Marcus Ginyard Karma

For whatever reason - actually the main reason is blind, Carolina-bred optimism - I like our chances as the Heels head to Durham to take on the right-wingers from Duke tonight.


There is lot of karma on both sides, but I think we have more: our four-game winning streak at Cameron, our own modest two-game winning streak, giving classy seniors Ginyard and Thompson a great way to go out (Ginyard said winning at Duke would be akin to April's national championship for him), Duke overconfidence and pressure to finally give their senior's a win over Carolina at Cameron.


All that could add up to a win.


But more importantly the Heels are playing better.  Ginyard seems healthy, Thompson showed some toughness in the win over Miami, Drew is making better decisions, and though rusty at least Tyler Zeller is back.


Last night, ESPN Classic reran the 2006 win in Cameron that started the current winning streak.  It was great reliving that game, and fun to watch Tyler Hansbrough dominate one more time, a fast Bobby Frasor making plays and clutch free throws, David Noel being David Noel, Rey-Rey's rebounding, key contributions by Byron Saunders, and Danny Green foreshadowing him big play-making with key plays late.


But I was most excited to remember how well Ginyard played in that game.  He finished with 11 points off the bench - Carolina's starting lineup was Hansbrough, Terry, Noel, Frasor and Wes Miller, with a pretty talented bench; what a team - including a back-breaking coast-to-coast lay up off a missed free throw.


So I'm placing my faith in Marcus Ginyard tonight.  I'm even about to visit his hometown, Alexandria, Virginia, this morning for a visit to the Toyota dealer.  That's just too much karma for the Heels, and will hopefully be too much for the Devils tonight, too.


As always, GO HEELS!

Two

The night of the number: 2 thousand wins for the Heels, 2-game winning streak (hey, we'll take what we can get this year), and 2 seniors going out as winners.


Though it was - at best - an uneven game tonight's 69-62 win against the U does allow classy seniors Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson to go out on a high note.  Both played great, actually played as we expected and hoped they would the entire season.  That didn't happen this year, but it did tonight.


Both Ginyard and Thompson stepped up (along with help from Wil Graves and the rising John Henson) when the Heels needed them to.  In the first half, after Miami has cut into a 16-point lead Ginyard led a mini-run to give Carolina a 10-point cushion at half. 


Ginyard and Henson also led a spirited charge coming out of halftime to give the Heels an 18-point lead.  After that margin was winnowed down to one, Graves and Thompson hit huge shots.  Thompson's gutty turn around jumper that gave Carolina a three-point was inspirational, coming seconds after he got back on the floor from visiting the locker room to treat a strained back.  And it was nice to see Ginyard help ice the game late; his free throws not only provided the final margin of victory but also gave him his first career double-double.  


This game was a reminder of the good times and grand careers of Thompson and Ginyard, but it was also a reminder that this team has not gotten much better as the season has progressed.  Against the Canes the Heels continued to turn the ball over, get complacent with a lead (a pattern that started against another Miami team, FIU, as the Heels bookended an uneven season with games against schools from America's Casablanca), and miss a lot of bad shots, shots a normal Carolina team would know not to take.


There were times - the start of each half, and the last four minutes of the first half when Henson simply took over - when the offense flowed.  But this uneven game mirrored an uneven season.


But at least the seniors won, we are no longer in last place, and we have momentum as we travel to Durham in hopes of sneaking out of Cameron with a fifth-straight win at Duke.  GO HEELS!


A few random notes, then to bed:

• The recent play of John Henson has been fantastic.  He's even blocking shots better, keeping two in play today to start fast breaks.  He still makes some mental mistakes, but this guy is progressing rapidly and will be a star next season.  
• Graves hit two big Danny Green-esque threes tonight to kill Miami's momentum.  He and Henson are by far the best stories of this year, and they've been are best players since Ed Davis got hurt.  Graves rebounded pretty well tonight, too.
• Speaking of Graves, perhaps THE play of the game was Thompson's inbounds pass to the Greensboro junior with 35 seconds left. Both Drew and MacDonald (he and Strickland were horrible tonight, completely clueless) came open first, but Thompson held the ball long enough for Graves, an 80 percent free throw shooter, to get open. Graves hit both shots to give us a working 5 point margin.  Smart play by the senior Thompson, the kind of trademark Carolina play that has been missing much of the season. 

Tonight's the Night

I'm convinced that the Heels will turn their season around tonight versus the blue Devils, for a number of reasons:

1. Intensity, which has been a problem at times with this team, should not be an issue in a rivalry game;
2. The 100th anniversary of Carolina basketball is Friday night, and who wants to go into that celebration on a down, we-just-lost-to-Duke note;
3. Marcus Ginyard seems recovered from his injuries, and should shut down Duke's Jon Scheyer;
4. Seniors like Ginyard and Deon Thompson have spent the last four years beating Duke like a drum, and they don't want that to stop;
5. Duke has been pretty weak on the road this year;
6. Carolina is retiring Tyler Hansbrough's number tonight at halftime.

All that will add up to an inspiring and season-saving win for the Heels on that puts us on the road to at least seven wins in the ACC (how pathetic that we are hoping for seven wins in conference?).  GO HEELS!

First Real Win of the Season

A look back at last night's win over Ohio State, Carolina's first real test of the young season, reveals a number of story lines, almost too many for one game.

• The team resembled the 2009 national champs to start the game, methodically and calmly dominated a top-20 team from a power conference, and quickly built a double-digit lead;
• In fact, the game reminded me of the win over Villanova in the Final Four. Offensively, the Heels did what they wanted while forcing a seemingly good team into a terrible shooting night before they (Villanova/OSU) regroup and make a run in the second half only to be stymied by . . .
• As part of their mimicking of the defending national champs, Deon Thompson looked like Hansbrough, going to the line a lot early; Marcus Ginyard and especially Will Graves looked like Danny Green, and hit shots from all over the court; Graves did not settle for threes and had two nice takes to the rack in the first half;
• Carolina threw waves of players at the Buckeyes, and it paid off defensively and offensively as the Wears, Tyler Zeller and Justin "The Microwave" Watts contributed mightily off the bench;

Mixed in with good story lines were some bad ones, too. The offense looked a little herky-jerky with not much flow. And the Heels lost their concentration late and were guilty of some sloppy and panicky turnovers, play that made this team look very, very young.  Which, of course, it is.


And Larry Drew missed 3 of 4 free throws late to create a ripple of nervousness. But to his credit, Drew went on to hit four more free throws - including two to make it a two-possession game with 11 second left - to seal the win. 


We may look back at those last two free throws as the moment when Larry Drew officially became a big-time point guard.  Tonight's game versus Syracuse will be our first chance to test that theory.


Drew also hit a big three late to keep Ohio State at bay. For me, the three-point shooting and the multiple big plays made late - made by multiple players - were THE biggest and best story lines. 


Drew, Ginyard, and Graves all took turns hitting import three-pointers last night. And I imagine each generated huge cheers from the couches of Tar Heel Nation. 


Thompson and Ginyard also made big-time basketball plays late. Thompson made a great pass to Drew for his 3, and Ginyard had a key steal and a big board to compliment his three-point basket and played a great floor game for 40 minutes. Exactly what you would expect from the two senior leaders on this team.


As sloppy as the ending of this game was - and one can rightfully complain about a lack of concentration and the failure to put a team away - this was a nice win in Carolina's first real test (a win with Ed Davis a non-factor due to foul trouble). If the rest of the seaon features leadership and play making from Ginyard and Thompson, Drew II stepping up when needed, good outside shooting from Graves, Ginyard, Watts, etc. and waves of talent - especially on the front line - this team will be even funner to watch that I expected.


GO HEELS!  

Back to sports

After a 900-word blog on a serious matter it's back to sports. 


This week features three important and interesting games, starting with tomorrow's do or don't World Cup qualifier between Greece and Ukraine.  The teams played to a scoreless tie on Saturday in Athens, so it's a pretty straightforward scenario (for the most part; this is after all futbol): the winner qualifies for the 2010 World Cup.  Ukraine has to win to advance, however Greece can advance if the game ends in a tie if both teams score - advancing on away goals since Ukraine did not score in Athens.


The game is in Ukraine, in a city called Donetsk, and the weather will not be Mediterranean.  High is supposed to be 2 degrees Celsius so the Ukraine will have the home field and home weather advantage.


The game will be shown live on ESPN2 at 12:55 pm if you have a TV in your office/want to set your DVR.


From what I can tell from watching some Greek TV and visiting some web sites it appears that Greeks are very frustrated with this team - but especially with their legendary German coach Otto Rehagel.  The team looked tentative on Saturday, and Rehagel has been criticized for not starting Angelo Charisteas and for taking Fanis Gekas out with 20 minutes left in regulation.  Rehagel engineered what has to be one of the biggest upsets in soccer history, Greece's 2004 European championship, but as it is in any sport, in any land, that good will only lasts so long.  Many expect him to resign as head coach if Greece does not advance tomorrow.


Test for Carolina
While not playing do or don't games like the Hellenic side of this blog, Carolina does face it's first real test this week.  On Thursday the Heels travel to Madison Square Garden to take on Ohio State in the Coaches vs. Cancer semi-finals.  No Crusaders (B ABBEY and Valpo), no Dean Dome, just a tough game on a neutral floor against a top-25 team from a power conference.


On Friday night the Heels play either Cal (the only legit team in the Pac 10 this year; want proof, UCLA lost to Cal State Riverside last night) or Syracuse for either the Coaches vs. Cancer championship or the consolation game.

We'll see if the Heels played down to the competition in Sunday's uninspiring win over Valparaiso, or if this squad really IS a top 10 team - this early in the season. My gut tells me the Valpo game was an aberration.  The Heels may not be experienced enough to win on Thursday night (also on ESPN 2, BTW) or at all in New York, but I bet they will play well and cut down the turnovers and rotate better on defense.  I'm predicting big games from Ginyard and Thompson - and for Graves to find his stroke - and two surprising wins for Carolina this week.

The two games in New York kick off a brutal stretch for the young Heels.  They return to Chapel Hill for tilts versus Gardner-Webb and Nevada but then host Michigan State in the Big East-ACC challenge. [Man, we've played them a lot lately, but when the Spartans play the Heels it's the ideal Carolina Hellenic Blue blog match up.] 

After a breather against Presbyterian the Heels go on the road again for difficult games at Kentucky (remember, the 2006 Heels won a bid game in Lexington led by Reyshawn Terry and David Noel, who did THIS that game) and against Texas in the first basketball game in the new, obscene Texas Stadium on December 19th.

We'll know a lot more about this team in a month, that's for sure.

Heels and Nats

Not often that a blow out win does not qualify as a good game, but last night's contest between Carolina and N.C. Central was a game that should not have been played.   I doubt Carolina gained anything from playing the Eagles in a tilt that more closely resembled Friday night's exhibition rout against Belmont Abbey.   At times Central had trouble simply getting the ball up court.


But I shouldn't be too harsh, since the win over NCCU was kind of a coming out party for Marcus Ginyard's jump shot.  Hitting more than one three-pointer - in consecuitive games no less - shows M-Giny's shot is legit.


Outside shooting, along with the play of Drew II, are by far the two biggest question marks with this year's Tar Heels.  And another good sign from last night's game - that addresses both issues - was the play of Dexter Strickland.  Strickland looked stage struck on Monday, but last night looked like a reliable option as both our back up point guard AND as a legit shooting threat.


So I guess as a whole the game was unwatchable, but the play of Ginyard and Stickland causes me a revise my initial assesment of the win over N.C. Central.


Hansbrough Update


Tyler Hansbrough is off to a great start for the Pacers.  He's still getting into basketball shape after dealing with shin problems for the second year in a row.  Despite playing limited minutes Hansbrough's been in double figures both games, and has already been to the foul line 21 times in less than 30 minutes.  Due to his injury his touch and timing are off, as he is shooting only 33 percent so far and he's been foul prone, too.  But once he gets into basketball shape watch out for Psycho-T.


Good Nats News?!


Some very positive hot stove league news from our hometown Nats this week.  


First, Ryan Zimmerman won the Gold Glove AND the Silver Slugger, marking Zimm as the best defensive and offensive third baseman in the National League.   The awards are an exclamation point on a great individual season for Zimmerman, one in which he hit a career high number of homers, had a 30-game hitting streak and made the All-Star team.  


Zimmerman is the main reason to care about the Nats, but hopefully that will change next season under new - and no longer interim - manager Jim Riggleman.  The Nationals announced today that Riggleman, who skippered the team to a 35-42 mark, had won the right to manage the team for a full season in 2010. 


I'm optimistic about Riggleman.  The Nationals showed a pulse after he took over, and even generated a little buzz during two significant - an 8-game then a 7-game - winning streaks.


Now if they can sign a starter and one more reliever, this team could be respectable next season and win around 70 games.


Finally, how weird that Manny Acta will also be managing next season? Less than a six months after getting fired with a 26 and 60-something record - one would think the stink from such a record would linger more than that - Acta will still have one of the most exclusive jobs on the planet as a big league manager.  

Drew Passes the Test

Carolina got it's opening night jitters out of the way last night in defeating Isaiah Thomas' Florida International Golden Panthers 80-something to 60-something.

The new-look Heels looked sloppy at times and committed 26 turnovers.  But like I said, for opening night with a slew of new players that is to be expected.

The good points far outweighed the negative ones.  Including:

• The Heels shot the ball very well, and finished at 56 percent for the game;
• Deon Thompson finished with 20 and 10 in only 20 minutes; he was a aggressive and dare I say "Brad Dougherty-esque?"
• Marcus Ginyard made two three-pointers on his way to 12 points; overall the Heels went 4-13 from three (12 points on 13 shots, so respectable but not great);
• Tyler Zeller looked good as he netted 12 points in 20 minutes.

But best of all was the soothing play of Larry Drew II.  He looked great running the offense, whether he was running the break or feeding the post.  It was a reassuring night from the biggest question mark on this year's Carolina team.   His final line was 7 points, 6 assists, and one three-pointer, against only two turnovers. 

If Drew finishes the season with a 3-1 assist-to-turnover ratio the Heels will make some serious noise in the ACC and NCAA tournament.

The other thing that stood out was the defense.  The Heels rotated pretty well last night, and the bigs especially did a good job moving their feet and staying in front of FIU.  And Ed Davis took up where he left off, with four blocks.

Granted, it is just one game against a pretty inferior foe.  Nonetheless, Larry Drew reassured many a Heels  fan in Tar Nation last night.  I know my anxiety level dropped quite a bit last night.

A Few Random Thoughts Then It's Back To Work

• How about the throw-back unis? No one was expecting RED trim; all the shots I've ever seen of the undefeated 1957 national champs were in black and white.  Who knew?
• I loved Deon's hustle play in the second half when he made a steal, then fell on his back side before making a bad pass that was intercepted by FIU.  However, instead of sulking he jumped up and challenged the ensuing lay up, a shot FIU missed thanks to Deon's hustle.
• Isaiah Thomix Sux!

Go Heels!

Heels Successfully Push Season Reset Button

Carolina's season started anew tonight, with 6 minutes left to go in the first half against the U.  From that point on, Carolina dominated, and in the process reinvigorated their season.

This game had BC written all over it.  A good team that came in unintimidated, and hit a number of difficult shots early to build a lead that Carolina could not whittle down - despite generally running their regular offense centered on getting Hansbrough lots of looks.  Jack McClinton was having a Tyrese Rice kind of half, and the Heels were down.

Perhaps the sheer number of touches Hansbrough got caused others to fall asleep, at least offensively, but whatever the reason Caroline trailed 24-32 with 6 and half minutes left in the opening stanza.  Despite Hansbrough's effectiveness - 17 points in 14 minutes - and Danny Green's great all around play, the Heels were down and the bad BC juju was starting to reemerge.

At that point the season turned, and it was turned by Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.

Lawson started the season as the Tar Heels' best player.  With Hansbrough slowed by injuries Lawson led the Heels to their early successes in Maui, a home win against Kentucky and the huge blow out win over Michigan State.  But he's also been outplayed recently.

But Ty got his groove back the last four minutes of the first half - improbably on the defensive end.  Starting with a great hustling steal against McClinton at the four minute mark Lawson led Carolina's comeback, a comeback that turned an eight point deficit to a four point half time lead. The surge was made possible by his smothering defense on McClinton while Carolina's offense turned steals and blocked shots into fast breaks at the end of the first half.

Unlike the games against BC and Wake, Lawson outplayed an all-ACC caliber guard tonight.

In the second half Wayne Ellington relieved Lawson in turning around the season. After a scoreless first half Ellington really got his groove back - to say the least - hitting 7 three-pointers in the second half. During one stretch he hit 8 shots in a row and led Carolina to a 20 point cushion over the Canes.  Ellington had been in a funk all season really, and prior to the Miami contest his high for the season was TWO made threes in a game.

Having Lawson and Ellington back to their expected form once again makes this a dangerous team.  Even if Deon Thompson continues to struggle, having Hansbrough, Green, Lawson and Ellington hitting their collective strides - and hitting shots and playing defense - puts the swagger back and restores the aura for this year's Carolina basketball team.

A Few More Heel Notes

• Ed Davis got some of his groove back too tonight.  He had two huge blocks in the last four minutes of the first half, two offensive rebounds, and a nice put back.  He and Green had tremendous games on the defensive end tonight.
• An unsung hero was Bobby Fraser, who was on the floor the last two minutes of the first half guarding McClinton. Fraser still struggles mightily on offense, but he held McClinton scoreless at a key juncture of tonight's win. Interestingly, during that stretch Carolina had Frasor, Davis, Green, Hansbrough, and Ellington on the floor.
• Hansbrough is the MAN.  But you'll get an argument from many that Danny Green is indeed the MAN.  Regardless, those two kept Carolina in the game in the first half by their damnselves.  Hansbrough had 20 first half points and was a one-man band for much of that stanza.  Green had those two massive blocks in the first half and hit the three pointer at the end of the first 20 to give Carolina a 4 point margin.  Green finished the night with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
• Looks like Ginyard will red shirt this season. I feel sorry for him, but at least we'll have him next year where he can perhaps metamorphose into David Noel  
• How about that dunk by Miami's Daquan Jones?  One of the nastiest I've seen in a long time; it was Stackhouse-at Duke-esque.
• Wake looked impressive in winning at Clemson today.  They had too many talented bigs for the Tigers.
• During the telecast Vitale predictably shilled for a beleaguered coach, in this case Gary Williams.  He predicted a surprise win when in reality Maryland has been more renowned of late for surprise and shocking losses.  Not gonna happen Dickie V.

Anyway, Clemson - who is 0-55 in Chapel Hill for one of the most amazing records in sport - come to Carolina on Wednesday. Can't wait to see the Heels come out for that game, and to watch Lawson and Ellington help Green and Hansbrough make this a great season.  Go Heels!