Weirdness.
That is about the only way I could describe this one. It was just an odd game where UNC seemed in control once they retook the lead in the first half after being down three but at the same time that really big back breaking run of complete and total domination was ever elusive. A microcosm of this was seen at points where I thought the Heels did a good job playing defense, forcing bad shots or passes only to have the ball slip out of the hands, picked up by a UCSB player who then found an easy basket from it. Or there was the case of Ty Lawson knocking the ball away, diving to the floor for it and getting called for a travel out of it. The game ended up being a tough test which might surprise some but it was also a true road game played at a small arenda with the local fans rocking for the home team. Major programs do not play many true road games. UNC opts to do so and there is a risk of something nasty happening in doing so. The Heels stepped up and avoided that tonight.
The return of Tyler Hansbrough was a subdued affair in general. Hansbrough had 13 points, nine of those off FTs as he also went 2-8 from the floor. The rust was obvious for Hansbrough and he only had a short put back and dunk to show for his FG shooting. Hansbrough ended up with seven boards, five of them offensive helping the Heels to rediscover their rebounding edge which appeared lost for two games. Deon Thompson started slow but eventually picked up the slack with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Likewise Ed Davis had a solid game with 10 points to fill out a decent game on the Tar Heel frontline.
I stated in the preview that I thought Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green were pressing too much with Hansbrough out and once he returned they would relax and find their games. I am not sure if tonight was correlation without causation but these three played extremely well for the first time this season. Tonight we saw the real Lawson who had 19 points on 6-7 shooting and hit two critcal threes over the UCSB zone. Lawson needs to work on the FT shooting but his performance was all it should have been. Same goes for Ellington and Green. The former shook off a horrid shooting start in the first two games to post 17 points on 6-10 shooting including 3-6 from three point range. If Ellington can shoot anywhere close to that going forward this team will have the perimeter offense it needs. Green, who apparently has a bruised hamstring, picked up 11 points in mostly timely baskets.
The bench guards/small forwards were mostly pretty quiet. Larry Drew had a couple of nice feeds for assists but that was all. Bobby Frasor had a horrible night shooting missing all five shots he took and committing three turnovers which is uncharacteristic for him. Will Graves also did not score and basically played scant minutes resting the starters.
As I said, the dominant game seemed just out of reach but the Heels did enough to keep a inspired home team in check and got the win. It is on to Maui where Hansbrough, who said he was pain free, will probably sit out the game on Monday. Roy said he cannot imagine playing him three games in a row and that is probably a good idea.
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I couldn’t believe how many times I would clap, or say, “Nice!” when UNC was on defense, only to see the Gauchos end scoring, anyway… really bizarre. I thought the intensity was there, just the execution was a little off. Nothing like 3 games in Maui to help there!
I forgot what a pitbull Bobby is on D. Pity the ACC wings when he an Marcus are on the floor together.
BTW, UNC is now 26-1, all-time, when Lawson gets 2 or more steals.
Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. If they win by 17 (which they did)then it should have been a 40-point blowout. If they lose, then everyone chimes in with the 2005 references. Look, I like it when the boys win ugly. I was coaching my own team last night, so I didn’t get to listen to the game on XM. I have since studied the box score, and I continue to be impressed with the work of Ed Davis. I was glad to see Tywon get it together, the FT shooting not withstanding. The big tests will be either Notre Dame/Texas and Michigan State.
As always, it was nice to check out ESPN and see them foam (at the mouth) over another Duke November success story. Congrats on beating a weak Big Ten team, while scoring 71 points in the process. I forgot that November tournament wins against vastly inferior teams were a big deal. That’s why we play teams in true road games, not celebrated venues that provide spacious boxes for the “yes” men and women who get all warm and fuzzy over a coach with a 1-2 record in the NCAA tourny since 2006.
DF,
I was watching the Duke game and the announcers were talking about how good Duke’s record in November under K was and then dropped this gem… “And they GO play people. It’s not like they play cupcakes at home.” (paraphrased) I just about had an aneurysm!!
Ty played as well as his line indicates. We would have had a few more assists, but Tyler and the bigs missed some bunnies. He did a nice job getting his feet under him on his J, which appears to make all of the difference. I have to assume going 5-10 from the line is an aberration, given that he shot 84% last year and made 11-12 in the first two games.
I saw room for improvement on defense, but I must say UCSB deserves some props–they played tough. Does anyone else see shades of Kenny Smith in Drew?
We sure are not shooting the ball well. We haven’t shot over 50% in any of our three games. They just look disjointed out there. For those who couldn’t see the game, it had a strange look and feel. The crowd was raucous and Santa Barbara played a frenzied type of defense.
Win and move on, and remember, with the exception of Chaminade, all the teams will be playing in a strange time zone next week.
Happy to see the return of Tyler. He is going to get better as the season goes along. I would advise Roy to keep him at no more than ten minutes for Chaminade, maybe 20 for the second round and if (when) we get to the third round play him full force. Overall good game for some people and bad game for others.