Big Week for Heels

The Heels kicked off the toughest stretch of the season with a satisfying win over Nevada, 80-73, in Chapel Hill last night.


Oh yeah, it was also Roy Williams' 600th win as a head coach (not counting his wins as j.v. coach at Carolina in the 1980s).


Heading into a week where the Heels play Michigan State on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill and a road game at Kentucky on Saturday, December 5th - followed by a game at Texas at the new Cowboys Stadium on December 19th - I think the Heels are starting to round into shape.  They're not fully formed yet, but there was significant progress against the other Wolfpack last night.


One, Deon Thompson played like THE MAN. In scoring 23 last night, including some key hoops late, Deon answered 'Ol Roy's question of 'who is this team's go-to guy?'


Two, Ed Davis played his first complete game - on each end of the floor - of the season.  He ran well and consistently got good position down low, but also did a good job of finding open spots in Nevada's zone. Defensively he moved his feet and was great at help defense.  Davis was active all night and as a result finished with 16 and 15.


Three, the play of Larry Drew II.  He flowed last night, at least on offense, and did not spend too much time thinking/worrying/wondering about where he was supposed to be.  Basketball is a game of reaction, and he reacted well against Nevada on his way to 12 points and 9 assists against only one turnover.  Drew also hit two big three-pointers late to help the Heels put a stubborn and talented foe away AND build his confidence.  Defensively Drew still needs to improve, and a few times he pulled up too soon - usually to pass.  I'd like him to take it a few steps closer to the basket before he dishes or shoots, but this was his best game of the season.


Finally, the team as a whole only committed 9 turnovers in 40 minutes. A lot of that has to do with Drew's play, but I also wonder if it also had to do with Roy's rotation.  Four starters - Drew, Thompson, Ginyard, and Davis - played more than 30 minutes.  That continuity had to contribute to the reduced number of turnovers.  After those four Graves played 21 minutes, Zeller 15, with Henson, Strickland, and Travis Wear each getting 9 minutes of playing time.  It's easy to imagine this becoming the rotation for the season.  


Finally Finally, that rotation helped Carolina tough out a win against a legit team.  The toughness down the stretch displayed last night is another part of the development of this young and intriguing team as it defends Carolina's national championship.