Zeller, Heels Bounce Back

What a great bounce back performance by Carolina, led by Tyler Zeller, in their win over Virginia today.  The Wahoos, though boring and at time excruciating to watch, are nonetheless a tough out.  

The Cavalier defense (another great ACCism like Hokie Pride, Hurricane Basketball, and Duke cheerleaders) kept the Heels from getting up and down the floor, but at least we looked like Carolina in frequently and successfully going inside for scores and winning the rebounding battle.

Finally, we looked like Carolina is methodically closing out the win. The Heels stretched the lead from 4 to 18 in the final 5 minutes of the game, a stark contrast with, well, you know what I'm talking about.

One thing that DID carry over from Wednesday night was the stellar play of Tyler Zeller.  At one point, after a nice blocked shot, I tweeted 'is there anyone playing better the Zeller right now?"*  Psycho Z had another great game with 25 and 9.  On a day when most of the Tar Heels missed most of their shots, Zeller was an efficient 9 for 16 with 3 steals, too.

It was inspiring to watch Zeller bounce back from easily the 3 worst minutes of his life.

As great as Zeller played, it was also excellent to watch the Heels close out a game Carolina style. The defense in the second half was excellent as the Heels rebounded well, closed out on shooters, put up walls and held Virginia to 20 points in 20 minutes.  

That defense was especially tight in the last 5 minutes.  Ol' Roy called a time out just prior to the under 4 time out and the Heels got the message, tightened up their defense, and did NOT let Virginia get back in the game.

Great stuff.

But it wasn't just Zeller that carried over back to back (and for him, back to back to ...) positive performances. James Michael McAdoo did, too, as he looked confident and aggressive this afternoon on his way to 9 points, 7 boards and 2 steals in 18 minutes.  That's at least 6 straight good halves for McAdoo, who appears to have turned the corner.

Carolina's bench this game was the unlikely trio of McAdoo, Justin Watts and Stilman White.  White looked good, and played with confidence in giving Marshall a break. The offense did stall with him at point, a significant accomplishment.

Watts was effective, too, and was rewarded with 18 minutes filling in for P.J. Hairston, Dexter Strickland, Leslie McDonald, and Wanda.   

A nifty 18-point win over a ranked and tough team. That line would have been impressive no matter the circumstance, but coming off a agonizing loss even more impressive.  

GO HEELS!

*paraphrasing myself. I'm too old to remember what I tweeted 3 hours ago.

Carolina Hellenic Tragedy

What a terrible loss.  Have any Carolina teams endured two terrible defeats in one season?  First FSU, now Duke?  

Of course, there is one huge difference in those two games; against FSU, the Tar Heels were horrible. But last night was truly tragic in that from the 8 minute mark in the first half (after a relatively slow start) to the 4 minute mark in the second - a span of 24 minutes - Carolina was dominant. Dominant. 

The Heels were better than Duke but lost. If that's not the definition of a Greek-style, Carolina tragedy, I don't know what is.

And it was Greek style. Similar to the Greek myths our heroes soared only to be dragged back down to earth in the end by the (blue) devil(s).

How else do you explain Kendall Marshall driving, dishing and dominating, then making a sloppy pass and turning it over with less than 2 minutes left?

Explain Harrison Barnes dominating and scoring at will for most of the second half, but missing two of four free throws late and turning it over on an albeit highly questionable charging call?  He was tripped but still should have made a better decision before barreling down the lane (perhaps it was hubris, the greatest sin in the eyes of the ancient Greeks.)

Or John Henson owning the glass but failing to box out Ryan Kelly after a missed three, allowing him to follow his shot and score?

And finally, the most tragic figure of the night, Tyler Zeller. He was unstoppable, especially the first half. But the devil dragged him down the most cruelly, as he missed two big free throws late, tipped in Kelly's missed three for 2 big points for Duke with under a minute left, then had to cover Austin Rivers(tyx) on the game winning shot.

No gods were ever more cruel, and few losses were so tragic.  

The loss put most Heels fans in the world of another Greek word: agony.  The root of the English word is the Greek word for 'game,' more accurately 'contest.'  To the Greeks, athletic contests were literally agonizing.  Sounds familiar 24-hours later, doesn't it?

A few more Heels notes: 

• We've all known free throw shooting was an accident waiting to happen.  Well, that accident was last night.
• I just rewatched most of the second half, and it did seem that Duke got away with an inordinate number of flops and travels. Much of that game was game was badly officiated; McAdoo was whistled for two borderline calls in particular late.
• That said, JM McAdoo had some spectacular moments in the second half.
• What's worse, losing due to costly and atypical mistakes, or losing to a one-man band?  Austin Rivers was phenomenal last night. Watching it live it looked like Carolina defenders were too often going underneath screens. But upon further review he made quite a few shots with a hand in his face. Rivers was a stone-cold assassin.
• But you have to give the entire Duke team credit. They would not go away, would not let Carolina close this game out. They believed if they hung in there long enough, something good might happen.
• Tough to lose when Carolina played so well for so long. One more free throw, one less own-goal tip in, and we win this game.  Tragedy.

Not Epic, But Still Great

What a great comeback win for the Heels today.  Sure, it wasn't the kind of epic, '8 points in 17 seconds' Carolina comeback that has helped make the program famous.  After all, Maryland is down a bit this year and the Heels were only down 9 with about 15 minutes to go.

But it WAS a game where Carolina took repeated blows to the head - from Stoglin and Len in the first half, from the referees, from their own turnovers, and from a hostile crowd - all game long.  The great news is the Heels refused to get knocked out - though they were knocked down - and eventually rallied to win 83 to 74.

This game had upset written all over it.  Actually, not all over it - but it was in the margins, and that writing got bigger and bigger as the first half progressed.  Harrison Barnes looked bothered by his ankle, Kendall Marshall was turning it over, John Henson looked unfocused and our bench intimidated.

Only the surging Tyler Zeller kept the upset story from developing  He was excellent again today - he played a man's game on his way to 22 and 7 despite 4 fouls and only 22 minutes - and continues to peak as the season progresses.  We even saw some emotion from Psycho Z today during Carolina's decisive second half run.

But as it was last year, and again of late, Harrison Barnes asserted himself with some scintillating play in the final 15 minutes in College Park to lead the Heels.  After Carolina fell behind by 9 points, Barnes took over and hit a variety shots from all over the floor - 3s, drives, and a clutch pull up jumper with 3 minutes to go.  The only common denominator?  Every shot he took was a tough one.  Barnes' focus was freaky and inspirational - and the deciding factor in today's win.

Zeller and Barnes were excellent today but they got plenty of help in the second half from Marshall and Henson.  Marshall was spectacular in the second half, both with his big three-pointer and his timely drives to the hoop and trademark passes.  He finished with a career high of 16 assists, a ridiculous stat that does not come close to quantifying how precise he was in the last 15 minutes of this win.

After 30+ minutes of ragged play and bad shooting Henson joined the fun late, too.  His stone-cold turnaround jumper late was Rasheed-esque, and defensively he was huge down the stretch with a game-changing block that went a long way in silencing the Comcast Center crowd.

Finally, kudos to Reggie Bullock for some great plays late on offensive, 11 points and 5 boards, and a game-long harassment of Terrell Stoglin.  Stoglin got his points but missed 13 of his 21 shots and late he was gassed and could not buy a basket, much of that due to Bullock. 

Not epic, but still a great road win.  Not epic, but a comeback that saw every Tar Heels player make a big play in the second half.   Not epic, but the kind of road win that gives a team lots of confidence and swagger.

GO HEELS!

A few more Heels notes:

• Looking for another reason to be disgruntled about the next round of ACC expansion? With 16 teams in basketball, each team will only play one team twice a year in a home-and-home series every year. That means that Carolina will only play State twice a year once every three years (four times total in 3 years as part of the regular rotation).  BOO on that.
• Finally, I do not have a problem with John Henson's dunk as time expired.  There was time on the clock, Maryland had a player come over to try to stop him, and frankly it was a fitting and emphatic exclamation point on a big road win.
•  
• And finally, finally, folks probably remember that Michael Jordan's epic 'rock the cradle' dunk came in College Park as time expired on a UNC road win.  So Henson's dunk had some historical precedent. 

UGH

What a dreary game - and win - over Wake Forest the other night.  But a road win is always good, even against a hapless, hopeless, fanless opponent like the Demon Deacons.

There were a few shoots of grass that popped up through the rubble created by bricking so many shots.

One, Tyler Zeller keeps getting better.  As Carolina fans remember, he peaked during the post season last year, and continues on that track in 2012.  

Two, I thought the defense was pretty good.  Once again the Heels rotated and helped well, put up numerous walls, and played the passing lanes aggressively. Reggie Bullock in particular played great on D.

Three, Kendall Marshall's offensive game took another step forward. We've always known that Marshall is a smart player and of late he has been applying those smarts to his offense.  He's making great decisions on when to drive and when to take a three-pointer, decisions as spot-on as the ones he makes when directing the offense.  By the end of the season will there be anything this guy CAN'T do?

GO HEELS!

Five Great Halves in a Row

The Heels continued to prove they were back today against Georgia Tech, extending their winning streak to 31 straight at home, but more importantly playing their fourth and fifth straight great halves of basketball in routing the Yellow Jackets.

Lot's of other numbers to talk about: Carolina shot 54 for the game; made 8 three-point shots in the 1st half; the Tar Heels blocked 10 shots and had 8 steals versus only 10 turnovers for the game; ended a 4 game losing streak to Georgia Tech (the oddest number in this list).

Those numbers do tell the story.  Two numbers, two stories, two stats it particular should make every Tar Heels fan on the planet happy.

One, and the gaudiest one to look at, is the 10 threes for the game. Carolina started the season shooting 3s very well but had cooled of late.  This afternoon the Heels were getting and making open looks from beyond the arch. That, of course, opened thing up inside for another great game from Zeller, and effective and emphatic drives from Barnes.

If today's performance is proof that the Heels, in particular Bullock and Hairston, have regained their outside touch this team is practically unbeatable.  Who does the other team guard when all five Heels can shoot and score? 

Two, the defense was generally outstanding today, as evidenced by the 30 boards, and an 18 to 10 ratio of take aways - steals and blocks - to give aways - the dreaded turnover.  Boards, blocks and steals lead to fast breaks, and fast breaks lead to points.

In the second half Carolina's perimeter defense lagged at times, but the interior defense was outstanding, and I agree with Hubert Davis' kudos to Barnes for shutting down Glen Rice Jr. this afternoon.

As it is with Carolina's outside shooting, when the Heels defend and rebound like they did today, watch out world. 

The great news is the Heels have now done that for 5 halves in a row, and are starting to regain their swagger.

The iffy news is, can you really measure progress against a team that looked so overmatched like Georgia Tech looked today?  With Wake and Maryland up next, we may not find out that answer  for another week or so.  Either way, it's great to see Carolina looking like Carolina.

GO HEELS!

A few - ok, quite a few - more Heels notes:

• I loved Reggie Bullock's game today.  Not only did he bury some shots, 3 of 6 from three, I loved his activity on defense and without the ball.  His transition defense was key in the decisive first-half run that put this game away early.
• How crazy good is Kendall Marshall?  Ho hum, another 12-1 assist to turnover ratio game, with an excellent mix of long, spectacular, skip passes, mixed in with a three-pointer and a few nifty drives.  Running out of superlatives for his game.
• Fantastic to see John Michael McAdoo play with confidence today.  He had his best game in about a month.  Best of all?  He did not settle for that 10-foot fadeaway jumper he loves.  McAdoo was confident and aggressive today.
• Tyler Zeller continues to be 'the good Tyler Zeller' of last year's stretch run.  He was efficient and smooth on offense, great on the boards, and had another nice defensive game, too.  Front court mate John Henson had a nice if unspectacular game as well, 13 points, 6 boards, 4 blocks and a stop the presses 5 of 8 on free throws!
• Oh yeah, Harrison Barnes put together another dominant half of hoops.  In the first half he was not that aggressive but he made up for in the second stanza with a series of drives, pull ups, dunks, threes, and reverse lay ups.  And he played pretty good defense, too.
• Stillman White had a decent game, hitting one three, making one assist and one steal in 6 minutes of spelling Marshall at the point. Interesting to see Justin Watts play the point for about 2 minutes late in the game.  As a result, Marshall 'only' played 31 minutes tonight, which coincidentally is his season's average this year.

THAT felt good

Yes, Carolina's win over rival NC State felt good - real good.

It's always good to beat a rival, and to beat them convincingly.  I was a tad nervous about this game; State has gotten better under new coach Mark Gottfried (quick quiz: how many current ACC  coaches have had one of their teams ranked number 1? - answer via Comments below) and there was still some lingering post-FSU angst.

But this game was more than a thorough beat down - at one point Carolina led State by 31 points in the second half - of the Wolfpack.  There were many story lines in this win.

1. Probably the biggest story was playing without the Dex Factor.  Strickland is Carolina's best defender and back up point guard, but in addition to those traits is also the Heels' toughest player.  I was anxious to see if Reggie Bullock could do all the things Dex does.  

No worries.  It looked like Bullock played great defense, rebounded well, and his offense came around in the second half.  And new back up point guard Stillman White looked okay, too, even hitting a three late in the game.

2. Tyler Zeller keeps improving.  I think most Heels were unhappy with the way Psycho Z started the season, mainly due to weak hands and the occasional disappearing act on offense.  Those fears have melted away lately, as Zeller has had double-figure rounding games in 9 of the last 11 games and his scoring is up, too.  He was aggressive and unstoppable against the Pack.

3. When Kendall Marshall is setting you up, almost anyone becomes unstoppable.  He was fantastic on Thursday night with his passing and offensive, both in terms of controlling the tempo AND shooting.  I love the fact that Marshall is not simply jacking up 3s in order to 'keep defenses honest.'  K-Marsh is taking it to the rack with authority (though not velocity) and shooting 3s, and his all-around game continues to get better and better.

4.  Marshall's defense has also improved this season, and lately the team defense has been excellent. State had trouble getting - let alone making - good shots.  Bullock was great on State's sharpshooter Scott (Wood), the run and jump was utilized effectively, and of course down low John Henson, Zeller, James Michael McAdoo and Harrison Barnes intimidated, changed and blocked numerous shots, and rebounded well.  As any born and bred fan knows, boards, blocks and steals lead to fast break points, and those runs killed State.

5. Finally, despite some early foul trouble we saw another focused performance from Harrison Barnes.  He had a number of spectacular plays against State and has had back-to-back games where he has shot the ball well.  

The focus of this team is back.  I am not sold on the notion of a 'good' loss, especially one as shocking as the one in Tallahassee, but that may end up being the case for this year's team.  Coming into the season, it was obvious that the Heels had as much or more talent than any other squad in the country.  But mentally we've seen some lapses, mainly at UNLV and in Tallahassee but also in wins over lesser teams such as BC or even Nicholls State.  The Wizards-esque beat down the Tar Heels absorbed 2 weeks ago may have cured Carolina of any lingering thoughts that a superbly talented team simply needs to 'turn it on' to win games. 

Being cured of that feels good - just like beating State.

GO HEELS!

Finally

How great was it get to finally watch some Carolina basketball tonight? 


Rereading that sentence, the funniest word is 'finally.'  That's how bad the loss to FSU felt, a loss that practically wiped out the entire season, or threatened to render the 2012 campaign meaningless.  A loss that could have lingered in the players' psyche for the rest of the year.  


It was that bad a loss, that bad a performance.


That's why this win, and the way the Heels won, felt so good (at least for me).


Sure, the first half was tough to watch.  Carolina got off to a good start though we left a lot of points on the rim, especially Harrison Barnes who just seemed off.  But our early lead vanished under another barrage of Hokies three point shots.  Some of those were good shots, but some of them were just plain luck; one three banked in as the shot clock expired after Jon Henson had blocked two shots on the possession.  Even when they were falling, I didn't feel that bad; unlike against FSU there were few wide open looks for Virginia Tech during that run.

Nonetheless, the Heels trailed at half.


But at half time something great happened.  Perhaps it was before halftime, actually.  John Henson scored on an patented UNC in bounds alley-oop pass with 0.9 seconds left to give us some momentum.


And boy, did that mo carry over.  Or it at least washed over Harrison Barnes.  He came out in the second half completely focused, and shook off his mini slump with an 8-0 run to open the final 20 minutes.  


It was almost inspirational the way Barnes and the other Heels came out of half time sick and tired of not playing well.  Barnes' one man run quickly turned in a team-wide one, as everyone started making plays, extra passes, baskets and free throws as part of a 31-5 run that put the game away.


And the Heels got back to playing tough D, especially in that second half.  Carolina was only credited with 9 blocks - seemed like more than that - and the Heels were much more aggressive and attentive defensively, especially in the passing lanes, with nice help and putting up walls to cut off penetration.


A gut check win on the road is always nice, but just as nice was watching the Heels look like the Tar Heels again.  They went inside (either via the pass or drive), were patient and smart on offense, rebounded like crazy, blocked shots and overplayed the passing lanes and as a result were able to run in the second half.


It was vintage Carolina basketball, something that we only missed for one game but a game that lingered for what felt like an eternity - at least until the second half of tonight's game.


GO HEELS!

A few more Heels notes:

• John Henson broke out of his one-game mini slump, too.  In Tallahassee he seemed unfocused, but tonight he was everywhere, grabbing 16 boards, officially blocking 6 shots (but it felt like 16 - or 60 blocks tonight) and finishing with 16 points.
• Tyler Zeller seems to be back to last season's form.  He was the only Heels player to show up versus the Noles, and tonight he was just as good with a double double of his own with 14 points and 11 boards. And he, too, seemed to block or alter dozens of shots. 
• Kendall Marshall almost his own double-double with 9 points and 8 assists.  K-Mar did a nice job of looking for his shot more tonight.
• The only bad news is the potential injury to unsung hero and Dex Factor, Dexter Strickland.  He twisted his right knee in the second half.  Reggie Bullock admirably filled in for our best defender and had a nice half despite not scoring that much.

Not Much to Say

Not much to say after a total beat down like the one the Heels took at the hands of the Seminoles yesterday. In Carolina's first road game in 42 days, the Tar Heels were humiliated and buried under a barrage of three pointers, led by Davidis Dulkys' 8 of 10 shooting.

There is a smorgasbord of problems or issues one can talk about (so I lied, there is much to say), but two stand out for me.

One, the play of Kendall Marshall.  Some post mortems from the game have mentioned that FSU put pressure on Marshall.  On one hand, they did pick him up full court.  But on the other, his turnovers all were seemingly unforced.  It was as if he was a pitcher with tired legs; so many of his passes sailed out of bounds over the heads of their intended target.

This team goes as Kendall Marshall goes, and when he struggles that bad the Heels will look and play bad, too.  There certainly were other terrible performances by Carolina players yesterday; Barnes had his second straight terrible shooting day, Henson left his head and concentration skills in Chapel Hill (0-8 free throws, an embarrassing technical), and perhaps Strickland's ankle bothered him more than it looked and thus he could not effectively cover Dulkys or Loucks or anyone on the perimeter.  And our bench - P.J. Hairston in particular - was horrible.  

But Marshall is the keystone for this team; without him we collapse.

So players - and sometime teams - can have one bad game.  But for me the other disturbing thing, issue 2, was our play to start the second half.  

How many Carolina fans thought at half "Ok, the Heels played badly but we're only down 8.  Barnes will get on a roll, Marshall will feed Zeller and Henson, and we'll win this game.  And FSU can't keep shooting this well"'?  I'd bet 90 percent of Tar Heel Nation saw that scenario ready to unfold.

Unfortunately, things got worse in the final 20 minutes. The Heels thought they could turn it 'on' the second half, but other than Zeller did not. Or worse, Carolina expected the Seminoles to wilt - and they did not. The Heels failed to raise their level of play, turning it over and failing to guard to start the half, and were buried.

Very disappointing to say the least.  Carolina was in a position to win this game at half time - we had seemingly taken FSU's best shot - but did not. That's VERY un-Carolina.  And that's the worst part of this loss - we did not look like Tar Heels.

Few More Heels Notes:

• I wonder if ol' Roy will schedule any more extended home stands in the future?  Hard to measure how much impact the schedule had on this flop, but Roy is superstitious enough to avoid another stretch like that.
• Props to Tyler Zeller, who many fans have questioned this year but who was the only Tar Heels player to show some effort for 40 minutes.  He kept us in the game the first half.
• Within an hour of the loss the Dex Factor tweeted "embarrassing but a learning process; we'll bounce back!' Ah, youth. I like following Strickland (@DStrick01), who generally tweets in proper English, which I appreciate. 
• Wayne Ellington (@WayneElli22), who had 13 points last night for the Timberwolves, also tweeted "I'd hate to be at the next practice!"
• Virginia Tech looms next, though looms is a strong word.  They lost yesterday to Boston College.  I feel sorry for Hokies fan: I expect the Heels to be very focused and fired up for that one; and Seth Greenberg is still their coach.
• No time to panic yet; it WAS only one game.  But if the Heels come out flat in Blacksburg that will be a very troubling indicator about the leadership and fortitude - the talent this there, obviously - of this year's team.

GO HEELS!

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. 

Predictable results from Heels, Barnes versus BC

Carolina's 83-60 win over Boston College unfolded largely as expected.  The Heels were much more talented and simply better than the Eagles, who started 5 freshmen.  

The Heels predictably started slow then went on a run to take a comfortable lead at half time. Also predictably, the Heels got a bit bored after taking a 20-point lead in the second half. BC was able to cut the lead to 9 at one point before the Heels woke up.  Once Carolina did, the Heels went on another run to close the game out with a 23-point win.

There was some news in today's win.  The most significant item - also predictable - was Harrison Barnes' continued excellent play.  Barnes appears to be peaking at the perfect time of season, much like he did last year.  Against BC he hit shots from all over the floor - driving, taking 3s, a few one-dribble jumpers, the entire repertoire - and was very aggressive.  He had 4 steals, too, and looked like a player of the year candidate. 

It wasn't all Barnes, though.  I thought the Heels' defense was pretty good for most of the game.  Zeller had 20 points and held on to the ball, P.J. Hairston was 2 for 5 on three pointers, and Marshall once again had more than 10 assists.

With so many ACC teams stinking up the joint this year - Wake, Clemson, Maryland, and BC all pretty bad - these kinds of games may be the norm for the Heels.  The good news is you can count on 20-point wins despite some lapses in concentration, and the Heels have also shown that against good teams the Heels will rise to the occasion.   Those traits sound a lot like the 2009 team, a predictable comparison.

Speaking of 2009, a huge night for 3 members of that team tonight in the NBA.  Ty Lawson squared off with Danny Green tonight as the Nuggets took on the Spurs.  San Antonio won 121 to 117 behind Green's 24 points.  With Manu Ginobili out with broken hand Green is finally getting significant playing time in the League.


Lawson did his part for Denver, finishing with 20 and 10 assists.  


And Tyler Hansbrough finished with 15 and 7 off the bench, in 28 minutes, for Indiana in their win over the Charlotte Bobcats.  Psycho T has been in double figures every game this season for the 6 and 2 Pacers. 


GO HEELS!

Quick Look at Heels in the NBA

I like the NBA, and am glad it's back.  Of course, as a Washingtonian the NBA is a relative term since our hometown Wizards keep getting jokier and jokier.  And I'm just talking about this year, not Gilbert Arenas bringing guns into the locker room.

First it was Andray Blatche tweeting for folks to stop criticizing him for criticizing the coach and organization. Nothing new there. But last night the Wizards reached new heights when they failed to list Roger Mason Jr., a DC native by the way, on their active roster.  When he entered the game, illegally, Mason was thrown out by the referees and the Wizards were given a technical. 

With the Wizards less than blog worthy, it's of course time to turn to the Tar Heels.

With the season a week old, here is a quick look at the 12 Tar Heels - which I think is second to Connecticut, believe it or not - in the NBA in order of minutes played.

1. Ty Lawson, 32 minutes - Averaging 22 points and 3 assists. He's emerged as the best Tar Heel in the NBA
2. Raymond Felton, 32 - A solid 13 and 7 assists for Portland
3. Antawn Jamison, 30 minutes - Hanging on after 13 years in the league, currently averaging 14 points a game for Cleveland
4. Tyler Hansbrough, 28 - Practically playing starters minutes as Pacers sixth man.   Has two double-doubles this year and averaging 11 points and 11 boards despite terrible shooting percentage
5. Marvin Williams, 26 - Has helped Hawks to 3-0 start with 14 points and 8 boards
6. Wayne Ellington, 31 - With an asterisk, since he did not play in the Timberwolves first two games but came off the bench last night to score 13 points.
7. Vince Carter, 19 - Coming off bench for Mavericks
8. Brendan Haywood, 19 - Starting for defending champs with Tyson Chandler gone, but not playing that well.  Averaging 5 and 5 for 1-3 Dallas.
9. Ed Davis, 19 - Sixth man for Toronto Raptors
10. Brandon Wright - Has played in one game for Mavericks and still trying to get his NBA career going after 4 years in league
11. Danny Green, 6 - Limited minutes but has played in all 3 games for Spurs this year. Was playing in Slovenia with Deon Thompson during lock out.
12. Jerry Stackhouse, 6 - Still in the NBA after 16 years, with Marvin's Hawks.

GO HEELS!  

Fixing College Sports

Lot of buzz for New York Times columnist Joe Nocera's magazine article on paying athletes as a way of fixing college athletics.  I do not think that increasing the professionalization of college sports is the way to go.  I like some of his ideas, such as offering athletes lifetime health insurance as part of their scholarship.  

But I think Nocera overthinks this issue. The best way to reform college athletics is a simple one: make freshmen ineligible. Incidentally, this is an idea championed by Dean Smith for years.  That alone should make it a no brainer for the NCAA and school presidents across the country.

Anyway, making freshman ineligible would restore academic balance, allow athletes to spend at least one year as a regular student, and reduce 'get rich quick' recruiting scandals hatched by alumni, boosters, coaches, etc., among other things.

In August, in the wake of the Butch Davis firing - Nevin Shapiro - Jimm Tressel news cycle I posted some other reforms on the late http://firebutchdavis.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-low-can-you-go.html blog.

Here are those ideas again, mainly around the theme that college athletics needs to take it down a notch, not be so big time and try to take some of the money out of it.  That's the only way to fix a system that does not need reform so much as it's fundamentally corrupt. Of course, proposing de-emphasizing money sounds crazy.  But remember, these are supposed to be institutions of higher learning that in the case of state schools are theoretically non-profits.

Anyway, to fix college sports the NCAA should do the following:

1. Make freshman ineligible to play any sport, revenue or non-revenue;
2. Use baseball's draft rules for all sports; you can get drafted out of high school but if you DON'T go pro you can't be re-drafted until you finish your junior year (and you have to make progress towards graduation while in school for those 3 years);
3. Limit conference sizes to 8 maximum; that would mean fewer games and practices for all sports, and shorter seasons, and therefore more time in the classroom, being a regular student, etc.;
4. Allow players to receive a percentage of money from sales of merchandise that use their likeness; seems only fair that the players should benefit from sales of THEIR jerseys, etc.;
5. Have a play-off system for all levels of football; get the bowls and their corporate shysterism out of college football;
6. Link post-season participation to graduation rates; if your team does not meet a certain standard you stay home from bowls and postseason tournaments.

Those are just a few.  I hope the NCAA makes some serious changes, but I'm afraid that until university presidents get the nerve to de-emphasize college sports a bit there will continue to be more Butch Davis-Jim Tressel-Nevin Shapiro-style headlines. 

Wizards Are Back!

The Wizards - and the NBA - are back! 

But that's the problem for a local - and loyal - basketball fan in DC.  The under talented 'Zards from last year, a team that won 23 games, are back with basically the same team.  The changes are all on the margins.  Shelvin Mack is now our back up point guard and Washington's first-round pick, Czech import Jan Vesely, is now our back up power forward.  

Unfortunately, the starting five is practically unchanged from last year's mediocre-to-bad team.  Three of Washington's five starters - Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Javale McGee - are career underachievers who make a fan less than optimistic about the 2012 season that debuts today versus New Jersey.

On one level Young, Blatche and McGee are the NBA at it's worst, three guys who don't understand that the most important thing in basketball, or sports, is effort.  Effort on every play.  Basketball is NOT about getting on Sportscenter,  or thumping your chest or staring down an opponent, etc.  

Players like Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, etc.  have always understood that effort begets winning.  But those 3 think style is more important that substance and hard work on every play. 

The NBA is partly at fault here.  They market the players as superhuman athletes, which undoubtedly some of them are.   But the main reason that NBA players are superior athletes is effort - and hard work - rather than some physiological trait they were born with. 

Until Young and especially McGee and Blatche understand the roll of effort in success, this version of the Wizards will stink.  And we know that because it's the same team that stunk last year.   Sheesh.

There is some hope Young, who got better last year, and maybe McGee, who says he wants to get more consistent.  

But as it was last year the main reason to watch this team is John Wall.  He had a good rookie season at 16 points and 8 assists. Hopefully he'll develop a consistent jump shot this year and mature. Too often he pouts and get visibly frustrated on the court when he misses a shot or turns it over.  More professionalism would help him with both his jumper and on-court presence.  Again, the good news is that Wall seems to be a compete gym rat who cares about nothing but basketball (he lives in a condo near the Verizon Center and sometimes walks to work but rarely does anything else apparently) and the maturity should come with time. 

The only other returning player who is worth keeping long term is back up shooting guard Jordan Crawford.  He showed flashes of offensive ability last year and plays hard.  He's behind incumbent 2 guard Young, for now, but long term Crawford and Wall could form a plus backcourt.

If I was Flip Sanders, I would ditch Blatche and play effort guys like Trevor Booker, Chris Singleton and Maurice Evans more. As that list shows, this team has a roster full of guys who play forward: Blatche, Vesely, Singleton, Booker, Evans, Rashard Lewis, Ronny Turiaf, Kevin Seraphin; we also have interestingly enough 3 French nationals: Seraphin, Turiaf, and Hamady Ndiaye (all from former French colonies at least).

So here is my proposed Wizards rotation; this may be the only such list on the internet; such is the super low level of interest in our hometown team.

C - McGee, with I guess Blatche as his back up.  Obviously very weak here.  If this were my team, I would only play Blatche as a back up center.

F/4 - Despite  all our forwards it's a crap shoot here.  I guess I'd go Lewis, who is 6'10" and used to be able to score but plays like a 3/small forward.  Vesely would be my first option off the bench here, with some minutes for Evans - but none for Blatche.

F/3 - Booker or Singleton; I would start one of these two guys despite their youth and inexperience simply to always have an effort guy on the floor for 48 minutes. Turiaf, another effort guy, could also use up some minutes here, too.

G/2 - Young and Crawford; Crawford is probably in better shape since he was signed and therefore in camp on time so could start tonight over Young.  By the end of the season expect him to formally have supplanted Young at the 2.

G/1 - Wall, spelled by Mack.  So effort would be there at the 1, too.

With a shortened season getting to 23 wins with this team would be a huge accomplishment.  I'm feeling semi-optimistic for one reason - the Wizards are young.  That youth should help them in a condensed season that will see teams play many back-to-back and some back-to-back-to-back games.   Those fresh legs could help the Wizards get to 25 wins this year, or 25 and 41 for the year.

That should lead to another decent draft pick - Jon Henson perhaps to play the four, for instance - and hopefully a newer and better team in 2013.

Thus end the longest blog post devoted to the Wizards on the internet. You're welcome. 

Two more Wizards wisps:

• I hope my fellow Hellene Ted Leonsis DOES NOT change the name of the team back to the Bullets.  Guns and bullets stink, whether we're talking the damage Washington bullets do in SE Washington or in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Do not bring this name back, please.
• The new unis are growing me, mainly the red not the homage to the old Bullets.  It's ironic that in super blue - politically - DC all our teams are going red.   

Nats Name George Allen New GM

The future is now at Nationals Park!

In trading four prospects, 3 of whom were among our top 10 according to Baseball America, for 2011 All Star Gio Gonzalez GM Mike Rizzo in NOT looking towards 2013.  In the suddenly competitive NL East Rizzo clearly thinks - as does Manager Davey Johnson - that the Nats can compete with the pitching-rich Phillies, the young Braves, and the renamed and restocked Miami Marlins.

The real loss in that trade is losing prospects - and pitchers - like Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole.  Peacock was the Nats' minor league pitcher of the year last season, and in 12 big league innings only gave up one run.  Tom Milone also looked good during a late season call up.  But the move reflects both a desire to get better now, and the fact that Washington has quite a bit of pitching depth in the minors.

In an end of the season interview with the Washington Post Johnson went so far as to say the Nats were only one player away from contending for a playoff spot in 2012. Most folks thought Johnson meant a center fielder or legit lead off hitter.  

We'll see if a 26-year old All Star who won 31 games, in the tough American League, in the last two years while pitching in the gargantuan Oakland Coliseum - who now is our number 2 or 3 starter after Strasburg and Zimmerman -  is that 'one player.'

A few Nats Notes:

• It will be - at least look like - a big league rotation next year, with Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gonzalez, Chien Ming Wang and John Lannan.
• Lannan was our number one starter in 2009 and 2010; now he's number 5.  Bad for Lannan but proof of progress in our pitching staff, right?
• The two other off season moves the Nats have made also fit the 'contending team' model.  Veterans like Mike Cameron, our new back up outfielder, and Mark DeRosa, who can play everywhere, are the kind of bench players contending teams feature.  Then again, you could probably say the same thing about Jerry Hairston last year.

Real Carolina Basketball

After playing a string of lackluster opponents, wins against Appalachian State and Nicholls State that didn't even merit a blog post, the Heels took on - and dismantled - a legitimate basketball team tonight in Rick Barnes' Texas Longhorns.

It was great to see the Heels rise to the occasion and blow out the Longhorns - and Barnes.  I know Dean would not approve, but I really like taking it to the Hickory native who was rude enough to get in Coach Smith's face a few times when he coached at Clemson.  Of course, Carolina was on an 0 for 4 streak against Texas, so simply breaking that streak was good.

What made it great was how the Heels did it.  

One, Harrison Barnes broke out of mini-slump, one that may have been brought on by being less than focused against those lesser opponents - though that's not excuse.  Tonight he looked like an All-American, making shots from all over the floor (on 9 for 15 shooting), putting the ball on the floor, rebounding, and Barnes also dished out a nice assist to Henson, on his way to a 25 and 10 double double.

Two, despite a few lapses the Heels were solid on defense, holding Texas to 35 percent (both for 2 and 3-point shots) and out rebounding the Longhorns 49 to 34.  

Three, as any Carolina fan knows when the Heels defend and rebound that translates into fast break points - in bunches.  North Carolina used two such bursts, once in the first half when Texas had cut the lead to 8 at 24-16 and again early in the second half to basically salt the game away with about 15 minutes to play.

Finally, getting fast break points was not the only Carolina trademark on display tonight.   The Heels repeatedly pounded the ball inside, either from passes from Kendall Marshall or Jon Henson, or thanks to drives by Barnes, or some freak nasty drives and dunks by Dexter Strickland,* Henson, Barnes and P.J. Hairston.* 

It was an impressive win against an above average opponent.  We saw Carolina rise to the occasion, offensively thanks to Barnes, defensively and on the boards as a team.  As a result, Carolina blew Texas tonight.

GO HEELS!

Though the last few games before the tilt against Texas were not blog worthy, there was one development worth mentioning. This stretch of home games has seen ol' Roy use the vintage Dean Smith half court run and jump defense.  Do yourselves a favor and check out this video of Dean talking about it.

Like getting the ball down low and running - even on a made basket - the run and jump is a central part of Carolina basketball.  It's use in the last decade or so has waxed and waned, but this year Roy seems to be reemphasizing it.

There could be two reasons, one cynical and one practical.  Cynically, the run and jump may be a way to hide Marshall's defensive deficiencies.  Carolina's point guard has to disrupt the other teams offense by pressuring their point guard, something Marshall sometimes struggles to do.  The run and jump should help Marshall.

But practically speaking, Roy us probably utilizing the run and jump because he has the personnel to do so.  Outside of Marshall, Carolina's starters are all rangy and athletic, as are key reserves Bullock and Hairston. This team is made for the run and jump. It's a very effective weapon.  Besides, as Dean says in that video it's a fun defense.  Dean was talking about fun for the players, but it's also fun for Carolina fans, too.

*Extra freak nasty