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!
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.
