The Tar Heels come in with the Maui trophy, the country's #1 ranking and a whole lot of offense. They may lose only a couple of games this year, but Sunday night won't be one of them as the Bulldogs come into Chapel Hill and try to stay competitive. Stay tuned for live blogging throughout the contest.
20:00--Here are your starters for Carolina. Lawson, Davis, Ellington, Green, and Thompson. This team is clearly on cruise control and will rest Hansbrough as much as possible. Outside of the Michigan State game Wednesday night in East Lansing, there is no need to play him until ACC play begins.
17:21--The Bulldogs really are showing no fear. They lead 6-2 here by taking it to Carolina. Ed Davis has missed some easy putbacks that should have resulted in Tar Heel baskets.
14:58--So far, the game belongs to Lawson blazing down the court and setting a quick pace for Carolina's transition game. Will Graves has also decided to come off the bench for a back-door dunk and for a three. It's interesting to watch how Graves gets better just from being around so much talent. There is a lot of meiosis going on this year with UNC. So much talent creates more talent around it. When this team peaks during ACC play, I would be surprised if any team in the league can play them within 20 points.
11:54--The Heels have a comfortable 17-12 lead over UNC-Asheville. Larry Drew has come in and tried to find his way out on the court. Zeller saw early season success. Ed Davis could very well be in the running for ACC Rookie of the Year. But Drew continues to play a bit slower than the pace of the college game. Sometimes he looks tentative as if he is thinking too much. Roy Williams needs to get him minutes in games like these to speed up his game and give him confidence.
7:41--Without Hansbrough on the floor and with the team playing fast in Maui, this team became Ty Lawson's. It is the same story tonight. His defense has caused turnovers. He drives to the basket and is not afraid of contact, which results in three-point plays. And he finds open guys like Davis down low. It's his team, and it may be his team even after Hansbrough returns. The Tar Heels are out to a 32-14 lead.
4:20--Carolina continues to tear apart another zone defense this season. When a team figures out how exactly to defend this team, a Nobel Prize could be awarded. My one question continues to be Wayne Ellington. He continues to miss open shots and is not that much of a different player than the up-and-down, sometimes 20-point scorer we saw last year.
Halftime--UNC 53 UNC-Asheville 19. The defense has been the story. Early on, Carolina gave up a number of defensive rebounds to UNC-A, but Davis and Thompson have remedied that and continue to serve as a two-headed substitute for Hansbrough.
17:41--The worst sin in basketball is to find yourself in the air and not know what you want to do with the ball. Carolina has forced UNC-Asheville to commit this transgression twice in the opening two possessions for the Bulldogs. An error like this always separates the big boys from the lower-tier schools. UNC 60- UNC-A 24
11:13--Danny Green has hit three threes in the second half, one of which was launched from Greensboro. Green is an example of why players come to Carolina. If you give Williams the hustle, he gives you the freedom to find your offense.
7:48--The freshman Davis continues to grow into the shoes of of a strong player. He's had authoritative dunks down low. I've liked him from the get-go this season. When Hansbrough fully comes back, it will be interesting to see where Davis' points, rebounds and defense find time on the court.
2 comments:
Green is an example of why players come to UNC. You can go out and do whatever you want and not be coached. You are playing UNC-A. Do you really need to throw up threes from all over the court. Looks even less classy when the "Coach" puts out his hands in a "what can I do about it" stance and laughs. Know they have all the talent, but like in years past, they do not have the Coach.
I'm with Dale on this one. Just picture it. mid-February against Clemson, head in hands, Coach turns emploringly to his bench. The solution isn't there though. If things start breaking down, he doesn't know what to do. Just look at several seasons of NCAA tournament results. Without that talent, he's nothing.
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