Anyone seen Dook?
Makhtar N'Diaye having a little fun at the NCAA Tournament game with his buddies Vince Carter, Julius Peppers and Antawn Jamison:  Photo by Zeke Smith. Great job Zeke!
Michigan State 72, UNC 89
Boxscore | RecapVindication! After starting the season with such lofty expectations, the boys in blue were vindicated with a dominating performance in the National Championship game against Michigan State. Where do I begin? The first half was by far our BEST half of the season, and there couldn't have been a better time for it. No other school in country could have stayed with us in the first half. It was a thing of beauty. We set NCAA tourney records for most points in the first half and largest halftime lead. The usual suspects played really well. Heck, the whole team contributed at a high level. Wayne Ellington (Finals MVP), Ty Lawson (set the NCAA Championship record for steals in a game), and Tyler Hansbrough (in the top 4 all time scorers in NCAA Tourney history) all had really good games. They all complimented each other so nicely. Deon Thompson came out on fire in the first half. Danny Green was playing through a strained muscle in his stomach and had some nice plays. MSU was just outmatched (for the second time this season against us). Everyone liked to say how MSU was on a mission. They were trying to save the state of Michigan (or something like that). UNC was the team on a mission. No one on the team forgot the stinging loss to Kansas last year. That's why were won by double digits in each game in the tournament! I couldn't be happier. Especially to see one of the greatest players in UNC history, Mr. Hansbrough, go out with a national championship in his last game. What a fitting end to a historic career. I don't like seasons where UNC is preseason #1. There is only one way to go. Well not quite. There are two ways to go. Down or sideways (ie, win the national championship). It is so difficult to make it through the whole season and pull off 6 straight wins in the tourney, but our Heels did it (again)!! The next couple of weeks will be a bit of a shock to the system as I come down off the NCAA Tournament high. To go from the National Championship game to nothing for 7 months is tough. And of course we'll have to bear through all the NBA Draft talk. But none of that matters right now. I'm happy :-)
Villanova 69, UNC 83
Boxscore | RecapUNC continues to play its best ball of the season as we rolled over Villanova on our way to the championship game against MSU on Monday. After just a couple minutes into the game, UNC established a lead it never lost. The game got as close at 5 points at the 17 minute mark in the second half, but we had an answer every time Nova made a little spurt. We were hitting on all cylinders with the exception of free throw shooting. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green were knocking down their shots. When they are hitting, no one can beat us. We just need one more game. Wayne continues to be in a zone. It's a thing of beauty. I thought the officiating was pretty bad. A bunch of little touch fouls in the first half followed by inconsistency throughout the second half. Just let the kids play! After watching Hansbrough get mauled this season I'm all for reducing hard contact, but touch fouls are a drain on a game. Over the last few games, we've shown a great amount of poise by not letting leads slip through our fingers. Earlier in the season we'd let a 10 or 15 point lead evaporate. Recently we've done a good job of stopping our opponents' runs before they climb all the way back. Yes, we beat MSU by 35 points back in December, but they were coming off a long road trip and didn't have their big man, Goran Suton. MSU is a different team now. They've looked very impressive in the tournament. We'll definitely need to bring our A-game on Monday! I'm a little concerned about our legs. MSU is a deep team and while we go 9 deep (only 7 played double digit minutes on Saturday), our starters have played a lot of minutes lately. In the post-game press conference, Ty Lawson looked completely wiped out. Our free throws were off as well, which is sometimes an indication of players being tired. Let's hope they get a lot of rest on Sunday.
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.
UNC 85, Maryland 88
Boxscore | RecapHere is a summary of the lead we blew today against Maryland to lose in OT: - 16 points at 14:13 - 8 points at 4:37 - 6 points at 1:37 Our offense was pretty anemic in the second half. Ty Lawson is the only reason we didn't lose in regulation. Wayne Ellington was non-existent for much of the game. Why can he not create shots for himself? He's supposed to be our best 3-point shooter and he can never get open. Tyler Hansbrough didn't have a great night, but he did get a double-double (11 and 11). Who had the worst night? The refs!! They totally sucked (two games in a row). Danny's 4th foul. The last charge against Tyler where the Maryland fatty flopped (so clear from the replay). The two travels against Tyler. The NO-CALLS when Ty got mugged at the end of the game which enabled Maryland to send the game to OT. Sure, we didn't play well at the end, but I really hate to see the refs be a determining factor in the outcome of a game. We have a week off before our next game and we need it.
NC State 80, UNC 89
Boxscore | RecapI heard on the radio before the game someone refer to playing NC State like playing Appalachian State in football. We expect to win so anything other than a W is a major disappointment. I feel the same. State has not been a program to be feared in many years. Tonight, they gave us a good run in the first half, but we were too much for them in the second. Tyler Hansbrough played, well, like Tyler again. He's had a couple of rough games (figuratively and literally), but tonight he scored 20 points in the second half on his way to a game high 27 (in only 33 minutes). Ty Lawson was fabulous again with 9 assists and 1 turnover. He also scored 17 on 7-9 shooting. I really wish we could play Boston College and Wake Forest again now because I think Ty would play much better this time around. Tyler Zeller made his much anticipated return at the 8:30 mark in the first half. He scored 2 points, but had 4 fouls in 8 minutes. He ran the floor well...I'm sure it will just take time. Wayne Ellington and Danny Green had nice games going a combined 15 for 25 from the floor for 35 points. As has been our MO this year, we came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. We had only 1 turnover in the second half and played better team ball. The game wasn't as close as the 9 point difference would indicate. Coach Williams seemed a bit agitated for most of the game (mostly at the refs). The refs were pretty bad. They clearly missed a hack on Hansbrough which the replay clearly showed. They also missed an intentional foul on Hansbrough. In the post-game interview a reporter asked about us pressing and Roy dropped the f-bomb. Its all over the Internet now and people are making a huge deal out of it. I agree that Roy shouldn't get so agitated at journalists and fans (ie, his radio show) when they ask him questions, but sheesh, let's not blow this one incident out of proportion. We continue to have a solid 2 game lead in the ACC with 4 games left in the regular season. Next up is Maryland at the Comcast Center on Saturday. Maryland has to play UNC, Duke and Wake Forest over the next 4 games. UNC gets a week off after Maryland.
Zeller likely back, Hansbrough and Lawson feeling better
Good news about Tyler Zeller! From Scout.com: Is there still a chance that Tyler Zeller plays on Wednesday? Yes, it depends on how he goes through practice today… He would really like to help this team. He would really like to play. He thinks that it would really help him in the long term, and hopefully, he would help this team this year. So he and I discussed it yesterday and I told him that was the decision we would go with, unless he went home and slept on it and came back today and said he's changed his mind. So if he comes back today and says he changed his mind, then he won't play. If he hasn’t changed his mind, he probably will play.
Ty Lawson is still clogged up a little from his cold, but he said his throat is feeling much better. Tyler Hansbrough sat out practice yesterday. He had a headache during the Miami game and some blurred vision. He's been taking a beating. Let's hope he's near 100% on Wednesday.
UNC 69, Miami 65
Boxscore | RecapEarly on it didn't look like this game would result in UNC's lowest point total of the season. It was a frenetic pace, but largely due to Miami's zone defense, we scored 23 points below our average. No one on our team had a great offensive night with one big exception. Mr Ty Lawson came through big for us. Despite battling a cold since Thursday (Roy said at the half that Ty was "sick as a dog"), Ty managed to score a team high 21 points including going 5-8 from the three point land. Ty made a clutch three with 10 seconds left to give us a 4 point lead and secure the victory. Miami went in with the game plan of shutting down Tyler Hansbrough and they did it for the most part. Tyler scored only 8 points on 8 shots from the field. He went to the free throw line only twice. But the no-calls are really starting to pile up. I wish I would have kept track of the number of times Tyler went flying to the floor. It is amazing to me when Tyler is 2 feet from the basket, goes up strong, gets mauled by 2 or 3 guys and there is no call. One of the replays showed it clear as day. I don't know how the refs could miss it. It seems just like last year, Tyler is starting to get fewer and fewer calls as the season progresses. I know the refs don't like calling so many fouls for Tyler, but he's going to get hurt one of these times if they continue to let other teams take pot shots at him with no whistle. I don't know how Tyler takes all of that abuse without getting upset. The refs called a combined 20 fouls for the whole game when they normally average 36 per game. Maybe their whistles didn't work so good tonight?? How can there be such a disparity? Back to the game....Wayne Ellington didn't shoot very well, but got a double-double on 15 points and 10 rebounds. He wore a wrap around his shooting arm stemming from an injury suffered at Duke when Lance Thomas got a little overzealous trying to take the ball away from Wayne. Thanks Lance. Danny Green didn't shoot well either going 3-13 from the field for 8 points. Deon Thompson wasn't much better scoring 9 points on 4-11 shooting. Of course the big reason Miami was in the game was Jack McClinton. He went off, scoring 35 on 7 of 12 shooting from three point range. And it wasn't like they were open shots. He'd do a turnaround jumper from 3 and swoosh it. He was amazing tonight (good for hims since there were reportedly 15 NBA scouts in attendance). Miami's Jimmy Graham also had career highs in rebounds (15) and blocks (5). This game had all the makings of a UNC upset, but Miami didn't have enough weapons to finish the deal. We desperately need more teams to play zone against us. It is clear we still aren't comfortable unless we are running and gunning. We need more games like this so our guys can get used to it before the post-season starts. With Duke losing tonight, we now have a 2 game lead in the ACC with 5 games to go. Next up we have NC State on Wednesday. State didn't give us much of a game last time around, but they recently beat Wake and I bet we'll be a better team this time around.
UNC 101, Duke 87
Boxscore | RecapOh Happy day. What a game. We started off extremely strong. Looked sharp. Then Duke took over and erased our 11 point lead. We were down 8 at half. But it wasn't enough for a UNC onslaught in the second half. We outscored the Dookies 57-35 in the second half! The first half was strange. We came out playing really tough. Good offense and pretty good defense. Then Duke turned it up a notch and we couldn't match their intensity. They had 4 turnovers in the first 5 minutes and only 2 for the remainder of the first half. Duke went into the half scoring more points than they in two halves against Clemson (where they lost). They shot 62% from the floor and went on a 22-5 run to end the half. Needless to say, our defense was not looking good at that point. But the second half was a different story. We started playing better defense and everyone started contributing more on offense. All 5 starters ended in double figures. Wayne Ellington had a rough night shooting going 4-15 from the floor, but had 15 points. Danny Green also scored 15, but didn't get many open looks. Tyler Hansbrough had 17 points including a 3 pointer as the shot clock was about to expire during one possession. Bobby Frasor even got into the action (in the first half) scoring 9 points on 3-3 pointers! He helped keep us in it during the first half. It was nice to see him finally start making some buckets. Deon Thompson was a force in the first half. He was hitting shots from all over the court. The story of this game was Ty Lawson. Ty was a total machine on the court. He couldn't be stopped in the second half. He scored a game high 25 points. He was driving the lane unlike I've seen him do all season. Why doesn't he do that more?? Duke did not have an answer for him. If we had that Ty Lawson every game, our chances of running the table would go up significantly. It was a thing of beauty. This fourth straight win at Cameron means Tyler, Bobby and Danny are undefeated at Duke during their career, which is pretty elite company. Tim Duncan was the last player to pull that off. UNC is in sole control of the ACC now. Wake Forest lost again tonight and considering we don't play another ranked opponent until our final match against Duke, we are in a pretty good position (knock on wood). We play Miami on Sunday, which will be another good test, but as the saying goes, our destiny is in our hands. Good night!
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