UNC 97, USC 65
Game Summary
It is like dejavu all over again. For the fourth straight game, UNC came out and dogged a solid team. And like the previous three games, this one wasn't even close after the first 10 minutes. The guys were a little banged up (Felton still had a heavily taped left wrist and Melvin has a hurt hip) not to mention that several mentioned after the game (most notably McCants) that they felt sluggish due to the 15 hour flight from Maui. We are still playing together as a team, everyone is being unselfish, playing tenacious defense, and running the court very well (including May). UNC doubled USC's score at the half (56-28) and forced 16 turnovers. Jawad and Jackie both had outstanding games.
It doesn't get any easier from here. Next up on Wednesday night is Indiana (at Indiana -- Sean May's hometown) and then Kentucky on Saturday (fortunately that one is in Chapel Hill).
Game Breakdown
Who: University of Southern California
Where: Chapel Hill
Viewing method: FSN
Box Score
Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2
Coach Williams Quotes
UNC Locker Room Quotes
Coach Henry Bibby (USC) Quotes
Starters
Ray Felton - Ack, Felton's hand was still heavily taped, but the affects didn't really show. They said the X-rays came back negative (which is positive). He said only his hand hurts, not his wrist, so it doesn't really affect his dribbling or shooting much (especially since it is his left hand). He did grimace a few times after falling to the floor. Back to the game...Felton had 12 assists, 2 steals and only 3 turnovers! He had a nice oop to Jawad during a 3 on none break after a McCants steal. Great game overall.
Sean May - May had 10 rebounds and 17 points, but had an off night with his free throws (7-12). He ran the floor extremely well. During a three play series, May had a dunk, took a charge, then make a short jumper. Very nice.
Rashad McCants - McCants said he was still jet-lagged and his play showed it a bit. He didn't score for his average (13 points this game), but he didn't really need to. He shined on defense with a couple of steals and a block. On one steal, he made a great behind the back pass which ended in a layup. USC's Stewart was talking a little trash to McCants early on after Stewart made a jumper. McCants gave Stewart an elbow to his flapping jaw because he got up in McCants' face. Coach Williams didn't see it or else he probably would have taken him out of the game. Then on the next two positions, McCants scored down low and came back with a 3 pointer. Nuff said Stewart.
Jawad Williams - Jawad had an outstanding game and was awarded the game MVP. He had 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting. Jawad shot very well both inside and out. Oddly enough, one of his two misses came off a failed dunk attempt.
Jackie Manuel - Jackie had his best game of the season. He played inspired on both the offensive and defensive ends. He said that he felt fully rested even while his teammates were jet lagged because he got 12 hours of sleep three nights ago and 11 hours two nights ago. Jackie even made a 3! Jackie must be reading my blog because he started driving more this game (as I asked for him to do after last game) and he was very effective. Jackie got standing ovations from the crowd after he came out of the game at least two times. You can tell he is a crowd favorite due to his basketball sense and hard work ethic.
Reserves
Melvin Scott - Melvin saw limited playing time and ended the game with 0 points on 0-2 shooting from the floor. At first I thought it was an off night for Melvin (and the ugly inconsistency rearing its head again), but it turns out he injured his hip in the game against Iowa. He wasn't feeling 100% and Coach Williams used him sparingly.
David Noel - Pretty quiet game. He had a nice steal and outlet to Rashad who layed it up. Then Quentin had a steal and passed it to Noel for a layup.
Marvin Williams - Marvin had his coming out party tonight for his first game in the Dean Dome. He played excellent. You can see him getting better every game. He played solid D and even had a nice block. Coach Williams gave him the defensive award for the game, which was the first time EVER that a freshman has garnered that award twice in one season (and we've only had 4 games).
Quentin Thomas - Quentin did an all around nice job. He had 4 assists, but did have 5 turnovers. Most impressively, he handled USC's press well. Once he even beat the press by feeding May for a dunk.
Wes Miller - Came in at the 5:26 mark in the second half. Just based on the few minutes I've seen of Wes, I think he would make a good sub for Felton and Quentin if we ever needed him. He looks like he can handle the ball well.
Byron Sanders - Came in at the 5:26 mark in the second half.
Reyshawn Terry - Came in at the 5:26 mark in the second half.
Damion Grant - Came in at the 2:40 mark in the second half. He looked pretty slow.
C.J. Hooker - Came in at the 2:40 mark in the second half.
Charlie Everett - Came in at the 2:40 mark in the second half.
Sidelines
Just not much to report when you are up by 20 or 30 for most of the game. Coach Williams was pretty subdued.
Announcers
Tim Brando
Mike Gminski
Tim and Mike are the usual Fox Sports commentators. They aren't as good as Bilas and Raftery, but they aren't bad. What is up with the fomer Duke players being commentators? (Gminski and Bilas are both ex-Duke.) Well you know the old saying, if you aren't good enough to play in the Pros, you commentate :-P
Same ol, same ol:
- Talked about the heart to heart McCants had with Coach Williams after Kentucky game last year
- UNC had the ACC leaders in scoring, assists, and rebounding last year
Gminski gave Felton some junk when he missed a 3 pointer. He said Felton is not a good outside shooter. I take issue with that. Felton is a good shooter, but he thinks pass first. He never got into a rhythm last year. He shot very well his freshman year when he needed to. He is already shooting better this year.
Gminski also said he thought May has more bounce in his step this year. He lauded May throughout the game.
Refs
Finally some hometown refs! I'm only saying that partially in jest, but there was definitely a difference between the refs tonight and those in Oakland and Maui. These refs let the guys play more. There was some pretty heavy banging around early on and the refs let it go. UNC was scrappy under the basket most of the game and the refs didn't call very many cheap touch fouls. I wonder if this had anything to do with it:
Crowd
I was a little disappointed that we didn't have a full house tonight. The stands were mostly full, but there were definitely some seats open. In the crowd's defense, they were loud and could be heard chanting in the background several times. I think everyone is hyped about the potential this season holds.
