A Quality Win

Finally the North Carolina Tarheels got their first quality win of the season, 79-73 over #20 UNLV. Since it was played in Chapel Hill I don't know if you could consider it an upset or not but that puts the 'Heels at 10-3 on the season looking at 18 straight ACC games ahead of them. They open up with Virginia on the road January 6. When it comes to injuries this season, it seems that the 'Heels cannot catch a break this season. Starter Reggie Bullock missed this game with a concussion suffered a couple of days ago in practice and in my opinion, Bullock has been the Tarheels best all around player this season. His injury opened the door for P.J. Hairston to get his first career start. P.J. missed the Indiana game earlier in the season with an injury. Despite opening a 21-8 lead early in the game in which 8 different Tarheels scored, they really had to struggle to hang on. I was not happy with the officiating at all and even Dookie alumni Jay Bilas noted several non-calls, missed calls, or bad calls throughout the course of the game. I make note of that because harping on the officiating is something he usually avoids. The 'Heels did have one of their most balanced scoring games of the season putting 5 players in double figures with Dexter Strickland leading the way with 16. Hairston chipped in with 15, McAdoo had 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Paige and Brice Johnson had 12 points a piece.

Where Is The Defense?

The 'Heels 97-63 victory over McNeese State still was not the reaction from the loss at Texas that I was hoping for. Granted they had a 31 point lead at halftime, but McNeese State used the second half as a layup drill. When they weren't driving to the basket for easy shots, they were getting open for 10 foot jumpshots and wide open three-pointers. It seems that Freshman Point Guard Marcus Paige had a sit down with Head Coach Roy Williams yesterday after practice and he responded with 6 points, 9 assists, and 0 turnovers. The 'Heels were on fire from the three point line hitting 13-28, led by P.J. Hairston with 20 points and Reggie Bullock with 17. With the ACC season coming up fast, the 'Heels have problems on defense, their outside shooting is inconsistent, and they still haven't settled on a starter at Center. Desmond Hubert is a liability on offense, Brice Johnson has skills but gets pushed around because of his lack of strength, and Joel James has all of the potential in the world but not much in the way of experience (he has only played for about 4 years). This is going to be one of those seasons where the Tarheels are going to be better at the end of the year than they are at the beginning.

A Win That Feels Like A Loss

UNC's win against East Carolina on December 15th did not exactly leave me with that warm fuzzy feeling that you get when your team wins. The 'Heels blew a big lead late in the second half and only won 93-87. East Carolina had a legitimate chance to pull within one point with under a minute to go. Turnovers, lousy defense, and missed opportunities allowed the comeback to happen. The "heels have Texas coming up and Head Coach Roy Williams sounded almost despondent over the 'Heels performance against East Carolina. They seem to be developing the bad habit of playing down to the level of their competition. I can't say they are playing up to the level of their competition because of the losses to the quality competition they have played this year, Butler and Indiana.

A Work In Progress

This years Tarheels basketball team is going to be a work in progress and a learning process for the majority of the team. It is a rare occasion that you can say the Tarheels are in a rebuilding year but this may be one of those years. Rebuilding for the Tarheels and rebuilding for someone else are two different things. I believe they will still win 20 to 25 games and they will be much better at the end of the year than they are now. It will be exciting to see their development as the season progresses. They have lost to Butler in Maui and got crushed by #1 Indiana (maybe they should stay away from the state of Indiana for the rest of the year) and in the loss to Indiana only shot 10 for 36 in the second half. This is also one of those rare seasons in which the 'Heels are stronger from the outside than they are on the inside. Against UAB they were hot from the outside and it led to a 102-84 victory. Leslie McDonald had a coming out party of sorts with a career high 24 points (5 of 7 from the three point line), Reggie Bullock had 17 (3 of 5 from the three point line), and P. J. Hairston had 16, all in the second half. He hit two three pointers but drove hard to the basket and was able to put himself at the free throw line. Interior players James Michael McAdoo (15 points, 12 rebounds), Brice Johnson (11 points, 9 in the first half), and Joel James (2 points) only went to the line 3 times between the three. They should have wore out UAB on the inside. The 'Heels have some athletes this year. McAdoo is one of the most athletic inside players they have had in quite a while and you have to be excited about the potential of wing player J. P. Tokoto. His athleticism was on display before the game with a backwards shot from halfcourt and a alley oop from Leslie McDonald during the game.

A Different Tarheel Team Than Any Other

This years North Carolina Tarheels basketball team is far different from most any other team they have had in the past several years. Most of that difference lies in the Tarheels inside game. Since the early days of Dean Smith the 'Heels have always worked the inside first and that usually gave the Tarheels a big advantage in free throws attempted and made, usually at about a 2 to 1 ratio. Through 8 games the 'Heels have attempted only 10 more free throws than their opponents. This season the 'Heels are shaping up to be an outside shooting team with James Michael McAdoo manning the middle but he is not the classic Tarheels post player. He is leading the team with 3.75 Free Throw attempts per game and as a team, the Tarheels are only averaging 16.75 attempts per game. It doesn't help that they are only making 61.2% of their free throws. Their is a saying and I don't know who to credit it to, "live by the three and die by the three" and the Tarheels are not consistent enough from the outside to live by the three. Reggie Bullock needs to use his size and P.J. Hairston needs to use his thick body to drive to the basket and get to the line more. Bullock has 11 free throws in 8 games.

A Target On Their Backs

The North Carolina Tarheels two best players are Running Back Gio Bernard and Defensive Tackle Sylvester Williams. With the attention Virginia paid to those two on Thursday night, they sure thought so. Bernard was held to 57 yards rushing but that opened up the passing game and allowed QB Bryn Renner to go 29 for 36 for 315 yards and a couple of TDs. Freshman WR Quinshad Davis was the big beneficiary as he had an ACC record tying 16 catches. He would have broke the record but backup QB Marquise Williams threw him a groundball on the final play of the game. DT Sylvester Williams was the object of double and triple teams and was still a disruptive force. Two plays in particular stood out in my mind with Sylvester Williams. The first was an unnecessary roughness penalty on #72 of Virginia (I didn't even bother looking his name up) in which he tried planting Sylvester Williams into the ground well after the play was over on a double team and the play was well away from him as well. The announcer described it as "finishing the block" and thought it was a bad call. The second play was not called but was a blatant cheap shot by the same #72. On Tre Boston's 36 yard interception return for a TD Sylvester Williams was engaged in a block with another Virginia lineman, and #72 had no intention of trying to tackle Boston on his way by. He singled out Williams and drilled him as Boston ran by. He made no effort to even take a swipe at Boston. #72 was going to make sure he got his cheap shots in.

Going To The Beach

It is hard for me to have respect for a college basketball program that calls itself "The Beach". They have it written on the front of their uniforms, and they have have it plastered on the center of their court, adorned by big palm trees. That being said, they have proven themselves a very tough program over the past three or four years, and I was seriously worried about the Tarheels making a stop over here on their way to the Maui Invitational. Thanks to ESPN2 I only got to see the second half. The 'Heels held a 33-32 lead at halftime and just by looking at the stat sheet, it looked like the same old story. Poor three point shooting (3-13) and giving up several easy baskets. They warmed up from the outside in the second half (7-13), including 5 in a row at one point, and James Michael McAdoo heated up on the inside, finishing with 18 points. Coach Roy Williams is still tinkering with his rotations as Brice Johnson got the start in the second half ahead of Desmond Hubert and Joel James. Brice Johnson has the most developed offensive game of the trio but because of his slight build, he seems to get pushed around on the inside defensively. He still manages to get to the basket for offensive rebounds and easy baskets and he runs the floor well. He finished with 10 points in 13 minutes. Joel James ended up with 3 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. P. J. Hairston had 14 points off the bench on the strength of 3-7 three-point shooting and Marcus Paige was the other double figure scorer with 15 points but his assist to turnover ration is still only about 1 to 1. It was a good victory, an important victory as they played well in their first road game and they needed the road experience.

On To The West Coast

The 'Heels finished off Florida Atlantic yesterday afternoon 80-56 and some roles are already starting to take shape. Joel James will be the starting Center by the time the 'Heels get to Hawaii because his offensive game is already more advanced than current starting Center Desmond Hubert. The Tarheels need to find some outside scoring to go with James Michael McAdoo's inside game. Reggie Bullock was able to provide that against Florida Atlantic with 16 points and 3 of 4 from the three-point line. Dexter Strickland is more of a slasher and Marcus Paige has not demonstrated the ability to hit from the outside in the first two games. P. J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald are the most likely candidates as outside scorers off the bench. Hairston's slump from last season has carried over to the first couple of games this season and McDonald missed the entire season last year with an ACL injury. Brice Johnson has been solid off the bench providing some inside scoring punch and J. P. Tokoto will be important as a swingman and I see his minutes growing as the season progresses. I see the same thing happening with backup Point Guard Luke Davis.

The Tarheel Freshmen

The North Carolina Tarheels unveiled their four freshmen and a transfer last night in their opening game against Gardner Webb. Point Guard Marcus Paige was the only one that got the start but the rest of them got plenty of playing time as Roy Williams tries to get his rotation sorted out. The Freshmen came in with plenty of accolades and are put under a microscope as soon as they step on the UNC campus. None of them really had an impressive debut. Big men Joel James and Brice Johnson showed a little bit of offensive polish, scoring 6 points a piece, but it looks like James is going to be the type of player that picks up about a foul a minute until he learns the Tarheel way of playing defense. Brice Johnson has been physically compared to John Henson but his game has more offensive polish than Henson's did but he is going to be nowhere near the defensive presence Henson was. J. P. Tokoto's athleticism has been compared to Vince Carter's but his skills are still pretty raw. He also scored 6 points in 10 minutes of playing time but had a breakaway dunk and made an athletic move to the basket. The potential is there. The comparisons between Marcus Paige and Kendall Marshall are inevitable but there is a big gap in the floor leadership abilities between the two. Paige's offensive game is more developed at this stage of his career than Marshall's was but he did post a stat line of 6 points, 0 assists, and 4 turnovers. Sophomore transfer point guard Luke Davis only logged 3 minutes of playing time and had 1 assist on the night. I believe his minutes will grow as the season progresses.

The Coming Out Party For James Michael McAdoo

The praise and high rankings have been heaped upon North Carolina Sophomore big man James Michael McAdoo this preseason. That is pretty big stuff for a player who only averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds a game last year, although he was playing behind 4 first round draft picks. In last nights home opener against Gardner-Webb, he may have proved the experts knew what they were talking about with a 26 point, 15 rebound performance. He easily surpassed his career highs in both statistical categories but more importantly to me, he played with a great amount of confidence and it was written on his face and his body language spoke loud and clear. He showed a variety of inside moves, passed well from the high post, and ran the court. I believe it was his coming out party and it will be interesting to see how he does against better competition over the next couple of weeks because the Tarheels have a brutal opening schedule.

Gio Bernard For The Heisman

The 74 yard punt return for a touchdown to win the game was one of those season defining moments that seals the deal and clinches the Heisman Trophy for Gio Bernard except that it will not happen. The punt return is the stuff of that legends are made of. He inserted himself into the game at that point in spite of the fact that that he had tweaked his ankle earlier in the game. I do not know if the "circumstances" at UNC are dictating that he is getting no national recognition even though he is leading the nation in all purpose yardage per game. He had 304 against NC State's highly rated defense. He will miss out on getting to play on the national stage due to the fact the 'Heels cannot play in the ACC Championship or a bowl game but the Heisman Trophy has already been handed out by then. I do not believe you should punish a player for something he had no part in. Cam Newton is still displaying his Heisman Trophy with pride, bought and paid for my Auburn University. He also escaped free of charge and was given the trophy with a huge smile on his face. I believe that Gio Bernard is the best all-around back in college football and it is a shame he will not be allowed to claim the trophy.

NC State- An Instant Classic

The NC State game can be classified as an Instant Classic. It had more twists and turns than a mountain road and to win it on a punt return by Gio Bernard with 13 seconds left was simply amazing. The Tarheels had a 25-7 lead, faced a 35-25 deficit, tied it up at 35, had great plays, bad plays, and an emotional finish to end the Wolpack's five game winning streak over the 'Heels. Jones Angell's call on Tarheel Radio should be required listening for all sports fans. Jones Angell's "No, he's not. yes he is! Gio is going to take it to the house!" ranks right up there with Al Michaels' "Do you believe in miracles?", Michael Buffer's "Are you ready to rumble?", and Harry Caray's "Holy Cow!".

Motivation

Head Coach Larry Fedora has tried different motivational tactics with the Tarheels football team this week, decorating the locker room with red, the idea being to see the proverbial red and to bring out the best in them. If the fact that NC State head coach Tom O'Brien has never lost to the Tarheels while he has been the Wolfpack head coach does not bring out the best in them, I do not know what will. He is 5-0 against the 'Heels, and with his highly ranked defense coming into Kenan Stadium this weekend, looks primed to extend the winning streak to 6 games. At the beginning of the season, Coach Fedora talked about winning a mythical "state championship" as the 'Heels were scheduled to play 5 games against teams from North Carolina this season. If the 'Heels lose to State this weekend, they will not even go .500 against the in-state teams after losing to ACC perennial cellar dwellars Wake Forest and Duke. The NC State game should be a rivalry game but the Tarheels need to win to make this a rivalry again. The past two seasons the Wolpack defense has really slammed the hammer down on the Tarheel running game. The key will be Gio Bernard. The 'Heels need someone else to step up and help him out whether it be via the pass or the run. I think Tight End Eric Ebron needs to step up against the NC State linebackers and work the middle of the field with his size and speed. Bryn Renner also needs to start strong and the 'Heels cannot afford to go into halftime facing a 2 TD deficit like they did against Louisville and Duke.

The Red Zone Vs. The Twilight Zone

Whenever the UNC Tarheels offense enters the Red Zone it ends up looking like the football version of the Twilight Zone. I can almost hear Rod Serling's voice now. The Tarheels trailed Duke 20-6 at halftime and 23-9 after three quarters all due to their inefficiancy in the red zone. The wide receivers do not have as much room to roam and Gio Bernard cannot get to the outside as well. QB Bryn Renner only had 36 yards passing thru three quarters and ended up with 198 yards but their offense was still the Gio show with over 130 yards rushing. With the NC state game on the horizon, the 'Heels need to figure out how to keep the red zone from turning into the Dead Zone against NC State's defense.

Va Tech Fourth Quarter

A beautiful 24 yard completion to Tapley to open the fourth. Bernard is up over 230 yards now. I am officially begging the Tarheels to not play the prevent defense. The only thing it prevents you from doing is winning. Tommy Heffernan with the Tarheels first sack of the game albeit was only for a loss of one yard. Once again the 'Heels D gashed by the long pass. How do you let a Wide Receiver get behind you like that? Logan Thomas does have an arm on him. UNC 45, Va Tech 34. A 34 yard run by A.J. Blue. The 'Heels have to keep the pressure on. Give up the option with Bryn Renner at QB. I don't think that play has gained a yard the entire game. Virginia Tech does not respect Renner as a runner and it will not be effective. Another pass interference on the Hokies? That call saved this drive for the Tarheels. Another Barth field goal. UNC 48, Va Tech 34. The refs flat out refuse to call offensive holding on the Hokies. Period. End of statement. I cannot believe they did not review the Reddick fumble recovery. He had posession inbounds. The Sylvester Williams-Kevin Reddick sack of Logan Thomas on fourth down finished off the Virginia Tech Hokies. The refs were actually going to call holding on that play as Williams was tackled but literally crawled on his hands and knees to get to the QB. Gio Bernard did the rest. Final score UNC 48, Virginia Tech 34.

Va Tech Third Quarter

Three-and-Out is the way to start the second half. One first down by the 'Heels on their first drive, a penalty, and a poor punt by Thomas Hibbard. We would hate for the refs to call holding on the Hokie offense or roughing the passer on their defense. The flags must be Carolina Blue. #9 Linebacker Travis Hughes with the steal! Travis Hughes stood up the running back and ripped the ball out of his hands setting the 'Heels up with posession on the Hokies side of the field. Now UNC has to take advantage of that. Renner shows some escapability on a 3 yard scramble and a 12 yard completion to Davis. A great play fake by Renner and he hits Sean Tapley for a 19 yard TD pass. And the Tarheels Special Teams give 6 points right back as they give a a kick return for a TD. There is that Carolina Blue flag again. I am not even bothering counting how many penalty yards they have now. An important 3rd down pass completion to Davis. A defensive pass interference on Va Tech? I bet that makes the ESPN highlights. I like using Marquise Williams as a change of pace QB. Everyone one knows that he is probably going to run but there is always a chance he might unleash one. It is not your typical Wildcat package. That sack of Renner really hurt but taking a sack is better than throwing it up for grabs. Barely missed Ebron in the end zone and had to settle for a Barth field goal. UNC 38, Va Tech 26. UNC is getting gashed bad by the long pass but a critical 4th down stop gives the ball back to the 'Heels. Va Tech gets away with a facemask on Bernard's 51 yard run and the refs penalize the 'Heels for unsportsmanlike on Blue's 13 yard TD run. UNC 45, Va Tech 26. Tim Scott intercepts Logan Thomas on the first play from scrimmage after the kickoff and now the 'Heels have to play solid ,fundamental football and they can finish this one off. I do not think the 'Heels can run a play without holding being called. End of third quarter, UNC 45, Va Tech 26.

Va Tech Second Quarter

The 'Heels went for it on fourth and inches (very impressed with the play call by Head Coach Fedora) on their own 38 yard line and Gio Bernard broke over the left side untouched for a 62 yard TD run. A defensive pass interference penalty eventually leads to a Hokie field goal. UNC 21, Va Tech 17. A 76 yard TD drive by the 'Heels was capped off by a 1 yard A.J. Blue plunge. The highlight had to be a 26 yard completion to Tight End Eric Ebron down to the 1 yard line. He is turning into a serious stud at Tight End for the 'Heels and Bryn Renner's go to guy. A.J. Blue is also turning into the 'Heels short yardage guy that can pick up those tough yards. UNC 28, Va Tech 17. Now lets see some defensive intensity. I would hate for the Tarheels to enjoy any kind of momentum or prosperity. A muffed punt that would have set the Tarheels up in great field position led to a Hokie field goal. UNC 28, Va Tech 20 at Halftime. The 'Heels really picked up their offensive game in the second quarter as Renner finished 9 for 18 for 115 yards and Bernard topped 100 yards rushing in the first half. Virginia Tech seemed to come out with the intention of stopping North Carolina's screen game and in that they were effective. Defensively the 'Heels are not getting much of a pass rush on Hokie QB Logan Thomas. They need to make him feel uncomfortable back there.

In Game Observations Versus Virginia Tech First Quarter

Bryn Renner needs to calm down or it is going to be the Louisville game all over again. 0 for 5 so far and he has missed at least two wide open targets down the field. The 'Heels have 40 yards in penalties and -4 yards of total offense halfway through the first quarter. Very thankfull for a Sean Tapley kickoff return for a Touchdown and a Virginia Tech dropped pass. 7-7 with 8 minutes to go in the First Quarter. A 28 yard completion to Freshman Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis, a couple of Virginia Tech offsides penalties (very uncharacteristic for a Bud Foster defense), a run and a reception by Gio Bernard and the 'Heels finish it off with a Bryn Renner 4 yard TD run. Renner is still off on most of his passes. A double move burns Jabari Price to tie the game at 14. The 'Heels close out the First Quarter with a personal foul penalty after an A.J. Blue run, a completion to Eric Ebron, a Bernard run, and a failed third and short attempt by Brenner. The Offensive Line could not get enough push to get a half yard? 93 yards of offense in this quarter and 55 yards in penalties (statistics mine).

The Uniform Options

Billy Crystal used to do a skit on Saturday Night Live where he portrayed Fernando Lamas and the catch phrase was "it's not how you feel, it's how you look." I love the uniform options, especially the headgear, the Tarheels have been displaying the past couple of weeks. During Military Appreciation Day the helmets had the usual "NC" logo but it had the stars and stripes imbedded in it. The logo at midfield did as well. Today against Virginia Tech, North Carolina is going with an all white look, labeling it "white out" and I really like that look. It gives the appearance of speed and that is the pace North Carolina wants to play at.

The Vandals Cannot Rain On The Tarheels Parade

When Larry Fedora was named Head Coach of the North Carolina Tarheels it was predicted by many that the offensive record book at North Carolina would be completely rewritten by seasons end. Not quite halfway through the season, and the 'Heels have topped 60 points twice, both shutouts, and set a record with 66 points yesterday versus Idaho. The coaching staff went so deep into the depth chart by the end of the game, I didn't even know who these guys were. Local product, QB Caleb Pressley from Asheville, NC, even got some TV time his Tarheel jersey with a big #16 on it. All he did was hand it off to 5th string RB Kenny Owens and Pressley did carry it 2 times for 0 yards so he was officially on the stat sheet. The 'Heels really dialed it back in the third and fourth quarters.

Versus East Carolina

It looks like the North Carolina Tarheels might finally be buying into Head Coach Larry Fedora's system. The 27-6 win over East Carolina yesterday was the most complete game they have played all season. The offensive tempo is improving although I am sure is not fast enough for Coach Fedora. The East Carolina defense threw a new wrinkle at QB Bryn Renner by only rushing three and dropping eight into coverage for the majority of the game. Renner took what the defense gave him and did not force the ball into coverage. He passed for over 300 yards and threw a couple of TD passes, one to Gio Bernard and a a 62 yarder to Sean Tapley. He showed some really nice touch on the ball on a first half completion down the middle to Gio Bernard for 30 yards and the TD to Sean Tapley. RB Gio Bernard made his return and only rushed for 50 yards but had over 100 yards of total offense. The 'Heels defense had their most impressive performance picking up a season high seven sacks and getting some of those from unlikely sources. Defensive Backs Jeff Schoettmer and Jabari Price and Sophomore Linebacker Norkeithus Otis all picked up sacks. Kevin Reddick, Jabari Price, and Sylvester Williams were all over the place. East Carolina QB Carden spent most of the second half running for his life. The 'Heels defense still got gashed by the run more than I would have liked and even allowed East Carolina to convert a third and thirty on a draw play from inside their own ten yard line.

A Tale Of Two Halves

Two different North Carolina Tarheel football teams showed up to play the Louisville Cardinals yesterday. Their was the Tarheels team from the first half that couldn't do anything right- penalties, interceptions, fumbles, centering the ball over the QB's head, bouncing it to the QB, lobbing it to the QB, and more missed tackles and missed assignments than I would care to count. The 'Heels didn't move the ball on offense until the end of the first half and the defense didn't stop Louisville at all. Louisville scored on every posession in the first half. The Tarheels did not have a clue on offense or defense. They lost the first half 36-7. The second half a team that wanted to compete came out of the locker room. On the Cardinals first drive of the second half Linebacker Tommy Heffernan stopped the Louisville running back on fourth down and that was a play they needed to make. The Tarheels drove down the field and scored after that and you could see them gaining confidence. They stopped the run, they put pressure on the Cardinals QB Teddy Bridgewater, and the offense looked crisp and sharp. In the second half they got it. Several players showed up in the second half and the 'Heels even found a few players. Tommy Heffernan had 12 tackles including a sack and that crucial fourth down stop, Romar Morris had 149 yards receiving out of the backfield including two TD receptions, and QB Bryn Renner tied a school record with 5 TD passes, 2 of those to TE Eric Ebron, and set a career high with 363 yards. They won the second half 27-3. The totals equal a loss but there are some positives to take out of this game.

Growing Pains

The Tarheels suffered some serious growing pains in the loss last Saturday to Wake Forest. The 'Heels were without the services of running back Gio Bernard due to a knee injury suffered against Elon and I would like to think that he would have made the difference but backup A.J. Blue had 19 carries for 106 yards and a Touchdown. Romar Morris also got some quality carries. The biggest impact of Bernard sitting out was in the Tarheel passing game. Blue and Morris are not the accomplished receiver that Bernard is, especially when it comes to running screen plays. QB Bryn Renner did not have one of his better games. He overthrew several receivers throughout the game including a crucial overthrow of a wide open Sean Tapley in the fourth quarter. The 'Heels defense was pretty well man handled in the first half by Wake Forest. They played shutdown defense in the second half until Wake Forests game winning drive. The 'Heels are not getting any pressure on the opposing quarterbacks thru the first two games. They have only totaled three sacks in their first two games and interior lineman Sylvester Williams has 2 1/2 of those. Wake Forest QB Tanner Smith had a lot of time to throw the ball especially in the first half. The 'Heels play their first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when they travel to #19 Louisville.

Versus Elon

62-0. That was a stats stuffing game worthy of the video game NCAA Football 13 if there ever was one. The first half of the game was the Gio Bernard show. He had a 59 yard TD run, a 6 yard TD catch, and a 70 yard punt return for a TD. The 'Heels led 41-0 at halftime and it was just the kind of start the 'Heels needed. They removed their starters before the Third Quarter was half over. Before the game started I had visions of footballs filling the air, passing on every down, and the game turning into fast break football. The television broadcast timed the Tarheels were snapping the ball 16 seconds after it was marked down by the officials. In an interview at the end of the first half, Larry Fedora made the comment that he didn't feel they were moving fast enough. The game was already out of hand so Larry Fedora had to dial it down in the second half when the reserves were put into the game. There were some impressive numbers that came out of this game. 14 different receivers caught passes for North Carolina. They set an ACC record for punt return yardage with 260 as Gio Bernard, Roy Smith, and Erik Highsmith all returned punts. There were too many good plays to mention all of them. Freshman Quinshad Davis made an ESPN play of the day worthy acrobatic catch for his first college reception. Defensive back Tim Scott jumped a wide receiver screen and made the interception. Defensive Lineman Sylvester Williams had two sacks. Defensive back Jabari Price led the team in tackles and had an interception. Offensive Lineman Jonathan Cooper made great blocks throughout the game. Quarterback Bryn Renner had 3 TD passes. A lot of players got valuable game time. The only disappointment I had with the game was the empty seats especially at the end of the game. I think everyone bailed at halftime and I have to admit it was over after the first quarter, but I always try to stay to the end of whatever game I go to. That is what being a fan is all about.

Game Day vs. Elon

As a fan, I always get nervous before the first game of the season because you never know exactly what you are going to get. This season is much different for the North Carolina Tarheels than any other. New Head Coach Larry Fedora is unveiling a radically different offense and defense than anything the 'Heels have done before. A spread offense that will probably rack up more total offense and rewrite the Tarheel record books. The question I have is this offense going to be able to kill the clock nursing a 3 point lead with about 3 minutes to go in the game. The Tarheels are also unveiling a 4-2-5 defense that is attacking and aggressive and aims to turn defense into offense. Fedora's defense at Southern Miss returned 8 interceptions for TD's last year. It will be interesting to see what happens. The 'Heels have some offensive weapons in place in QB Bryn Renner and RB Gio Bernard. Wide Receiver could be a problem especially with training camp injuries to T.J. Thorpe and Reggie Wilkins. Coach Fedora has stated that he likes to use 8 wide receivers and the Tarheels go into this game with walk-ons Roy Smith and Mark McNeill as #7 and #8. On defense, the 'Heels have defensive lineman Sylvester Williams and Linebacker Kevin Reddick as the feature players but Seniors Dion Guy and Gene Robinson could play prominent roles in the new defense. Guy is playing a hybrid end/linebacker role and Robinson is playing a defensive back/linebacker role. It will be interesting to see how the 'Heels defend Elon Wide Receiver Aaron Mellette who had 113 receptions last year and at 6'4", would represent match up problems for any team. My prediction, UNC 34, Elon 21.

The Tarheel Mess

This is the worst off season for UNC sports that I can ever remember. Tales of academic scandals, bowl bans, and ineligible players have dominated the headlines. Now the focus needs to be what is going right at North Carolina. A new football coach, Larry Fedora, has taken over to put the Tarheel nation back on course with a brand of football never seen before in Chapel Hill. He brings with him a spread offense, a 4-2-5 defense, and positive, Red Bull fueled hyper attitude with him. The biggest problem that Coach Fedora faces is depth, especially at the wide receiver position. In order to run the spread you have to 4 or 5 wide receivers on the field. Freshman Quinshad Davis and Kedrick Davis as well as several walk-ons may be counted on to log some quality playing time, especially with training camp injuries claiming Sophomores T.J. Thorpe and Reggie Wilkins. Running Back seems to be set with Giovanni Bernard, A.J. Blue, and Romar Morris all more than likely getting most of the carries. Quarterback is set with Bryn Renner claiming the starting job but a battle developing for the backup position between Redshirt Freshman Marquise Williams and True Freshman Kanley Coker.

What Might Have Been

This was one of the North Carolina Tarheels "what might have been" seasons if there ever was one. If John Henson didn't get hurt, they had an excellent chance to win the ACC tournament and if Kendall Marshall didn't break his wrist, they might have won the National Championship. What might have been...

North Carolina has had several seasons much like this. Teams with championship aspirations that were derailed by injuries. The 1977 season when Point Guard Phil Ford got hurt in the NCAA tournament and the 'Heels limped into the Finals against Marquette comes to mind. The 1984 season when Ricky Blanton of LSU took out Freshman point Guard Kenny Smith with a cheap shot resulting in another broken wrist is another classic example.

This season ended pretty much the same way. When Point Guard Kendall Marshall went down with a broken right wrist on a hard foul by a Creighton player, the Tarheels chances took a super sized hit and their season didn't last much longer. At North Carolina it all begins and ends with the Point Guard.

The Tarheels started out as the preseason #1 team. It quickly became apparent after the first few games that the Tarheels chemistry wasn't quite there but I was confident it would be there by the end of the season.

The Tarheels were playing their best basketball of the season when Kendall Marshall went down. Marshall himself was playing near perfect basketball. He had stepped up his offense, he was hitting three pointers, and he had already obliterated the ACC season assist record.

It is ironic that after one play he made against Creighton, Marshall was headed back down court and the camera focused on him. I saw him mouth the words "This is my game!" Unfortunately that would also be his last game of the season. What might have been....

Missing Kendall Marshall

The North Carolina Tarheels willed their way to a win over the Ohio University Bobcats last night 73-65 in Overtime to move on to the Elite Eight. They had to do so without the services of Point Guard Kendall Marshall and his absence was greatly felt. Freshman Point Guard Stillman White got his first career start and he did not play badly- 2 points, 6 assists, and 0 turnovers.

The Tarheel offense did lack the continuity that it has under Marshall. What Marshall has not been getting a lot of credit for is that he has stepped up his offensive game over the course of the past 5 or 6 games before he got hurt. His three point shooting, his ability to drive to the basket, and of course, his ability to distribute have all been amped up during that time.

Tyler Zeller (20 points and a career high 22 rebounds) and Reggie Bullock (17 points, 5 of 10 from the three point line) were Carolina's saving grace last night. That game epitomized winning ugly but the key is that they are moving on to the next game.

The 'Heels face Kansas next and I would rather the 'Heels play Kansas. Playing North Carolina State a fourth time this season would have been tough. I believe the Wolfpack was playing the most solid basketball of any team in the tournament. They shot less than 30 percent against the Jayhawks and that was their undoing.

I have to admit that I got a certain amount of satisfaction out of the fact that Clark Kellogg's son played for Ohio University and the North Carolina Tarheels are the team that put them out of the NCAA tournament.
The young Kellogg played a solid game and I am glad that CBS did not allow Clark Kellogg to announce the game.

Physical vs. Dirty

In the Associated Press write up after yesterday's Creighton vs. North Carolina game, the writer used the word "physical" to describe Creighton's style of play. My definition of physical is a team that is diving after loose balls, setting solid screens, and playing hard nose man-to-man defense.

There is a big difference between physical and dirty. What Creighton did during yesterday's game was play cheap, dirty basketball and it cost North Carolina one of its star players and arguably the best point guard in college basketball, Kendall Marshall.

The dirty play started early in the game. John Henson returned to action with a heavily wrapped left wrist and Creighton guard Grant Gibbs started hacking away at it after the whistle early on in the game. John Henson had posession of the ball under the UNC basket and a foul had already been called on another Creighton player. Gibbs took a couple of hard hacks at his wrist. The play resulted in John Henson picking up a technical foul when he got in Gibbs' face. What sealed the deal for me was Gibbs winking at his bench. Announcer Clark Kellogg, in my opinion one of the worst announcers in college basketball, said he did not know what Gibbs' "intent" was. The intent to injure was there and John Henson knew it. I wonder if Kelloggs perception would have changed if that was his son, who plays for Ohio University, getting hacked on.

Creighton's Center, Gregory Echenique, decided early on that there was no way that he could match Tyler Zeller's skill level so he was going to try to hammer him every time he made a move. Echenique's idea of an offensive move was to lower his shoulder and bang Zeller off of him. Of course Clark Kellogg applauded his efforts the entire game because why worry about skill when you can try to pound them into submission.

The key moment of that battle had to be when Echenique gave Zeller a double forearm shiver to the chest and slammed him to the floor. Echenique had been upset because on the previous offensive posession by Creighton, he had thrown up an errant shot and he immediately started motioning to the officials that he thought Zeller had pushed him on the play. Rather than play on, he decided to take matters into his own hands. UNC's shot was already in the air and Zeller was just below the free throw line, when Echenique turned and faced Zeller, and hit him with both of his forearms. Neither player was remotely close to being in rebounding position. That was by the purest of definitions, a cheap shot. The refs conveniently called nothing, Clark Kellogg remained silent, Jim Nance mentioned there was no foul called on that incident, and the UNC fans booed heartily.

The final moment came when Creighton player, Ethan Wragge, clotheslined Kendall Marshall as he drove in for a layup. Wragge was out of position on the play, his back was turned to Marshall, and he took a backhanded swipe at Marshall as he drove by. Wragge caught him across the shoulder and chest with the backhand swipe, sending Marshall airborn and onto the floor. The result was two free throws and a broken right wrist for Kendall Marshall. The refs actually called a foul on that play.

Creighton couldn't beat the Tarheels with their basketball skills so they turned it into a cheap shot contest. That contest they easily won. The refs let it continue throughout the entire game and they penalized John Henson with a technical foul as a result. All that did was motivate the North Carolina team as they easily won the basketball skills contest. It is a shame that one backhanded swipe could ultimately cost UNC a shot at the national championship.

ACC Tournament- Vs. North Carolina State

The 'Heels won a hard fought game this afternoon over their rival North Carolina State 69-67 and the Wolpack had their chances to win. Kendall Marshall's 8-foot bank shot with about 10 seconds to go proved to be the winning margin.

The Wolfpack faithful were all screaming charge on Kendall Marshall's drive to the basket. After seeing multiple angles and listening to many interpretations of the play, I believe #3 Johnson for the Wolfpack initiated the contact and then flopped backwards trying to sell the charge. They both met at the same point and #3 flopped. If he would have maintained his defense, Marshall probably wouldn't have hit that shot.

On the last play of the game, a 3/4 court pass to Richard Howell, there was nothing to call a foul on. Three players went up for the ball, two from UNC and Howell, no one had posession, and Howell started flailing his arms around like he was in the act of shooting. He never had posession of the ball.

The absence of John Henson was obvious. I thought the Wolfpack had free reign in the lane and that is where they scored the majority of their points. The Wolfpack had no one to fear to block their shot. James Michael McAdoo had a solid game but UNC recorded no blocked shots in this game. I hope he can play tomorrow or it may be another ugly game.

The unsung hero in this game for the Tarheels was Senior reserve Justin Watts. He played 4 different positions in the game and stole the pass that basically sealed the deal for North Carolina. He only had 2 points but he played a much bigger role and may have to again tomorrow.

ACC Tournament Vs. Maryland

The Tarheels knocked off Maryland in their opening game of the ACC Tournament 85-69 as they had their most balanced scoring attack since the beginning of the season. They placed 5 players in double figures and narrowly missed a 6th as PJ Hairston had 9 points off the bench. Kendall Marshall added 12 Assists.

John Henson went down early in the game on a hard foul and landed awkwardly on his wrist. It is being described as a sprained left wrist and although he tried returning, he was lost for the rest of the game and maybe for the tournament. That will be hard to overcome.

James Michael McAdoo replaced Henson and played with the most confidence that he has displayed all season long. He was strong on the boards and made his shots with a great deal of confidence. It was easily his best game of the season.

The ACC Tournament

As far as sports are concerned, The ACC tournament has always been my favorite time of year. Growing up, it was the only day of the year that my Mom would let me skip school. That "tradition" started when I was in about the 6th grade.

The Tarheels were always the #1 or #2 seed so they would always play at 12 or 7. I used to tell Mom I needed to be home by 12. Mom would come pick me up at school so I could be home in time for the games to start or she would let me stay out of school altogether. I would usually go shoot baskets at halftime to help burn off some energy.

I particularly remember the 1982 ACC Tournament. It was Michael Jordan's Freshman year but he was only about the third best player on that team behind James Worthy and Sam Perkins.

That tournament was epic especially the Final against Ralph Sampson and the University of Virginia. Ralph Sampson was 7'4" and very athletic and there had never been another player like him before. It was his Senior year and he had been a thorn in the 'Heels side the whole time he had been at Virginia. The story I always heard was that he almost picked the 'Heels over Virginia but couldn't disappoint his grandmother by leaving the state to go to college.

UNC won the tournament final against Virginia 47-45 but that game is credited for bringing about the shot clock in college basketball. UNC had a 4 or 6 point lead with about 8 minutes to go and went into Dean Smith's famous 4 corners offense to kill the clock. I watched that game with my father and we both thought that Dean Smith went into that offense way too early but it worked out for them.

The Coach K Butt Kiss-athon

I don't know why but every sports anchor, commentator, and play-by-play person in college basketball feels somehow obligated to kiss Coach K's butt. Hall of Famer Dick Vitale's lips are usually leading the charge. There are several of them, namely Jay Bilas and Jay Williams, that are ex-Duke players and I can almost understand their obligation.

According to these Duke cheerleaders every move Coach K makes is pure genius, none of his moves are open to be second guessed, and to hear them tell it, Coach K is the greatest basketball mind since James Naismith.

When UNC blew the ten point lead to Duke a few weeks ago and lost, on one of the ESPN sports talk shows, they had an entire panel critiquing Roy Williams down to his reaction and his body language after the game. I wonder if that same panel will be critiquing UNC and Roy Williams now that they pasted Duke at their fortress known as Cameron Indoor Stadium and have reeled off 8 wins in a row since the Duke game. I am thinking probably not since it is a whole lot easier to jump off the bandwagon than it is to get back on.

Duke Can Suck It

The Coach K Public Relations machine known as Duke can suck it. As a Tarheel fan, last nights 88-70 win over Duke may be the most satisfying win ever. It was especially gratifying to see Tarheel and all-around good guy Tyler Zeller have an outstanding game. It was also a game for the ACC regular season championship.

When Coach K first started coaching in the ACC, he railed against UNC and the ACC saying that Dean Smith did whatever he wanted to and the ACC let him and he referred to that as the "Dean Smith rules." Now Coach K does whatever he wants to and gets away with it but I have never heard him refer to it as the "Coach K rules."

Going into halftime, I thought Coach K made a classless move by sending his lackey, Associate Head Coach Chris Collins, to do the interview with ESPN. I am pretty sure the ACC has informed its head coaches to cooperate with the media and I think that Chris Collins handled it well. The point is, that should have been Coach K's ferret face in front of ESPN's camera but I am sure he didn't want to have to try to explain a 24 point halftime deficit. The PR machine couldn't put a positive spin on that big of a number.

Duke Center Miles Plumlee is a classic Duke big man in the tradition of Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, and more recently Greg Newton. Plumlee is a solid player but all of the complaining and gesturing to the refs about calls takes away from his game. Seeing him crying at the end of the game when he fouled out on Duke's Senior Night was somehow apropos.

The Will To Win

It has taken me about 5 days to recover from the beat down the Tarheels received at the hands of Florida State last Saturday so I can only imagine what the team is going thru.

I coached high school basketball at a small, private Christian school for a couple of seasons and I could tell when my team was in for a lackluster performance. Early in the season it provided motivation for the games that followed. At the end of the season, it was too late. We had already mailed it in.

As soon as the Florida State game was over, the so called experts were already predicting a free-fall to mediocrity and that was the end of the season for the Tarheels. The prediction was they had mailed it in. Even Roy Williams said he felt they had gotten complacent. Nine straight home games can do that to you.

Before the season even started, so many comparisons were made between this years Tarheel team and the last Tarheel championship team of 2009. The biggest differences between the two teams are leadership and the will to win.

Tyler Hansbrough had a will to win that was second only to Michael Jordan in North Carolina basketball history. He could put the team on his back and will them to win. He also had a great supporting cast but he was the emotional leader, on and off the court.

Harrison Barnes does that in spurts. There has been a few games that he has carried the team but he has completely disappeared in so many others. This years team needs an emotional leader. A player that can get them fired up when the team needs it. Most of this years players are mild-mannered and prefer to let their actions on the court speak for them. Sometimes that is not enough.

The NCAA Finally Got Something Right

It was reported yesterday that the NCAA had granted North Carolina Tarheel Fullback Devon Ramsay a sixth year of eligibility. He was forced to sit out the last 9 games of the 2010 season due to the NCAA's investigation into North Carolina's football program. Their original decision ruled him as permanently ineligible due to academic fraud but they later reversed that ruling and he was allowed to return to the football team.

He was injured in the first game of the 2011 season against James Madison that caused him to miss the rest of what was then his senior season. The NCAA arbitrarily ruled against him in 2010 and this by no means rights the wrong of the NCAA but it does give Devon Ramsay a chance to finish his career on the field.

I do not know how important the Fullback is to new North Carolina Tarheels' Head Coach Larry Fedora's offense but that is irrelevant. He will be allowed to play and finish out his career.

The Start Of ACC Play

The North Carolina Tarheels opened up ACC play against Boston College in Chapel Hill this afternoon. The 'Heels won going away 83-60 as Harrison Barnes led the way with 25 points, Tyler Zeller had 20, and John Henson had 14. Kendall Marshall had 11 assists and an uncharacteristic 6 points.

Boston College started 5 Freshmen and have 9 on the roster and were only 5-9 going into the game. They played a hard, physical game and actually closed to within 59-50 after an 18-7 run in the middle of the second half.

That is when Roy Williams challenged his team to "finish the game like they are supposed to" and they went on a 24-10 run to close it out. I really didn't like the way they finished because I thought they exhibited poor clock management and did not run their offense. With a little bit less than 3 minutes to go, instead of working the clock and getting quality shots, P.J. Hairston, Reggie Bullock, and even Harrison Barnes were jacking up 3's like they were down by 5 points.

This years Tarheels basketball team is a frustrating team to watch. They play great in stretches and they have developed the bad habit of playing up or down to the level of their competition. There are times when they look like an average team. Their defense has more than their fair share of breakdowns and lapses, at times they struggle to keep the opposition from getting offensive rebounds, and their free throw shooting is a glaring weakness, especially as many times as they get to the free throw line. Point Guard Kendall Marshall is only shooting 59% from the free throw line and he is the one that needs to be closing games out at the line.