Final Four Bound
I haven't blogged in a few days because I'm recovering. Recovering from two games that drove me to the brink of insanity. In the first and second rounds, Carolina was unstoppable. Offense was strong, defensive intensity was strong. All around solid performances. Then came Villanova and Wisconsin. Sure the competition was better, but our defensive intensity was noticeably weaker. I just don't get it. It is like sometimes we don't want to play defense. Even against Wisconsin, our offense was unstoppable, but our defensive let them stay in the game. And of course it goes without saying that both teams had at least two players that had career games. I've grown accustom to that now, but it amazes how many wide open looks from 3 both teams got. We HAVE to turn up the pressure to win the next two games.
The Villanova coach tried to pull a fast one. In the pre-game interviews when asked about the tempo of the game (Villanova likes to run the ball), he said they are going to do what they've always done. Now he didn't come right out and say he was going to run with Carolina, but he gave the impression they would. What did his team do? Walked the ball up the court the entire time. What frustrated me is that we didn't press them at all. The few times this season we pressured the ball up the court or trapped at half court, it generally forced turnover. Regardless it is going to speed up the game. We didn't do that at all against Villanova. Wisconsin tried to do the same thing at certain points and when we broke out the trap we forced turnovers. We have a deep enough bench. If the pace of the game is too slow, we should be pressing.
On a similar note, I don't think we should be playing zone. Maybe if we want to mix up looks on the defensive end, but history tells us that when Carolina plays zone, the opponent's shooters eyes light up and start nailing them from all corners. We have the most talent on the floor and should be able to go man-to-man with anyone. But I understand Coach Williams going to zone because sometimes our guys just lose interest on the defensive side and the other team runs by us.
Sean May has showed the whole country that he is arguably the best center in college. He has been unstoppable. He goes to the hoop strong, has Antwain Jamison like touch, and is running the court like a guard.
Michigan St is up next. I watched them get beat by Duke earlier in the year. They were grossly underperforming for much of the first half of the year. I watched them against Kentucky this weekend and they looked sharp and athletic. We have to get them in a running game. They are going to be tough. Paul Davis has been playing lights out. May vs Davis is going to be quite a show.
I'm ecstatic we are in the final four. This team will finally get the credit they deserve. A week from now and it will all be over. Let's just hope my heart can take it.
