Oklahoma 60, UNC 72
Boxscore | RecapAs many people have commented, this was an odd game for us. Ultimately, I think it showed our versatility. It was clear that OU did not want to run with us. If their goal was to minimize the number of possessions, that means they had to keep it close. After we stretched it out to beyond a 10 point lead, that was like having a 20 point lead in a faster paced game. In half-court games, each possession is that much more important than in an up-and-down game. And we showed we can flourish this way too. Blake Griffin was as good as advertised, but we did a reasonable job keeping him under control, especially in the first half. OU's outside game was completely non-existent for about 38 minutes. That's another big reason this game never got close....OU couldn't hit the side of a barn from beyond 15 feet. Tyler Hansbrough didn't have a great game, but fortunately we didn't need him to. Danny Green had a great game and Ty Lawson worked his usual magic. I thought the officiating was really, really bad. Inconsistent and at times lop-sided. They called a bunch of little touch fouls that impacted the flow of the game quite a bit. Next up is Villanova in the Final Four. Villanova is a mirror image of Duke, except better. We have an obvious size advantage. It will be interesting to see how Villanova tries to offset that. They will have a hard time matching up against us. But if they are knocking down their shots from beyond the arc, our size advantage won't help much.
Gonzaga 77, UNC 98
Boxscore | RecapPerhaps our best game of the year! 9 players scored, 4 in double figures, 6 had double digit minutes. Ty Lawson was dominate once again. Tyler Hansbrough led the team in scoring (24 points). If we play like this from here on out, we'll win the whole thing. The big question is if we can maintain this level of play and consistency in shooting. Oklahoma is going to be an extremely tough opponent. I can't wait!
LSU 70, UNC 84
Boxscore | RecapFor all the people that questioned Ty Lawson's toughness, this game should put all those questions to rest. If we didn't have Ty for this game, there is a good chance we wouldn't have pulled it out. LSU came out in the second half and punched us right in the mouth. They actually took the lead after scoring on what seemed like 10 straight possessions. Then Ty decided to take the game in his own hands. He nailed a couple of threes. Had some great drives. All of this on a bum toe that continued to give him problems throughout the game. At one point he had to remove his shoe on the sidelines so the doctors could examine it. He was in obvious pain. And just when it looked like LSU might steal this one from us, Ty put us on his back and lead us to victory. He hadn't played in 2 weeks and despite a shaky first half, ended the game with 23 points, 6 assists and ZERO turnovers. There is no other point guard in America I'd rather see wearing Carolina blue. Wayne Ellington also had a nice game scoring 23 points. His consistency lately has been critical (especially given Danny Green's slump). Our big guys played pretty well, but were far from dominant. Next we play the winner of the Western Kentucky/Gonzaga game. I'm watching it right now and they look pretty even. I think we may have faced a tougher opponent tonight than the one we'll see in our next game. Fingers crossed that Ty's toe isn't too bad!!
VT 76, UNC 79
Boxscore | RecapWhat a game! I'm not exactly sure how we pulled it off, but we did. I thought we looked pretty bad for much of the first half, but somehow we were able to go into the half with a 1 point lead. Ty Lawson didn't play (and may not play tomorrow either) and it altered the look of our team dramatically. Bobby Frasor played in his place, but it wasn't he same. We stopped being a transition style team. VT was eating our lunch in transition points. We had 5 turnovers during the first 10 minutes of the game. You can tell we are depleted because Justin Watts came in at the 7 minute mark after Danny Green picked up his second foul. Justin has only played in mop-up duty this season (although I thought he did well while he was on the court). This is quite a change from what was potentially the deepest team in history at the start of the season. The big story of this game was Tyler Hansbrough. I don't know Tyler sees the writing on the wall in terms of his Carolina career coming to a close, but he has been unstoppable the last few games. He's easily playing the best ball of the season for him right now. He scored a game high 28 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. If he had played more like that throughout the season, I think he would have gotten ACC POY instead of Ty. But Ty deserved it this year. Bobby Frasor and Larry Drew II did decent jobs, but not great. Larry is still struggling a bit. I sure hope he blossoms by next season or we could have a tough year next year. I've already seen a bunch of VT fans complaining about the refs, but it definitely goes both ways. The refs called a phantom foul at the end of the first half, which I believe resulted in 2 made free throws. They also called a tie ball that went against us in the first half much like the tie ball at the end of the game went for us. I think there were many questionable calls (at least 2 missed travel calls against VT), but it it went both ways. Next up we play FSU in the semi-final game. This is going to be another tough one, especially without Ty Lawson. Let's see if we can pull off another one!
Duke 71, UNC 79
Boxscore | RecapTyler Hansbrough, Bobby Frasor, Danny Green and the other seniors were not disappointed on their final game in the Smith Center. In fact, it was a good win all around. We had a very balanced attack with 5 players scoring in double figures. Ty Lawson didn't show the effects of an injured big toe that made him questionable to even play. While forcing a few uncharacteristic turnovers, Ty came close to a triple double with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. It was reported that Ty was hobbling pretty bad after the game. Let's hope he's able to recover over the next four days. Tyler Hansbrough had a nice game as well. He was our best shooter from 3 point range...which is a little scary....going 2-3. Looked like a pretty good shot to me! Duke was able to stay in it in the first half because they were knocking down shots. I really liked our defense for much of the game. There was good intensity. In the second half, Duke stopped making shots and that was the difference. As much as I don't like the guy, I have to admit Gerald Henderson is a force now. Not sure why it's taken him 3 years to get here, but he's reaching the point I had feared he'd get to when I saw him play in high school. Let's hope he doesn't stick around for his senior season. With this win, UNC wins the ACC regular season for a second year in a row and also secures a #1 seed in the ACC tourney. That means we'll be playing on Friday at noon. Let's see if we can pull off another ACC tourney championship too!
Georgia Tech 74, UNC 104
Boxscore | RecapOn the back of Ty Lawson's career tying 11 assists (and only 2 turnovers), Tyler Hansbrough's 28 points and 11 rebounds, and Danny Green's 23 points, UNC bounced back from a disappointing loss at Maryland to defeat the Yellow Jackets by 30 at home. This was an impressive performance by the Heels. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mr Hansbrough. This is the first game that Tyler has played like, well Tyler, in several games. He was back to his dominant Player of the Year form. But Ty Lawson also played like a potential ACC POY candidate as well. Ty didn't make one field goal the whole game, but he still dominated the game. Tyler Hansbrough broke the NCAA record for career free throw's made. As Tyler put it after the game, that's a lot of fouls :-) GA Tech's Aminu said after the game that if you "touch him it is a foul", which I think is complete BS. All of the fouls in this game looked completely legit (and I was paying close attention). Many of the fouls were of the hard variety. Tyler gets mauled. And I just don't see him "initiating" contact as so many people claim. He's a low post player that gets good position. He's attempting to score. There is going to be contact. But when you hack Hansbrough, there is going to be a fouled called (or at least there is a chance there will be a foul called). There is plenty of proof this year that Hansbrough doesn't get all the calls. In fact, it is pretty ridiculous how many times he gets hacked without getting a call. Next up is Virginia Tech on Wednesday night. If we beat VATech and Duke next Sunday, we win the regular season ACC crown again. If we lose either game, it will likely come down to tiebreakers.
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