Miami 65, UNC 82
Boxscore |
RecapThe enigma that is the North Carolina Tar Heels put on another head scratching performance tonight against previously ranked Miami. For the first 15 minutes of the game, it looked like we were going to have another BC or Wake-like game. Miami looked more aggressive and our body language didn't look good. There were two big differences though. Tyler Hansbrough singlehandedly kept us in the game in the first half by scoring 20 of his 24 points, and while Miami was making a lot of shots, we actually had a hand in their face for most of them. They weren't wide open looks.
Then around 5 minutes to go in the first half, something clicked. Ty Lawson decided to turn it up a notch. His defense on McClinton was excellent. Ty was playing faster than everyone else on the court. We forced a couple of turnovers and before you knew it, we ended the half on a 13-0 run including a Danny Green 3 pointer in the final seconds.
Hubert Davis summed it best before the game: "Why don't they play [aggressive] from the start!?!?!"
He's right. This is another example where we came out lethargic and only got it in gear after we were down by 9 points. A good example, Ty Lawson had 0 assists and 2 turnovers when we were down 9 and then got 8 straight assists without a turnover during our comeback. Ty said before the game that he doesn't think it is fair that he gets tagged as the main reason for our losses, but he does accept his responsibility as the catalyst. Sorry to say it Ty, but tonight proved the rule. When he plays well, we will be in the game and when he doesn't, well we know how that goes.
I can't believe I haven't mentioned Wayne Ellington yet. In the first half, Wayne was 0-2 and looked like he lacked confidence. He's been playing hard, but his shots have not been going down. Something clicked for him too in the second half. He hit 7 three pointers in a row. He score 11 straight pts for UNC at one point. It was nice to see him finally go off. The UNC record for 3s is 8 in a game so he was close to tying it. Let's hope this confidence booster carries over to the next game! Having him shoot well adds a much needed element to our team.
Speaking of next, we have
#10 Clemson on Wednesday night at the Dean Dome. Yes, we have the 53-0 winning streak against Clemson at the Dean Dome, but
they are coming off a tough loss to Wake Forest and will undoubtedly be hungry. It is going to take our best effort to ensure we go 3-2 in conference play.
