A Win Is A Win

For a nice win - where the Heels shot 70 percent in the second half - tonight's game versus Florida State was pretty boring.

The Heels got off to a fairly lackadaisical start highlighted by Surry Wood's four points.   Hansbrough and Ellington both shot air balls before the first TV timeout as FSU got off to a 7 point lead.  I like that Roy gave Wood, a non-scholarship player, the start and let him break a sweat. I also like that he did not overreact - or react at all, really - to Carolina's slow start.

The Heels eventually got rolling a bit; Ginyard made some nice plays, Hansbrough got to the free throw line, but it was Danny Green who really jump started Carolina's offense with some nice shooting and passing.  Will Graves once again had some nice minutes in the first half, too.  Hansbrough eventually finished with 20 and 9, Ginyard with 13 on 5-7 shooting, and Green 12 and 7.  

Carolina was much more methodical and efficient in the second half.  Carolina continued to dominate the backboards, and Hansbrough and Green continued to lead.   The Heels also moved the ball very well, especially in the second half, on the way to finishing with 22 assists.  Thompson - who had a bad game on defense - made a few shots on the way to 8 points, but the biggest difference between the first and second half was the play of Lawson and Thomas.

Lawson made 4 of 6 shots, with 3 assists, in 20 minutes.  Q, playing in his last game at the Dean Dome, finished with 8 points on 4-4 shooting on four nifty drives (and one dunk where he clearly hung and pulled himself up on the rim, something you can only get away with on Senior Night).

Ellington was oddly off, and finished with only 6 points on 2 of 9 shooting.  As you know, to me he is the key to this team.  Hopefully he got it out of his system, and will bounce back against Duke on Saturday.

So a nice win where the Heels shot great in the second half, passed the ball really well, and dominated the boards. And as a bonus Lawson continued to play himself back into playing shape.    It might have been boring, but it was a nice win where the Heels did a lot of things right. 

A Few Random Updates

• Big game for Hellenic football team Olympiacos as they play the second game of their two-game UEFA Champions League series against Chelsea tomorrow (Wednesday) at Stamford Bridge.  The teams played to a scoreless tie two weeks ago in Athens.  The winner tomorrow advances to the round of 8, though Olympiacos can advance on a tie if they score (a 0-0 tie means extra play - I think - but the Reds advance if it's a scoring tie on the basis of away goals).  The game is on ESPN2 at 2:45 pm eastern.
• Virginia Tech played its way into the NCAA tournament with their win over Wake tonight.  The Hokies now have 9 wins in ACC play.  Conversely, Wake is now out of the NCAAs with 9 conference loses.
• Lots of big games left this week and weekend, including the Heels' third straight win at Cameron.