UNC vs. MIAMI

Miami has the one thing that the Tar Heels have proved ineffective in guarding--a guard who can score. Jack McClinton is averaging 18.3 points over the last eight games, and he is capable of taking over a game in the way that Tyrese Rice did for Boston College or Jeff Teague did for Wake Forest against North Carolina. If McClinton can get off, things could be tough for the Heels at home Saturday night. If the Heels contain him, Carolina should come out of this one with an easy win and a .500 record in ACC play at night's end.

13:53--Both teams are forcing one another to go deep into the shot clock. Miami is surprisingly hanging with Carolina, due much in part to their ability to get defensive rebounds. Whenever I am at Chapel Hill, I am surprised at how many of the fans know the rules better than the officials.

10:35--I've just seen three of the most athletic plays of the day. Danny Green recovered on two turnovers by the Heels to have two blocks on Miami fastbreaks. For the first time tonight, the crowd was really into the game. However, Miami 's DeQuan Jones took the ball from the wing in on a reverse dunk that was just as athletic as the blocks. McClinton has nine points, and this doesn't bode well for the Tar Heels. They continue to turn the ball over at the top of the key.

5:27--The Tar Heels have 24 points with five minutes to play in the first half. Hansbrough has 16 of those points. Thompson has not contributed. Ellington has not contributed. They have to get contributions, or they are no better than last year's squad. In fact, the way they are playing at the moment, they are worse.

Half--Carolina, who found itself down by as many as nine in the first half, ended the period with a 13-0 run, which was capped off by Danny Green's three-point basket. The Tar Heels are up by four, but Miami rebounded the ball well. In fact, they outrebounded the Heels 21-19. UNC could have climbed back into the game on multiple opportunities, but instead of committing to Hansbrough down low for automatic points, they continued to launch threes. I still fail to understand why they stick to the three even when it is not going in for them and when Hansbrough is dominating a team on the offensive end. Miami also cooled down at the end of the first half. This is still a game though, much more of a game than the fans and the talking heads anticipated.

14:37--Someone woke Wayne Ellington up at halftime. He has scored 11 straight points and has hit three three-pointers in a row. Not by a coincidence, Carolina finds itself up by seven and clicking on offense.

10:13--Ellington has continued to surge, hitting five three's here in the second half to help him to a 17 point explosion. As non-existent as he was in the first half, he has taken over in the second half. The game is emblematic of his entire career here at North Carolina. Gone one minute and the next dominating. Maybe this game will stir up some consistency in him as the Florida State game did for his high-school teammate Gerald Henderson.

3:13--Ellington has seven three's. The UNC record is eight, and it is held by several different players. Ellington is on the bench now. It will be interesting to see if Williams puts him back in.

Demon Deacons Still Have A Lot To Prove

At the end of the telecast Sunday night of Wake Forest's 92-89 win at home against the once unbeatable Tar Heels, Mike Gminski commented that the victory could be a signature win for the young team.

Agreed. But Wednesday could bring an even bigger victory for the Demon Deacons. Too often, a young team shows who it really is after a big victory, not after a big loss.

The Deacs should certainly win at Boston College in what is a matchup between the two ACC guards, Jeff Teague and Tyrese Rice, who have dominated Ty Lawson. However, young teams have a tendency to drop games. And it is not just young teams, but teams coming off a big victory can have a letdown, as well.

Just ask the Eagles and what they experienced with a Harvard team that should have had no shot in last week's contest. After being the first team to strike blood from UNC, Boston College lost to the Crimson 82-70.

Tonight should give us an even stronger measure of what Dino Guadio has been able to construct in Winston-Salem. If the Deacs win, there is no reason that they do not set the tone and become the favorite for the ACC title in establishing they can win both the big games and the games they should win.

Three's Company

It is with much remorse that I apologize to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for not reporting or commenting on his #2 ranked Blue Devils last week.

Pardon me for not commenting on how they collapsed after holding a 25 point lead over a Davidson team, um, I mean Steph Curry.

Oh yes, and I apologize deeply for my final transgression for not commenting Saturday as they went seven minutes without a basket against Florida State and once again blew a lead.

Hopefully, this will make up for it. I salute the Blue Devils for dropping a spot and coming in at #3 this week. I hope everyone in the Triad and Triangle take notice. Especially a certain coach in Durham.

Heel Yeah, UNC Should Be Worried

First off, sorry for the lapse in posts. I spent my time over my break designing a nursery for the new addition to the family that will be coming in April.

My child's imminent arrival is a sure thing come the second week of April. The same cannot be said for a national championship's arrival in Chapel Hill. What once looked as a coronation at the end of the season is now very much in question for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.

So why has what only a few weeks ago was considered the second coming of an early 90s UNLV become a sinking team in the top 10?

Well for starters, and I do not mean to sound redundant, but this team lacks the ability to mentally withstand a challenge when another team hits it between its eyes. Tyrese Rice's performance against Ty Lawson serves as a perfect example of this. And it should have served as a wake-up call to the guard and the rest of the team. However, we saw Jeff Teague again get inside of Lawson's head and out perform "the best point guard in the country."

Not only is Lawson not the best point guard in the country, he is not the best point guard in his own league. That honor now belongs to Teague.

And the honor of best team in the league now bleongs to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Lawson is not alone in his inability to stand up to the challenge. Wayne Ellington only decided to show up in the last five minutes Sunday night. Larry the Cable Guy had a better chance of winning a Golden Globe Sunday night than the Philadelphia native did of making a big shot.

Add to this Deon Thompson's regression since Tyler Hansbrough has returned full-time, and Heels fans have witnessed a team that does not play effective defense and can score inconsistently at best as a team.

Speaking of Hansbrough, when UNC needed a big three Sunday night, Hansbrough took it at the end of the second half. This falls on Roy Williams for letting his team do anything they want. The senior ESPN posterboy for doing it all right shot too early in the shot clock. And, at that juncture in the game, Hansbrough should be under the basket when a three is taken to battle for a rebound and second-chance put back.

A lack of mental toughness, a lack of defense and a lack of discipline make the 2009 squad no different from the Heels that failed to show up against Georgetown in the NCAA tournament two years ago and last year's group that was a no-go in the first half against Kansas in the Final Four.

If something does not change, this team will match the accomplishments of those two teams--empty-handed come the first week of April.