pm: 68-57, UNC. Carolina, don’t you dare let up now! Don’t leave their guards that open, no matter what the situation is.
5:50 pm: 70-59, UNC, 3:40 left. If all the Heels do is play defense and hit their free throws from this point on, they should hold on to win this game.
5:53 pm: 73-59, UNC, 3:10 left. Wright rebounds a Paulus miss, and Terry hits a jumper off the glass on the other end.
5:54 pm: 75-59, UNC, 2:31 left. It looks like UNC has pretty much sealed this game.
Seriously, could the Rams Club pay for Tyler Hansbrough’s laser eye surgery or something? This whole contact lens thing is getting really old, really fast.
5:56 pm: 75-64, UNC, 1:57, left. Oh no, don’t tell me Scheyer is suddenly going to get hot and mount a Dook comeback.
5:59 pm: Dook is running the full court trap against the Heels. This is how they erased a 10 point deficit in less than 60 seconds against Maryland in 2001. This is textbook Coach K. It almost got Hansbrough to turn the ball over in front of his own basket.
6:01 pm: 79-64, UNC, 1:21 left. Fittingly, Senior Rayshawn Terry puts this game away at the free throw line.
6:06 pm: 83-68, UNC, :46 left. Miller and Ginyard put the exclamation point on this game. WHOOOOO!!!
Terry and Miller are given their curtain call. I’m going to miss them, but Terry should have stepped up to be the team leader this year.
6:12 pm: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! That was just a cheap shot by Robot Henderson! He simply took his frustrations out on Tyler Hansbrough’s face! He should be ejected. Tar Heel fans everywhere have a new favorite player to hate.
6:16 pm: YYYEEEEEEAAAAHHHH!!! Henderson is ejected. I looked at the replay, and now I realize that while too aggressive, and probably meant to make solid contact Hansbrough, he probably wasn’t going for the face. Still, the Dean Dome crowd lets him hear it.
6:18 pm: The gems officially ends: UNC wins, 86-72. Normally I would be very ecstatic about winning our final home game, beating Duke by double digits, and winning the ACC regular season crown, but that Henderson elbow (intentional or not) really put a damper on things. I don’t think I’ve seen Hansbrough so pissed off. Seriously, he was about to cry; a blow to the nose hurts like hell. (I should mention that Hansbrough had 26 points and 17 rebounds, one of his best games ever.) Still, congratulations to UNC for finally winning the ACC championship, and to Rayshawn Terry, Dewey Burke and Wes Miller in their final home game. And congratulations to Tar Heel fans across the world We now officially have a new excuse to despise our neighbors.
Tar Heel Mania 