Conference Players of the Year

Sure, January marks the beginning of a new year but for hoops fans it mainly marks the start of ACC basketball. Though it's true that since the ACC started it's football-fueled expansion there have been a few conference games in December, the real schedule starts in January. Just this weekend there were two double-overtime games, and a nice road win for the Heels, so the ACC is off to a good start.

The conference is also loaded. Notre Dame looked terrific in taking down the Heels tonight. The addition of Louisville, coupled with Syracuse the year before, has helped reorient the conference back to where it belongs - as the nation's pre-eminent hoops conference. In addition to three teams in the top 5 and five in the current top 20, two other ACC squads have been ranked this year.  That's seven teams - at a minimum - that should get bids to the NCAA tournament.

Tournament bids is one way to measure the strength of a conference; ditto final fours and championships. Another interesting way to do so is by looking at recent players of fhe year and how they have fared at the next level. The holiday break gave me a chance to look into how the last 10 POY in the big six conferences have done in the NBA, with some interesting findings.*

I broke the players into 6 categories: MVPs (6 pts); All stars (5); starters (3); in the rotation (2); earning a pro paycheck (1); busts (0).*

Using the categories here is how the conferences stack up:

SEC - 22

ACC - 21

Big 12 - 20

PAC 12 - 18

Big East - 16

Big 10 - 10

Though it's not a balanced hoops conference it's not surprising to see the SEC on top, buoyed by one MVP type, Anthony Davis, an all star in John Wall coupled with starters and solid rotation guys. The SEC also had the fewest busts.

The ACC picked up points with 4 starters (Reddick twice, Zeller, and Lawson) plus lots of rotation players. Surpisingly and embarrassingly, no recent ACC player of the year has made an NBA all star game. The conference that produced Jordan, Duncan, Worthy, Carter, etc. seems to have stopped producing them.**

The Big 12 rode two stars - Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin - with a good number of starters and rotation guys (Marcus Thornton, Glen Davis, Markieff Morris, Michael Beasley) adding points. The PAC 12 used the same formula, and scored better than expected, thanks to two All Stars in Kevin Love and James Harden plus some rotation guys (Josh Childress, Derrick Williams).

As expected the Big 10 and Big East, two conferences where players never seem to learn how to pass or shoot (with the exception of UConn) brought up the rear. The recent emergence of Randy Foye and Jeff Green were the Big East's saving graces. And who would have guessed that Draymond Green is the only Big 10 POY in the last decade to amount to anything in the League?***

* This is hardly the best way to look at player's impact. Kyrie Irving, for instance, only played 9 games for Duke so was never a candidate for player of the year, yet is an All Star. One and done players do not always win POY, though Davis and Wall did for Kentucky.

** An exception is Chris Paul, who in his two years at Wake was rookie of the year and first team all ACC, but lot POY honors to Jared Dudley and Tyler Hansbrough.

***  Michigan's Trey Burke may change that.

Survive and Advance

If last night's overtime win over Ohio is not the definition survive and advance, I don't know what is.

Kendall Marshall's injury was the biggest thing to overcome.  Marshall did not dress for the game, and is unlikely to play on Sunday, too.  Last night the Heels also had to survive:

• Harrison Barnes having the worst basketball game a Tar Heels player can EVER have; he missed tons of shots, turned the ball over half a dozen times, and repeatedly made bad decisions
• The team had 13 turnovers at half, more than the total number of turnovers in the previous 4 games, and finished with 24 for the game. Carolina won a game in which it turned it over 24 times!
• Every Carolina fan's worst nightmare, a team that can bomb away from 3.  In the words of Jay Bilas, the Bobcats were 'good, I mean really, really good.' They made shots, at least everyone except Cooper did.
• Overcome is too strong of a word to describe 'freshman Stillman White's first ever start' but that certainly was a challenge. I think this angle has been underplayed: how many freshman point guards - arguably the toughest position in hoopdom - get their FIRST ever start in a sweet 16 game?  Has that ever happened before?

But the Heels did overcome all those challenges, and gutted out a tough and important win. This game was so tough and difficult that it frankly felt like a loss - and I'm just talking about the fans. I can't imagine how exhausted and relieved the students and coaches must have been when the game finally ended.

Like I said, it felt like and certainly was a case of survive and advance. Barely.

How did Carolina manage that?

Reggie Bullock and Tyler Zeller, with some clutch shots from John Henson, White and even Barnes.

Bullock was the reason Carolina won that game. Period.  In a game where Zeller was virtually unchallenged and finished with a visionary 20-20 double-double, Bullock hit the biggest shots and made the biggest plays. His 3s in the second half were all killers, and each of the 4 he made came with the score tied or the lead at one, and he picked up some key boards. For the game the Kinston native was 5 for 10 from three, had 10 boards for another double-double, and had 5 assists, too. 

Another great sign from Bullock: in 3 NCAA games he is 10 for 21 from deep.  He's playing fantastic basketball.

Fantastic basketball certainly describes Tyler Zeller's night. Carolina was much taller than Ohio so it figured that our front line would excel.  Zeller dominated the first half in particular and was big late, too.  In addition to the 20 points and 23 boards, Zeller had 4 blocks included two athletic ones where he also kept the ball in bounds. It's funny to think that the ACC Player of the Year is somehow underrated, but he is.  Ol' Roy should have drawn up that last play in regulation for Psycho Z, too. 

Of course that last play went to Barnes, who lost the ball going up.  Hard to figure out Barnes, isn't it, despite having played seventy-plus games in Chapel Hill?  Last night he was simply terrible for 43 of the 45 minutes. 

Of course, in those two minutes he may have saved the game and season.  His four-point play that tied the game at 57 with less than 3 minutes to play - yes, the Heels trailed Ohio by 4 late - has huger than huge.  And his one-minute take over of overtime in effect ended the game. But how does one explain his waxing and waning concentration?  Or is that it?  I don't know.

Early in the game he was aggressively taking the ball to the rack.  But once again Barnes had trouble finishing, and so the rest of the game he wandered the perimeter missing shots.  When he wasn't doing that, he was losing the ball off the dribble - his ball handling skills have not improved much - or making lazy passes.  

But for a few game-winning plays, the concentration was there and Barnes made big plays.  To me, concentration equals finishing so I think it must be that, or it could have simply been Marshal being out. After all, Barnes' play vexed many a Tar Heels fan when Drew II was running the point.

But I don't want to even hint that White's play was like Drew's.  White played 32 minutes, made 6 assists against no turnovers in his first ever start.  And as I mentioned before, his first start was not against Elon or Mississippi Valley State it was in the 'frigging' - or is it 'flippin' - sweet 16.  

Defensively, Roy kept White - not Bullock - on Cooper, Ohio's best player for most of the game, and it worked. It was probably a combination of good D and boneheadedness that contributed to Cooper's Barnes-esque 3 for 20 night, but give White credit.  He kept Cooper in front of him, pushed him out past the 3 point line, and effectively kept him off balance all night.

The one downside to White's night was his passes inside to Zeller and Henson. Too often, especially in the second half, White tried bounce passes instead of going over to the top to Carolina's bigs.  So though he finished with 0 turnovers, I imagine a few of Zeller's and Henson's were a result of catching some sloppy passes from White and Justin Watts.  Some of that is Ohio's fault; they did a great job of making up for being shorter by clogging and overplaying the passing lanes.  Against Kansas on Sunday, White needs to to a better job feeding the post.

So led by Bullock and Zeller, the Heels survived and advanced. This game said volumes about those two, but let's also give it up for Carolina's toughness. It would have been easy to get down and feel sorry for yourself in a game like this, even though it's an opponent from the Mid-American Conference.  But the Heels did not fold when the game looked bad.  When we were down four I had my doubts and fears.

Luckily, Carolina stayed Carolina, the Heels ran a great play out of the boxed set to get Bullock that open 3 that he calmly drained to start the overtime, and the Tar Heels made enough smart and tough plays to win that game - and of course survive and advance.

GO HEELS!

A few hoops notes:

• Tough loss for the Wolfpack last night; they did not get down or back down late either and had two excellent chances to win or at least tie that game. But a great bounce back season for NCSU, who finally seems to have found the right coach in Mark Gottfried.  He seems to be a great combination of Lowe's charisma, Sendek's basketball know-how, and Sloan's competitiveness (and if he's Jewish, even some of Valvano's ethnicity!).
• Anyway, I relish the return of the Carolina-State rivalry that I grew up with.  
• That rivalry may return to center stage next season if as rumored Duke's Austin Rivers opts to leave early for the NBA. Duke only has one recruit next year coming in and may not be as good with a Curry-Plumlees-Kelly-Thornton-Dawkins line up.
• I thought all the teams that won last night looked pretty good, especially Kentucky and Ohio State. This weekend's Elite 8 games all look like good ones, except Louisville versus Florida (I have the Gators winning that one).  There are few things worse than watching Pitino coach (watching Calipari is one), but I'd add watching a Pitino protege match 'wits' with his mentor.
• I'm going with a Kentucky - though Baylor looked impressive, too - Florida, Ohio State and Carolina final four.

Well, I was close - but the game wasn't

Where to begin in talking about last night's 18-point beat down of the right-wing boobs/devils from Durham?  

So many things to talk about, from Tyler Zeller's double double and dominance, to the important bench play of James Michael McAdoo, PJ Hairston and Justin Watts (great D when Bullock got into foul trouble), to Harrison Barnes' confident shooting and dagger late, to John Henson's second-half play on offense and a key stop late on D, to Reggie Bullock doing a little bit of everything, and finally to Kendall Marshall being Kendall Marshall+ controlling a game's tempo and hitting big shots. 

But I'll start here, with my pre-blog.  

We knew Carolina had to do three things to win last night - go to Zeller, rebound and go over screens on defense.  To say they succeeded on all of those endeavors is to state the obvious and make an understatement.

Led by 'In Z We Trust," the Heels dominated the boards. And it was pure dominance, as Carolina was quicker to the ball all night. It was not Duke choosing to concede the glass and send 4 guys back on D to stop Carolina's transition, it was a desire to win that part of the battle - and the Heels did.  

And as any Tar Heel born, Tar Heel bred, waiting to be Tar Heel dead fan knows, rebounding leads to transition baskets. Carolina's board work and transition game is what lead to that awe-inspiring 24-point halftime lead.

The other key was our defense on the three-pointer. As it has been in North Carolina's 5 other recent wins in Cameron, the Heels went over ball screens and forced Duke to step inside the three-point line all night. Reggie Bullock in particular was fantastic - again an understatement - on defense. He is so smart, and big, and good, I can't stop gushing about this guy.

How much gushing?  I told my brother after the game that Bullock's play reminds me of George Lynch. 

That's right, I went there - George Lynch.  Yes, Bullock has been THAT good.

But the key to beating the devils is to take away the three, and with this team to stop Austin Rivers, and led by Bullock the Heels did that for a full 40 minutes last night.  

To recap, the pre-game blog stressed: Zeller, rebounding and going over screens - and I predicted a final score of Carolina 86, devils 73.  Close enough, and happily not a close score as the Heels blew out the devils in Cameron, again, for another ACC regular season championship. 

• I've blogged it before, I'll blog it again: there is nothing like beating Duke in Cameron. For me, the worst thing about Duke is not Krzyzewski or their players (usually not their players, since this IS the alma mater of Christian Laetnner, J.J. Reddick, etc.) or anything basketball related; after all, you have to respect a team that plays hard, wins, graduates their players, etc. But the Duke student body - right now training the next Rand Paul or Richard Nixon! - is another matter. It's simply great to puncture their sense of boorish and arrogant entitlement for one night.
• I was surprised to read Tarheelblue.com's Adam Lucas' column this morning that kind of wondered if Carolina had the stomach to come back from last month's tragic loss to Duke in the Dean Dome. Did anyone really question that? I didn't. Isn't Roy Williams our coach? Isn't he a protege of Dean Smith?  Enough said. Plus, isn't Kendall Marshall our point guard, Tyler Zeller our anchor? Coming back - and keeping losses in perspective - is as Carolina blue as rebounding, transition baskets, and pointing at the passer.
• If I ever suffer a serious medical condition - a heart attack, get into a car accident, etc. - please DO NOT call 911, please call Kendall Marshall instead. That guy is phenomenal. He was a maestro last night, and his offensive game continues to get more confident and more important. There is nothing that Marshall can not do.
• Another key was James Michael McAdoo. Early in the season I blogged on his importance as our only real big off the bench. With Z in some foul trouble last night McAdoo was huge, and his two Johnny on the spot plays, the Blake Griffin-esque dunk and the tip in late -were huger than huge.
• Finally, if I'm a Duke senior the last name I want to see on Carolina's roster is Tyler or Ty.  It's official name is Cameron Indoor Stadium, but our pals Hansbrough, Lawson and Zeller have unofficially dubbed that place Ty(ler)'s House.

Anyway, what a great win.  

GO HEELS! 

Weird, Ugly and Stubborn.

Another weird and ugly win for the Heels this afternoon over Virginia.  Carolina has fallen into an odd pattern of shooting badly (33 percent in this game) on the road - yet winning.  The way Virginia plays defense, by packing their zone in the lane, you would the think the Heels would have needed another Raleigh-on-Thursday-night shooting display to win.

But that's not what happened.  

None of Carolina's perimeter players had a decent game.  Kendall Marshall was stymied all night, Reggie Bullock was off and generally had a terrible game, and Harrison Barnes never got into the flow of the game at all.  Those three were a combined 4 for 24.

Of Carolina's wing players only PJ Hairston was productive, with a mini, personal 5-0 run in the second half.

So how did Carolina win on a night Virginia dared our wings to win the game, but they didn't?

That's where stubborn comes in.

Despite the packed and swarming Wahoo defense (toughest question Evan asked me this game: "What's a Wahoo?") the Tar Heels insisted - stubbornly - to feed the paint and rely on Tyler Zeller and John Henson to win this game.  

And those two came through.

Zeller was unstoppable early, and scored our first 8 points, and of course that freak-nasty, step-threw dunk with 13 seconds left were our final 2 points of the game.  He finished with 20 and 8, another solid and player-of-the-year type of performance, one the Heels needed on a day Barnes went 3 for 15 from the floor.  Foul trouble and a momentum changing run at the point by Stilman White helped take Z out of the middle part of this game but he was great at the end.

If Psycho Z carried the Heels early, Henson carried Carolina late.  In the final 10 minutes he WAS the Carolina offense.  And he, too, had a freak-nasty dunk off of an in bounds pass in the second half.  Henson also was very tough on the glass in the final 10 minutes,  made 7 of 8 free throw for the game, and made a big defensive play and steal off a Virginia in-bounds pass late.  Like Zeller, he disappeared a bit in the middle of the game and had a few very bad turnovers, too, but late he was money.  Oh yeah, Henson also had another double-double, 15 and 11 boards.   

And though he didn't shoot like he did in Raleigh, kudos for Marshall for finding his big men down the stretch as the Heels pulled out another ugly win in a weird game, thanks to Carolina's stubborn insistence on going inside and getting the best and easiest shot possible.

GO HEELS!

A few more notes:

• Hard to measure Carolina's defense in this one.  On one hand, Virginia only scored 51 points. On the other, it mainly looked like they missed some makeable shots especially in the last 5 minutes.  The Cavaliers also took lots of bad shots, none worse than Mike Scott's 18 footer with about a minute left.
• Not much bench play in this one, though James Michael McAdoo did make 3 of 4 free throws and Hairston did have that nice run; each played 12 minutes, while White and Justin Watts managed just 3 minutes each.

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.

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!

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!

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!

Got one out of the way

Glad to see us get it inside, happy to see us shoot it well, and glad to see us win - but very nervous about all the turnovers.  Zeller, Barnes and Henson looked great but our entire back court, especially Marshall, looked way to shaky.

I caught parts of the Washington - Georgia game,  and neither team shot it well on Friday night.  Overall, neither team looked as good as LIU.  

But, still a little nervous.

And have to mention how much I'm bummed seeing Irving back for Duke.  Or is his return the first sign of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx starting to infect Nolan Smith?  Let's hope so.

GO HEELS!

Two straight solid wins

After a couple of lackluster games I like the way the Heels played this week.  Very methodical wins, with contributions from everywhere on the floor and from multiple players in winning at State and tonight at home versus a desperate Maryland team.

The State win was probably more impressive due to the hostile atmosphere - and that we were down early 9 to 19.  But behind our shooting guards Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald - and some nice play by Justin Knox - the Heels led at half in Raleigh.

The final 20 minutes belonged to Harrison Barnes. I loved the way we came out of the locker room determined to do what Dean Smith always preached: do what we want to do, not what the other team wants us to do.  Barnes and Zeller hit baskets early in the half, and Barnes - with some more impressive dunks - Henson and Marshall put it away down the stretch with Reggie Bullock of all people making a huge, Wolfpack-momentum stopping old-fashioned 3-point play along the way. 

In short, the entire team made plays all night, but especially in the second half, to defeat State for the 10th straight time and 19th in the last 20.

Tonight versus Maryland the beat went on. Barnes got us going early and Zeller was a beast throughout the game as they both finished with more than 20 points.  Henson seemed to have at least that many blocks, Marshall and Strickland were dropping dimes on every possession, and McDonald finished burying the slump he killed in Raleigh with 15 points (a nice mix of 3s, jumpers and an offensive rebound put back).

Another total team effort in a game the Heels led comfortably for most of the night.  When Maryland made runs in the second half, each one was answered by a Barnes drive or Zeller shot down low.   We got a little sloppy, but at the same time the Heels were never seriously threatened by the Terps.

So as we head into the last week of the regular season the Heels stand at 12 and 2 in conference, 14-0 at home, and with a nice head of steam.  Without Chris Singleton the Heels will likely be favored at FSU; ditto for their home rematch against the right-wing boobs from Durham. 

Who would have predicted this kind of season in November?

A few notes:

• There's a lot of justified talk about Kendall Marshall's poise, but how about his leadership?  It's easy to forget how quickly he took over this team, and Marshall has thrived as the team leader.  Early this season there was speculation that Barnes, with his Hansbrough-like work ethic, would become the young leader of this year's Heels squad. But this is Marshall's team now.
• John Henson is now 6 for his last 6 at the free throw line.  So it's now official, other than some occasional bad decision making, this guy has no weaknesses.
• Great to see Barnes hit shots early, and I'm also glad that he went to the glass a lot in the second half.
• Maryland played tough, but the real silver lining for Gary Williams' team is the duo of Terrell Scoglin and Jordan Williams. Scoglin hit shots from all over the floor on his way to 26 points, and as impressive as Zeller and Henson were Williams was their equal with 16 points and 19 boards.
• Happy to see Virginia Tech win (for the conference) and happier to see Duke lose (for the greater good).  But neither team looked good to me last night.  Virginia Tech can not run an offense to save their life, and in ACC games at least Kyle Singler looks terrible. If Nolan Smith is not hot Duke seems to have trouble running offense; they seem to be a much worse offensive team then they were last year.  I would love to have time to do a comparison.
• GO HEELS!

Psycho Z!

What an exhilarating win for the Heels today against the Wildcats!  It was sloppy at times, but in general Carolina played an all-around game to win one they had to have.  Losing today, especially after the kind of effort the Tar Heels put forth, could have had devastating consequences for Carolina.

But now the converse is true: this is the kind of win and game that a squad can build a successful season on. 

There were plenty of star turns in this game.  John Henson was everywhere making every kind of play.  Blocks, passes, rebounds, getting good position (he was not pushed around tonight as he was in the second half of the Illinois debacle), and of course scoring.  He even made an important free throw late after air balling two in a row early in the second half.

Harrison Barnes had a three-minute stretch where he looked like an all-American especially on the soaring, put-back dunk in the first half.  He scored seven points during a nice, 9-0 run for the Heels.  Barnes' streakiness included that mini-run, AND a time in the second half where he single-handedly tried to hand Kentucky the win.

Even Larry Drew made some nice plays, setting up teammates, getting a steal or two, and a nice drive and two big free throws late.

My unsung hero of the game was Dexter Strickland, and not just because in the first half he hit a JUMP SHOT!  Rather, it was his defensive effort.  Strickland lead an incredibly solid defensive effort for the Heels, and in the second half he slowed down Doron Lamb, Kentucky's very impressive freshman.

The big story from today's game - besides saving the season - was that defensive effort. Carolina imposed their will on Kentucky's offense, and funneled the ball and Kentucky players to areas of the floor where we wanted them to go, especially towards Zeller and Henson.  As a result the Heels finished with 9 blocks; 5 by Zeller and 3 by Henson.  And when Carolina's defense was not directing the ball towards our big men it was forcing Kentucky into traps and double teams.   It was a great defensive effort, just great team defense.

The defense was key, but another outstanding feature of today's win was the team resiliency and perseverance. Carolina was playing well most of the game, but never opened up much of a lead and spent most of the game trailing the Cats.  But they never gave in, kept working, and made plays for the win.

After a back and forth few minutes to start the second half, a Kentucky mini-run left the Heels down 6 with just under 12 minutes to go. It even forced 'ol Roy to call a time.  Coming out of the TO Leslie McDonald came off a John Henson screen at the top of the key.  But instead of taking a three, McDonald took two extra dribbles and hit a floating 8 footer.  It was a smart, Carolina-style play by McDonald, who was our best player off the bench today.  Twice he passed up threes for an easier drive to the basket.

Two minutes later Justin Watts got a big rebound that he turned into an old fashioned three-point play.  And almost more improbably, at the nine minute mark Drew - told you he had a nice game - made his own three-point play off a rebound fast break.  The Kentucky run was over, stemmed by the unlikely three of McDonald, Watts, and Drew II.

Great resilience and focus - and smart, Carolina basketball.

In the last 8 minutes it was basically the Tyler Zeller show.  As good as the defense and resilience of this team was today, THE story of the game has to be Psycho Z!

First he tied the score off a nice feed from Drew - yes, a very nice game from LDII - at the 7 minute mark.  Down the stretch Zeller did everything: he was grabbing rebounds; blocking shots; taking charges; carrying Wanda's groceries into the house; running the floor; getting great position and hitting free throws. 

Despite that effort the Heels were down one with a minute and a half to play.

But we kept getting the ball to Zeller, he and Drew made their free throws, Carolina really tightened up on defense, and the season was saved.  

Overall is was an exciting game to watch, but more importantly an exhilarating win that the Heels really, really needed.  Last year, this stretch of games ruined the season.  Interestingly enough, the exact opposite happened last year: we beat a Big 10 team (Michigan State) but lost to Kentucky, Texas and College of Charleston.  And the season was lost.

Hopefully the opposite will keep happening, so we'll win 11 games in the ACC, etc. etc.   And the way the Heels competed, kept their cool, and made plays down the stretch it could happen. It was that kind of game, and that big a win. 

Hadditional Heels Headlines:

• Another great thing about today's win? It undoubtedly made Kentucky's wack job, Duke graduate Senator Rand Paul sad.
• Last year's win over Michigan State gave everyone a false sense about the 2009-2010 Heels, especially about Larry Drew.  The good news is the Heels' next few games - against Evansville, Long Beach State, then another rematch with Texas - can give this team a chance to build on today's confidence. 
• Justin Watts was another unsung hero of the Kentucky game. In the final four or five minutes Roy went to a line up of Zeller, Drew, Barnes, Strickland and Watts (keeping Henson's free throw shooting on the bench). The Durham senior delivered with shots, free throws, a nice board and a defensive stop down the stretch.  He even tipped Strickland's missed free throw into the air - killing a second or two - as the game clocked expired.
• Love having Henson and Zeller down low on both ends of the court.
• This was the worst collective game our 3 freshman have played.  Marshall was horrible and made a number of bad passes.  Bullock had a few moments with a key assist and board in the second half.  He also got some open looks that he could not knock down.
• Barnes had that one good, electrifying run in the first half but otherwise he once again forced the action.  One theory I have is that many high school players from non-basketball states can be somewhat overrated, while city kids may be underrated.  Consider Vince Carter and Jon Henson, who came to Carolina from Florida, a football and baseball state.  It took each at least a year to step their game up to ACC level.  Barnes, from Iowa, may be on the same trajectory.  Iowa is a nice place, but Barnes did not face the same kind of competition as kids from New York, New Jersey, California or even North Carolina or Indiana.  
• Look at Kentucky's Lamb, from Queens.  He was fantastic.  It's only one game, but it's not surprising that a kid from New York is ready to successfully jump from high school to big time college basketball.  Ditto for Duke's Kyrie 'Eleison' Irving, who is off to a much better start than Barnes.
• Then again, Tyler Hansbrough was from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, an area more Iowa than Queens.  He's the exception.  But the good news for Heels fans is we got a Tyler Hansbrough-esque performance today from Tyler Zeller.  Psycho T, meet Psycho Z!

CHAPEL HILL

Evan and I just returned from a great weekend in Chapel Hill for my 25th Annual Reunion/Homecoming at Carolina. Regarding the reunion, it wasn’t much and I didn’t see anyone I knew from my class. The only fellow alumni I hung out with was my brother, and I’m not sure that counts (we knew each other before college).



Regardless, it was a great weekend full of North Carolina’s THREE BIG Bs: basketball, barbeque and biscuits.*


Basketball


Homecoming kicked off on Friday night with an exhibition basketball game between the defending National Champions Tar Heels and Belmont Abbey (the scoreboard listed them as B ABBEY; only thing more humiliating than that was their “Let’s Go Abbey” cheer. Oh, and post-Iraq war they continue to use the nickname “Crusaders.” That’s it for the B ABBEY section of this blog).


As I mentioned in my last blog, simply being in the same building with the Tar Heels gets me – even 25 whopping years after graduating – excited.


And I was excited on Friday to see the new Post-Ty(ler) Heels in action. It was great to see my man Deon Thompson play with confidence, watch Tyler Zeller hit shots and make plays all over the court (granted against a Division II team), and to see a slim and healthy Marcus Ginyard back on the floor.


I was most impressed, however, with freshman Dexter Strickland. D-Strick looked great: quick, confident, and a playmaker. His skills - at both the 1 and the 2 - likely mean that he will be the first guard off the bench.


This will clearly be Ginyard’s team. Led by Thompson, Carolina’s front court of Ed Davis, Zeller, and freshmen John Henson and the Wear twins will be the focal point of this team – offensively and defensively. In fact, many pre-season previews have pointed out that this Carolina squad could be a very, very good defensive team.


One last thing about the front court – all five are plus athletes. A deep and athletic front court means the Heels should be able to continue to run opponents into the ground, overwhelming teams with waves of talent.


But the back court is another story all together, the most important one of the 2009-2010 season.


Ol’ Roy has tremendous confidence in sophomore Larry Drew at the point. If he can keep the offense moving forward at all times – a la Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson and even Bobby Frasor in 2005-2006 – the Heels should be okay. We’ve gotten spoiled at Carolina with point guards who can play fast AND not turn it over. We’ll see if Drew can do that, II.


The bigger question mark is outside shooting. Obviously, Carolina’s last two national champions were balanced offensive juggernauts, with low-post scorers like Sean May and Hansbrough complimented by guards like Rashad McCants, Felton, Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green.


This year there is no proven shooter on the floor, at least in the starting five. Drew II will shoot some threes, as will Ginyard and Strickland, but right now the starter at shooting guard is Will Graves. As a freshman, Graves shot the 3 well; as a sophomore he did not. But his shooting was the least of his problems as he was suspended from the team mid-way through the season. Those four will get some relief from Henson and the Wears - all three newcomers can shoot – but Carolina will really need Drew and Graves to step up from outside to reach their third final four in a row.


Even with the question marks surrounding shooting, this will be an exciting team to follow and watch. If Drew can guide the offense and the Heels get half-way decent outside shooting – not just from behind the 3-point line but also from 15 to 17 feet out - this talented front court will score and rebound and run enough to make this another incredibly successful season.


Almost forgot there was a football game played on Saturday, too. Carolina won a fairly lackluster game 19-6 over rivals Duke (who came in riding a two-game winning streak). The Tar Heels defense and Ryan Houston litterally carried the Heels to victory. Houston rushed 37 times for 140 yards after Sean Droughn was hurt - for the season it turns out - on the second play of the game.


Random Hoop Notes

• My first impression of Henson is he will stay in Chapel Hill at least 2 years simply to fill out his body. He is incredibly skinny, and his torso is not much wider than his arms. Henson also air-balled two free throws against B ABBEY.
• Ed Davis had a lackluster game, but all four of Carolina’s front court players have the talent – though perhaps not the minutes – to average in double figures this season.
• After Strickland, the Wear Twins were the most impressive freshmen on Friday night – even more than Henson. They appear to be above-average athletes who hit shots from all over the floor, crashed the boards, moved their feet on defense, and ran the floor really well. Those two are fifth and sixth on the front court depth chart; clearly, this team is inexperienced but stacked.
• As good as the exhibition was on Friday, I’m equally geeked up to watch the Heels officially kick off the season against Florida International tonight at 7 pm. I used to spend a decent amount of time at FIU since for years Florida PIRG had a chapter there.
• But the main draw is a bit of pay back for Isaiah Thomas, who ruined my freshman year by leading Indiana to the 1981 National Championship, beating Al Wood’s Tar Heels in the final. I still remember a drunken suitemate of mine slurring “Isaiah Thomix sux” as we dragged ourselves back to our dorm from Franklin Street that night.
• One completely random note: I encourage all Heels fans to start following Bobby Frasor on Twitter. Frasor is playing pro ball in of all places Bulgaria, and has posted some funny and interesting items about his time there.
• Headline at ESPN.com: Florida State to roll out heralded Manuel at QB. I’m assuming this refers to Evan (since Ariadne plays running back).

Barbeque


I will admit that I am quite biased, way biased, hard-to-be-more biased than me, steeped in bias when it comes to my home state, but honestly, is there better food than eastern North Carolina barbeque?


Honestly, the answer is no.


For my last meal I would love to eat what we ate at the alumni association tail gate party under the Bell Tower: mounds of eastern NC q, yellow cole slaw (with mustard), green beans, baked beans, fried and barbequed chicken, fried flounder, hush puppies, corn bread, sweet tea, and banana pudding.


If it truly is last meal time, maybe throw in some cherries, blueberries, or any melon to balance things out, and finish it off with some coffee. Then I die happy.


The spread – provided by 'Carolina Barbeque' in Garner – was so good I had to take a picture of my plate and post it to Facebook.


Biscuits


Evan had a great time this weekend, too, hanging out with cousin Alex (along with cousin Sophia and Aunt Becky) and soaking in Chapel Hill and the University. But the highlight – at least one of the highlights - of the weekend for him was eating 2 dinners in a row at Time Out.


Evan gorged himself on the famous chicken and cheddar biscuit each night, and we even brought one home for Ariadne (for the record, it transports very well).


The Time Out biscuit, just the plain pastry, is probably the best on the planet. Fluffy and crispy, cut in a trademark square. And Time Out has not changed since I first went there. There are still photos of Dean, Phil Ford and others (of course, Chris Webber) calling time out, and they still keep a bottle of windex in the dining room in case you need to clean the grease off your table DIY style.


* One can argue that there are at least 5 Big Bs, those two plus beaches and (representing the mountains of my home state) the Blue Ridge.