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.