Arenas would light it up against Duke
Coach K has a knack for pissing people off: Arenas predicted he would score "84 or 85" points if he got a chance to play Duke and its coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Continue at source.
UNC 92, Arizona 64
UNC handed Arizona their worst defeat ever at the McKale Center. While we won by 28, it was much like the Wake game where it didn’t quite have the feel of a blowout. Carolina methodically wears teams down. Arizona jumped off to a good start in the 2nd half, but it was too little too late. UNC was able to do this without star freshman Brandan Wright and the team’s best defender Marcus Ginyard who were both out due to illness. Ty Lawson continues to play well. He scored a career high 18 points to go with 8 assists on only 1 turnover. Freshmen Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson played well filling in for Wright. They both are progressing nicely in their development. Tyler Hansbrough had a mediocre game. He had only 2 points in the first half, but ended with 14. This was by far the worst performance I’ve seen all year by the referees. They several calls and were terribly inconsistent. Both coaches (and the partisan crowd) were frustrated by the refs. Fortunately, they didn’t impact the outcome of the game like they did in the recent Duke/Clemson matchup. Game Notes:6:45: 76-49. These are the worst refs I’ve seen all year. 7:59: 71-46. UNC is just too much for AZ. 11:06: 61-39. Stepheson fouled out. 13:04: 59-37. UNC playing better now - 9-0 run. 15:54: 50-34. Arizona playing much more aggressive and UNC not playing as well. Zona has been playing a zone. 17:45: 47-31. Hansbrough makes his first basket HALFTIME Carolina picked up where they left off with Wake Forest. UNC led the entire first half and went into the half with an 18 point lead. The big news so far is that Brandan Wright and Marcus Ginyard are not playing due to an illness. Deon Thompson and Alex Stephenson have not missed a beat in his place. They’ve both played extremely well (with Deon starting). Tywon Lawson made a couple of acrobatic layups. He’s really coming into his own. You can tell he is getting real comfortable leading this team on the court. Hansbrough had a rough first half. He only scored 2 points (on free throws). Hopefully we can get him going in the second half. 2:56: 38-23. Hansbrough scores his first point of the game on a free throw. 3:10: 37-23. 16-5 run by UNC 5:00: 34-23. AZ’s Marcus Williams goes to the locker room with a sprained ankle. 5:14: 30-23. AZ’s big man Hill goes to the bench with 3 fouls. Deon still playing wel. 6:14: 28-21. UNC missed three straight opportunities in a row due to good AZ defense. 8:01: 27-21. Stepheson is playing well with 6 points. 8:58: 25-21. Lawson has scored 6 points on drives to the basket. 10:18: 21-18. AZ is winning the game on the boards. 10:53: 19-16. AZ freshmen Budiger and Hill on the bench with 2 fouls 12:16: 19-14. Deon is playing well filling in for Wright. 14:48: 13-6. UNC is playing well. Arizona has several turnovers. 18:21 6-0. UNC started with 2 3 pointers
UNC 77, Georgia Tech 61
It was an impressive showing by our Tar Heels. The first half wasn't very pretty (similar to Clemson game), but in the second half they turned up the offense. Carolina's defense was stifling for most of the game. This just goes to show that regardless of how much offensive fire power we have, we can win games if we just show up on defense. This was perhaps our best defensive performance of the year. It is worth highlighting Reyshawn Terry's performance. This was his best game of the year by far. He scored 16 on 7-9 shooting include a couple of nice dunks. Hansbrough led the team with 24 points including 14-15 from the free throw line. For most of the second half, whenever Tyler would touch the ball down low, GT would hack him. It was so bad that GT had two intentional fouls called against them for rough hacks on Tyler. I guess they are still smarting from the 40 points he put on them last year! Game Notes4:23: 71-48. GT seems resigned to hack Hansbrough every time he gets the ball. 6:17: 67-44. Another dunk by Terry. 6:46: 63-44. Intentional foul on Hansbrough by Dickey after Dickey a elbow to Tyler’s face 7:44: 60-44. Reyshawn had a high flying dunk and was fouled. 8:55: 58-40. Quentin Thomas continues to impress me. He had a great pass to Wright for a dunk. 10:20: 54-38. Playing better on offense now and our defense is still strong. 12:43: 50-36. Intentional foul on Hansbrough by Peacock. Hansbrough made both free throws. 13:13: 48-36. GT made a 3 to stay in it. Reyshawn having his best game of the year. 13:32: Lawson got his wrist tapped. He fell pretty hard in the first half. 13:52: Hansbrough and Wright have 10 of Carolina’s 12 points so far in the second half. 16:32: 40-27. Both teams are picking up the pace after a GT timeout. 18:01: 36-23. FINALLY SOMEONE SCORED! Hansbrough with a dunk. 18:30: 34-23. Three fouls on GT’s T. Young UNC 34, GT 23 (HALFTIME) UNC played really good defense, but we were not crisp at all on offense. 12 turnovers so far! We turned the ball over 4 of the last 6 positions. We had 4 turnovers due to players stepping on the out-of-bounds line. Fortunately, GT didn’t score in the last 5 minutes so they weren’t much better. Leading scorer is Reyshawn Terry with 10 points. No one else is having much of a game offensively. 3:31: 34-23. Biggest lead of the game after an Ellington 3 rattled in. 4:00: 30-23. Wes almost hit another; in and out. 5:10: 30-20. Ty Lawson nailed one from 3. 5:59: 27-20. Wes Miller hit one from 5 ft outside the 3 pt line! 7:40: 22-16. Little spurt by UNC. 8:45: 18-16. UNC has cooled off quite a bit. 10:09: 18-13. GT settled down and got back in the game. Terry rushed a 3, but nailed it. He’s 4-4 from the floor, but 0-2 from the free throw line. 12:52: 13-8. Nice reverse layup by Reyshawn. He’s 3-3 with 7 points 14:48: 6 turnovers in 5 minutes by GT 15:47: 9-2. Off to a good start. 16:33: Playing good defense early on.
A Jackie Manuel sighting
Brian from Durham forwarded this link to a photo gallery on the NBA D-League website: http://www.nba.com/gallery/Dleague/011507_6.htmlIt is our old buddy Jackie Manuel taking his man to the hoop. I haven't heard much about him since he left school, so it is good to see him in action.
Bobby Frasor Update
Coach Williams confirmed in his post-game press conference that Bobby Frasor re-injured the same foot that was giving him trouble earlier. They'll know more about the extent of the injury in a few days. This sucks for Bobby because I don't think he can be considered for a medical redshirt now that he has played in more than 7 games.
Inside Carolina Basketball with Roy Williams (1/13/2007)
Wayne Ellington has been struggling the last few games, but there is no denying his potential. In Roy's TV show this week, he had this to say about Wayne: "He could go down as the greatest shooter I've ever coached if he stays around long enough and makes as many as I think he's going to make." Considering Roy has coached some of the greatest ever (including Jordan, Worthy, etc.) that is a big statement.
UNC 88, Virginia Tech 94
At least we made a game of it at the end. UNC finally showed some spirit in the last 10 minutes to slowly whittle away Virginia Tech's 23 point lead. I wasn't optimistic about our chances, but we cut the deficit all the way down to 3 with 20 seconds left. However, it was too little too late as VT was able to hold on. Tywon Lawson put on a clinic down the stretch (ending with 16 points). Roy needs to let him be that aggressive all game. Despite a mediocre performance, Hansbrough led the team with 19 points and 16 rebounds. For most of the game, we shot poorly and Virginia Tech kept sinking shots. VT just beat Duke so they are on a roll. They man handled us much of the game and scored at will. It was painful to watch. Our guards looked totally overmatched. All of this after what I thought was our best start of the year. At the 15:43 mark in the first half we were winning 17-9 after shooting 70% from the field. But it went down hill after that. At the half we had just 9 assists to go with 9 turnovers and was down 10. VT came out blazing in the second half and built a 20 point lead. Then they tried to slow the game down, which let UNC back in it. Dowdell from VT scored 25 points and looked like a first team ACC performer. So much for that #1 ranking. Actually, I don't like being ranked #1 this early. You have a big target on your back and UNC is just not ready for that. In other news, it doesn't look good for Bobby Frasor. He did not play in the 2nd half due to a "foot injury". More to come on this, but if he re-injured his foot, we might not see him on the floor again for a while.
What happened the last 4 times UNC started 14-1?
Year Record Result1993 24-4 National Title 1995 28-6 Final Four 1998 33-4 Final Four 2005 33-4 National Title 2007 ???? ????
UNC 79, Virginia 69
It took until 10 minutes into the second half before UNC could secure a comfortable lead against Virginia. We are definitely shaping up to be a second half team (like previous years). Reynolds and Singletary from Virginia are lights out shooters. They were knocking down everything in the first half. However, Ginyard put a glove on Singletary (the ACC's leading scorer) in the second half when we needed to shut down Virginia. Overall, we didn't play that well. My game ball would go to Quentin Thomas. Yes, that's right, Q. I thought he had a solid game (despite the stats not really showing it). Wright scored 16, but was 5-16 from the floor. He's also missed 3 dunks over the last 2 games! Hansbrough scored 18 but missed 5 straight free throws. The team shot under 40% from the field. Ellington was 2-7 and Green was 2-6. Not very crisp. Perhaps the biggest stat of the game is 21 offensive rebounds for UNC versus UVA's 7. Also, bench scoring was a big factor for Carolina. Ultimately, Virginia was overpowered and overmatched. The difference between us losing a game like this last year and us winning this year is depth. We just wear teams down. Virginia didn't mind running with us either, which didn't help their cause (though they did run a fair amount of zone). It wasn't a pretty win, but I'll take it. Speaking of things that aren't pretty, Duke lost again!
UNC #1 in both polls
After three weeks at No. 2, Carolina moved up to the top spot in both polls thanks to a UCLA loss this weekend. It is North Carolina's first time at No. 1 since a two-week run in February 2001, and it's the first time the Tar Heels are there in the three-plus seasons, including the 2005 national championship, under coach Roy Williams.
"I feel good where we are, but it's so, so early," Williams said Monday. "We have 15 more battles to go in the conference, so we'll see what happens."
ContinueAssociated Press Top-25 College Basketball Poll | Team (First-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
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| 1. North Carolina Tar Heels (64) | 14-1 | 1,788 | 2 | | 2. Florida Gators (3) | 14-2 | 1,682 | 3 | | 3. Wisconsin Badgers (1) | 15-1 | 1,635 | 4 | | 4. UCLA Bruins (4) | 14-1 | 1,621 | 1 | | 5. Ohio State Buckeyes | 13-2 | 1,508 | 6 | | 6. Kansas Jayhawks | 13-2 | 1,410 | 9 | | 7. Pittsburgh Panthers | 14-2 | 1,265 | 10 | | 8. Texas A&M Aggies | 13-2 | 1,194 | 11 | | 9. Oklahoma State Cowboys | 15-1 | 1,151 | 12 | | 10. Arizona Wildcats | 12-2 | 1,141 | 7 | | 11. Duke Blue Devils | 13-2 | 1,090 | 5 | | 12. Butler Bulldogs | 14-1 | 916 | 13 | | 13. LSU Tigers | 11-3 | 898 | 14 | | 14. Alabama Crimson Tide | 13-2 | 863 | 8 | | 15. Oregon Ducks | 14-1 | 830 | 16 | | 16. Tennessee Volunteers | 13-2 | 697 | 19 | | 17. Clemson Tigers | 16-0 | 632 | 23 | | 18. Air Force Falcons | 15-1 | 567 | 20 | | 19. Nevada Wolf Pack | 13-1 | 486 | 21 | | 20. Memphis Tigers | 11-3 | 428 | 22 | | 21. West Virginia Mountaineers | 13-1 | 342 | 25 | | 22. Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 13-2 | 214 | 17 | | 22. Washington State Cougars | 14-2 | 214 | NR | | 24. Connecticut Huskies | 12-2 | 188 | 18 | | 25. Texas Longhorns | 11-3 | 99 | NR | | Others receiving votes: Georgetown 90, Maryland 74, Marquette 69, Northern Iowa 69, Washington 61, Arkansas 57, Kentucky 36, Missouri State 24, USC 13, Drexel 11, Southern Illinois 10, Virginia Tech 10, Wichita State 10, Syracuse 4, Providence 2, Indiana 1. |
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USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 College Basketball Poll | Team (First-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
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| 1. North Carolina Tar Heels (27) | 14-1 | 771 | 2 | | 2. Florida Gators (2) | 14-2 | 726 | 3 | | 3. UCLA Bruins (2) | 14-1 | 708 | 1 | | 4. Wisconsin Badgers | 15-1 | 680 | 4 | | 5. Ohio State Buckeyes | 13-2 | 645 | 6 | | 6. Kansas Jayhawks | 13-2 | 590 | 9 | | 7. Pittsburgh Panthers | 14-2 | 547 | 10 | | 8. Arizona Wildcats | 12-2 | 508 | 7 | | 9. Texas A&M Aggies | 13-2 | 505 | 11 | | 10. Oklahoma State Cowboys | 15-1 | 465 | 12 | | 11. Duke Blue Devils | 13-2 | 445 | 5 | | 12. Butler Bulldogs | 14-1 | 437 | 13 | | 13. Alabama Crimson Tide | 13-2 | 380 | 8 | | 14. Clemson Tigers | 16-0 | 343 | 18 | | 15. Air Force Falcons | 15-1 | 342 | 16 | | 15. Nevada Wolf Pack | 13-1 | 342 | 15 | | 17. Oregon Ducks | 14-1 | 295 | 17 | | 18. LSU Tigers | 11-3 | 284 | 19 | | 19. Memphis Tigers | 11-3 | 178 | 23 | | 20. Tennessee Volunteers | 13-2 | 162 | 25 | | 21. West Virginia Mountaineers | 13-1 | 149 | NR | | 22. Connecticut Huskies | 12-2 | 135 | 14 | | 23. Washington State Cougars | 14-2 | 79 | NR | | 24. Washington Huskies | 11-4 | 75 | 20 | | 25. Maryland Terrapins | 14-2 | 74 | NR | | Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 48, Northern Iowa 31, Texas 29, UNLV 21, Georgetown 18, Missouri State 14, Southern California 10, Drexel 9, Arkansas 8, Indiana 7, Kentucky 5, Michigan State 3, Syracuse 3, New Mexico State 2, Fresno State 1, Marquette 1. |
UNC 84, FSU 58
What a nice introduction to ACC play. After a marginal first half, UNC turned a 6 point lead into a 26 point drubbing of FSU at the Smith Center. FSU played into Carolina's hands by playing a fast tempo game. Based on what I've seen so far, Carolina will be next to impossible to beat in an up-tempo game. I don't care if it is very close in the first half. We could even be down a few. We are a second half team and our depth wears the opponent down. I wasn't able to watch the first 6 minutes of the game because the Virgina/Stanford game went long on FSN. After some poor shooting, we went on a little spurt with 5 minutes left in the half to go up 28-18, but then FSU went on a 11-2 run to make the game close. Going into the half we were only shooting 41% from the floor and 22% from the 3 point line. Wright led with 12 points and Ellington was 0-4 from the 3 point line. Tywon Lawson had 3 assists, 3 steals and only 1 turnover. Coming out of the half, Hansbrough took over. At one point he scored 2 straight 3 point plays to increase the lead to 46-34. Hansbrough had a good game overall tallying a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Our team shooting was much better in the second half too. We ended the game shooting 47% from the field. Ellington didn't improve much (going 1-7 from 3), but he did have 5 assists and only 1 turnover. Quentin Thomas and Bobby Frasor continued their comebacks with 7 minutes each. Both looked pretty solid and should start competing for more minutes once fully healed. There is a lot to be excited about after our first ACC game, but we have a tough test on Wednesday night playing at Virginia.
Parking at the Dean Smith Center
One of the reasons I prefer watching Carolina games on TV instead of going to the games is parking. If you've ever been to a game at the Dean Dome, you know what I'm talking about. The parking situation is sub-optimal to put it nicely. At Late Night with Roy, I parked in the Craige parking deck and it took a full hour to get out of the deck and on the road. We didn't move for a solid 30 minutes. So for the recent Penn game I attended, I decided to try a different option. I'd heard a lot about Park and Ride, but hadn't tried it before. The idea is that you park at one of the designated off-campus lots and a bus takes you to the Smith Center. After the game, a bus is waiting outside to take you back. I parked at the Friday Center and caught the bus. I parked no problem and got on the bus. However, we had to wait until the bus was completely packed with no available seats or standing room. That took about 20 minutes. Not a big deal. The bus got to the Smith Center in about 15 minutes after we left the Friday Center. Using Park and Ride to get to the Smith Center wasn't a bad deal. However, returning was a little more painful. I watched the game to the final second unlike half the crowd which left early. I bet many of the people that left early were park and ride-ers! When I got outside and figured out which line I needed to wait in for the Friday Center bus, the line was already backed up (picture below). I had to wait about 25 minutes before getting on the bus and then another 10 minutes to get back to the Friday Center (I had to stand on the bus since all the seats were taken). Would I do it again? Maybe. I think next time I'll try parking at a lot that is a little farther out from the Smith Center. The Craige Deck is close to the Smith Center so it gets really congested. Parking a little farther out means a longer walk to the deck, but in the past I've been able to get out much quicker. Park and ride is a decent option if you don't want to deal with waiting in your car or in traffic, but you still have to wait in line to get on the bus. If the weather was bad, this wouldn't work very well either. 
Roy Williams Show - Jan 6th, 2007
A few notes from this week's Roy Williams Show (shown in the Triangle on FSN, Channel 50, Saturday and Sunday mornings). Talked about May, McCants, and Felton's jerseys being retired. That makes a total of 43 jerseys that are retired in the Smith Center.  UNC needs to play 17 home games because the basketball program pays the expenses for many other sports In 9 starts Tywon has 58 assists and 12 turnovers (tops in the ACC) His wrist is getting better--it doesn't hurt that much UNC is shooting 60% or better in 6 of the last 14 halves FSU gives us a more difficult match-up than anyone else (referring to FSU's 4 and 5 positions)
UNC 102, Penn 64
Outside of the first couple of minutes, the Penn game was a blowout. I was in attendance for this one. My wife and I try to attend at least one game in person every year. We'd attend more, but it can be difficult (and expensive) to get decent seats and the parking situation is pretty bad (more on this in a future post). I found some really good seats for sale last minute -- lower level (109) row W. I took my camera and snapped a bunch of pictures. I've included the shots that you don't normally see when watching the game on TV. Hope you enjoy. It was a fun game! Floor-level before the game:  Pre-game warm-ups:  Coach Williams and Coach Robinson:  Reyshawn Terry:  Tyler (and the Carolina Dancers ;-)  Carolina is about the hit the floor for tip-off:  Here they come:  Warm-up drills:  More warm-ups:  Tyler laying it up:  Roy's pre-game ritual of throwing shirts out to students:  Coaches shaking hands before the blowout commences:  Introducing the players:   Huddling up around Roy:  Time for tip-off:  Brandan Wright skies:  Tywon's wrist is tapped heavily:  Wayne Ellington has one of the sweetest strokes around: 
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