High Expectations

The North Carolina Tarheels football team came into the 2016 season with high expectations. The Tarheels were coming off an 11-3 season in which they made the ACC Championship game and had most of their starters coming back along the offensive line, highly touted quarterback Mitch Trubisky finally taking over the reigns of the high powered Tarheel offense, and almost all of the wide receivers and running backs were returning.

Thursday night's 28-27 loss to Duke virtually took them out of the running to return to the ACC Championship game. Losing to Duke stinks anyway but to lose this game really hurt. The Tarheels will go to a bowl game this season but it will not be the one they wanted. The bottom line is that I would rather suffer from the disappointment of not meeting high expectations than to not have those expectations at all. Larry Fedora has the Tarheels headed in the right direction, they are poised to be a factor on the national stage, so I will take the Toilet Bowl with the trophy being the Golden Plunger or something, and I will look forward to the high expectations for next season.

Surfing The Green Wave

The North Carolina Tarheels beat the Tulane Green Wave last night in their first basketball game of the season last night 95-75 and it was your typical first game. Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II had career highs in points, 27 and 23 points respectively, and Kennedy Meeks had a career high in rebounds with 15.

Ten Players for the North Carolina Tarheels got at least ten minutes of playing time. Three of those players were freshmen- Tony Bradley, Brandon Robinson, and Seventh Woods. Tony Bradley got the most playing time of the with 17 minutes and he scored in double figures with 10 points but he also picked up four fouls in those minutes.

Head Coach Roy Williams place an emphasis on assists to made field goals and North Carolina was much better in the first half (14-17) than they were the second half (9-17) and 23-34 for the game. I do not know what Roy Williams considers an acceptable percentage but I don not think it is 67.7%. The Tarheels were also -1 in turnovers.

Ready To Lead

The North Carolina Tarheels got the 2016-17 basketball season started the other night with an exhibition game against UNC-Pembroke. I think I liked it better when they were Pembroke State. Joel Berry II looks like he is primed and ready to lead this team. A case could be made for Berry II as the team MVP down the stretch last season as he was the team's most consistent outside threat and stepped up in the big games.

With Theo Pinson out injured again until late December, someone needs to step up and take his 15-20 minutes a game. Sophomore Luke Maye brings a different skill set to the table but he made his case for more minutes with his play against UNC-Pembroke. Maye reminds me of a Pete Chilcutt type of player. He is not a great athlete but he is fundamentally sound in all areas of the game.

Wreckin' Georgia Tech

As a Tarheels fan, the Georgia Tech game is a point of concern for me every season. Georgia Tech's triple option offense eats up yards and time off the clock and their defense is usually blitz heavy. Combine those two factors with the Tarheels perpetual two minute offense and the potential for the Tarheels defense to spend the majority of the game on the field is very good.

The Tarheels received the ball to start the game and true to form scored their first touchdown within two minutes. A quick dose of a healthy Elijah Hood and it was 7-0. The Tarheels added a field goal and then the Georgia Tech offense struck. Georgia Tech's offense makes you susceptible to the play action pass and the Tarheels defense got burned for 83 yards. An ill advised attempt at a strip by defensive back M.J. Stewart and Georgia Tech was back in the game. North Carolina scored a little over two minutes later when Elijah Hood broke a 36 yard touchdown run up the middle on fourth and one. The two teams traded field goals and touchdowns after that and the Tarheels took a 27-17 lead into halftime.

Georgia Tech opened up the second half with a drive that netted them a field goal and it was all North Carolina after that. The Tarheels scored 21 straight points and won going away 48-20. The Tarheels defense recovered two fumbles in the second half, Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas left the game due to an injury, and the Tarheels put the game away with a balanced offense.

Mitch Trubisky's Break Out Game

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky finally put his stamp on the 2016 North Carolina Tarheels football team. Trubisky led two fourth quarter drives with the Tarheels trailing Pittsburgh 36-23 with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter and threw the game winning touchdown pass to Bug Howard with two seconds on the clock and the ensuing extra point gave the Tarheels a 37-36 win. Trubisky converted four fourth downs on these two drives with his pinpoint passing. He also set career highs with 35 completions, 453 yards, and five touchdowns. This was in spite of the absence of a runn9ing game that only mustered 18 yards on the day.

The North Carolina Tarheels offense had been stale for most of the second half. They had only scored seven points to that point, getting a touchdown on their second drive of the second half. The Tarheels running game was non existent (only netting minus yardage in the second half), Trubisky was sacked four times as Pittsburgh blitzed a lot more in the second half and he was hit on several different occasions. Trubisky put the team on his back, drove the field twice, stayed poised in the pocket, and his wide receivers helped him out with some big catches.

Tarheels Football Going Forward Part One

The North Carolina Tarheels football team had their best season in 2015 since the Mack Brown era in the late 1990's. The Tarheels finished 11-3, they won the Coastal Division for the first time and made their first appearance in the ACC Championship game and they made an appearance in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Baylor. The Tarheels offense set numerous team records with Offensive Coordinator Seth Littrell calling the plays and the defense made great strides under Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik.

Keeping continuity in the coaching staff is important in maintaining the excellence of a program and the Tarheels were able to keep most of their coaching staff intact for 2016. They did lose offensive coordinator Seth Littrell who went to the University of North Texas to be their head coach but managed to hold on to Chizik. I believed Chizik would be gone because of his previous head coaching experience and because of the improvement in the Tarheels defense.

The biggest question for the Tarheels on offense is who the backup quarterback is going to be. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky has not been anointed as the starting quarterback yet but barring injury or he forgets what a football looks like between now and next September 3rd when they take on Georgia. Sophomore Caleb Henderson got some reps last season as the third string quarterback but only had one pass attempt. The Tarheels also have redshirt Nathan Elliot and incoming freshman and North Carolina State Player of the Year Chaz Surratt waiting in the wings.

The Technical That Inspired

Notre Dame was near the end of an 11-0 run when Brice Johnson committed a cardinal sin for Tarheel players, past and present; he was called for a technical foul. Notre Dame hit the two free throws and then hit a jumper to take a one point lead. North Carolina responded with an 11-0 run of their own highlighted by a Theo Pinson to Isaiah Hicks alley oop and the Tarheels were on their way to an 88-74 win. Johnson did have 25 points and 12 rebounds in the game, his Tarheel record 23rd double-double of the season, breaking a record held by Tarheel great Billy Cunningham and John Henson. The Tarheels also moved on to their 19th Final Four, an NCAA record.

On To The Elite Eight

The North Carolina Tarheels took it to the Indiana Hoosiers in their 101-86 Sweet Sixteen victory. The Tarheels hit a season high eleven three pointers, held Indiana to 41% shooting, and outrebounded Indiana 37-32. All five Tarheels starters scored in double figures led by Marcus Paige's 21 points and Brice Johnson's 20 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Hicks had the strangest stat line of the night with four points and four rebounds in seven minutes but he also fouled out of the game.

Indiana was probably the toughest five seed in the tournament. I said Marcus Paige was the key to North Carolina winning it all and he broke out of his slump in a big way going six for nine from the three point line and the Tarheels hit 11 for 20 overall.

Reaction To Duke

I just watched the ESPN show Pardon The Interruption and at least 45 minutes of the hour long show was devoted to what Coach K of the Duke Blue Devils said or didn't say to Dillon Brooks of Oregon after he hit a thirty foot shot right before the game ended with the game well in hand and if Brooks exhibited poor sportsmanship by even shooting the shot. If another coach said something to Grayson Allen after he exhibited poor sportsmanship on several occasions this season, Coach K would have come unglued. Allen exhibited poor sportsmanship by not shaking Brooks hand after the game. Here is an idea none of the "experts" proposed and that is Coach K takes care of his team and not worry about the other team. Coach K has coached his share of jackasses over the past 35 or so years and their antics were more than acceptable. I hope Dillon Brooks celebrated deep into the night and I may download his shot and use it as my screensaver.

Sweeping The Blue Devils

The North Carolina Tarheels beating the Duke Blue Devils in any sport is always a beautiful thing and it doesn't matter if the chess teams are facing off against each other. The Tarheels sweep of the Blue Devils in baseball this past weekend was an excellent example of baseball domination. The Tarheels outscored the Blue Devils 31-6 in the three game sweep and the Tarheels starting pitching trio of Zac Gallen, J.B. Bukauskas, and Jason Morgan- pithed a combined total of 20 innings and only gave up three earned runs while striking out 22 and walking eight.

The Tarheels offense scored 31 runs on only 29 hits but drew 22 walks and also took advantage of a shaky Blue Devil defense that made nine errors in the three games. Centerfielder Tyler Ramirez drove in eight runs in the series and shortstop Logan Warmoth drove in seven runs. North Henderson High School product Zack Gahagan has been key as a spot starter and a late inning defensive replacement at third base. He did his Best Brooks Robinson imitation in a game against Fairfield fielding a grounder deep behind the third base bag into foul territory and throwing out the runner at first. That play made the internet rounds.

The Tarheel Party Moves To Philly

The Brice Johnson block party moves to Philadelphia Friday night when the North Carolina Tarheels go up against the Indiana Hoosiers. The Providence Friars were the latest guests that were invited to leave and sometimes in a rather rude fashion. Johnson sent one Providence shot into about the third row. He also had his 21st double-double on the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Tarheels place five players in double figures. The Tarheels outrebounded the Friars 42-24 and had 16 second chance points to Providence's one in the Tarheels 85-66 victory.

Block Party

Brice Johnson had an old fashioned block party last night and Florida Gulf Coast University were the guests of honor. Johnson blocked six FGCU shots in the second half and eight for the game. A nickname that was used by FGCU a few years ago, "Dunk City", was referenced early in the game and Johnson had a party at the rim on the offensive end as well. FGCU was only down by a point at halftime but the Tarheels were able to turn up the defensive pressure in the second half and were able to secure the 83-67 win.

I was listening to the Tarheel radio show before the game with Jones Angell and Eric Monross and a statement that was made by Roy Williams was brought up where he said that this season's team was one of the most criticized and under appreciated teams that he had ever had. The press has really gone after the Tarheels this season whether they win or lose. The Tarheels have been the popular punching bag in college basketball by the sports media. No matter the upsets that occurred yesterday the Tarheel win was greeted with a ho hum attitude.

Offense On A Roll

Reporting that the North Carolina Tarheels baseball team scored in double figures again is not news. The Tarheels had 11 hits, walked six times, and Elon made three errors in the Tarheels 11-6 mid-week win. Adam Pate had three hits and drove in three runs and Brandon Riley had two hits and drove in a pair.

Brett Daniels came on in the second inning with the Tarheels trailing 2-1, got out of a jam, and pitched through the fourth inning. Daniels was the beneficiary of the Tarheels scoring four runs in the bottom of the second inning and got credit for his first win on the season. Taylor Sugg came on for the second game in a row and pitched the final three innings, retiring all nine batters he faced, for his first save on the season.

March Madness Begins

March Madness begins for the North Carolina Tarheels against Florida Gulf Coast University who already has one game in the tournament under their belt, a victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, in a "First Four" game. I never did like these first round games. Florida Gulf Coast will come into the game inspired at the possibility of knocking off the #1 seed and if North Carolina doesn't win by 30 points, the questions about their toughness and their ability to put away smaller division teams will begin anew, if they ever really stopped. North Carolina is coming off their best three game stretch of the season and it just happened to come in the ACC Tournament. The Tarheels have great senior leadership in the low key Marcus Paige and an emotional leader in Brice Johnson. They are primed for a long run into the NCAA Tournament.

Double Digits

The North Carolina Tarheels scored in double figures for the seventh time in 15 games this season in their 17-4 romp over East Carolina. Leadoff man Brian Miller had three hits, including a triple, and two RBI's and Adam Pate drove in four runs including a bases loaded double. Cody Roberts and Tyler Ramirez both drove in three. East Carolina came into the game as the #17 ranked team in the nation.

Reliever Spencer Trayner got the win for the Tarheels pitching 1 2/3 innings giving up two hits and striking out two. Taylor Sugg came on to pitch the final two innings, allowing three hits and giving up no runs. The Tarheels improve to 13-2 on the season and take on Elon next.

Win And Advance

The seedings have been announced, the brackets are set, and the NCAA Tournament is about to begin. North Carolina got the #1 seed in the East Regional and they drew a pretty tough bracket. Xavier is the #2, West Virginia is the #3, and Kentucky is the #4. There was a report on one of the sports websites that stated Coach John Calipari of Kentucky is not happy with the #4 seed. He thought they should have been seeded higher. They lost eight games this season.

Most of the "experts" have Kentucky and North Carolina facing each other in the Regional Semifinals. In order for that matchup to occur, North Carolina will have to get by USC/Providence and Kentucky will have to get by Indiana/Chattanooga. In my perfect world, Kentucky will lose to Stony Brook, and all of his freshman will turn pro....again.

It is all about win and advance and Roy Williams said it best when he said that no matter who you play, you have to show up on game day and win. All of the teams have something to prove. North Carolina has to prove that the Virginia game was not an aberration. Indiana is out to prove that they are better than they were in the Big Ten tournament. Kentucky is out to prove that they are better than a #4 seed. That is why they play the game.

Getting Defensive

The Tarheels rode their defense to the ACC Championship. The Tarheels only gave up 58.3 points per game in the tournament and held their three opponents to 37.1% field goal percentage. The Tarheels forced 39 turnovers, blocked 13 shots, had 22 steals in the three games. The defense played lights out basketball against Notre Dame and Virginia, two of the best shooting teams in the ACC. Those two teams only shot a combined 30.2% from the three point line. The Tarheels won a grind it out game against Virginia and they out defensed the best defensive team in the ACC.

ACC Champs

North Carolina won the Acc Tournament Championship with a 61-57 win over Virginia, their first tournament championship since 2008. It was a gutsy performance and North Carolina beat Virginia on Virginia's terms- half court offensive basketball with tough man-to-man defense. It was the type of game that many in the sports media doubted they could win as North Carolina's toughness has been questioned all season long.

Joel Berry II led the scoring with 19 points with a perfect three for three from the three point line and six for six from the free throw line and he was named the Tournament MVP. Marcus Paige had a tough shooting night going zero for seven from the three point line but scored eight of his 13 points during a stretch in the latter stages of the second half by driving to the basket for layups or trips to the free throw line. Brice Johnson had 12 points and nine rebounds and led the team with five assists passing out of the high post.

Defense Wins Championships

The belief that defense wins championships will be put to the test tonight when North Carolina meets Virginia in the finals of the ACC tournament. Virginia is considered to be the best defensive team in the ACC and North Carolina had their best defensive game of the season against Notre Dame in the semifinals.

Malcolm Brogdon is Virginia's main scoring option and the Cavaliers spend most of the 30 second shot clock running screens for him. Virginia is a very patient team and a great score for them is somewhere in the low 60's. Defensively, Virginia runs a tight man-to-man defense that helped them beat North Carolina earlier this season.

The key to the game for North Carolina is Marcus Paige. He admitted a loss in confidence in his shot before the ACC tournament but he showed signs of getting his confidence back against Notre Dame with a four for seven performance beyond the three point line including a couple of money three's that looked like the Marcus that has been missing the last half of the season.

The Diamond Heels ACC Opener

The Diamond Heels took on Pittsburgh's baseball counterpart in their ACC home opener as the Tarheels #1 starter Zac Gallen took the mound in the first of a three game series. The Tarheels took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning and erupted for eight runs to win going away 14-2. Gallen pitched eight innings, giving up four hits and one run, struck out eight while walking only one. It only took him 84 pitches to go through his eight innings. Ryder Ryan and Brett Daniels pitched the ninth inning, giving up Pittsburgh's other run.

The Tarheels offense was led by first baseman Brian Miller's three hits and four RBI's and catcher Cody Roberts drove in three runs. Eli Sutherland had three hits and two RBI's and center fielder Tyler Ramirez went three for three, scored twice, and drove in a run. Cole Gibbs entered the game as a pinch hitter and finished out the game in left field.

That was the Tarheels tenth straight win and they are now 11-1 on the season and 1-0 in the ACC. They have two more games left against Pittsburgh and are looking for their third straight weekend sweep.

A Complete Game

As a former high school coach, I know there is no such thing as a perfect basketball game especially when you are playing in the ACC. In the ACC Semifinals, the North Carolina Tarheels 77-48 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish may not have been a perfect game but it was the most complete game the Tarheels have played all season long. The 'Heels went on a 24-0 run that was spread over the end of the first half and the beginning of the second and lasted over 11 minutes of game time to build a 25 point lead and coasted the rest of the way.

The Tarheels defense was the key as they held Notre Dame to 30% shooting for the game and outrebounded the Irish 49-31. Marcus Paige led the way with 16 points and seven assists as the Tarheels had five players in double figures. Leading scorer Brice Johnson had 12 points in spite only playing 15 minutes because of foul trouble but ACC Sixth Man Of The Year Isaiah Hicks came off the bench to score 11 points and grab a career high 15 rebounds.

No Respect

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield's routine was always highlighted by a bit where he would say "I get no respect, I tell ya..." as he straightened his tie and shook his head. The North Carolina Tarheels are this season's college basketball version of Rodney Dangerfield. Before North Carolina's game against Notre dame started, the lead story on ESPN.com's webpage was "The North Carolina Tarheels are the only one's that consider Notre Dame the underdog." After North Carolina's 78-47 thumping of Notre Dame, the only place that the score is mentioned is on the header at the top of the page with the rest of the scores. Kansas is mentioned, UConn gets a mention, Michigan gets a story, but no North Carolina Tarheels. They get no respect, I tell ya!

A Wide Open Tournament

This year's ACC Basketball Tournament is what the ACC seemed to be striving for. The ACC consistently had six teams in the top 25 and there were many upsets along the way. The Tarheels earned the #1 seed by finishing 14-4 in the conference but the Tarheels did not earn that seed until the final weekend of the regular season. A case can be made for any of the top four seeds- North Carolina, Miami, Virginia, or Notre Dame- to win the tournament.

The Tarheels took down Pittsburgh in the opening game 88-71 but it wasn't as easy as the final score indicated. Brice Johnson Had his usual double-double- 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots- and Joel Berry II led the way with 20 points and four steals. Theo Pinson came off the bench and only scored two pints but had seven assists. The Tarheels take on Notre Dame next as Notre Dame came back from 16 points down to beat Duke in Overtime. Notre Dame won in Chapel Hill earlier this season so it is a chance for a little bit of payback. Notre Dame presents matchup problems for North Carolina and the Tarheels ability to guard the perimeter is a key to the game.

Why Walk When You Can Run?

The Tarheels staked themselves to an 8-0 lead by the fourth inning against Fairfield and the bottom end of the batting order came up huge. Designated hitter Brandon Riley went four for four with two doubles, a triple, three RBI's, and three runs scored. Second baseman Eli Sutherland went two for two including his second homerun, three RBI's and two runs scored. Leadoff man and first baseman Brian Miller went three for four, drove in a run, scored two runs, and stole four bases including a steal of home on the back end of a double steal with right fielder Adam Pate. The Tarheels stole six bases on the day. Cole Gibbs got into his first game with the Tarheels and struck out in his only at bat.

J.B. Bukauskas got the start and the win going 5 1/3 innings and giving up two runs. The Tarheels relievers pitched lights out baseball once again as Chris McCue and Brett Daniels made their first appearances of the season. Zach Rice struck out the only three batters he faced. The three relievers combined to pitch 3 2/3 hitless innings.

The Statistics

"Tell your statistics to shut up." Charlie Brown

The statistics in the North Carolina-Duke game do not tell the story. North Carolina was outshot but just barely. Duke hit 13 three pointers to North Carolina's 4. Duke hit more three pointers than they did two point field goals (13-12). Duke only turned the ball over 6 times to North Carolina's 11. The two advantages that North Carolina did have was in rebounding (64-29) and free throws. North Carolina had 20 second chance points on 27 offensive rebounds to Duke's 8 offensive rebounds and 8 second chance points. North Carolina shot 20-23 from the free throw line and Duke went 9-15. North Carolina also had a big advantage in the paint, 42 points to 20 for Duke. The only advantage that matters at the end of the game is the final score. North Carolina 76, Duke 72.

Regular Season Champions

Seniors Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige finished off their final regular season at North Carolina in style as they accomplished a first in their careers- beating Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and winning the ACC regular season championship. It did not come easy. North Carolina built up an eight point halftime lead and had to hold on to win 76-72. At one point, North Carolina missed 11 shots in a row and Duke got hot from the three point line and tied the game at 49. The Tarheels were able to maintain a sleep lead after that and Paige sealed the win at the free throw line.

North Carolina owned the boards against Duke. They held a 64-29 advantage with 27 offensive rebounds. Johnson had 21 rebounds and Kennedy Meeks had 14. There were plenty of missed shots to rebound. The Tarheels only shot 28.2% in the second half. Duke hit more three pointers than they did regular field goals and shot better from the three point line. All of North Carolina's starters scored in double figures led by Johnson's 18 points. Grayson "Trip" Allen led Duke with 29. North Carolina beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Period. North Carolina won the ACC regular season championship. Period.

A Walk Off Walk

The North Carolina Tarheels got another walk off win, this time against Fairfield, their fourth walk off win of the season in their seven wins. Eli Sutherland drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 13th inning to force in Tyler Lynn with the winning run. Lynn lead off the inning getting hit by a pitch, Cody Roberts singled and Ryder Ryan was intentionally walked to load the bases. The Tarheels tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning at three. Brian Miller hit a leadoff triple and scored on an RBI groundout by Adam Pate. Miller's head first slide to the outside of the plate barely got under the tag of Fairfield catcher Kevin Radziewicz.

Zac Gallen had another quality start but did not get the win. He went 7 2/3 innings, gave up five hits and two earned runs, struck out six, and did not issue a walk. Tarheels relief pitching was once again stellar. Hunter Williams, Spencer Trayner, and A.J. Bogucki went a combined 5 1/3 innings and only gave up one unearned run. Bogucki worked out of a bases loaded jam in the 11th inning and got the win.

The Big Inning

The North Carolina Tarheels were facing a 5-3 deficit going into the bottom of the seventh inning yesterday against Winthrop University when they erupted for eight runs in the inning and won going away 11-6. The #8 and #9 spots in the batting order had six of the Tarheels ten hits as Eli Sutherland had two hits and hit his first homerun of the season and local product (North Henderson) Zack Gahagan had four hits, including a double, and drove in a run.

Tarheel starting pitcher J.T. Rogoszewski, in his first start of the season, was chased in the top of the third inning and was charged with three runs but only one run was earned. Tarheel relievers continued their great work and only gave up two earned runs in the last seven innings. Reliever Hansen Butler picked up his second win on the season.

A Walk Off Series

College baseball could not get any better than it did in the Oklahoma State-North Carolina series. Three games against nationally ranked Oklahoma State and three walk off wins by North Carolina. The first game in the series went extra innings and second baseman Kyle Datres won it with a double to the right centerfield gap. First baseman Brian Miller won game two with a bases loaded single. The Tarheels won game three in come-from-behind fashion when second baseman Eli Sutherland drove in two runs with a bases loaded single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The North Carolina Tarheels relief pitching was near perfect in the three game series. Only one Tarheels starter, Zac Gallen, pitched passed the fifth inning and then the Tarheels relievers took over. The Tarheels used six relief pitchers in the series and they pitched a combined 14 2/3 innings and only allowed eight hits and one run for an ERA of 0.61.

Nothing Is Easy

The North Carolina Tarheels had Senior Night against Syracuse and all of the seniors on North Carolina's roster got their traditional start on Senior Night and the Tarheels were no worse for wear after the non-traditional starters left the game after the first timeout. It was also Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson's final home game. It was a tough battle. Syracuse has played much better since coach Jim Boeheim returned from his nine game suspension at the beginning of the season.

Paige's shooting slump that he has had for the last half of the season carried through his final home game and Johnson posted his usual double-double in his final appearance at the Dean E. Smith Center. The Tarheels pulled out a 75-70 win after building a 13 point lead early in the second half. The #1 seed in the ACC will still be up for grabs when the Tarheels travel to Duke for their final regular season game.

North Carolina Vs. Virginia

The game between North Carolina is important on the national scene and could possibly go a long way as to who gets a #1 seed come NCAA Tournament time. This game however does not feel like a "rivalry" game. This game does not feel like The North Carolina-Virginia games in the early 1980's when it was James Worthy-Sam Perkins-Michael Jordan versus Ralph Sampson. Not too many people could name anyone else on Virginia's team. I remember Othell Wilson and Ricky Stokes and I think Jeff Lamp was a senior when Ralph Sampson was a freshman and that is really stretching my memory. Outside of Brogdon who is getting mentioned for ACC player of the year, I cannot name anyone on this Virginia team.

Virginia brings an undefeated home record into this game and a #5 national ranking. North Carolina brings the #1 conference record into the game. Virginia brings the defense and North Carolina brings the offense. Rivalry game or not, this should be a great game. Marcus Paige will be a big player in this game.

Home Opener

The North Carolina Tarheels beat Oklahoma State in their home opener 2-1 as freshman second baseman Kyle Datres drove in first baseman Brian Miller in walk off style with a double into the right centerfield gap. The Tarheels bench ran out to congratulate him as Datres rounded second base and he tossed his batting helmet towards third base. The Tarheels scored in the bottom of the first when Tyler Ramirez doubled in Miller with a double but did not score again until the bottom of the ninth. The Tarheels left 12 men on base in the game. Oklahoma State tied the game in the top of the second inning on a solo homerun.

Tarheels starter Zac Gallen, reigning ACC pitcher of the week, only gave up the one run in seven innings, struck out nine, and walked three while only giving up three hits. He was not around long enough to get the win. A.J. Bogucki came on to retire two batters before turning the ball over to Hunter Williams who got the final four outs and the win. Williams gave up a single in the top of the ninth but the runner was erased when catcher Cody Roberts threw him out trying to steal. Roberts one hopped his throw to second baseman Datres stayed with it and applied the tag.

North Carolina has opened the season with some tough competition. They opened with #9 UCLA and Oklahoma State comes to Chapel Hill ranked #11. Tarheel pitching has been stellar in the first four games, only giving up 18 hits and holding their opponents to a .144 batting average.

The Dean Smith Rules

I remember when Coach K first started coaching in the ACC, he always made a derisive reference to the "Dean Smith Rules." He thought that the ACC deferred to Dean Smith and he got his way all of the time, every call went his way, and he was allowed to make the rules up a he went along. Now I have to invoke the Coach K rules. His latest star, Grayson Allen, was caught on video tripping a Florida State player near the end of a 80-65 Duke win and evidently Allen thought he was not getting any calls to go his way so he took matters into his own hands...or feet. This was the second time in a month a little over two weeks that he has done this. The first time occurred against Louisville and he was assessed a flagrant foul. No foul of any kind was not called on Allen against Florida State.

I watched the replay many times. Allen intentionally tripped the Florida State player. The game was decided and he had nothing to lose. It did not matter if he got kicked out of the game at that point or not. If the referees would have called another flagrant foul, Allen would have automatically been suspended the next game. That wasn't about to happen.

It will be interesting to see what the ACC's response is. They are supposedly "investigating" the incident and will watch video of the game. The ACC will not take any action. Duke could take action of their own but Allen is Duke's Most Valuable Player. With a game at Pittsburgh coming up, Coach K is not about to suspend Allen on his own. There are rules for Coach K.

Nervous

As a North Carolina Tarheels fan, playing the North Carolina State Wolpack last night made me nervous. Cat Barber is the best pure scorer in the ACC and State has some serious size in the middle with BeeJay Anya and Abdul-Malik Abu and a three point threat in Maverick Rowan. It is usually combinations like this that give the North Carolina Tarheels fits. Cat Barber did his part by scoring a game high 32 points and he scored 16 of their first 27 and NC State raced out to a 23-10 lead.

Luckily for North Carolina, Justin Jackson has rediscovered his game and his scoring touch that has been missing for the better part of the season. He scored 17 points on a variety of jump shots and drives to the basket. Brice Johnson had his standard double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds and North Carolina pulled away at the end to win 80-68. State's inside duo of Anya and Abu only combined for 17 points and Maverick Rowan went 2 for 12 from the field and was held to eight points. State has had a tough season but they are very capable of putting it all together for an ACC tournament run.

Gottlieb Goofs

There was a line in a Three Stooges skit that went something like "every time you think, you weaken the nation." The nation is much weaker thanks to Doug Gottlieb, CBS basketball "personality." At the beginning of the season, I was watching a North Carolina Tarheels game against UCLA and before the game began, Gottlieb was giving his "expert" analysis and he had to mention the UNC academic scandal one more time.

Before the UNC-Miami game, Gottlieb stated that he had been talking to "people" and said that Roy Williams was going to retire at the end of the season due to Coach Williams well documented health issues. Coach Williams addressed the issue after the game as only Coach Williams could. Williams denied that he is retiring for any reason whatsoever and the line about Gottlieb wearing his shorts backwards during the first part of a game he played in was funny.

Doug Gottlieb has his own sports talk radio show for CBS and they tried to schedule an interview with Roy Williams and UNC politely declined. Anyone that does sports talk of any kind knows that the dissenting opinion sells, controversy sells, and trying to be the first one out there with any information sells. Gottlieb has tried putting out there that Williams retirement was his "opinion" but he made it sound like his "opinion" was very informed and he had talked to those that were more knowledgeable about the situation and had behind the scenes information. I am happy to see that UNC turned down Gottlieb's request. By agreeing to his request for an interview, it would have given credence to Gottlieb's "opinion". He will not e able to sell that bit of controversy. Now if he could only put his shorts own right.

The Roller Coaster Ride

The North Carolina Tarheels basketball teams roller coaster ride of a season continued with a 96-71 victory over second place Miami. It was a game that really wasn't as close as the final score indicated. The Tarheels end of the first half run was punctuated by an 85 foot two handed heave by Brice Johnson that went through the basket softer than a lay up but didn't count as the ball left his hands after the buzzer sounded. The Tarheels were up by as many as 38 points late in the second half.

The loss against Duke was deflating but the Tarheels bounced back with authority. After the Duke loss, many had written the Tarheels off for the rest of the season. The North Carolina Tarheels are probably the most overanalyzed team in college basketball. One night they look unbeatable. The next night, they look like they can barely beat the local community college team. The Tarheels biggest critic, Jay Williams, questions the Tarheels toughness and he does have a valid point.

As soon as he makes these comments, the Tarheels came out to play. Brice Johnson had 16 points and 15 rebounds and he paced six Tarheels in double figures. They also outrebounded Miami 46-29. The Tarheels have four more tough games ahead. They need to show up to play every night.

A Series Win Over UCLA

The North Carolina Tarheels hit their first two homeruns of the season in the series ending 14-5 win over UCLA. Tyler Ramirez hit a three run homer in the first inning and local product North Henderson's Zack Gahagan hit a go ahead two run homer in a five run seventh inning to lead the Tarheels.

Tarheel pitchers were once again dominant but wild as the only allowed Bruins hitters five hits but they walked eight and committed three errors. Three of the five UCLA runs were unearned. Tarheels starter Jason Morgan pitched a career high five and two-thirds innings, striking out five and walking four and only gave up two earned runs. He did not factor in the decision. Cole Aker got his first career win with two and one-thirds innings of scoreless relief.

The Basics

North Carolina Tarheels pitchers only gave up four hits last night to UCLA but seven walks, an error, and a hit batter, gave #9 UCLA all the baserunners they needed to take a walk off 6-5 win over the #16 Tarheels. The Tarheels took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning on RBI's by Logan Warmoth, Cody Roberts, and Adam Pate. UCLA scored two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-3 lead. The Tarheels came back to take a 5-4 lead when Warmoth led off the sixth inning with a triple, Pate followed with an RBI single and was later driven in by a Roberts RBI single. UCLA tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on a wild pitch by reliever Hansen Butler and won it in the bottom of the ninth inning on a single up the middle by Bruin right fielder Eric Filia off of Tarheel reliever Cole Aker.

Tarheel starter J.B. Bukauskas struck out a career high nine batters in four and two-thirds innings, but walked three, hit a batter, gave up one hit, and gave up four runs, only two of them earned. Zach Rice came on in relief, gave up a hit and walked a batter before he was lifted for Spencer Trayner. Trayner went one and one-third innings, struck out three, walked two, and gave up a run on Butler's wild pitch. Butler struck out four and only gave up one hit. Tarheel pitchers have held UCLA batters to nine hits and a .148 batting average in the two games thus far. They have also struck out 30 UCLA batters.

The Diamond Tarheels Season Opener Vs. UCLA

The #16 North Carolina Tarheels baseball team traveled to Los Angeles to take on the #9 UCLA Bruins this weekend in a season opening three game series. The Tarheels won game number one behind the pitching of Zac Gallen and the timely hitting of freshman designated hitter Brandon Riley. Gallen went 7 2/3 innings, gave up four hits, walked two, and struck out 11. Relievers Hunter Williams and Hansen Butler came on and pitched 2/3 of an inning a piece with Butler striking out the last two Bruins batters to get his first career save.

The Tarheels scored their first run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Lynn and scored three in the sixth inning on a two run double from Riley and that was followed by a run scoring double from Logan Warmoth. The Tarheels totaled nine hits for the game, three of those coming from first baseman Brian Miller.

The Tarheels are looking to get back to the NCAA playoffs after missing last season for the first time in ten seasons. They will have to infuse a group of talented freshmen and veterans in order to get back to the tournament. The Tarheels started three freshmen against the Bruins including freshman catcher Cody Roberts.

Get A TO Baby!

The North Carolina Tarheels head coach Roy Williams admitted today that he should have taken a time out to set up a last shot against Duke. His reasoning was very simple and referred to a Dean Smith philosophy that he used often at the end of games. That was to set up for the last shot before the defense has a chance to get set. When the game is over, the second guessing began but to leave the game in the hands of Marcus Paige or Joel Berry II may not have worked anyway. The bottom line is that it was a loss at home and a tough loss to take against a resurgent Duke team as the Tarheels shooting woes continue. Paige and Berry II were a combined 4 for 22 from the field and the Tarheels were 1 for 13 from the three point line.

Home Cooking

The North Carolina Tarheels needed some home cooking against Pittsburgh after a three game road trip that only saw the Tarheels win one of those games. The Tarheels got back to the formula that saw them win 19 of their first 21 games as they played good defense, shot the ball well, and distributed the ball well as the Tarheels had five players score in double figures. The only thing the Tarheels did not do was rebound. Pittsburgh held a 41-29 advantage in rebounds including an 18-1 advantage on the offensive glass. Even with that statistic the Tarheels still beat Pittsburgh going away 85-64.

A segment on ESPN about the Tarheels that highlighted their defensive struggles seemed to inspire the Tarheels defense as they held Pittsburgh to under 38% shooting for the game and forced 19 Pittsburgh turnovers. Marcus Paige is quoted as saying that the piece aired by ESPN helped inspire their defensive effort but he also said it was also something they had been hearing from the coaches most of the season.

Taking A Powder At BC

A trip to Boston College was should have been just what the doctor ordered to cure the North Carolina Tarheels basketball team's road ills. The trip ended in a victory but seems to have made the Tarheels even sicker especially head coach Roy Williams. Williams had to leave the court with just under 15 minutes to go in the game due to an attack of vertigo. Assistant coach Steve Robinson, a long time Williams assistant and former head coach at Florida State, took over.

The Tarheels overcame a nine point deficit with 10 minutes to play for a 68-65 win over Boston College who came into the game 0-10 in ACC play. This is the same Boston College team that the Tarheels beat by 27 points in a lackluster effort a little over a week ago. Justin Jackson had his most impressive game since Thanksgiving with 20 points and even nailed a couple of three pointers for good measure. That was the Tarheels 20th victory on the season but it was not a strong showing against the worst team in the ACC.

National Signing Day

I love National Signing Day. The new prospects sign on to come to play for the North Carolina Tarheels and it is a day full of possibilities. The Tarheels went after defense on National Signing Day as 16 of the 26 players that signed were defensive players, 7 of those 16 were defensive backs. The defensive side of the ball is where a Freshman could step in and play immediately next year. Defensive End Tomon Fox has been mentioned as being able to step in and play immediately as has defensive back Myles Dorn, son of former Tarheel and NFL player Torin Dorn, and defensive back Patrice Rene.

There will also be a battle to see who backs up quarterback Mitch Trubisky. The Tarheels have two quarterbacks in this class, Logan Byrd, who enrolled at North Carolina in January, and National Player of the Year Chazz Surratt. They will compete for the backup job with four other quarterbacks on the Tarheels spring roster. Caleb Henderson got into three games last season as the third on the depth chart. He attempted two passes. No other quarterback on the roster has seen game action.

The Writing On The Wall

The writing was on the wall for the North Carolina Tarheels loss to Louisville. You might be able to get away with subpar shooting performances against North Carolina State and Wake Forest but it is a different story when you are playing a ranked Louisville team on the road. Cold shooting seems to have infected the entire team and even though I di a little bit of coaching, I really cannot think of a solution for a cold shooting basketball team that has spread through the better part of six games. This has been one for the record books.

Taking A BC Powder

I am having a hard time getting a good feel for this Tarheels team. They were a good shooting team until about five games ago and then they couldn't throw it in the ocean from the beach. The Tarheels finally shot over 50% against Boston College. They play great defense at times and force 23 turnovers against Boston College. Then they have defensive lapses and allow a BC player to go steaming right down the middle of the lane twice for dunks. Marcus Paige was a preseason All-American and has averaged less than six points a game over the last five games. The good news is that the Tarheels keep on winning. The better news will be seeing how good they can be when they find their identity.

Living On The Edge

The North Carolina Tarheels continue to live on the edge. They have not been playing their best basketball but remain undefeated. They built up a 20 point lead in the first half against Virginia Tech and had to hold on at the end to win 75-70. A shooting slump has infested the entire Tarheels team like a bad case of the flu. The team shot 3 for 23 from the three point line and only hit 37.8% of its shots for the game. Marcus Paige's shooting slump stretched into his fourth game as he only hit 2 of his 10 and 0 for 5 from the three point line. Brice Johnson has been the most consistent scorer among the Tarheels this season and he posted 19 points and 17 rebounds and blocked three Hokies shots.

The Tarheels defense was worthy of note against the Hokies with 11 steals and they forced 14 Hokies turnovers and blocked seven shots. They also held the Hokies to 40% shooting and outrebounded them 48-33. The schedule for the Tarheels turns much tougher after the game Saturday against Boston College and the Tarheels depth and talent may not be able to overcome the poor shooting they have suffered from of late against the likes of Louisville and Duke.

Not The Same Hokies

I have to admit, I know nothing about this years Virginia Tech basketball team except what I have seen on the scoreboard and in the standings. A 4-2 record in the ACC with those two losses coming at Duke and at Notre Dame is impressive enough and throw in a win against a highly ranked Virginia team at home, and the Tarheels have a game on their hands. Virginia Tech's statistics do not jump off the page. As the saying goes, the game is not played on paper and Virginia Tech has taken those lackluster stats and consistently won with them. The Tarheels always have problems with teams that play a slower tempo and play primarily a zone defense. Marcus Paige is in a slump and the Tarheels are only shooting about 25 percent as a team from the three point line in ACC play so you can't depend on the Tarheels to shoot them out of the zone. The Tarheels under Roy Williams have never relied on that philosophy anyway.

Beatable

Wake Forest basketball head coach Danny Manning is right when he said that the North Carolina Tarheels are "beatable". The North Carolina Tarheels are winning in spite of the fact that their perimeter game has gone on an early spring break. Guard Marcus Paige has only scored eight points in his past three games on 3 for 25 shooting and 1 of 17 from the three point line and all three of those games the Tarheels won by double digits.

The Tarheels have won all six of their ACC games thanks in large part to their inside game. Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Isaiah Hicks have all had career games since the ACC season started. Joel Berry II has been the only consistent perimeter threat because of Paige's season long slump. Paige's slump is concerning but the Tarheels keep winning. Justin Jackson is also in the throes of a slump. For the Tarheels to keep winning and to go deep into the NCAA tournament, the Tarheels will have to get over their team wide case of the "yips" from the three point line. In today's game you have to be able to hit the three with something better than 25 percent consistency.

A Deep Bench

The North Carolina Tarheels have a deep bench, the deepest in the Atlantic Coast conference. They have nine players that average more than ten minutes a game although those numbers are slightly skewed because of injuries to Marcus Paige and Kennedy Meeks. Throw in freshmen Luke Maye and Kenny Williams and the Tarheels can go eleven deep in a pinch. That is a great luxury to have.

I have seen the boxscores from other ACC games and there are several teams that only go seven deep. In Duke's loss to Syracuse, both teams only used seven players. The last man off of the bench for Duke only played two minutes. North Carolina State only used seven players in their loss to North Carolina. ACC leading scorer Anthony Barber only had nine points against the Tarheels, none in the second half. Barber averages over 37 minutes a game. The Tarheel defense had something to do with holing him scoreless in the second half but Barber also knew he wasn't coming out of the game.

As the season progresses, you have to worry about fresh legs especially come ACC tournament time. In a four day format like the ACC now has, that is a brutal stretch of games if you only have two players coming off the bench. Fresh legs do not guarantee wins at the end of the season but I would rather have them than not.

The Man In The Middle

Kennedy Meeks was the latest North Carolina Tarheel post player to have a big game and it happened in his return to the starting lineup against North Carolina State. Pound for pound, the Wolfpack has more size in the middle. Meeks athleticism got the State big men in foul trouble and they both fouled out of the game, Meeks scored 18 of the Tarheels 38 points in the second half and Meeks totaled 23 for the game.

Since the start of ACC conference play, the Tarheels post players have come up big because the North Carolina perimeter game has gone colder than a January day in the North Carolina mountains. The Tarheels are only shooting a little over 25 percent from the three point line in ACC play but Brice Johnson, Isaiah Hicks, and now Kennedy Meeks have all had career games during the Tarheels 5-0 ACC start.

A Little Magic

Brice Johnson showed he had a little bit of magic to his game with a career high eight assists against Syracuse and most of those assists were passes to Isaiah Hicks against the Syracuse zone for dunks or layups. Hicks tied a career high in points with 21 and set a career high in rebounds with eight. Johnson and Hicks games offset the Marcus Paige's lowest point total of the season with three.

Johnson's career high is assists comes the game after his career best 39 points and 23 rebounds against Florida State and for his efforts for the week, Johnson was named the ACC player of the Week for the second time this season. The Tarheels improved to 4-0 in the ACC for the first time in Roy Williams 13 seasons as the North Carolina head coach.

Brice Johnson's Game

Brice Johnson of the North Carolina Tarheels had a game for the history books against Florida State- 39 points and 23 rebounds. Johnson has come the closest to realizing his vast potential in this his senior season but he has still had his ups and downs. His game against Florida State is just two games removed from his three point performance against Clemson.

Johnson has always been an emotional player and being able to harness that emotion has been one of Johnson's biggest issues and one of North Carolina coach Roy Williams biggest battles. Johnson harnessed it for one game against Florida State and it wasn't like he was going up against a weak front line for Florida State. Johnson has flourished in the absence of Kennedy Meeks and has largely shouldered the inside scoring burden for North Carolina.

Meeks is due to come back against Syracuse and that brings up a lot of questions. How will Johnson handle it? How will Roy Williams work Meeks back into the rotation? How long will it take Meeks to work off the court rust? Will the chemistry that North Carolina has be disrupted? The Tarheels are looking for their first 4-0 start in the ACC under Roy Williams (that stat alone is hard to believe) and Syracuse will be the start for North Carolina looking for answers to these questions.

My Top Ten List- Basketball- Part IV

7. Jerry Stackhouse- Although Jerry Stackhouse only played two seasons in Chapel Hill, those two seasons left a lasting impression. Who can ever forget his "up and under" dunk against Duke where he drove right by Cherokee Parks and either Meeks or Newton and slammed it home. He scored over 1000 points in those two seasons and left behind more highlight reel dunks than ESPN could show in an hour. Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace paired to be the "Young Guns" while at North Carolina and they came in together and they left together. Stackhouse and Wallace were at the leading edge of college players turning pro early in droves. I also remember the last game of their college careers, a loss in the NCAA tournament to Boston College. When it comes to North Carolina basketball, you can only wonder what might have been when it comes to players leaving early.

8. Kenny Smith- Kenny earned the nickname "The Jet" while at North Carolina because of his speed and he could really get up and down the court. What I remember most about his career was the game against LSU towards the end of his freshman season in 1983-84 where he broke his wrist. North Carolina was in the process of putting LSU away in a game LSU had lead for the most part but North Carolina had some serious talent on that team- Michael Jordan, Brad Daugherty, Sam Perkins, and Smith. North Carolina held down the number one ranking for much of that season. Smith stole the ball from John Tudor of LSU and corralled it at about half court and was going in for the breakaway dunk. Tudor clotheslined Smith right after he left the ground and Smith came down hard on his wrist and broke it. Jordan was so incensed by Tudor's cheap shot, he went after him under the basket. UNC went on to lose to Indiana in the NCAA Tournament that season in what would be Jordan's final game at North Carolina. I always felt that when Smith broke his wrist that season and missed eight games, it messed up the balance that North Carolina had and cost them a great chance at another national championship.

The Forgotten Man

Senior Joel James has been starting at Center in the absence of the injured Kennedy Meeks but he only averages about 15 to 20 minutes and three points a game. Georgia Tech must have forgot he was even on the court as he scored six of North Carolina's first ten points in the 86-78 win. Two of the baskets were easy layups as he was left wide open under the basket and the other was a right handed half hook he hit from the middle of the lane. James tied his career high with 11 points on five of six shooting from the field and one for three from the free throw line. I would be willing to bet that Georgia Tech never expected that.

My Top Ten List- Basketball- Part III

5. Tyler Hansbrough- Hansbrough made the North Carolina record book his own personal stats guide while he was a Tarheel leaving as the all time leading scorer and rebounder and he set numerous ACC and NCAA records as well. Hansbrough earned the nickname "Psycho T" while at North Carolina and he had a will to win that was second only to Michael Jordan in Tarheel lore. The most impressive stat for Tyler Hansbrough was that he never lost to Duke and going undefeated at Cameron Indoor Stadium was a feat that had never been accomplished by a Tarheel before. I don't remember where the Tarheels were playing but someone in the stands had held up a poster comparing Hansbrough to the Muppets character Beaker. He was a monster on the glass and if the officials would have called all of the fouls that were actually committed against him, he would probably still be at the free throw line. His records at North Carolina will never be broken.

6. Shammond Williams- Williams was one of those players that occasionally comes to Chapel Hill that did not get a lot of national attention as a high school player while he was playing in Greenville, SC but Dean Smith saw some potential there and thought he could contribute by the time he left North Carolina. Williams did not even average two points a game his freshman season but he left with the Tarheel record for three pointers made (a record just recently broken by Marcus Paige) and a career three point percentage of just over 40 percent. My favorite game of Williams had to be his 42 points against Georgia Tech in double overtime. He his eight of eleven three pointers in the Tarheels 107-100 win and just completely took the game over.

My Top Ten List- Basketball- Part II

3. Sam Perkins- No matter what nickname you called him, "the Big Smooth" or "Sleepy Sam", Perkins played with an easy, natural grace that was not common to big men when her arrived in Chapel Hill in the fall of 1980. He had not been playing basketball long when began his freshman season but he quickly made an impact and was the second leading scorer on the team at 14.9. He was also named the 1981 ACC Tournament MVP and appeared in the Final Four when the Tarheels lost in the Finals to Indiana. I recently watched their Final Four game against Virginia. Virginia featured 7'4" Ralph Sampson Perkins went up and blocked a Sampson jump shot which was an impressive feat considering Perkins was giving up seven inches in height on the play. Perkins finished his North Carolina as the second leading scorer and the all-time leading rebounder. He is still the third leading scorer and the second leading rebounder.

4. Vince Carter- Carter came North Carolina with the reputation as a high flyer and his mid-air acrobatics were second only to Michael Jordan in the annals of North Carolina basketball. The two plays that I remember most from Vince Carter is the dunk he had over Tim Duncan when North Carolina completed a comeback win over Wake Forest and an alley oop thrown from past half court by Shammond Williams against Florida State. He drove right down the middle of the lane against Wake Forest with only Tim Duncan standing in the way and he rose up and over Duncan and threw it down with two hands. Against Florida State Williams threw the ball towards the basket and Carter went up and got it. While he was at North Carolina, Carter transformed from a high flying athlete into a complete player and he is just now finishing up a 17 or 18 year career in the NBA.