Hoo ha

At half time of yesterday's Carolina game, the in-studio commentator for ESPN went on about 'this Tar Heels team may not be good enough to merely flip the switch and play great ... blah blah blah" or some such hoo ha.  

That kind of 'analysis' has become quite common place, at least it was in 2008, 2009, and the last two years.  Commentators love blathering on about what's wrong with Carolina; so much talent the players get lackadaisical or indifferent, they don't play hard, imagine if they always gave maximum effort, etc.

Like I said, hoo ha.  

You may recall that in 2005 there was a similar narrative; the Heels had tremendous talent but did they play as a team. Can you imagine Dean's reaction when he heard that?  A Carolina squad being accused of NOT being a team?  

The old Dean-era narrative was the opposite.  Carolina's 'system' suppressed individual talent and players in service to the team.  At one point, that was actually one excuse given for why Dean could not win the big one - too much focus on the team and not enough freedom for individual stars to take over a game.

Old hoo ha.

But all those analyses are incorrect and display a lack of knowledge of Carolina basketball.  Carolina basketball is defined by effort on both ends of the floor, feeding the post first in search of the best and easiest shot, and increasing possessions by playing aggressive defense and rebounding. 

There is no flipping the switch, or even a system really.  It's a philosophy of playing winning and consistent and honest basketball, confident that effort, feeding the post, defense, rebounds and possessions will win most games.

Now, as we saw last night in Coral Gables, some games the easy shots don't fall, the defense gets a little sloppy, and the other team gets a head of steam.  As a result, the Heels found themselves down by 8 with 15 minutes left.

But eventually, the Heels will usually get it right.  And coming out of the under 16 time out, they did.  The defense got tougher and forced turnovers on 4 straight Hurricanes possessions.  Carolina quickly turned those turnovers into points. The rest of the half was more of the same, with the Heels playing tough D particularly against Miami's guards and center Reggie Johnson, dominating the boards on both ends, and making shots.

John Henson was tough down low to start the second half as Carolina fed the post, and had a great game on the glass.

In addition to defense, rebounding and more possessions, it's always good to enhance a philosophy with some simple and excellent talent, talent like Harrison Barnes.  Barnes' 14-point burst coincided with the Canes' turnovers and Carolina's defensive pressure, and helped lead the Heels to a nice, at times ugly but validating, win.

Maybe this team does flip the switch.  But it's not a switch as mundane as talent or a wake up call. It's much more profound than that.  That switch says Carolina basketball.

GO HEELS!

A few more Tar Heels Headlines

• Carolina basketball breeds confidence.  That's how Reggie Bullock, after misfiring for most of the night, was cool and collected enough down the stretch last night to hit 2 big three pointers.
• It's also the reason we continue to see the evolution of James Michael McAdoo.   For the fourth game in a row he was confident and aggressive.  Love to see that.
• Psycho Z was not as dominant offensively, but totally shut down Johnson down low.  He was big.
• Finally, Kendall Marshall was off for 20 minutes, and steadily fantastic for the final 15. Like Bullock, he missed lots of shots but kept his head up as he played all 20 minutes of the second half.

Can't Spell Ho HUM without UM

Tonight's win over Miami had to be the most boring Carolina beat down of all time.  The only suspense for the last 15 minutes of the game was whether or not Harrison Barnes would score again.  For the record, he didn't.  His 6 points on 2 of 12 shooting ground his recent hot streak to a resounding halt.

But Carolina is this good - and Miami that lackluster - that on a night when our best player struggles the Heels still dominated and were never really threatened in Coach Jim Larranaga's Dean Dome debut.

There were 3 keys to the game.

One, Carolina's guards were fantastic.  Kendall Marshall had his first double-figure scoring game of the season and repeatedly slashed to the basket for scores.  Dexter Strickland was even better, turning defense into points on his way to a 14-point effort and hitting a few jumpers.

Carolina's defense was the second key tonight.  This team is started to get tough on D, especially since the Texas game.  Jon Henson and Tyler Zeller seemed to block or disrupt every 2-point shot attempted by the Canes.  On the perimeter Strickland was particularly effective, shutting down leading scorer Malcolm Grant (5 points, 2 for 8 from the field) and doing a great job playing the passing lanes.

Three, the Heels stayed focused after building a 20-point.  Unlike against Boston College, where the Heels allowed the Eagles to get within 9 points before waking up and putting the game away, Carolina maintained their defensive pressure and fed the post down the stretch against the U.   Miami never had a chance.

The Heels' next opponent is their suitcase as Carolina has to remember how to pack for back to back road games in Tallahassee and Blacksburg.  Packing a suitcase may be as exciting as tonight's win over Miami. 

The Return of Carolina

Last night's scintillating win over Miami - in Coral Gables - could finally be the start of something big for the 2011 Tar Heels.

Not only did the Heels make some big, huge plays down late, Carolina-style plays like Henson's hook,  Barnes' two clutch shots, Marshall's pass, and Zeller's defense and key rebounds. 

But I'm talking about that confident, 'we're going to win this game' sensation that Heels from Dean to Barnes have felt, as have most Carolina fans. 

I felt that last night, even when the Heels fell behind 28 to 14 and even when our power went out with 8 minutes left.  [I followed the rest of the game via Twitter and ESPN game cast on my phone, but mainly via Joey 'Texting Like Woody' Pillow, who provided excellent play by play via text down the stretch. I finally watched the rest of the game this morning via ESPN3.]

That feeling is one of the things that define Carolina basketball.  And to say the least we didn't have it last year, and it's been fleeting this campaign.  For instance, I felt it at half time of the Georgia Tech game, and we know how THAT turned out.

But last night may be different. The Tar Heels had to make play after play to win, and they did. You need skill to make those plays, but you also need that Carolina confidence, that 'we're going to win' mentality.   And it may finally be here to stay.

A great win over a team that shot lights out at home, a win that gives us the same number of ACC road wins - two - as we had all of last year, and one that makes us 4-1 in the conference.  As perplexing as this team has been Carolina is on track to win 10 or 11 ACC games, and team that is getting that Carolina confidence back.

GO HEELS!

Some More Caro-Lines

• Harrison Barnes has certainly had his ups and downs but he saves his ups for key moments, that's for sure. Roy keeps urging him to lose himself in the game, and the shots he made last night are evidence when Barnes does that he excels.  The big shots last night were reactive, basketball plays that good hoopsters make. His biggest problem has been thinking too much, but when he doesn't do that Barnes looks like the big-time talent we expected.  The three was big, but that step-back two was breathtaking, and I jumped out of my seat when I finally watched it this morning.
• Roy also said that more amazing than Barnes' shot was Marshall's pass, and it's hard to argue.  It was another instinctive play, the kind made by talented and confident players.
• After a lackluster first half Zeller really impressed me late with his rebounding, his shot to tie it up late, and his great defense down low.  He's as guilty as Drew and others for some of the recent slow starts this team has had of late, but I'm glad he showed up.
• I can't believe I didn't mention Reggie Bullock until the fourth bullet! It was fantastic to see his confident play carry over from the Clemson game.  He didn't go off for 16 first half points like he did versus the Tigers but he made play after play last night, especially late in the first half when his scoring and rebounding helped the Heels make up a 14-point deficit to tie the score at half.
• Dexter Strickland was the other key player in Carolina's first half run. He was aggressive and smart with the ball on his way to 12 first-half points.  It was his first good ACC game of the season.  While he didn't score in the second half Strickland played some nice D.
• John Henson wasn't as active as in previous games, but he did have a few blocks and helped fuel the first half surge.  And like Barnes, his hook shot late was clutch and confident.   
• How great is it to get contributions from so many players, and I haven't even mentioned quality play from McDonald - who came back after missing a game to make 2 three pointers - Knox who also had some nice moments, and Larry Drew who looks great coming off the bench, finally going to the hoop and initiating the offense instead of dribbling dribbling dribbling . . .
• One negative note to last night's game: how in the wide, wide world of sports can the Hurricanes fail to have a sell out with Carolina in town? Some local celebs - Tim Hardaway, Desmond Howard, the Saints Jimmy Graham - realized that when Carolina comes to town you go to the game.  But the Canes couldn't even sell 8,000 tickets to their on-campus facility for one of the most - or THE most - storied college basketball program of all time?  
• Actually, forget it was Carolina - every ACC team should sell out their conference games.  Miami sports fans are lame: the Hurricanes football team rarely sell out their games unless FSU or Florida are in town; no one goes to Marlins games; the Heat draw now but even when Shaq was in town didn't sell out night after night; even the Dolphins play in front of a few empty seats every Sunday.  But how can you NOT sell a measly 8,000 tickets with Carolina in town?
• The lousy hoops attendance in Miami and Boston College is more proof that ACC expansion was a mistake.  The exception is Virginia Tech, a natural rival for Virginia that is geographically an ACC team AND boasts great (at least passionate) fans.  But the conference has not benefited from having BC and the U as members.