Odd

That the Tar Heels have won two of the last six NCAA championships yet my fellow alums are not making much of a dent in the NBA.  


The good news is there are plenty of Heels - 11 to be exact - playing in The League. 


The bad news is most Carolina alums have seen their careers stall.  The most recent case in point is Marvin Williams, who hurt his knee in what had been a career so far.  Due to the injury Williams came off the bench for the Hawks last game.  Unfortunately, Marvin's experience is not isolated.   Here's a quick synopsis:

• Recent all-star Antawn Jamison is coming off the bench for Cleveland, where he is joined by fellow Heel Jawad Williams.  Last season Jamison was averaging 20 points a game but has looked out of sorts since the trade to Cleveland in February. Jawad is getting more playing time this season, his second full season in the NBA.  The fact that Jawad has stuck in the league is almost good news when you consider the fate of other Heels in the NBA.
• Like Jamison, main man Brendan Haywood is coming off the bench for Dallas and barely playing behind Tyson Chandler.  Last season, Haywood nearly averaged a double-double (9.5 pts/10 rebounds) plus more than 2 blocks a game.  This year, it's too embarrassing to mention.
• Brandan Wright has NEVER found his mojo in Golden State.  Between playing for a coach who hated young players (Don Nelson) and injuries Wright has been a non-factor in the NBA.
• The same is true, hard to admit, for Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington  The combination of injuries, illness and a coach who doesn't see the value of Hansbrough in the rotation has kept him on the Pacers bench behind Josh McRoberts and James Posey of all people (a Dukie and a 3 taking his minutes at the 4).  And Ellington is more like Wright; he's lost the mojo on his jump shot and is playing for a coach and organization that is overloaded in the backcourt.  I hope both Hansbrough and Ellington get traded.
• Jamison's brother-in-law, Vince Carter. also has a career on the wane.  Vincanity was traded to Phoenix last week, and their style of play should play to Carter's strengths as a slasher.  However, as he's gotten older Carter has been content to jack up jump shot after jump shot, not his strong suit, and does not go to hoop as much as he used to.  Orlando thought he could consistently hit jump shots, thus opening things up for Dwight Howard, and when he didn't he got traded.  Here's hoping the old Vince returns in the valley of the sun.
• Jury is still out on Ed Davis, who is starting to play more for Toronto after a variety of injuries.
• The two most successful Heels, buy far, are Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton.  Lawson continues to get better as the heir apparent to Chauncey Billups in Denver while playing for George Karl.  In fact, Karl often plays Billups at two in order to get both point guards on the floor. Lawson continues to impress with his 3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio, and his 11 points per game off the bench.  And Felton is playing like an all star, averaging 18 and 9, with 2 steals.  He is still turning it over a little more than 3 times a game, but Felton's play has helped turn around the Knicks this season.  With Rajon Rondo and Brandon Jennings having inconsistent seasons there is a decent chance that Felton could be named to his first All-Star team this year (behind Derrick Rose).

But the really bad news, at least for this Tar Heels fan, is who is NOT in the NBA.  In my opinion there is a real 'Need for Sheed' void.  The league is not the same without his gray spot bopping up and down the floor.  But at least Ra had a career, made a few all star games, and won an NBA championship.


Besides Ra, here's the list of some other Heels NOT in the NBA who should or could:

• Sean May.  Injuries and overeating/under motivation have derailed, probably permanently, what should have been a long NBA career.  After 3 years in Charlotte and one on the bench in Sacramento, May was cut in training camp by New Jersey.  Yes, the most outstanding player of the 2005 Final Four has been cut by the Bobcats, Kings and Nets in the last 2 years. Only teams missing from this list are the Clippers, Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Pirates. The final indignity?  A player who struggles with his weight is now playing professionally in a country named after a food: Turkey (though it's healthy food at least).
• Rashad McCants' NBA career is likely over, too.  After sulking his way out of Minnesota and Sacramento,  then sitting out a year/dating a Khardasian, McCants is toying with the idea of reviving his career in China.  He had been playing with the Texas Legends in the NBDL but two weeks ago left the Mavericks farm team to sign with a team in the Chinese Basketball League.  However, there are already problems with his prospective Chinese team so he has not signed or played.
• Danny Green has been cut twice this season, once by Cleveland in training camp then by the San Antonio Spurs after signed a 10-day contract with Tim Duncan's team.  Green will likely end up in Europe, joining Ed Cota (Lithuania), David Noel (France), Marcus Ginyard (Germany), Deon Thompson (Greece) and Bobby Frasor (Cyprus).  Mike Copeland is even drawing a basketball-related pay check, playing in the United Kingdom.

Anyway, here's hoping things turn around for Carter, Jamison, Hansbrough and the rest of the outstanding Heels in the NBA, and that we beat Rutgers tonight. 

Hansbrough, Green and Frasor Exit as National Champs

There are so many great things to blog about when your team, and especially when your team is Carolina, wins a national championship.

Odd how good 'your team' winning can make you feel.  In reality, in means nothing - unless you consider deciding on which commemorative tee-shirt or DVD to buy as something.  

But for sports fan, it obviously means much more than that.  It makes you happy in a silly but meaningful way, and it's one of the best parts of being a sports fan.

But being a Carolina fan is even better.  My love for Carolina makes me one of the most biased people on the planet. I would be guilty of being overly dramatic if i said Chapel Hill saved my life. A more accurate statement would be, as someone who went to Carolina from Fayetteville - FAYETTEVILLE - Chapel Hill is where my life really took off, really started.

That's why we care so much about the Heels (and, incidentally, why I make a point of voting for Anup Desai every week on American Idol, too).

The connection we feel to Carolina is not the only reason to enjoy a national championship.  There are many reasons: the fact that Carolina has graduated more than 95 percent of its players for the last 40 years, the lack of permanent corporate signage at the Dean Dome, the way Carolina prioritizes basketball yet also keeps it in perspective.  

Then there is the dominance. Most hoopsters consider 1979 the birth of the 'modern era' of college basketball. Not only was that the year that Magic battled Bird for the national championship in what is still the most watched basketball game in history, 1979 was also the first year the NCAA seeded teams.  Carolina has the most national championships, 4, and the most final fours, 11, in the 31-year modern era.  Even with the 3 lost years of the DOH! regime, Carolina's win last night certifies the Tar Heels as the best college basketball program of the modern era.  Case closed.

But even with that dominance, for me the best part of last night's championship was the players.  The people associated with basketball at Carolina, led by the peerless Dean Smith but including players like Michael Jordan, David Noel, George Lynch, Ademola Okulaja, Sean May, Raymond Felton, Antawn Jamison, Charlie Scott, James Worthy, Jimmy Black, Sam Perkins, Billy Cunningham, Larry Brown, and Phil Ford make one proud to be a Tar Heel.

Now we can add the 2009 champs to that list, led by Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.  Those two will always be among my favorite Heels.  I blogged before about Hansbrough and how he epitomizes the essence of sport.  Psycho T is all about an honest effort, exhausting yourself for your team and school.  Hansbrough is pure and honest and what sports should be all about.

Green epitomizes the other thing I love about sport: being willing to take responsibility, to step up when needed.  Did anyone step up more than Danny Green this year?  He carried Carolina in January and February, and made as many big plays - if not more - than Hansbrough, Lawson or Ellington.  Stepping up became his calling card.  How impressive is that?  

Finally, neither gave it to the negative things swirling around them. Hansbrough ignored the taunts and doubts about his game or ability.  He simply played hard and played skillfully and let those traits settle things.  Green never hid the fact that his father was in prison.  It affected him his sophomore year.  It seemed to motivate him his senior year.  Great stories both.

Those two made this championship extra sweet; what a great way to cap a career for seniors Green, Hansbrough and Frasor. It's always great to win, to see great players like Lawson and Ellington play great Carolina basketball.  To see guys like Deon Thompson and Ed Davis dominate a team like they did in the first half against the Spartans.  To see Bobby Frasor get rewarded for persevering with a break-away lay up in the championship game. 

It's just great to be a Tar Heel.

CAROLINA COGITATION

• There have been quite a few comparisons between the 2009 and 2005 teams.  For me, the biggest difference is in what each championship meant. The 2005 championship washed away the bad taste of the 8-20 campaign of 2002, and reassured Tar Heel Nation that all was right again.   As stated above, this year's championship signals that Carolina is THE dominant program in college basketball.
• As long as Roy is at the helm Carolina is going to dominate.  Roy now has 2 championships and 3 final fours in 6 years (not to mention 4 straight wins at Cameron and 7 of the last 10 overall against the University of New Jersey at Durham). Do yourselves a favor and pen Carolina into your final four EVERY year until Roy retires in 10 years.  Williams recruits like crazy - and you'd have to be crazy to turn down a scholarship to Carolina - and is both a good teacher and game coach.  He and Carolina will always be tough to beat. 
• Look for another great ride next year too.  Carolina's 2006 team, led by Noel and a freshman named Hansbrough, made an unlikely run to the NCAA tournament that season. Unlike Florida, who won two championships but followed that up with two straight NITs, Roy does not allow a let down in the program.  And for a guy who's won two championships in the last six seasons his 2006 coaching job may have been his best ever.  Don't expect a let down next season.
• Congrats to sister Cleo for winning the PIRG NCAA pool, and for Evan and Ariadne for coming in fifth.  For the record, I came in 11th place.
• Finally, a word on Michigan State and their bid to uplift their economically suffering state's spirits.  One thing everyone is ignoring is that North Carolina is not an affluent state immune to the global economy or the recession. Up until recently, I imagine Michigan was much more affluent, and thanks to labor unions had a much larger middle class.  Michigan does not have a monopoly on struggling economies.  Take a look at the Tar Heel State's economy: the textile industry - relocated to Mexico and Honduras and Vietnam; the furniture industry - gone to China; tobacco - long gone (good riddance). For years those were the three pillars of North Carolina's economy. In the 80s and 90s those industries were replaced by turkeys and hogs, and high tech, both still there, and finance/banking. The third one is obviously hurting, almost on par with the auto industry and for one of the same reasons: stupidity and/or incompetence. I guess the reason Michigan gets more sympathy is that unlike the state of North Carolina, the state of Michigan still does not have a second act on the their economy. There is no there there after the auto industry. But North Carolina the state is hardly Goliath to Michigan's David when discussing the economy.

NCAA Preview

I'm a little nervous three hours before tip-off, but mainly calm. Some of that is age, but I think most of that calm comes from the Carolina basketball team. Their resolve and determination, coupled with pretty phenomenal talent, should be enough to win Carolina's fifth NCAA championship tonight (sixth overall if you count, as Carolina does, a team in the 1920s that was voted the number one team in the nation).

Michigan State will be very tough, especially on the boards, but the Heels should prevail. Offensively, teams that shoot the three effectively are the ones most likely to give Carolina problems, and the Spartans are not a great three-point shooting team. The Heels' three-point defense has been very effective in the last two games, so that will probably not be a problem tonight.

The bigger threat is probably from the crowd and the hype around playing for a downtrodden state. Adrenaline can make up for a lot. Hopefully Carolina starts strong and keeps the crowd from getting into the game early and effectively.

But bottom line, I can't see Michigan State stopping all of Carolina's weapons. If they focus on Hansbrough down low, that leaves things open for Ellington and Green. Finally, the home-state team will not be able to stop Ty Lawson. Travis Walton will probably guard Lawson, but he's similar to Oklahoma's Warren, another taller, longer guard. Warren couldn't stop Lawson, and neither will Walton.

As you know, Tar Heels love to brag about how humble we are. Nonetheless, I'll point out that I correctly picked Carolina to defeat Villanova by 14, accurately predicted that the Heels would win by 12 over Oklahoma, and was off by one point on the Gonzaga spread (I said 22, final score was by 21).

So my prediction for tonight is an eleven point win for the Heels, led by balanced scoring and tougher than expected defense. I'm sticking with my pick of Ellington leading Carolina to the win, but with Lawson having another strong game and being named MVP of the Final Four.

GO HEELS!

On to Monday night

The second half went according to plan and the Heels held on to defeat Villanova by 14.  And as good as Ellington and Lawson were, the best player on the floor for the final 20 was Danny Green.  

Villanova hit shots and turned the Heels over coming out of halftime and cut the lead to five points.   At that point, Green hit two big threes around an old-fashioned three-point play by Lawson - after one of Hansbrough's four steals - to practically ice the win for North Carolina.  

Green has done that all season, hitting so many game-changing shots that I've lost count. But tonight, as it always is with Danny Green, it was about his total game not just his three-point shooting.  As was the case when he ripped an offensive rebound away from the Griffin brothers, Green had a big offensive rebound he simply wanted more than two Wildcats in the second half.  Ditto with a big blocked shot and charge that he took to end Villanova's second half run. He's a deity in my book.

  

Green's second half play looks even bigger when you look at the overall play of both teams. Neither team was very smooth on offense, with Carolina leaving good shots on the rim and stubbornly missing lots of free throws. The silver lining, besides Green, is that Ellington hit two key baskets at key times and Lawson continued to push the ball up court.   But Carolina missed shots because they missed shots.  Villanova missed mainly due to Carolina's defense.  Every Wildcat shot seemed to be contested. Carolina's defensive intensity and aggressiveness on offense wore out Villanova, who as predicted were overwhelmed by the Heels' defense, focus, and talent.

That focus and toughness and improvement on defense, coupled with the fact that on offense Carolina has been able to get any shot they want all tournament long, will hopefully lead to their 5th NCAA title on Monday night.

GO HEELS!

One last note; one reason the second half had no flow was the referees, who generally stunk and I thought called a self-conscious game.  In the first half, they appeared spooked by both teams being in the double bonus and swallowed their whistles.  In general, college officiating is getting worse and worse, so bad that Sport Illustrated noted that the college game is much rougher than the NBA.  And the flow and beauty of basketball - and offense - suffer mightily.  Here's hoping the NCAA adopts two great NBA rules: no hand checking, and the 'no-charge zone' under the basket.  The way games are officiated now in the NCAA the defense has a big advantage.  

That style of play is one reason why I keep criticizing the Big East. That league is way too physical and as a result is simply bad and unattractive basketball.  Ironic that that overrated conference will - in effect - have 3 refs on the floor Monday night but no teams playing for a national championship.

First Half

So far so good for the Heels.   As predicted, Carolina got off to a great start and led by as many as 17 behind Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson.  Late in the half North Carolina got a little sloppy and left some shots on the rim, allowing Villanova to close to within nine.

Offensively, the Heels are getting whatever they want.  Davis and Zeller left a few shots on the rim, and the refs decided to swallow their whistles late in the half to keep Hansbrough off the line.  But the Heels are getting the shots they want.  

Defensively the Heels were a little loose.   Look for that to tighten up in the final 20, and look for Lawson to take charge.  But bottom line, I think Carolina's talent will overwhelm the Wildcats in the final 10 minutes.  This game is being played at Carolina's pace, a pace Villanova will not be able to keep up with for much longer.

GO HEELS!

I Hope This Run Continues

If Carolina wins their fifth NCAA championship this weekend it will conclude a great great week. Passing the lands bill, visiting the White House, Ariadne getting admitted and deciding to attend Burke next year, her performance in the Phantom Tollbooth where she was fantastic as Tock - she has a real gift for acting, and has great timing, facial expressions, can ad lib, and is funny and charismatic, but I'm biased -  Evan already hitting the cover off the ball and doing a good job in the play too, AND Carolina in the Final Four is almost too much for me to handle.

Villanova will be a tough game but one I expect Carolina to win in the same way they handled Gonzaga or Duke this year, especially the game at Cameron.  Don't be surprised if Carolina leads early, Villanova goes on a run to make it close or take the lead at half before Lawson and Ellington assert themselves in the second half and Carolina ends up winning by 12 to 16 points.  The Heels will end up wearing out the Wildcats, and Carolina's talent will eventually overwhelm Nova.

Not too much else to say about that game, but that won't stop me from making two more points.   One, Villanova has more scorers than Oklahoma did but I expect Carolina's defense to replicate what they did against the Sooners.  The Heels did a great job moving on defense and playing the passing lanes in the regional final win. 

And two, their improved defense is one reason the Heels should prevail but the most important factor is their resolve. I like the way everyone from Roy to the walk-ons has reference last year's flop in the first half against Kansas.  That memory has produced a very focused North Carolina squad, one that should handle Villanova tonight.

FINAL FOUR FULMINATIONS

•  I'm sentimentally picking Michigan State to defeat Ed and Jim's Huskies.  A state school representing an economically-battered state playing in Detroit is too sentimental of a story for me to pick against (at least in the semi-final).  Plus, everyone who plays for Michigan State is from Sparta so it's the only Greek squad in the tournament.
  
• Greece picked up 4 points this week in tying then defeating Israel in World Cup 2010 qualifying.  Greece leads their group but is essentially tied with Switzerland.  Mark you calendars for the first week of September when Ellas plays their home and home series against the inventors of the kookoo clock!
• I follow Greek soccer fairly close, and would like to do the same for MLS.  We usually go to a few United games, and the women's league is back this season so I bet we'll go to the two or three United-Freedom doubleheaders planned for RFK.  I think MLS would be better served if they moved their season up or back a few weeks.   Instead, they launch their season during March Madness and around opening day for baseball and no one, least of all ESPN or sports TV, seems to pay much attention.  I'd start earlier, in February if possible when the sports scene has a lull between the Super Bowl and March Madness/MLB opening day.
• Finally, congrats to Run-DMC for being admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  The trio made their mark rapping over rock records, and their songs featured hip-hop beats and lots of guitar and became a bridge between hip-hop and rock and roll.  Their song and video for 'King of Rock' is a punk rockish kiss off to mainstream rock and roll, complete with a great anti-Beatles lyric that makes fun of John Lennon's death ('there's three of us but we're not the Beatles;" the Meatmen had a similar song called "One Down Three To Go").   Lots of punks/scenesters listened to Run-DMC, Public Enemy, etc. back then.  Ironic that their greatest 'hit' - their cover of Aerosmith's 'Walk this Way' ended their career. Covering a classic rock song cost them their street cred with hip-hop fans and with punk rockers, and both groups of fans stopped buying Run-DMC records after that album came out.

Putting the Elite in the Elite Eight

Carolina administered a thoroughly enjoyable beat down last night to the Bulldogs of Gonzaga to reach the regional final for the third consecutive season.

I enjoyed this game for three reasons:

1. I like watching Carolina basketball, and despite perhaps a few too many three-point shots, this game was pure Dean-inspired Carolina basketball.  The Heels ran, fed the post, took what they wanted from the over-matched Zags, made great decisions, and played the passing lanes; that's the way the game is supposed to be played.
2. It was a bit of a revenge game since Gonzaga beat Carolina the last time the two teams met, and I enjoy watching the Heels beat teams that have it coming (like defeating Coburn in the Senate on wilderness, or taking down the Dukies in front of their entitled fans in Cameron).  I especially like watching them beat teams like that my a wide margin.
3. But more importantly, and most satisfyingly, Carolina's play in the last two games has reenforced the notion that this team is focused on winning the national championship. They looked efficient and confident last night, and the stats tell the story.  The Heels shot 55 percent (if you omit the play of the scrubs) and 58 percent from three, and had 12 takeaways - 4 blocks and 8 steals - to only 9 turnovers.  

So a great win over an allegedly good team.  

Finally, I like our chances against Oklahoma.  Look for Hansbrough to out will and out fight Blake Griffin.  Psycho T hit a number of tough shots last night on his way to a ho-hum 20 and 10.   I expect Griffin to get in foul trouble against Hansbrough. 

But this game will be won by Carolina's back court.  Gonzaga's Pargo was supposed to be a match for Lawson, and we saw the beat down "Nine Toes" administered.  Then look for Ellington and Green to complete the job.  Ellington is playing the best basketball of his career and is the best 2 guard in the tournament if not college basketball right now.  And Green is fully out of his funk; he went 3 for 6 on three-pointers, and had his usual stat sheet stuffing game last night: 13 points, 7 assists, 3 boards, 4 steals, 2 blocks.  Man, I love that guy.

Anyway, I like our chances.   GO HEELS!

ACC in the Dumps

I was actually rooting for Duke to beat Villanova out of ACC loyalty two nights ago.  What an embarrassing run for the conference.  I still assert that the ACC was the better conference this year, but obviously the Big East has had a better run in the tournament. 

The mystifying part is trying to explain how badly ACC teams have played. Duke looked completely out of it - mentally and physically - against Nova. Ditto Boston College and Wake in their humbling and bumbling losses in the first round.  Duke, FSU and Wake - along with Carolina - should have made it to the Sweet 16.  Instead, we're left with head-scratching losses and second-rate status.

NCAA Preview

No secret that I have the Tar Heels winning their second national championship in 5 years, and their 5th NCAA championship overall (and Roy's second) in all my brackets.  As long as Lawson is healthy - and Hansbrough is Hansbrough - the Heels have too many weapons and should win the National Championship.  As important as Lawson and Hansbrough are to Carolina, I'm picking Wayne Ellington to lead the Heels to the championship.  I love the way he asserted himself in the ACC tournament, and I expect every Heel to be very focused over the course of the next three weeks.

For the record I am in three pools: Sierra Club, Joey Pillow's alumni and the king of them all, the PIRG/Drumtra pool.  And as many of you know, I usually pick who I want to win rather than who I think will win.  But even with that 'system' in place, other than picking the Heels to win it all, I had some trouble with each of my brackets.  

The South is the easiest to fill out; I see Carolina advancing to the Final Four after beating Oklahoma in the regional final, avenging a loss to Gonzaga two years ago along the way.  I have WKU beating Illinois, and Temple upsetting Arizona State and Syracuse. I think both the 'Cuse and UConn will tank in the tournament. I've already seen some folks predict a Clemson win over Oklahoma but the Tigers are 7-7 in their last fortnight of games. Though I generally blindly root for ACC teams I've lost my faith in the Tigers.

My picks in the East are pretty conventional - Pitt beating Duke in the regional final. Duke has a good draw with a chance for a rematch against VCU in the sweet 16. I have the Rams beating UCLA and Villanova; beating Nova may be a stretch. I want to pick local school American University to beat Nova in the first round, but that will be tough too. I've lost any good feeling for FSU but have them making the 16 and losing to Pitt. But Pitt always chokes and the Noles match up pretty well with the Panthers with lots of bigs. I've seen the Panthers play a few times, and just don't think their back court is that good. Toney Douglas - who is that good - could lead the Noles to an upset but I doubt it. Anyway, I have Pitt beating both FSU and Duke which stinks for the Big East-ACC thing.

For me the Midwest, featuring teams I either don't like such as Louisville or teams that seem overrated such was Wake, is the toughest bracket to prognosticate.  Rick Pitino's Cardinals squad is good but has been bad on the road this year, and you know I hate picking a Pitino-coached team. But Wake looked so bad against Maryland I have no faith in them, so by default the Cardinals make the regional final. The other half of that draw is the toughest one for me to predict. I'm intrigued by Dayton and Kansas, and expect BC to defeat Michigan State in a battle of lackluster teams. In the end I have Louisville defeating Wake Forest, Kansas defeating Boston College, then Louisville making the final four.  Then again, my first draft had Kansas in the four.

When I first made my picks for the West, I realized I had three of last year's Final Four teams returning after picking Memphis to advance. A gassed UConn makes this a very weak bracket in my opinion. If Washington gets past Purdue I see them taking down a tired UConn team in the sweet 16. On the other half of that bracket I guess Missouri could beat Memphis but I doubt it. So I have Memphis defeating Washington in the regional final.

That means Carolina beating Pitt in one semi-final, Louisville beating Memphis in the other. In a rematch of last year's regional final Carolina, led by Wayne Ellington, wins another national championship.

A Few Random Thoughts

• I think the tournament will be a redemption tour of sorts for Hansbrough. Gonzaga held him under 10 points in that loss two years ago, so Hansbrough will get his revenge if the Bulldogs advance.  But I also expect Hansbrough to outplay Blake Griffin and DeJuan Blair if Carolina plays Oklahoma and Pitt.  Psycho T wants to go out with a championship, and his will is Jordanesque.  Don't be surprised if he outplays everyone - even Ellington or Lawson.
• Though I love political underdogs, I'm no fan of Cinderellas.  I like watching good basket, not a less than talented team get lucky and eliminate a better team.  
• This year I'm picking two double-digit seeds, Temple and Virginia Commonwealth, to make the sweet 16.  Both are 11 seeds.  VCU is led by Fayetteville native Eric Maynor (Westover High School).
• I have some other double-digit seeds winning one game, but picking Western Kentucky over Illinois is NOT an upset. Neither is Utah State over Marquette. Both the Illini and Golden Eagles are missing key players due to injuries.
• My one semi-legit upset is Dayton over a very strong West Virginia team.  Dayton is my one destiny pick (at least for one round).
• In my opinion, there are only two teams in the field that did not deserve a bid. Arizona is about as worthy as Virginia Tech but some how made it in. Ditto Wisconsin, who stinks and has no good wins outside of the Big 10. There are too many Big 10 teams in. I would have taken Minnesota or Michigan, but not both and kept Wisconsin at home.
• In there stead I would have taken San Diego, St. Marys, and an ACC team.
• Finally, most folks have probably heard that President Obama has Carolina winning the national championship in his bracket.  Obama made the same pick last year, which may have owed more to the looming North Carolina primary than anything else.  But this year it's pure hoops.

World Baseball Classic

While watching the NCAA tournament I'll keep one eye on the World Baseball Classic.  It's too bad these two events overlap since both deserve undivided attention.

The WBC is getting to crunch time, and last night's come from behind win for the USA over Puerto Rico was a great game.  Not only that, but it felt like a big game.  The Americans won thanks to a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. The big hit was David Wright's two-run double, but Tar Heel Brian Roberts had a big hit and great at bat in the ninth.  His single, after being down 0-2 in the count, kept the rally going and Roberts eventually scored the tying run.

The win put the US in the final four along with Venezuela, Korea, and the winner of tomorrow night's game between defending WBC champ Japan and long-time world power Cuba, a game so big I'm planning to TiVO it and watch it between college basketball games.

GO HEELS!

Please, no wagering (at least based on these picks).

Thinking about Lawson's big toe

Hard to be too upset about Carolina’s loss yesterday to Florida State in the semi-finals of the ACC tournament. Even without Lawson the Heels were in this game and had a one point lead with a little over a minute left.

Still, it stinks to lose no matter the circumstance.

Winning without Lawson was hard enough. But the task became impossible with Danny Green having an off weekend. He missed a variety of good looks – everything from open threes to an alley-oop dunk to a few tip-ins and lay-ups – yet nothing worked for him the entire game. A few makes from Green and the Heels pull off this game.

With Lawson out and Green in the wrong kind of funk, Carolina relied on great performances from Wayne Ellington and strong second half from Hansbrough to stay in the game. This was one of Ellington’s best games of the season. Without Lawson to set him up Ellington created a variety of shots for himself, everything from his trademark threes to a number of nifty and aggressive drives to the basket.

After a first half spent getting double-teamed down low Hansbrough did a nice job creating space and had a nice half on his was to another double double, passing Sam Perkins for first place on the Carolina rebound list in the process.

As he was against Virginia Tech the day before, Bobby Frasor was solid with only two turnovers but was incredibly passive on offense. Deon Thompson, who apparently played with a sprained ankle suffered late in the Virginia Tech game, and Ed Davis each had some decent moments, but for most of the game Carolina only had two guys who could score.

Finally, I was impressed with FSU’s shooting. I’m sure ol’ Roy is unhappy with Carolina’s defense, but to me it seemed the Seminoles hit a number of tough shots. FSU hit 10 of their first 12 shots against Carolina to start the second half.

Despite FSU’s hot shooting, Danny Green’s cold shooting, and Lawson’s bad big toe the Heels still were in a position to win this game. And it still stinks to lose.

MORE ACC MUSINGS

• I thought FSU played very well yesterday, which is why watching them lose to Duke today is so maddening. How can a team be so intense and productive one day, then wilt completely the next? The Noles simply did not step up today against the Devils.
• There is good news coming out of this weekend. One is the play of Ellington. Two, Lawson is quoted at InsideCarolina.com as saying his toe will be healthy by Thursday for the NCAA tournament. Thompson’s sprained ankle should be Tar Heeled by then, too. Three, Green has not had back-to-back-back bad game this season so his funk should be cured by Thursday.
• With Lawson on the bench, purposely held out by Roy so his toe could get better, this tournament was obviously tainted for Heels fans. Still, it stinks watching Duke win and Dukies happy. Though this year’s Duke squad boasts two relatively un-offensive players in Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler, Henderson is as big of a smug, gut-less, right-wing, country-club asshole as any Duke player in history, a long list that includes (in no particular order): Henderson, Danny Ferry, Shane Battier, Corey Maggette, Bobby Hurley, J.J. Reddick, Daniel Ewing, Greg Paulus, Quinn Snyder, Billy King, Jay Heaps, Brian Davis and the king of them all, Christian Laettner (Krzyzewski-era only).
• In the spirit of the Obama administration, here is my list of inoffensive Dukies. Besides Scheyer and Singler, the short list includes Elton Brand, Jay Bilas (for his work with ESPN), Tommy Amaker and maybe Grant Hill (inoffensive but I've always enjoyed rooting against him). Since two of those guys are on this year’s team I guess we are living in the golden age of tolerable Dukies.

Of course, I'll post more on the NCAA tournament brackets later tonight.

ONE HELLENIC UPDATE

I encourage my fellow Hellenes and phil-Hellenes to vote for the Gabby Awards presented by Greek American magazine. I know voting on this blog is often lame but with the Gabby's you can honor "excellence amongst Greek Americans and to reward those who embody it."  Nominees include Tina Fey, Arianna Huffington, Ted Leonsis and Nick Markakis. 

Heels Sweep Devils; Win Regular Season

In a game that eerily mimicked the win in Cameron in February, Carolina used a great second half to sweep the season series against Duke, winning 79 to 71 on Senior Day in Chapel Hill.

Carolina played an almost nonchalant first half and trailed by one after 20 minutes. As it was in Cameron, Carolina got the ball down low for an early lead, but then allowed Duke to get decent looks. The Devils shot 60 percent in the first half, led by Singler, and as they did in Cameron led at half (this time by only a point).

The Heels may have been a little tight on Senior Day.  Danny Green wasn't aggressive, Ellington missed three free throws, and after his good start Hansbrough went to the bench sucking wind six minutes into the game when he ran out of adrenaline.

In the second half Carolina played much better defense, made some adjustments to keep Henderson and Singler in check, and used two spurts of 7-1 and 7-0 to build a working margin.  Even in the first half, you had a feeling Carolina was going to win this game.  The two spurts ended all doubt.  

Duke cut the lead to 4, 3 and even 2 points at times, but Carolina was in control the entire second half, played nice defense down the stretch to close out the win, and it showed in a tidy win. This season Carolina is a lot better, more talented than Duke.  Simple as that.  

As evidence I offer Deon Thompson.  After Henderson converted a fast break basket - off a missed Danny Green dunk of all things - to cut the lead to 2 with 5 minutes left, Carolina came down and got an old fashioned three-point play from Thompson. Carolina's FIFTH most talented player iced the game for the Heels, as Henderson's basket was the high-water mark for the Republicans from Durham.  After the Thompson basket Carolina converted a Singler miss to an Ellington fast break basket, and the game was over.

Duke's fifth best scoring option is . . .? Lance Thomas? Elliot Williams? David McClure?  Those guys stink. Our fifth guy wins games. Case closed.

And all of Carolina's talent was on display today.  Carolina's top seven players had great games and great moments.

• Tyler Hansbrough was strong and effective as he scored 17 points from all over the floor, including two three-pointers (though the third one he took was a bad shot);
• Ty Lawson was one again unstoppable against Duke.  He nearly had a triple-double with 13, 8 and 9 assists.  More importantly, he dominated the pace and tempo of the game in the second half, and made great decisions on whether to shoot or pass.  His three-point play with a minute and half left iced it for the Heels.
• Ellington had 16 points as he wisely slashed to the basket each time Duke played him to shoot a three. He finished 7 of 10 from the field.
• Thompson complimented his big three-point play with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting, and almost fouled Singler out in the process.
• Danny Green was Danny Green.  After a tentative first half Green ended up with 12 points - on 5 of 10 shooting - and 4 boards, 3 steals and one big block late.  It seemed as if all of his baskets in the second half were huge.
• Bobby Frasor had a great Senior Day, hitting a three, grabbing some rebounds and tying up Henderson in the last two minutes for a turnover.  Henderson 'only' scored 14 points today and never really took over, and much of that is due to Frasor's defense.  A great way for Frasor to go out.
• Ed Davis got limited minutes but was a beast when he was in, hitting a nifty little hook and a nasty dunk.  And in only 10 minutes he picked up 4 boards.

Finally, Carolina out rebounded Duke 31-22.  Duke is very weak in the middle, and does not match up well with Carolina on the boards or against Hansbrough and Lawson. That's that. A great team effort by a talented bunch added up to a satisfying win over the Dookies.  Carolina has now won 6 of the last 7, and 8 of the last 10 versus Duke. And Krzyzewski's record against Carolina is 32-36. 

GO HEELS!

Heels Tough Out Road Win in Blacksburg

Carolina did a nice job closing out a tough road game tonight in defeating Virginia Tech, on senior night in Blacksburg, 86-78. 

The Heels controlled the game - the Hokies never led - but could not put Virginia Tech away until late in the game. That in itself is great news. Carolina has not been great in closing out games.  Even in games they've won - at Florida State and at Miami, for instance - the Heels lost leads late.  And of course there's the Maryland game.

Losing on the road in the ACC is nothing to be ashamed of, even for a team as talented as this year's squad. But winning on the road tonight is something to be proud of. Similar to the Terps, the Hokies were desperate for a win. Carolina's offense didn't flow for 40 minutes straight, but they did have 3 significant spurts to build and hold a lead. My man Danny Green hit a big three with 8 and half minutes left to stop one Hokies run, and down the stretch Hansbrough and Lawson made enough baskets - and barely enough free throws - to ice it. 

And in the last four minutes, Carolina's defense kept Virginia Tech's desperation from turning into points. So on both offense and defense, Carolina toughed it out, and put a good team away, for a nice win against a desperate team playing on senior night.  Good stuff.

A Few More Notes

• A large portion of Carolina's defensive toughness was provided by Virginia-native Ed Davis.  In the first half Davis scored and in the second he controlled the defensive end of the floor.  He altered or blocked a number of shots - 6 to be exact - during various Virginia Tech runs and played a very effective 17 minutes.  In less than a half he finished with 8 points, 4 boards and 6 blocks.
• Wayne Ellington and Hansbrough carried Carolina in the first half, with help from Deon Thompson and Davis.  Ellington got back on track from 3 in the initial stanza, and in the second half had a few nice drives to finish with 15 points.
• As they did against Georgia Tech, Carolina did a great job feeding the post especially in the first half. It was great to see Hansbrough have back to back great games, as Psycho T finished with 22 and 15. Deon and Davis also got some great looks in the first half.
• Danny Green was off for most of the game, but when his team needed him he hit two big trademark 3s.  Danny Green, BTW, is god!
• In the second half Green hit his two 3s, Carolina kept going to Hansbrough, but the last half of the game was controlled by Ty Lawson. He did a great job picking his spots to drive, pass or feed the post.  Smart and in control the entire second half.

So another quality road win against a tough team. The Heels made plays on both ends of the floor and closed out a team playing their final road game.  A good night's work for the Heels as they head into a bittersweet day: the final home game for Bobby Frasor, Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough against Duke this weekend.

A few random notes:

• Two ACC teams really hurt their chances to make the NCAA tournament tonight.  With the loss Virginia Tech needs to defeat FSU in Tallahassee on Saturday to finish 8-8 in the ACC. 
• But the team that REALLY shot themselves in the foot is Miami.  They lost to Georgia Tech, granted in Atlanta, for their ninth loss. The U will need to beat NC State in their final game at home, then probably win two games in the ACC tournament to make the NCAAs for the second year in a row.
• But the Wolfpack will be a tough out.  They defeated Boston College tonight, and the Pack can finish 7-9 if they defeat the U.  If they do that, then win a couple in the ACC tournament, NC State could conceivably make the tournament.
• Despite the loss, BC can finish with 9 wins if they take care of Georgia Tech in Chestnut Hill this weekend.
• Finally, Maryland is probably out after losing their ninth game last night to Wake.  

Lots of action this week in the ACC, and coming up this weekend. Carolina, Duke, Wake, Clemson, FSU, and BC are in; Virginia Tech can play themselves in with a win in Tallahassee.   Then on to the ACC tournament for Miami, NC State and maybe Maryland.  

GO HEELS!

Almost forgot the other big Tar Heel win tonight - Anoop Desai is back on American Idol after winning wild card night!  Anup is a native of Chapel Hill, and I think has two degrees from Carolina.