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.