Two Great Comebacks Against BC

It's hard to figure out where to begin in blogging about Carolina's great win this afternoon against Boston College. 

So I guess I'll start with the obvious - the great comeback from 18 points down in the second half en route to a 90-80 road win.  Add this game to the list of celebrated Carolina comebacks.  The Heels trailed by 14 at the half and the deficit quickly ballooned to 18 after two more Rice baskets two minutes into the final stanza.  Rice was out of his head on fire in the first half on his way to 34 points.

Since this is a Carolina and Hellenic blog, I'll remind folks that among the greatest sins - perhaps the greatest sin - to the ancient Greeks was hubris.  Rice was hot, but I believe his hubris - exemplified by his fanning of himself after his seventh made three pointer - offended the Carolina Comebacks gods, a pantheon that includes Cunningham, Bradley, Jordan, Lynch and Dean.  

Perhaps for that reason, no matter how hot Rice was and even after the Heels got down by 18, this was one of those games where you just knew the Heels were somehow going to win.   I've blogged this before, but that is just one of those feelings a Tar Heel gets.

One reason you feel it is the coaching of folks like Dean and ol' Roy.  Roy pulled the starters after Rice's second basket of the second half gave the Eagles the 18-point lead.  Whatever Roy said to his starters worked.

The other thing Roy said in the second half that worked was "Danny, go in for . . . "  My man Danny Green was phenomenal today, hitting 3 three-point shots during a 22-3 run that fueled Carolina's comeback.   He finished 4 of 8 on three pointers, and with 18 points and 7 boards.   Green just oozed confidence on his jump shots, and came off the bench with a determined looked on his face that said "Enough is enough; time for me to lead the Heels to a win today."  He did.

Of course, he had help from Wayne Ellington.  At half time I told Ariadne and Evan, 'don't worry, the Heels are going to win this game, and it would be a lot easier if Ellington got hot.'  Well, safe to say he got hot.   After scoring only two points in the first half, Ellington hit two huge threes and showed off his new, varied and complete floor game.  In addition to going two for five on threes, he finished 7 for 12 for 20 points, and 3 steals. Ellington was excellent on both ends of the floor - this guy is no longer simply a three-point shooter - and was as good as any college player in the country in the second half.

Ellington was not alone in playing great defense in the second half;  Green, Ginyard  and the entire team did a nice job, especially on Rice.  Carolina was quick to double team in the final 20 minutes, and also did a great job of playing the passing lanes.   The comeback was fueled by steals and forced turnovers as much as it was by Green and Ellington.

The defense of Rice in the second half  brings me to the second great comeback in the game. I'm of course referring to the return of Ty Lawson.   

How great was it to see Lawson check into the game in the first half?  Me, I was visually and audibly giddy. Offensively Lawson didn't really look for his shot, but he did manage 5 assists in 21 minutes.   And Ty did have one of his patented blow-bys to the rack.  

But defense was where Lawson dramatically impacted this game.  In the first half Rice hit a number of tough and contested shots, with Q in is face on most the them.  The difference in the second half was that Lawson's pressure on Rice kept him from a) getting any open looks at all, and b) initiating any kind of offense for the Eagles.   

I loved the defense, but loved seeing him on the floor even more.

 

Finally, as great as Green and Ellington were, how about Tyler Hansbrough? Psycho T finished with a game high 25 points and 9 rebounds.  He also had the assist on Green's first three of the second half.   More importantly, he single handedly kept the Heels in the game in the first half.

The other guy who helped keep the Heels in striking distance despite the onslaught from Rice was Will Graves.  He scored 5 quick and calming points late in the first half, and also picked up a nifty steal.  Quality minutes at a key time from our only freshman.

A great team effort and great comeback from the Heels today.  It was a great game to watch and a great win.  

Finally, the win coupled with losses by Tennessee, Memphis, and others this week means that the Heels will probably be number one on Monday.   What a nice tribute to Quentin Thomas as he prepares for senior night on Wednesday against Florida State.   No one, including me, thought that he could do what he has done - including leading the Heels to the number one spot in the polls - these last seven games. 

Congrats, Q.  Let's hope your senior season ends the same way your freshmen year did.  

A Few Hoops Notes:

• Lots of big games lately and left on the ACC schedule.  How about that huge win by Maryland on Thursday at Wake Forest behind James Gist's 31 points?  Talk about rising to the occasion; who does Gist think he is, Danny Green?  
• The Deacons lost again today at Georgia Tech, and are now 6-8 with games at Virginia Tech and at home to State left.  A win over Maryland would have given them a great chance to get to 9-7 in the league; now they have to win in Blacksburg to get to 8 wins.  Even then, they would probably have to win at least one game in the ACC tournament.
• Kudos to Maryland for the impressive road win.  If they defeat Clemson in College Park for their ninth conference win on Sunday they should be in the tournament.  
• Even if they lose to Maryland tomorrow, Clemson should get to nine wins if they defeat Virginia Tech at home next weekend, and have an outside chance to get to 10 wins in conference if they can beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
• Virginia Tech can also get to 9 wins by defeating Wake at home on Tuesday.
• Miami's late season surge continued today with win at home over Virginia.   The Canes remaining games are at home to BC and at FSU. Both are winnable, and the U is almost guaranteed to finish with at least 8 wins in conference.
• Tough but explainable loss for State today against Duke.  State just doesn't have the fortitude to compete and win games like Carolina or Duke does.  I bet every fan in the RBC Center felt the dread and certainty that somehow the Pack was going to lose despite holding a 13-point lead with 5 minutes left.  
• Virginia lost despite 41 points from Sean Singetary and leading at half.  Interesting to note both teams with 40+ scorers lost today in the ACC.
• Finally, despite the loss the Cavaliers are playing with some spunk and passion, and will beat Duke this week in Charlottesville.  
• My guess is the ACC gets six teams in the tournament: Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Miami, though Wake could sneak in if they finish 8-8 and win a game or two in the ACC tournament.

Two totally random notes:

• I had probably the best beer I've ever had this week on Wednesday night.  Navin Nayak took me to The Saloon on U Street ("No TV, No Standing") where I feasted on Saxo, an organic, monk-brewed beer from Belgium.  So I was giddy twice on Saturday: when Lawson checked into the game, and when I found Saxo at Rodman's.
• I got a hair cut today, and usually when I ask about a possible bald spot on my head my barber Panayoti always says 'get out of here; I'm bald and I know bald and you are not starting to go bald.'  But today when I asked my Greek-Cypriot friend said, "Well, you're not as bald as me."