My Top Ten List- Basketball- Part One

Everyone has been coming up with a top ten list so I thought I would come up with my top ten list of my favorite Tarheel basketball players I have enjoyed watching since 1980. This is not necessarily the best players that North Carolina has had but the players I have enjoyed watching the most during that time frame.

1. Michael Jordan- Most basketball related lists begin with Michael Jordan and so does mine. I was fortunate enough to watch him play with the North Carolina Tarheels while he was in college and where he laid the foundation to become the best player in basketball history. He had the competitive drive in him and the will to win like no other player I had ever seen before. He is most well known for hitting what proved to be the game winning shot against Georgetown when he was a freshman but I remember the shot he hit against Tulane to send the game into overtime when he was a sophomore just as well. I was listening to Woody Durham's call on the radio when he hit that shot. As his career progressed there were so many moments- the dunk against Maryland at the end of the game, the steal and the dunk against Virginia in the big comeback game, blocking Chuck Driesell's shot to save the win for North Carolina against Maryland- and I could go on for days.

2. James Worthy- Worthy ended up missing half of his freshman season because of a broken foot so nobody got to see what he could really do until he was a sophomore. "Big Game James" may have acquired his nickname in the professional ranks but it really all began at North Carolina. From his epic matchups against Virginia and 7'4" Ralph Sampson to his 28 points against Georgetown and Patrick Ewing in the 1982 championship game, Worthy started his reputation as performing his best on the big stage while wearing Tarheel blue.

Oh For Chapel Hill

The Clemson Tigers came into Chapel Hill and they left the same way they always do and that is with a loss. The Clemson Tigers are 0-58 in Chapel Hill. The Tigers stayed within striking distance the whole game and even cut the Tarheel lead to about six points on two different occasions in the second half.

The Tarheels put together a good defensive effort in this game and they needed it at the end. Brice Johnson was held to three points on one for eight shooting but the Tarheels bench provided some scoring punch. Isaiah Hicks tied his season with 14 points and Theo Pinson had a career high 13. Marcus Paige lead the way with 18 points and finished the Tarheels scoring with a two handed dunk. I did not realize Paige had that kind of jumping ability.

The Coaching Tree

The coaching tree at North Carolina begins with Dean Smith and has filtered down through a couple of generations now. Former Tarheel player Wes Miller, coached by Roy William, is in his fifth season at North Carolina-Greensboro and has a fairly impressive track record while in Greensboro. He won Coach of the Year honors in the Southern Conference while being the interim coach in his first season there.

North Carolina-Greensboro was North Carolina's final tune up before facing Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener. UNC-G was only 4-8 coming into the game but had previously lost to North Carolina State by only six points but it was a game the Tarheels should win fairly easily. I never feel good about these types of games because if the Tarheels don't win by 30 or 40 points I am left wondering what happened.

UNC-G cut the lead down to 11 points on a couple of different occasions in the second half but North Carolina won going away 96-63. Kennedy Meeks is still out for North Carolina and I was hoping to see Freshmen Luke Maye and Kenny Williams get some quality minutes and I like what I am seeing from Maye and this was probably Williams best game as a Tarheel. Maye played 15 minutes and had five points and four rebounds and he showed off some range by hitting a three pointer from the top of the key. Williams grabbed a long rebound and took it strong to the basket for a layup. It is a long season and I am sure these two Freshmen will be counted on down the stretch to contribute key minutes off the bench. Maye was seen as more of a project coming into the seasonand because of North Carolina's depth up front, was not expected to get much playing time. Williams had a reputation for being a three point shooter in high school and while he has not yet got untracked from the three point line, he has shown the ability to take it strong to the basket.

1981 Final Four

I was playing around on youtube this morning and I found a video of the 1981 North Carolina-Virginia game they played in the Final Four that year. It wasn't just a highlight video, it was a video of the game in its entirety. This was the third time North Carolina and Virginia had played that year, with Virginia winning the first two times after North Carolina had double digit leads in the second half.

I really forgot how good of a player Al Wood was when he was at North Carolina. North Carolina also had a Freshman named Sam Perkins and a Sophomore named James Worthy. Virginia countered with all time leading scorer (at that time) Jeff Lamp and a 7'4" Sophomore named Ralph Sampson.

Al Wood scored a semifinal record 39 points in this game breaking Jerry West's record, 27 of those points in the second half. When Wood got hot, he was unstoppable. He scored on drives to the baskets, midrange jump shots, and even hit a long jump shot or two. He was 14 of 19 from the field and 11 of 13 from the free throw line and he carried the Tarheels in the second half. Sam Perkins had 11 points, Jimmy Black had 10, James Worthy had 8 points and Freshman Matt Doherty also had 8 points.

This game showcased Dean Smith's coaching at his finest. He had a game plan for Ralph Sampson and Same Perkins and the rest of the Tarheels surrounded him for the whole game and held him to 11 points on 3 for 10 shooting. Sam Perkins even went straight up with him late in the second half and blocked one of his jump shots. The Tarheels constantly changed defenses, ran full court presses, played man, played various zone defenses. It was a thing of beauty.

Watching this game made me miss the days of no shot clocks and no three point line. The games actually involved strategy, coaching, and it was the way basketball was meant to be played.

Bringing Down The Mountaineers

North Carolina played my alma mater Appalachian State and won fairly easily 94-70. This was one of those games that probably never should have been scheduled but they play anyway but as a fan, I really never come out of these games with a good feeling. The Tarheels won by 24 points but it feels like they should have won by 40. The Tarheels ended up being two starters short because Kennedy Meeks is still out and Marcus Paige tweaked his ankle and missed almost the entire second half.

Brice Johnson led the way with 22 points but it seemed like he could have scored 40 if the Tarheels would have force fed it to him inside. Justin Jackson had a double-double as did Joel Berry II. Luke Maye got some valuable playing time off the bench and he has been doing some nice things on the offensive boards. Maye turned that effort into a career high seven points against Appalachian State to go along with five rebounds. As Tarheel alum Rasheed Wallace kept imploring the Tarheel big men from behind the bench last night to "finish at the rim."

Balling In Brooklyn

The North Carolina Tarheels had their first big test without Kennedy Meeks when they took on UCLA in Brooklyn. Joel James got the start again in his place and rebounding and blocking shots are the biggest parts of his game. He normally doesn't contribute to much offensively.

The Tarheels were down by as much as 11 points in the first half, Brice Johnson had been pulled from the game by Coach Roy Williams, and UCLA was hitting their shots and North Carolina wasn't. Marcus Paige was even ice cold and he stayed that way pretty much the entire game except for a late three that was the dagger in the heart of UCLA.

North Carolina went to a small lineup when they put Theo Pinson in, turned up the defensive pressure, and managed to tie it at 38 at halftime. The Tarheels, lead by Brice Johnson's career high 27 points, pulled away late in the second half to win 89-76. Johnson missed his first shot of the game and went to hit his next eleven shots. Isaiah Hicks went six for eight. Joel James went one for three, slamming one home steaming down the middle on a secondary break, was fouled, and hit the free throw. Luke Maye had three points and three rebounds in 12 minutes of playing time. Joel Berry II had a career high 17 points and, to this point, is the Tarheels most improved player.

The Tarheels were favored to win and went out and won while four out of the top ten were losing, including Duke's second loss of the season. All I heard was Dickie V talking about Duke's injuries. Has he even looked at the Tarheels bench this season?

Not Going Meekly

With the news that Kennedy Meeks would miss at least two weeks with a bone bruise that he has been suffering from for quite a while now, the guessing game has begun as to what combination the Tarheels will use to take up Meeks' minutes on the court. Go small with a three guard offense or use Justin Jackson at the four position and slide Brice Johnson to the five or use a combination of Joel James and Isaiah Hicks to man five. James got the start against Tulane and had four points and seven rebounds and Hicks came in and scored a quick eight points in the first half and finished with eleven.

Where does Theo Pinson fit into the mix? After starting in Marcus Paige's place the first six games of the season, he has gotten lost in the shuffle in the past three games. He scored ten points against Tulane including two three pointers but I believe the strength of his game is attacking the basket.

Freshman Lucas Maye got some important minutes off the bench against Tulane and he had one point, five rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot. Maye looked pretty good rebounding and passing the ball but he needs to work on finishing on the offensive end.

North Carolina Vs. Tulane

The last time the Tulane basketball team was in Chapel Hill was early in the 1982-83 season when they faced an 0-2 Tarheel team. Sophomore Michael Jordan stole an inbounds pass and hit a 35 foot jump shot to send the game into overtime in a game that the Tarheels would eventually win 70-68 in triple overtime. This was the game that made Michael Jordan the legend he was to become. Any one of four or five players could have hit that jump shot against Georgetown. Michael Jordan willed the Tarheels to win that game versus Tulane that day in 1982 as he would do for many of his teams for the rest of his college and professional career.

The Tarheels did not have that problem versus Tulane last night in a 96-72 win. Brice Johnson imposed his will early and often in having his sixth double-double of the season with 25 points in 25 points of playing time and 10 rebounds. Marcus Paige had 16 points on 4 for 8 three pointers and 7 assists and Joel Berry II had 12 points and 9 assists in support of Johnson.

The most impressive statistic of the night was that the Tarheels had 30 assists on 36 field goals and it seemed like everyone was making the extra pass.

The View From The Third Row

North Carolina Tarheels guard Marcus Paige got a great view of Texas game winning shot on Saturday because he had been knocked into about the third row when the shot took place. The long rebound had bounced out to the perimeter and Paige had attempted to box out for a potential rebound. #21 of Texas decided he needed that rebound position even more and slammed into the back of Paige.

I am biased because I am a Tarheel fan but the refs had no problem blowing their whistles the entire game (23 fouls on North Carolina, 22 on Texas) and yet they missed the most obvious call in the game. Roy Williams had this to say about the play (taken from insidecarolina.com "(Paige) is on the floor, and he didn't jump down there and roll around and start barking like a dog." The officiating is getting horrendous in every sport and the Tarheels were hosed in two different sports in two straight weekends.

Hosed In Chapel Hill

The North Carolina Tarheels football team got hosed during the ACC's championship weekend. They got hosed at the end of the game and I believed they even got hosed on a much greater extent on Sunday when the almighty CFP went to work picking out bowl game matchups. The Tarheels were left out of the so called "New Year's Six Bowls" in spite of pushing #1 Clemson to its limit in the ACC Championship game and it took a shady call to take away their final opportunity, and in spite of the fact they went undefeated in the ACC and had an eleven game winning streak during the season. The Tarheels drew a bowl matchup against Baylor in the Russell Athletic Bowl (seriously?) in what six weeks ago when it would have been a marquis matchup against two teams that average over 40 points a game.

The Tarheels deserved much better than what they got from the powers that be in college football and they can say what they want but it is about the money. College football is big business and that is how it is treated. North Carolina and Baylor got relegated to a lesser bowl because neither team has a huge road following and either one of them matching up against Alabama, Ohio State, or Michigan State would not be an attractive television matchup. I don not know what the CFP would have done if Iowa and North Carolina would have won.

Turn The Paige

With apologies to Bob Seger, the Tarheels seemed like they turned over a new page in their 2015-16 basketball season with the return of senior guard Marcus Paige. He missed the first six games of the season in a freak accident during practice and he has scored 33 points in the two games since his return, a win over #2 Maryland and a blowout win over Davidson.

Paige has mostly played point guard throughout his career with North Carolina but now he is able to play more shooting guard than anything because of he valuable experience Joel Berry II and Nate Britt gained at the point during Paige's absence. Berry II has shown the ability to run the Tarheel offensive machine and Britt may be turning into the best sixth man in the ACC. He scored 17 points in 16 minutes against Davidson and has also turned into one of the deadliest three point shooters on the team. He shoots with confidence and he can also slide over to the point.

A Conspiracy Theory

The College Football Playoff Committee and the Atlantic Coast Conference needed Clemson to beat North Carolina in the ACC Championship game. If Clemson won, there would be no tough decisions to me for the CFP, all of the dominos would fall into like they were supposed to, and all of the powers in college football would be happy and the power structure in college football would be preserved.

I fully believed going into the game that it would be an official's call that would help decide the game. I did believe that it would be an interference call or some other call that may have some debatable merit that would be the deciding factor. I had no idea that one of the simplest calls an official could make could have cost North Carolina the opportunity to tie the game.

An offsides call is pretty cut and dried. The defense either crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped or a gunner on the kickoff team crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is kicked.

North Carolina was behind Clemson 45-37 with a little over a minute to go. North Carolina lines up for the onside kick and any time you are trying an onsides kick, there is a little bit of luck involved if the kicking team is going to recover it. The ball was kicked, bounced off a Clemson player, and North Carolina recovered and here was the ultimate opportunity they had been playing for. A chance to tie the game and send it into over time. North Carolina may or may not have pulled that off but they would have had the opportunity to try and pull it off.

Out comes a yellow flag. "Offsides, #30 kicking team" is the call. The announcers, namely Kirk Herbstreit, all disagreed with the call. They showed the replay from every conceivable angle, they had it on the telestrator, lines were drawn, illustrations were made, and evidently that call is not reviewable. Those officials were not about to admit they had made a mistake on one of the most basic calls in football. I would be willing to bet the ACC will not review it either.

The sports website wralsportsfan.com said this about the end of the game "In a season filled with mind-numbing conference officiating moments, it's only appropriate the ACC Championship game ended with an egregiously bad call." I couldn't agree more.

North Carolina Versus College Football

The time for the ACC Championship game has arrived and it will be #1 Clemson versus #8 North Carolina or at least those are the rankings as the college football playoffs are concerned. The members of the College Football Playoff Committee will be pulling hard for North Carolina to lose that game. If North Carolina wins that will put the members in a real dilemma.

The knock on North Carolina this season has been the weakness of their schedule. Clemson opened up with Wofford and Appalachian State. North Carolina opened up with North Carolina A & T and Delaware. Clemson played two ranked opponents in Notre Dame and Florida State. North Carolina played two ranked opponents in Pittsburgh and Duke. I will give it to Clemson that Notre Dame and Florida State were higher ranked but they played both at home. Those schedules may give Clemson a slight advantage in strength of schedule but not by much.

Clemson will probably be a double digit favorite in the ACC Championship game. Luckily for Tarheel fans, the game is played on the field and not on a tote board in Vegas or by the CFP committee members because the deck is definitely stacked in Clemson's favor. Here is hoping that North Carolina gets a chance to play an even game on the field during and after the game.

Senior Leadership

The North Carolina Tarheels have prided themselves on having senior leadership on all of their basketball teams since the days of Dean Smith. The senior leaders are not necessarily stars or even starters but they are usually the ones that have been in the program for four years and have been there before.

The Tarheels went 5-1 while senior Marcus Paige was out, ironically losing to Northern Iowa which was supposed to be his "home" game. Paige scored 20 points in his return against Maryland but I believe he provided something more important than points and that was the senior leadership that is usually necessary for any Tarheel team to be successful over the long haul. Roy Williams described it as a "comfort zone" while Paige is out on the floor and he provided a calming influence to Brice Johnson's emotion. Paige has been there before and they were playing the #2 ranked Maryland team that would not go away when the Tarheels had them down by 11 points. Maryland went up by one point in the second half and there was Marcus Paige keeping everyone focused and together. That is the definition of senior leadership.

A Tarheel Blue Collar Win

Head coach Dave Doeren of the North Carolina State Wolfpack started a firestorm after last season's 35-7 win over North Carolina by saying, "This is a blue collar school. This is a work ethic, hands-in-the-dirt school." Most fans, me included, took that as a shot directed at North Carolina. That quote was still all the rage a year later and those words never seemed to be far from the Tarheels minds.

They jumped on the Wolfpack from the opening kickoff to the end of the first quarter to the tune of 308 total yards and 35 points. Ironically, the score was 35-7 at the end of the first quarter. Tarheel linebacker Jeff Schoettmer found a certain symbolism in that score. The Tarheels did most of their damage on the ground. They had over 290 yards rushing in the first half and only had one rushing play in the entire game that lost yardage. The Tarheels played the game on the North Carolina State line of scrimmage for the entire fist quarter and held onto to win in the other three quarters.

Sophomore running back Elijah Hood had 220 yards on 21 carries and had two touchdowns. Junior running back T.J. Logan had 100 yards on only six carries and two touchdowns. North Carolina State seemed to center their defensive game plan around stopping the running ability of quarterback Marquise Williams. They did accomplish that goal as he only had 50 yards rushing and limited him to 174 yards passing. He did not need to pass.

North Carolina put it on cruise control in the second half and let North Carolina State pull to within 16 points at 42-26 but finally put them away for good. Beating North Carolina State was the last regular season goal the Tarheels had left to accomplish. There was no midfield celebration on the other team's logo, no trash talking, and no post game antics. It was a Tarheel blue collar win.

The Secret Weapon

Tight End Brandon Fritts has to be one of the North Carolina Tarheels best kept secrets and one of their most underutilized weapons. He comes into their last game against North Carolina State with 12 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns but he has really come on in the last two or three games. He repeatedly ran seam patterns against Virginia Tech wide open but was never thrown the ball. When Eric Ebron played at North Carolina, he was a major part of the offense and Ebron was able to parlay that into a top ten draft pick. Fritts may not be that much of a freak as Ebron was but they need to look for Fritts running those seam patterns against North Carolina State.

A Game That Means Something

The North Carolina Tarheels travel to North Carolina State this afternoon to take on the Wolfpack in a game that doesn't mean much in the greater scheme of things. North Carolina has already locked up the Coastal Division title and a berth in the ACC Championship game against Clemson. The game may not mean much in the standings but State gave the Tarheels a beating last year to the tune of 35-7. The Wolfpack let them know it before the game, during the game, and after the game.

North Carolina State has the type of team that matches up well with North Carolina. The Wolfpack runs virtually the same type of up tempo offense with a quarterback that can throw and run and is extremely hard to bring down. Like North Carolina's Marquise Williams, NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissette operates better when he gets outside of the pocket and makes things happen. The Wolfpack also has a strong running game and while the Tarheels defense has been better this season, they have have given up a chunk of yardage over the past three games.

State's defensive front four may be the strongest in the ACC and they can really bring the pressure. It is hard to forecast a low scoring game between two offenses like this but I am expecting a score along the lines of 24-17 in a game that could go either way. UNC really doesn't have a lot to play for in this game so I am hoping pride will be enough to carry them to victory.

A Bounce Back Win

North Carolina's 71-67 loss to Northern Iowa dropped them from #1 to #9 in the polls. It is hard for me to believe that a loss to a good Northern Iowa team could drop the Tarheels that far but that is just proof that early season polls mean absolutely nothing.

Sophomore Justin Jackson broke out of his early season slump in the loss to Northern Iowa with 25 points and he proved that wasn't a fluke by putting up 21 points and 13 rebounds in an 80-69 win against a Chris Collins coached Northwestern team. Chris Collins is a Coack K protégé and I guess they are finally starting to leave the nest. I did not care much for Collins as a player and I doubt that it is going to change now that he is a head coach.

Brice Johnson had another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Theo Pinson continued his all around, stat stuffing play with 10 points and 8 assists. Pinson has shown great court awareness so far this season and an improved three point shot. He made the extra pass last night and continually found Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson for layups.

The Escape

The North Carolina Tarheels escaped Virginia Tech and left Blacksburg, VA with a 30-27 Overtime win and the Coastal Division title in Hokies head coach Frank Beamer's final home game. The Hokies had the Tarheels set up for one of those Hollywood style endings where Beamer gets to walk off the field victorious, legend completely intact.

North Carolina held a 24-10 lead with just under three minutes to go and they could not seem to hang on to the ball. Tarheels quarterback Marquise Williams wanted to hold on to the ball just an extra second or two before making his reads and led two a couple of fumbles at the worst possible times. Virginia Tech scored the tying touchdown with 1:07 to go in the game, sending it to overtime.

Virginia Tech got the ball first and only managed a field goal for a 27-24 lead and Williams completed a 17 yard pass to Ryan Switzer on the first play of their possession and Williams then completed a five yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Quinshad Davis for the win, the title, and a spot in the ACC Championship game against Clemson.

Inside Strength

In the North Carolina Tarheels first three basketball games of the season, they have had an obvious advantage on the inside in experience and length with big men Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson and Isaiah Hicks coming off the bench but they have not always taken advantage of it. The Tarheels did not force the inside against a smaller Fairfield team that played mostly zone and the 'Heels settled for medium and long range jumpers much to the dismay of head coach Roy Williams.

Wofford pulled to within 50-47 when the defense of Nate Britt, Joel Berry II, and Brice Johnson took over. Steals and blocked shots led to several breakouts by North Carolina and finished with a 28-11 run that gave them a hard earned 78-58 win over Wofford. Swing man Theo Pinson had the shot of the night but it was also his only basket. Meeks and Johnson both had 16 points and Hicks had a season high 12.

The outside duo of Joel Berry II and Nate Britt has proved to be formidable so far this season as Britt has provided the outside shooting and Berry II has provided a scoring touch that has them both averaging in double figures. Their play has opened up the possibility of going to a three guard offense whenever Marcus Paige does return from injury.

Winning On Emotion

North Carolina faces Virginia Tech today in Hokies Coach Frank Beamer's last home game. He announced his retirement a couple of weeks ago. It will be a game full of emotion for Hokies fans and players but will that be enough to carry the Hokies to a win?

It is hard to just play on raw emotion over the course of an entire game. The media, specifically ESPN who is carrying the game, will try to pump it full of emotion and turn it into a Frank Beamer "glory fest" (it is not even 8 A.M. and ESPN already has a sideline reporter in the stadium promoting Beamer).

What has largely been forgotten in the shuffle is that the North Carolina Tarheels also have something on the line here and that is their first Coastal Division title and a trip to the ACC Championship game against Clemson.

I have always believed that playing with emotion can get you through part of the game but it can also have the opposite effect of wearing you out. I have seen a lot of plas crash and burn when the adrenalin runs out and the talent and the X's and O's take over. Virginia Tech is not a bad team and is also going after their sixth win to make themselves bowl eligible.

North Carolina goes into the game as a four point favorite and have scored 125 points in their last two games (both home games) and the only two road wins they have on their resume is a 38-31 victory over Georgia Tech and a 26-19 win over Pittsburgh. GT started out the year in the top 20 and Pittsburgh has bounced in and out of the top 20 but in this game against Virginia Tech, the emotion will be the "x" factor.

Man Down

The North Carolina Tarheels have already started out the 2015-16 college basketball season with their best player, Marcus Paige, out for a month. The last time I can remember this happening was 2008-09 when Tyler Hansbrough was out to begin the season for North Carolina and that turned out pretty well for the Tarheels as they won the National Championship.

In the Tarheels second game of the season against Fairfield Coach Roy Williams said the Tarheels showed "a lack of execution" and "a lack of effort" in the first half and only took an eight point lead into halftime. Kennedy Meeks scored six of his eight points in the first ten minutes and then it seemed like the Tarheels decided to settle on perimeter jumpers. Brice Johnson scored 16 but his best work came on the offensive glass, Justin Jackson scored 11 but all of his damage came on the fast break and his game seems to be struggling when the Tarheels have to go to a half court offense.

Nate Britt came off the bench to score 17 including four of six from the three point line and he has probably been the Tarheels MVP through their first two games (if their is such a thing). Marcus Paige replacement, Joel Berry II, had 15 points, all of the jump shot variety (three of eight from the three point line), and the zone defenses employed by other teams still seems to give the Tarheels fits.

Theo Pinson has stepped up to fill J.P. Tokoto's stat stuffing role and scored a career high 11 against Fairfield with eight assists and zero turnovers. I can't wait to see what he can do over a full season after missing most his freshman season and this summer's workouts with a foot problem.

After the first couple of games of the season, the Tarheels have shown that they are much better when they run the court versus a half court game because their big men can get up and down the court and the basketball world has not someone that can make the outlet pass like Kennedy Meeks since the days of Wes Unseld in the 1960's and '70's. The Tarheels outside shooting has improved (15-35) even without arguably their best outside shooter. I see the Tarheels as a top five team right now but their held on number one may be tenuous.

The Scoring Machine

The North Carolina Tarheels have scored 125 points in their last two games. Those are video game like scoring numbers. Marquise Williams had his worst passing game statistically of the season yesterday. Miami may have been ready to defend the pass but they were not ready for Williams ability to run the ball. Once Williams got himself involved in the Tarheel offense running the ball and the Tarheels gave themselves a short field by recovering a couple of fumbles and an interception by Jeff Schoettmer, the Tarheels set sail for their ninth straight win. Throw in Ryan Switzer's seventh career punt return for a touchdown and you ended up with 59 points on the board.

The Tarheels defense blitzed more in this game than they did in any other game this season. The 'Heels wanted to make Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya uncomfortable in the pocket and although he passed for over three hundred yards, it was 45-0 by the time Miami put any points on the board. It was senior day at North Carolina as it was their final game in Kenan Stadium and head coach Larry Fedora was able to take the seniors on offense and defense off the field as a group. They haven't gone undefeated at home since 1980 when Lawrence Taylor played in Kenan Stadium.

Getting Closer

The North Carolina Tarheels took it to the University of Miami 59-21 in a game that was played with an edge from the opening kickoff. Marquise Williams keeps racking up the touchdowns for North Carolina and North Carolina won their ninth game in a row and only need one more win to wrap up their first Coastal Division title and a trip to their first ACC Championship game.

The game was chippy from the beginning. Multiple personal fouls on both teams, Miami had over 100 yards in penalties, North Carolina had over 50, and that is going to happen with a game of this magnitude. The only thing I really did not like was the "inverted 'U'" symbol that Marquise Williams made after scoring a touchdown and Ryan Switzer did the same thing after returning a punt for a touchdown before halftime.

If anybody deserves treatment like that, it would be Miami. They have done that kind of thing for years and most sports are very cyclical. If you play a team every year, there is always that one year that other team will exact a little bit of payback. North Carolina has a history of playing Miami tough even when Miami was at the top of the college football world.

Miami was not a bad team coming into the game at 6-3 and still with a chance to win the Coastal Division. Miami needed a scapegoat after a 58-0 thrashing at the hands of Clemson about a month ago and Coach Al Golden was that scapegoat. They are still pretty much the same team they were a month ago and they will probably end up in a bowl game but that is not good enough for "the U."

Always The Coach

There is a habit among coaches that probably goes back to the days of James Naismith and that is you cannot let your team feel to good about what they just accomplished. The North Carolina Tarheels beat the Temple Owls 91-67 in the opener for both teams and Coach Roy Williams was not exactly a happy man after the game.

Junior big man Kennedy Meeks had a career high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks but Coach Williams said after the game that he was not ready to "anoint" Meeks because he was facing much smaller Temple players and indicated that Meeks should have had a pretty good game. He also said that Junior Isaiah Hicks "did not play worth a dang" after scoring only six points and four rebounds.

Senior Brice Johnson also had a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) but was involved in an incident towards the end of the game that resulted in Nate Britt getting ejected from the game. Johnson had a rebound dunk and he hung on the rim and a Temple player took exception to the fact that Johnson's legs were wrapped around his neck and shoved him to the ground. Nate Britt left the bench to prevent the altercation from escalating, resulting in Britt's automatic ejection.

As far as I know, hanging on the rim is still a technical foul and the only exception is a player can hang on the rim to avoid injury. Now players hang on the rim to rub it in the other team's face and call a few technical foul's and the problem might go away.

Britt played a great game, 15 points and three for four from the three point line) and Roy Williams did credit Britt with being a catalyst off the bench. Coach Williams did punish the whole team by making them dress up for the trip back to Chapel Hill thanks to Britt's lack of better judgement.

Isaiah Hicks

Usually there is at least one name that generates buzz coming out of North Carolina's fall practices for being much improved or they put in some serious work over the summer and it shows in their game. This year it is junior big man Isaiah Hicks. I have been expecting big things from Hicks since he set foot in the Dean Dome as a freshman but the transition from high school to college is a bigger leap for some players than it is for others. Hicks caught my attention when he had 34 points and 30 rebounds in the state high school championship game as a senior in high school. I don't care who you are playing against, those are some eye popping numbers.

Hicks may not even start at the beginning of this season. He is primed and ready for his breakout season and he could be on the floor at the same time as Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks, and Marcus Paige on the floor at the same time. Size and athleticism. We wouldn't need to shoot three's but Paige could if he had to.

Is It Almost Time For Tarheels Basketball?

With the North Carolina Tarheels football team on a roll with eight straight wins, the beginning of the Tarheels basketball season started with not much fanfare or noise at all, even with the Tarheels basketball team ranked #1 in most preseason polls. The fans in Tarheel land have not been this excited about football since the Mack Brown era ended in 1997. If the Tarheels football teams wins out, which is a distinct possibility, they could enter the college football "postseason" at 11-1 with a chance to make some serious noise on the national scene.

The word out of the Tarheel basketball camp is "potential." At the beginning of any season, potential is a good word. At the end of the season, it is usually used in past tense and is the worst word in sports. Senior point guard and team leader marsus Paige has already broken his hand and will be out for the first month of the season. "Potential" fills out the rest of the roster.

For the first time in several seasons, North Carolina's roster will not be dominated by freshmen. There will be a good mix of upper classmen and the freshman class is only two strong and will more than likely not see much playing time.

Marquise Williams

I am one of those Tarheel fans that pour through the recruiting lists every signing day to see what kind of potential they have with North Carolina and to see how they might fit in. Quarterback Marquise Williams was on the "letter of intent list in 2011. I was living in Charlotte at that time and had heard of Marquise Williams at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte and knew that he had put up some pretty gaudy numbers in high school. Most quarterbacks put up impressive numbers in high school so you really can't go by that.

I did notice that he ran the same type of system that new head coach Larry Fedora wanted to run but Williams was already behind Bryn Renner and Braden Hanson so I was thinking that Williams may see some playing time when he was a Junior or a Senior. Williams red-shirted one year and Hanson ended up transferring to North Dakota so it came down to Renner and Williams for playing time in Renner's Junior and Senior seasons. Williams had some academic and some injury issues and it always seemed like he was missing spring practice and the valuable reps that came with it for some reason or another.

Renner was the more natural passer of the two and Williams was the better runner so they put in special option packages for Williams in his red shirt Freshman year but by the middle of Renner's Senior season, he was losing about half of his reps to Williams and then Renner got hurt against North Carolina State. That game was when the changing of the guard at Quarterback occurred and it became Williams team.

The Tarheels appeared in a bowl game behind the leadership of Williams in 2013 but the 2014 became a completely different story. As a fan, I could tell from the outset that the 'Heels were not playing as a team and that all became public after their bowl game against Rutgers. Williams posted some solid numbers but the Tarheels staggered to a 6-7 record including a mauling by Rutgers that made most of the Tarheel fan base question whether Larry Fedora should still be the head coach.

An offseason meeting, Williams once again misses spring practice, and a three pick day by Williams against South Carolina, and the beginning of this season had the same feeling as last season's did to it.

That was when the Tarheel coaching staff went to work. The Tarheels turned more of the offensive load over to sophomore running back Elijah Hood, the running game features less of Williams, and backup QB Mitch Trubisky has not been rotating in for at least one series in every game. Coach Fedora has not been afraid to show Williams "tough love" as he did against Delaware when he benched him for the entire second half due to poor play.

Fast forward a couple of months, Williams has been named to the Davey O'Brien watch list, UNC has won eight in a row, and is in line for it's first Coastal Division title and it's first appearance in the ACC Championship game. This is due in large part to the maturity of Marquise Williams. He had a record setting game against Duke (494 passing yards and did not even play the fourth quarter) but the three best throws he made the entire game were the three passes that he threw out of bounds because the play was not there.

A Statement Win

If the North Carolina Tarheels were looking to make a statement against Duke and their fourth ranked defense, they had accomplished that goal by the end of the first quarter when they held a 21-3 lead. The Tarheels showed from the very first play that they were going to do whatever they had to do to win the game and conservative play calling was not an option.

When the Tarheels ran a flea flicker from their own 11 yard line on their first play from scrimmage, that told me they were all in. When running back Elijah Hood took the handoff from quarterback Marquise Williams, and pitched it back to Williams, there was no pressure from the Duke defense at all. Wide receiver Ryan Switzer hid among the Duke linebackers until the fake was sold and then Switzer was streaking down the field all by himself where Williams hit him with a perfect pass for an 89 yard touchdown and North Carolina's offense was just getting started.

Williams had thrown for 404 yards and three touchdown's by halftime, had ran one in, and UNC held a 38-10 lead. The Tarheels scored two touchdowns with under two minutes to go on long passes from Williams to wide receiver's Bug Howard and Mack Hollins and North Carolina's receivers continually got behind Duke's defensive backs and ended up with nine plays of over twenty yards.

Could it really have been that simple? Duke's safeties play near the line of scrimmage and they were willing to let Williams try to beat them through the air. North Carolina took advantage of their aggressiveness and just through over the top to their wide receivers. Giving up two long touchdown passes with under two minutes to go in the first half really surprised me. Duke did not appear to have anyone in deep coverage in either one of these plays as Hollins and Howard just streaked right by them untouched.

What has been lost in the shuffle of North Carolina's 66-31 win and 704 yards of total offense is the fact that Duke had 543 yards of offense of their own. The Tarheels defense did have three takeaways (two interceptions and a fumble recovery) but that is the most yards a Gene Chizik defense had given up all year long. I don't know if the lopsided score had anything to do with it but the announcer had no problems making up excuses for Duke's poor performance, basing it on the ending of last week's Miami-Duke game.

A Meaningful Game

This is the first "meaningful" football game that Duke and North Carolina have played since about 1939. By meaningful, I mean this game has Coastal Division title possibilities on the line and a spot in the ACC Championship game. Duke-North Carolina will always have the Victory Bell and it is Duke-North Carolina no matter what the sport but if it was not for Duke's loss to Miami last week that came right out of the Twilight Zone, they would both be nationally ranked.

Duke Coach David Cutcliffe has really turned Duke's program around and has made them relevant again and it looks like North Carolina Coach is finally starting to see some relevance in his fourth season. Fedora needed to get by that "we made it to a bowl game" hump and start playing for something more meaningful and this is it.

The Duke-North Carolina game shapes up to be classic football. UNC's offense versus Duke's nationally ranked defense. Most experts believe defense wins championships. North Carolina has played two opponents- Illinois and Wake Forest that have had nationally ranked defenses. The results were 48-14 and 50-14, both North Carolina blowouts.

Duke is a little more battle tested than Illinois or Wake Forest and they very well could be playing on a wet field. Duke's offense is very similar to North Carolina's and North Carolina's defense utilizes a "bend but don't break" philosophy. North Carolina's defensive stat line is never going to blow you out of the water with a lot of sacks, three-and-outs, or tackles for losses but they play solid fundamental football.

Ready For Prime Time

The North Carolina Tarheels proved they are ready for prime time with a 26-19 win over #23 Pittsburgh on the road in front of a national audience on ESPN. Both teams were 6-1 headed into the game and undefeated in the ACC Coastal Division. Although North Carolina had beaten Georgia Tech on the road earlier in the season, many considered Pittsburgh North Carolina's first road test and the Tarheels built a fairly sizable halftime lead and held on for the win.

Tarheels Quarterback Marquise Williams set the tone early in the second quarter when he dropped back to pass, stiff armed an onrushing Pittsburgh lineman while being grabbed by the facemask, and threw a strike to Wide Receiver Ryan Switzer who had slipped behind the Pittsburgh defense for a 71 yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead. In watching the replay, I noticed that Williams readjusted his facemask before throwing the pass. That is cool under pressure.

The Tarheel defense under the leadership of defensive coordinator Gene Chizik is finally starting to get the credit they deserve. Chizik has instilled an "assignment first" philosophy and this has resulted in a "bend but don't break" defense. They displayed a much better pass rush against Pittsburgh and came up with five sacks nearly matching their season total of six. The Tarheel defensive backs also set a season high for passes defensed with eight as Des Lawrence and M.J. Stewart continually broke up Pittsburgh pass attempts.

The win puts North Carolina at 7-1 on the season and should boost them into the top 25. The Tarheels haven't had this much excitement surrounding their football team since the Mack Brown era ended in 1997. The Tarheels are not just playing for a bowl game this season (they already have more than enough wins to qualify), they are playing for a spot in the ACC Championship game, a championship they have not won since Lawrence Taylor roamed the field at Kenan Stadium.

Special Teams

Inside Carolina put o a stat today that really surprised me about the Tarheel Special Teams. Between Corbin Daly and Hunter Lent, the Tarheels have punted the fewest times in the NCAA with 18 and they are also the only team in college football that has not allowed a punt return. Combine that with Ryan Switzer 14.4 yard punt return average (it would be much higher if not for the "phantom" fair catch against Wake Forest) and T.J. Logan's kickoff returns and UNC has one of the top ranked Special Team's units in the nation.

Larry Fedora has always emphasized special teams play since he was introduced as North Carolina's football coach and that is how many players earn playing time as freshman by cutting their teeth on special teams. That is how Wide Receiver Mack Hollins first caught the attention of the coaches and Coach Fedora has never been afraid to use his starters on these units.

Several games a season are won or lost with special teams play. The Georgia Tech-Florida State game and the Michigan State-Michigan are recent examples. The first involved a blocked field goal and the second involved a botched punt attempt. Both games were played out on the national stage and both were the deciding score in the game and occurred on the last play.

The Longest Drive

The North Carolina Tarheels won ugly against the Virginia Cavaliers or as Head Coach Larry Fedora described it, a very "sloppy" game to improve to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Coastal Division with a showdown Thursday night against and fellow Coastal unbeaten, #25 Pittsburgh.

The Tarheels turned the ball over twice in the first half and had 135 yards in penalties for the game. These penalties most often came at the most inopportune times and the penalties either brought back long Tarheel plays or killed momentum and on the defensive side of the ball, extended Virginia drives and kept the Cavaliers in the game. The Tarheels came up with five turnovers of their own in the second half (two fumble recoveries and three interceptions) to keep the Cavaliers in check.

The Tarheels were only up 16-13 when they received the ball at their own seven yard line after a punt bounced off the leg of Tarheel defensive back and punt return blocker Mike Hughes. Ryan Switzer alertly dove on the ball to keep the possession for the Tarheels. What happened next may have been a record for a Larry Fedora coached Tarheel team. The Tarheels went 93 yards in 13 plays and consumed 5:58 off the clock to give the Tarheels a 23-13 lead. If the Tarheels have a drive that lasts more than two minutes, it is considered a long drive. The Tarheels used short passes from Marquise Williams and a running game that largely featured Williams and Elijah Hood to cover this much ground.

Williams finished with 297 yards of total offense (226 yards passing, 71 rushing) and Hood finished with his fourth 100 yard rushing game on the season, totaling 101 yards and two touchdowns. It was a win for the Tarheels in what I considered a "trap" game and it doesn't matter if they won ugly or won sloppy, the Tarheels still won.

Taking It To The Defense

Wake Forest came into Chapel Hill with the 15th ranked defense in college football and left Kenan Stadium with the Tar Heel and the rest of North Carolina's foot in their ass to the final score of 50-14.

North Carolina got off to a rough start with Quarterback Marquise Williams throwing interceptions in the their first two drives and a three-and-out on their third drive. Wake Forest's defense was playing in your face aggressive defense and I was thinking "This is going to be a long game." The 'Heels got rolling in the second quarter with a long touchdown pass from Williams to Wide Receiver Mack Hollins and the Tarheels went on to score 29 points in the quarter to lead 29-14 at halftime.

There are times that I wonder if Tarheel coaches even know that Running Back Elijah Hood is standing in the backfield. He had eight carries for 101 yards and a long touchdown run but there was really only one series in the game that he was featured. Hood is well on his way to a thousand yard season and he doesn't even get 15 carries a game.

Freshman phenom (can you call a football player that?) and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton got his first action of his Tarheel career and had four tackles. The downside to him playing is that the Tarheels had to remove his red shirt because of injuries to the interior of the defensive line. Dalton was very active and Dalton said after the game "it's just football."

The light has come on for Senior Linebackers Shakeel Rashad and Junior Gnonkonde as Rashad has had an excellent season and Gnonkonde had the best game of his career against Wake Forest with nine tackles and two sacks and was all over the field. He was a disruptive force. I believe Rashad and Gnonkonde are both thriving under defensive coordinator Gene Chizik because of his return to the more traditional 4-3 defense. I don't think anyone thrived in the last couple of seasons playing the 4-2-5.

Wake Forest Brings The Defense

The North Carolina Tarheels offense will face their biggest test of the season when they face Wake Forest's defense and their exotic blitz packages. Wake Forest beat Boston College 3-0 last Saturday and in today's era of high scoring offenses, that is unheard of. Wake Forest's Defense is highly ranked nationally and North Carolina needs to make them pay for their blitzes.

North Carolina has won four in a row and they are favored to win their next two games over Wake Forest and Virginia and become bowl eligible before they face the most difficult part of their schedule. The 'Heels have the Coastal Division title within their sights and this could be the year that Larry Fedora's team turns the corner from pretender to contender.

A Comeback For The Ages

The North Carolina Tarheels had a historic comeback win against Georgia Tech coming back from a 21-0 deficit and grinding out a 38-31 win at Georgia Tech. Marquise Williams posted a stat line against Georgia Tech that probably has not been seen at North Carolina since the days of Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice. Williams led the team in passing, rushing, and receiving and he scored a touchdown rushing and receiving.

Larry Fedora outcoached Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson. North Carolina beat Georgia Tech at their own game, rushing for over 200 yards and playing a great defensive second half. The defense could not stop Georgia Tech in the first half until about four minutes to go in the first half. North Carolina scored two quick times to pull to within 21-14 and the momentum quickly shifted.

I applaud Fedora's onside kick early in the second half. He had the momentum and went for the throat of Georgia Tech. The defense allowed less than two yards a carry in the second half and Linebackers Cayson Collins and Jeff Schoettmer were all over the place during the pivotal defensive stops. Collins had the best game of his young career with 10 total tackles and Schoettmer, the fifth year senior, matched that total.

North Carolina proved a lot on this day. They can win a big game on the road, they can overcome adversity, and this is not the same Tarheel defense from the past several seasons. Their defense kept them in the game and their offense rose to the occasion and Coach Fedora showed no fear in going to his bag of tricks at just the right time. The Wide Receiver pass from Quinshad Davis to Marquise Williams was a beautiful call and executed to perfection and I believe that was the play that finished off Georgia Tech.

Playing Georgia Tech

As a diehard Tarheel fan, I really hate seeing Georgia Tech on the schedule. Georgia Tech Paul Johnson's team runs the triple option offense and unless the 'Heels play one of the military academies, they are only going to see that offense once a season. Georgia Tech has put up video game like numbers on North Carolina's defense in the three seasons that Larry Fedora has been head coach at North Carolina. Georgia Tech started the season ranked in the top 15 but have lost two in a row, both on the road, but return home for this game. This game could go a long way in deciding the Coastal Division title.

In North Carolina's 48-43 win last season, Georgia Tech had over 600 yards of offense including almost 400 yards rushing. North Carolina has since switched to a more traditional 4-3 defense and the most points Gene Chizik's defense has given up this season is 17 against South Carolina.

This is the type of game that North Carolina's up tempo offense works against them. Georgia Tech is capable of going the length of the field and burning six to seven minutes off the clock. North Carolina's scoring drives only last two to three minutes on a long drive. North Carolina cannot afford to many three and outs in order to give their defense some rest. North Carolina's front four has to hold their own in this game and limit Georgia Tech's explosive plays and force a few three and outs of their own. On a wet field, North Carolina needs to force some turnovers and make Georgia Tech put the ball on the ground. I do believe that a wet field favors a team that can run the ball and North Carolina's running game has been much improved this season.

North Carolina's Marquise Williams put up 390 yards passing last season with four TD's and while he may not need those types of numbers, he needs to have a solid error free game in order to give North Carolina chance. It will be interesting to see how he responds after being pulled from last week's Delaware game. I look for North Carolina to try to establish Elijah Hood early on and try to open up the play action passes later on in the game.

Two Different Quarterbacks

Is a Quarterback controversy brewing for the North Carolina Tarheels? Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky are tasked to run the same system at North Carolina. Williams and Trubisky are very different Quarterbacks.

Williams is the better and more powerful runner of the two and has been the starter since Bryn Renner got hurt midway through the NC State game in 2013. Williams led North Carolina in passing and rushing in 2014. Williams decision making has been in question this season. He threw three interceptions against South Carolina in their opening loss and threw another pick against Illinois. He was trying to force something that wasn't there. Williams questionable decision making got him pulled from the game against Delaware.

Trubisky is the better passer but he still has the ability to run but he is not going to be able to break off the long run like Williams can. Against Delaware, Trubisky brought the explosive pass play that has been missing thus far this season back to North Carolina's offense.

Coach Larry Fedora claims that Williams is still the starting Quarterback but from a fan's point of view, it seems that Fedora is more run heavy with Williams in the game. Fedora seems to have lost confidence in William's ability to make good decisions when passing the ball. The ability to throw the ball deep has always been a key element in any Fedora coached offense. It will be interesting to see how long he stays with Williams against Georgia Tech if he struggles again. Luckily he has Trubisky waiting in the wings.

The Relief Quarterback

The North Carolina Tarheels were only leading Delaware 10-7 when Quarterback Marquise Williams helmet was knocked off and he had to come out of the game for at least one play. Marquise Williams never went back in the game as backup Mitch Trubisky took over and had the game of his young collegiate career. Trubisky finished 17-20 for 312 yards and four touchdowns and he rushed for 39 yards.

An offense that wasn't running on all cylinders with Williams in the game switched over to nitrous oxide with Trubisky steering the offense. Coach Larry Fedora explained the switch at Quarterback by saying "I wasn't happy with the way we were executing" and "Mitch ran the offense and did a good job." It has not been uncommon for the past couple of seasons for Fedora to put Trubisky in for a series in the first half of games over the past couple of seasons but this was the most extended playing time Trubisky has received in a game.

Records Were Broken

It was a record breaking day for a couple of the Tarheels yesterday against Big 10 opponent Illinois in the Tarheels 48-14 win. Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis caught his 22nd career touchdown pass, breaking a tie with Hakeem Nicks, and Punt Returner Ryan Switzer had 168 punt return yards to break the Tarheel record for one game held by Bud Carson. That record had stood since 1951. Switzer had a 71 yard punt return and he closed out the scoring with an 85 yard return in the fourth quarter.

With the exception of an interception by Quarterback Marquise Williams, the Tarheels played a great game. The most notable improvements are in their defense and their special teams. The defense was flying all over the field and Donnie Miles, Jr., and Shakeel Rashad had some wicked hits on Illinois wide receivers and running backs. I am impressed with Rashad's ability to diagnose plays. He sniffed out a wide receiver screen and crushed the wide receiver for about a five yard loss. Miles was in the backfield on running back sweeps before the running back could start making his move. Gene Chizik has made a big difference with his scheme and you can tell the coaching staff and players have been watching some film.

Marquise Williams and Elijah Hood both had over one hundred yards rushing and Williams had over 200 yards passing and two touchdowns. North Carolina seems more focused on running the ball this year and Hood has had over one hundred yards rushing in two games already. After the first game against South Carolina, the Tarheels game plan has been more balanced.

Nick Weiler hit another 48 yard field goal and is five for five this season with a pair of 48 yarders. Fedora is confident enough in the kicking game to send Weiler out there this year in any kicking situation. You can tell that Weiler put in the work this past off season.

A Win Is A Win

I watched the North Carolina-North Carolina A & T game on ESPN3 on my laptop at my desk. That was an enjoyable experience and a great way to watch a football game. North Carolina needed a bounce back win after the disappointment against South Carolina and North Carolina A & T was a good opponent. A & T had some speed and although they are an FCS team, they were coming off a 9-3 record and picked to win their league again this year. They were overmatched against North Carolina and although North Carolina won 53-14, they still have work to do.

The Tarheel fans and the media had wanted more of Running Back Elijah Hood and that is what Coach Larry Fedora gave them. Hood was coming off a breakout game against South Carolina but he only had 56 yards rushing against A & T. The Tarheels had 224 yards rushing as a team but the three longest runs were made by the Quarterbacks- 19 yards by Marquise Williams, 35 yards by Mitch Trubisky, and 18 yards by Caleb Henderson. The Tarheels also went six deep in their Running Backs so most everyone got a few carries.

Marquise Williams had a "bounce back" game against A & T. He was 15 for 20 for over 200 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another one. He made some nice touch throws, one down the sideline to Tight End Kendrick Singleton that he hit in stride down the right sideline for a touchdown.

The defense showed the kind of improvement I was looking for. They were quick to the ball but the only thing that concerns me is the lack of pressure they are putting on the Quarterback with their front four. Defensive coordinator Gen Chizik has really not unveiled a lot of blitz packages and I am hoping he can dial something up. Linebacker Shakeel Rashad did a great job of reading plays, had one interception and should have had another one. Sam Smiley had a fumble return that he almost took back all of the way and M.J. Stewart also had an interception.

The 'Heels receiving corps had a good game and they unveiled a new red zone weapon in backup Tight End Brandon Fritts. His first two collegiate catches were for touchdowns, one of those from his former high school Quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

A Trap Game

As a North Carolina Tarheels fan, I hate to place to much emphasis on a game against North Carolina A & T but this is an important game for North Carolina. It is a game that the Tarheels could possibly lose. A & T has talent and speed at the skill positions and is coming off a 9-3 season and a 61-0 loss over Shaw University. It is a game North Carolina should win but North Carolina has struggled with games they should win over the past couple of seasons. A & T's coach Rod Broadway is a former Tarheels player in the 1970's and a former assistant for the Tarheels. North Carolina A & T would love nothing more than to come intChapel Hill and go back to Greensboro with a win.

Quarterback Marquise Williams confidence was shaken against South Carolina with the three interceptions and that was carried over from the last two games last season. If Williams struggles early, I look for Fedora to give backup Mitch Trubisky some meaningful playing time. I look for the Tarheels to establish the running game behind Elijah Hood and the offense needs to develop some consistency and the defense needs to continue to show improvement. I would like the defense to be able to get some pressure on the Quarterback with their front four and to take advantage of a young A & T offensive line.

It Is Time

This season marks Head Coach Larry Fedora's fourth season in Chapel Hill. This is the season that he has to show that the North Carolina Tarheels are headed in the right direction. He took a major step in the off season by hiring Gene Chizik as his defensive coordinator. Chizik Immediately switched the Tarheels defense to a more traditional 4-3 and the "bend but break like a twig" 4-2-5 of Vic Koenning is gone.

The biggest questions the Tarheel football team faced coming in to this season was their defense and special teams. Both performed well enough to win the opener against South Carolina. The defense gave up 394 yards, 254 yards of those were rushing yards, but only 17 points. That point total already best last season's lowest points allowed of 20 against Duke. The Tarheels were facing a South Carolina Quarterback that had only thrown two collegiate passes coming into the game.

The kicking game for the Tarheels was among the weakest in college football last season. The Tarheel kickers did not have a field goal longer than 29 yards last season. Nick Weiler had two field goals (47,30) longer than that in the first game. This was another critical improvement for the Tarheels.

What was not expected to be a problem for the Tarheels was the offense. Their high scoring offense was expected to be even better this season. They have weapons at all of the key positions- Quarterback, Wide Receiver, and a stable of Running Backs that run four deep. The veteran offensive line had several penalties and outside of his touchdown pass to Bug Howard, Starting Quarterback Marquise Williams could never seem to get untracked. He threw three interceptions against South Carolina, two of those in the end zone. Running Back Elijah Hood had 13 carries for 138 yards but was conspicuously absent at key moments in the game.

Coach Fedora's play calling, the fact that he stuck with Williams for the entire game, and the fact that he did not use Hood more was all called in to question after the game. The bottom line is that the Tarheels need to win the games they have a chance to win and they should have won the South Carolina game. The team showed critical improvement in two of the three phases of the game, but the team's strength, their offense, let them down.

Back From Hiatus

I am back writing about Tarheel sports after a three month long hiatus. The basketball team's season ended with a loss to eventual runner up Wisconsin, Jean Pierre Tokoto decided to forego his Senior season and enter the NBA draft, where he was selected in the second round, #58 overall, by the Philadelphia 76ers. I have always said his athleticism reminded me of a young Julius Erving.

Spring Football practice came and went and starting Quarterback Marquise Williams missed Spring football recovering from an injury. Backup Mitch Trubisky got a lot of reps and got some quality playing time last year as a Redshirt Freshman. Trubisky had 459 yards passing and threw for five Touchdown's. The Tarheels have a lot of experience on the Offensive Line, Running Back, and Wide Receiver but the Tarheels season may go as far as their new 4-3 defense under new Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik will take them. Several True Freshmen will have a chance to be in the two-deep depth chart when Fall practice begins.

The NCAA is hard after North Carolina again and the phrase "lack of institutional control" keeps popping up. It seems that the NCAA has already tried this case one time (I believe in legal terms it is called "double jeopardy") but it seems that the NCAA will not rest until they can pin something on UNC that sticks. The education is there for the taking and it is up to the players to take it. I am sure they all have professional dreams but the phrase "student athlete" is used for a reason. Several of the top ranked teams have teams with one or more future felons on their roster and how is that not a lack of institutional control? Jameis Winston should have been kicked off the team well before he won the Heisman.

The 2015 Draft

Jean Pierre Tokoto's gamble to enter the 2015 NBA Draft a year early paid off as he was drafted in the second round, #58 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. Writer Shamus Clancy, in a Draft preview for the Philadelphia Daily News, described Tokoto as "an athletic wing who can hit threes, attack the rim and eschew midrange jumpers is the idea role player" and as an ideal fit for the 76ers system.

In his post draft analysis of the 76ers draft picks on libertyballers.com, Clancy said that "Tokoto could be a steal here and should provide some Vine-worthy highlights for the Sixers as soon as next month's Summer League."

Tokoto was the fourth of five 76ers draft picks on the night and the only Tarheel taken in the draft. While he did not post big numbers at North Carolina, he did not average double figures in scoring in any of his three seasons, Tokoto is a tremendous athlete who has a big upside. I was not sure if he would be drafted at all, a la James Michael McAdoo, because of the lack of numbers but many experts thought Tokoto would go early in the second round.

Survive And Advance Part II

North Carolina made it through the Second Round and this game epitomized doing whatever you have to do to win. Coach Williams instinctively put in three Point Guards-Paige, Britt, and Berry II- with about 15 minutes to go in the game to help break down the Arkansas pressure. Marcus Paige scored 20 of of 22 points in the last 13 1/2 minutes to put Arkansas away 87-78.

Arkansas's game plan came straight from the the pages of the Tarheel playbook except it is a little more amped up with the full court pressure. That was a very fun game to watch. It was end-to-end, full court action, with both teams' athleticism on display. When the 'Heels won, it made it more fun, but it was still very entertaining.

Survive And Advance

I never thought that I would be celebrating a two point win over Harvard but there I was high fiving my roommate after North Carolina squeezed out a 67-65 win over the #13 seed. The key to any NCAA Tournament is survive and advance. I remember win North Carolina won the 1982 National Championship their first game in that tournament was a 52-50 win over James Madison.

The Tarheels played well in spurts. They racesd out to a 13 point lead in the first half and a 14 point lead early in the second, but if you keep letting a lower seed hang around, they start gaining confidence. Harvard got back in it and had a chance to win it at the buzzer.

Harvard Head Coach Tommie Anaker knows North Carolina. The Tarheels have glaring defensive weaknesses like not being able to stop anyone off the dribble and the standard North Carolina "help" defense has been helpless. I think they need to completely scrap this defense in favor of another defensive philosophy.

The Tarheels offense is based on their size, their ability to rebound, and their ability to run. They have only one feared outside shooter and that is Marcus Paige. Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson have stepped up their three point games but still not enough to be feared as a consistent threat.

None of that really matters. All you have to do is survive and advance no matter what you have to do.

Back To The Finals

North Carolina returns to the Finals of the ACC Tournament thanks to a 71-67 victory over Top-seeded Virginia last night. North Carolina built up a 13 point lead in the second half and held on.

I said before the game that it is much easier to hold a double digit lead over Virginia than it is to come back from a double digit deficit against their defense. The Tarheels ballhandling left a lot to be desired as they ended up with 18 turnovers in the game and the 'Heels defense was shredded in the last ten minutes as Virginia repeatedly drove to the basket and they ended up with with either layups or trips to the foul line.

Freshman Justin Jackson finally had the "breakout" game that all Tarheel fans had been expecting all season long with 22 points with four three-pointers in five attempts. This helped the Tarheels shoot almost 55% in the game, a season high for opponents against Virginia.

I don't believe any of the so called experts expected the North Carolina Tarheels to make it to the ACC Finals. The experts point to so called missing or injured players from both Louisville and Virginia but UNC has not been at full squad strength in about two months. The Tarheels are doing what they have to do and that is win one game at a time.

The Louisville Slugger

The North Carolina Tarheels beat Louisville yesterday 70-60 to advance to the ACC semifinal round. The 'Heels will play #1 seed Virginia.

The game the 'Heels game played yesterday was maddeningly typical for this season. They play a bad half of basketball and they play a good half of basketball. Against Louisville, the first half was much worse than the second half but luckily for the Tarheels, the second half was much more important.

The Tarheels were down 37-32 at halftime and were down by as many as 10 points. It could have been and probably should have been much worse. Their shooting percentage was in the 30's while allowing Louisville to shoot about 50 percent. Head Coach Roy Williams had a jacket throwing fit and I don't know if that provided the inspiration or what but whatever works.

We also saw the worst of Brice Johnson in the first half (2 for 9 shooting, 4 points) and best of him in the second (6 for 8 shooting, 8 for 9 from the free throw line, and 6 of his 7 rebounds) for a total of 22 points. He rose to the occasion in the second half and carried the Tarheels to victory.

The Tarheels Defense was also vastly improved in the second half, holding Louisville to 23 points. The Tarheels went to a Zone defense in the second half and it seemed to take Louisville out of their game. They only hit 4 of 22 three pointers for the game and their shooting percentage plunged into the 30's.

It was a solid win for North Carolina over a higher ranked team but they only have about 24 hours to en joy this victory. A well coached Virginia team awaits them in the semifinals. The Tarheels neede to bring that intensity for another game.

Taking Two From Duke

The Diamond Tarheels did what the Tarheel Basketball team coudn't do and that was beat Duke twice. I do not know if the rivalry is as big in baseball, but Duke is Duke, no matter what the sport.

They won the first game 8-1 behind the pitching of Zac Gallen and the second game 6-2 behind J.B. Bukauskas. That puts the 'Heels at 10-3 on the season and are looking for the sweep today.

Dropping The Ball

After a strong defensive first half the Tarheels collapsed under Duke's full court pressure in the second half and lost to Duke for the second time this season 84-77. Marcus Paige had one of his best offensive games of the season scoring 23 points including 5 for 9 from the three point line and Brice Johnson scored 17.

There were times in the second half, the Tarheels acted like they were throwing around a hand grenade rather than a basketball. They could not break Duke's press, they could not get into their offense, bad turnovers, and the ball seemed to bounce right to Duke on several loose ball situations.

Head Coach was as intense as I have seen him all season on the sidelines but his team could not match that intensity. The Tarheels have several things they can build on from this game. They hit 8 out of 16 three pointers, were a perfect 13 for 13 from the free throw line, and had a great defensive effort.

Duke eploited North Carolina's weaknesses. The most glaring weaknesses were their ball handling and their inability to come off of ball acreens or to switch off on defense. Duke continually drove the ball down the middle for layups and North Carolina did not take advantage of their size inside.

The loss had no bearing on North Carolina's seeding in the ACC Tournament but this was still Duke. They have a few days to iron out the kinks before the start of the Tournament. They play the winner of the Boston College/Georgia Tech game on Thursday.

Pre-Game Routines

Just about every fan has a pre-game ritual in which they go through. There are also in game rituals, rally rituals, and my personal favorite, free throw rituals. I have every TV in the house turned to the game which right now is three. I pace from room to room and I don't think I ever sit down. I yell at the TV, I disagree with every call that goes against the Tarheels, and I dispute everything the announcers say.

My free throw ritual I cannot claim as my own because I borrowed it from the classic movie Caddy Shack. When the main character Danny was putting the guys in the background were saying "Nnnooonan! Nnnnnooonan!" to try to make him miss the putt. It rarely works for me either. Some player shooting 25% of his free throws on the year will come in against the 'Heels and go 5 for 6. After all of these years you would figure the law of averages would catch up but it hasn't.

The Anticipation

The Anticipation for the Duke-North Carolina game is nerve wracking so I can only imagine what the players go through. It is Senior Night at North Carolina so that means all of the Seniors no matter if they are walk-ons or All-ACC get to start and I am glad North Carolina has kept that tradition alive.

As a diehard Tarheel fan, I want the Tarheels to dunk the Duke Blue Devils back into the stone age of College Basketball. I have been looking at great Tarheel dunks over Duke over the past several years. Those were some great players and some great dunks. Jerry Stackouse's under the rim reverse where he strutted up the court after that one (Dean Smith had something to say about that), Vince Carter, Brendan Haywood, Antwan Jamison, Danny Green, and so many others. Those should be in the Dunk Hall-Of-Fame. J.P. Tokoto needs to add his name to that impressive list.

A Freshman Steps Up

The North Carolina Tarheels crushed Georgia Tech again last night for the second time in two weeks, this time on the road by the score of 81-49. The Tarheels only had two players in double figures, Joel Berry II with 15 and Justin Jackson with 13.

The play of the Tarheel Freshmen has been inconsistent this season as it is with most Freshmen. Joel Berry II has earned more playing time over the past couple of weeks and his play has been much improved. He has battled illness and injury the majority of the season but his 15 points included 3 of 5 from beyond the arc and the Tarheels need to add another consistent outside scoring threat. His improved play has bumped him ahead of Nate Britt on the depth chart.

The Tarheels bench is also finally getting healthy as Freshman Theo Pinson saw action for the first time in 12 games. He only played 3 minutes but scored 5 points and it was more important for him to see some court time. The Tarheels also got some playing time in for backup Point Guards Stillman White and Luke Davis and it is good to get the starters a little bit of rest and the players on the bench a little bit of playing time.

A Badly Needed Win

In my last blog, I wrote about how the Tarheels needed an emotional leader and someone to step up. It doesn't even have to be the same player in every game which might even be better for the team in the long run. The player that came through today was Brice Johnson- 22 points and 11 rebounds on 11 for 15 shooting and Marcus Paige put up 17 points in the 73-64 win over Miami.

J.P. Tokoto also had a stat stuffing kind of game-10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 6 assists. He was only 3 for 10 for the game but he was working his way into open shots. He utilized the pump fake well but he was missing the open 10 to 15 footer. He always plays an athletic game but he is prone to make turnovers. I can't wait until he puts a complete game together.

That was the Tarheels 20th win on the season and the announcers were precicting a #6 seed for North carolina in the NCAA's but I see them needing at least 3 or 4 more wins to get that high of a seed. They are at Georgia Tech on Tuesday and finish at home against Duke. The Duke game needs to be their statement game on the season.

Intensity And Emotional Leadership

To quote football coach Vince Lombardi "What the hell is going on out here?" After one of their best performances of the year against Georgia Tech, the UNC Tarheel basketball team followed that up with a lackluster performance against NC State that resulted in a 58-46 loss. That was their second games of the season in which they have only scored 40 something points in Chapel Hill.

The Tarheels have lacked the ability to bring intensity to every game this season and they still have not found an emotional leader on the team. They need to find someone that can fire them up when they need it, hit the big shot, make the great pass, and make the big defensive play that swings the momentum in their favor. This player also has to have the ability to calm the ream down when their in-game emotions start getting the best of them and they start losing control.

Marcus Paige provided that leadership last season but he has stepped back into the shadows this season. The Tarheels really have no Senior leadership to speak of outside of Jackson Simmons and he does not get more than a couple of minutes of playing time a game. Brice Johnson is an emotional player but he is up and down, Kennedy Meeks' demeanor reminds me of Sam Perkins, and J.P. Tokoto has all of the physical talent in the world but his basketball skills have yet to reach that point.

The Tarheels have played some great basketball this season and they have played some bad basketball but they need to find that consistency that can take them a long way in the ACC Tournament and the NCAA's.

The Four Corners

Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tarheels honored Dean Smith by starting today's game against Georgia Tech running the Four Corners offense. Roy Williams had on a vintage Dean Smith Sports Jacket and as soon as Marcus Paige gained control of the basketball, Roy Williams held up four fingers. It took about five seconds for the Tarheels to score as Brice Johnson went back door and Marcus Paige fed him the ball for a layup. The Georgia Tech players were not sure what was going on because I am sure they have never seen that before.

Dean Smith installed the Four Corners offense as a means to control the ball and kill the clock and to create easy scoring opportunities with a lead late in the game. Phil Ford was the force behind the Four Corners in the days before the shot clock.

Many point to the North Carolina- Virginia game in 1982 pitting James Worthy vs. Ralph Sampson as to why the Shot Clock was instituted in the college game. North Carolina went into the Four Corners offense nursing a 2 or 4 point lead with about 9 or 10 minutes to go in the game. They ended up winning the game because of the Four Corners and most fans felt that when Dean Smith took the air out of the ball, it changed the competitive balance of the game and did not give Ralph Sampson an opportunity to win the game.

The Diamond Tarheels Opening Series

The North Carolina Tarheels Baseball team opened up the season with a three-game sweep of Seton Hall. Pitching is going to be the Tarheels strength this season and that was proven in the sweep of Seton Hall.

Senior Benton Moss got his 20th win as a Tarheel, Reliever Spencer Trayner got a win in relief with 2 2/3 scoreless innings behind starter Trent Thornton, and Freshman starter J.B. Bukauskas picked up his first win as a Tarheel with 5 innings and only giving up one unearned run. Bukauskas was a 20th Round Draft Pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in spite of his request that he be taken off Major league Draft Boards because of his desire to be a Tarheel. He was still drafted on the strength of his Fastball that can run up to 98 MPH.

The offensive standouts against Seton Hall were Adrian Chacon with 6 hits in the series, Joe Dudek with a Homerun and 4 RBI's, and Tyler Ramirez had a Homerun and 6 RBI's. The Tarheels batted .327 in the three games and had a 2.67 team ERA.

The Defense Is Offensive

As a lifelong, diehard Tarheel fan, yesterday's game against Pittsburgh was difficult to watch. The Pittsburgh offense Pittsburgh dictated the play on both ends of the court. Pittsburgh ran at will on the Tarheels, they ran their halfcourt offense to perfection, and ended up shooting 65% for the game. They repeatedly drove the ball down the middle of the lane and either hit layups or kicked it out for wide open jumpers. Pittsburgh was not considered a good offensive team before this game. Pittsburgh had 30 assists on 37 made field goals and only had 4 turnovers in the game. Only towards the end of the game did North Carolina apply anything remotely resembling defensive pressure. By then the Tarheels were down by 20 points.

On offense, the Tarheels played well enough to win. They shot almost 50% and only had 5 turnovers. Brice Johnson had 19 points and Kennedy Meeks had 15. Marcus Paige cannot get going. Paige only had 8 points and 6 assists but was only 1 for 7 from the three point line.

In my limited coaching experience, defense is mostly "want to" and "desire". As a coach, you can preach and teach defense all you want to, but the team or player has to want to play great defense. Some teams get after it more than others. Right now, it looks like the 'Heels have lost the desire to play defense.

Dean Smith

Legendary coaching icon Dean Smith passed away Saturday night at the age of 83. I grew up in the 1970's and Dean Smith's name was revered in my house. He was the standard in which coaching excellence was measured. He believed in sportmanship, respect for the other team, and his innovations for the game of college basketball have been well documented.

I do not know who coined the term "Carolina Family" but it also became legendary throughout college and pro basketball. This family also extended to players that transferred out of the program. Current and ex-Tarheels used to gather in Chapel Hill over the summer to play pick up games and to see Dean Smith and stay involved with the Carolina Program.

Dean Smith's biggest contributions may have come off the court. He recruited the first African American, Charles Scott, to play in the ACC ands not for any politically motivated reasons but because he felt it was the right thing to do.

He retired as the all-time winningest coach in College Basketball but he knew the time was right for him to leave. His coaching tree extends far and wide and the roots run deep and his impact will be felt for a long, long time.

I met Dean Smith one time when he was at Owen High School near Asheville, NC recruiting future Tar Heel Brad Daugherty. My team East Henderson, was playing Owen in an exhibition game and I had the opportunity to go say a few words to him and get an autograph. He obliged but I knew he had better things to do but he still took the time.

Paige To The Rescue

The North Carolina Tarheels followed a formula yesterday against the Louisville Cardinals that they have used all season. Out rebound their opponents (40-30), play solid perimeter defense (31.6% from the three point line), and win the battle in the paint. It did not work against Notre Dame but worked against Louisville.

Marcus Paige was the go to guy against Louisville at the end of the game. That is what the Tarheels have been searching for all year long. A collective sigh of relief went up from all Tarheel fans when Paige's floater from the left of the basket dropped from high off the backboard and went through the net with 8.5 seconds left to give North Carolina a 72-71 lead.

Paige ended tangled up in the row of photographers that sit underneath the basket and out of the play after he scored. Louisville quickly got the ball in bounds and had a 5 on 4 and got off an open three pointer and a follow shot but missed. Freshman Justin Jackson followed the ball and knocked the ball into the stands after Louisville's final attempt.

The Tarheel Depth

The 2014-15 North Carolina basketball team probably has more depth on it than any Tarheel team in recent memory, maybe ever. They have nine players averaging double figures in minutes per game with a tenth, Joel James, averaging about 9 minutes a game. Usually by the start of ACC Conference play, the Tarheels rotation has weeded itself out to where only about eight players are getting minutes. Eleven players on the roster have played in all 14 games with a twelveth, Jackson Simmons, having played in 12 of the contests.

Over the past couple of seasons, Head Coach Roy Williams, has had to try non-traditional lineup combinations ("small ball", for example, from a few seasons ago). He has tried that same type of combination this season with Theo Pinson, Nate Britt, and Marcus Paige all being on the floor at the same time. North Carolina has a guard heavy roster. If they could all hit three-pointers that would be great but they are more ball handlers and putting on defensive pressure than they are shooters. Britt is probably the best on the ball defender on the team.

The Centers on North Carolina's team- Kennedy Meeks, Joel James, and Desmond Hubert- all get playing time. Meeks is the only true offensive threat of the three but James' game is developing nicely. He can occasionally hit a mid-range jumper and throw in an old school Sky Hook to keep the other team off balance. Hubert is good for a few rebounds and an ESPN highlight worthy block shot per game.

Clemson Is Ice Cold

The North Carolina Tarheels won their ACC conference opener yesterday over Clemson 74-50 in a game that was pretty much over by halftime. Clemson only scored 17 points in the first half on 5 for 28 shooting (17.9%) and was only 28.3% for the game. The Tarheels defense had something to do with it but Clemson is not a good shooting team.

Justin Jackson led the way for North Carolina with 13 points, Kennedy Meeks had 12 points and 12 rebounds despite battling a stomach bug, and three other players were in double figures.

Marcus Paige had 11 points on 3 for 4 from the three point line and is showing signs of coming out of his season long shooting slump. The thing I like the most about Paige's game is that he is not forcing his shot. He is letting the game come to him.