Not one of their best efforts.
The Heels appeared to be slightly bored with ORU, especially on defense. ORU got away with too many easy baskets and despite committing 25 turnovers only lost by 16 on the home floor of the #1 team in the nation. I am guessing the ten day break took a little bit of the edge off. UNC should have won this game by at least 10 more points if the defense had played with the requisite intensity. Still, it is a win, UNC was never in danger at any point and we will ultimately let it ride as a by product of rust. There were some high points though.
Any of UNC’s future opponents want to live in a world where Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson combine for 48 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals? Hansbrough was Hansbrough and the addition of the perimeter jumpers continue to impress. Thompson was simply a beast. He made so many good shots and had a number of great moves to the basket. With Wayne Ellington still struggling to find his shot and Danny Green a tad erratic, the duo inside was indispensible. Ty Lawson was solid again with 18 points and seven assists. He did commit two turnovers, perhaps someone should call Ripley’s.
Overall the defense was simply not very focused and there were some missed opportunities on offense. No one expects UNC to maintain the level of play we say in Maui and versus Michigan State. Long breaks in play tend to reset momentum and after ten days of not playing meaningful competition it was expected the team would be out of sync a bit. The next game against Evansville should be better and with Tyler Hansbrough nine points from passing Phil Ford it should be a very special night.
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Agreed, not exactly the most pleasing effort. I thought the size factor for ORU helped them a little more in the paint. While certainly not the quality of what KU threw at us, but those were some big fellas down low. 100 points still worthy of free biscuits at Bojangles though??
Seriously though, should we be “that group” complaining about a 16-point win? It can be a slippery slope…the game still marks as “W”.
OK, you two – a “W” is a “W.” Won’t argue with formal logic. Or the (rather lame) “layoff” lament. But surely there are others out there who recognize that had ORU a singular point guard, UNC could have been given a run for the money and possibly posted an inexcusable “L.”
No, I don’t think that getting the “W” is the most positive outcome from that one. I think that the unmistakable and quite transparent lack of interior defense, the continuing spectacle of Mr. Pure Shooter Ellington’s unreliable streakiness, and the lapsing into one-on-one defense ILO team defense – that witnessing these is the most positive benefit from the game. Luckily exposed against a competent but incomplete team, this crew can clearly see the work ahead for them.
I also, for the first time, feel the loss of Zeller will be greater than has been recognized. That’s the one thing that cannot be remedied by this team GETTING FOCUSED to achieve a consistency of excellence EXPECTED from a 4-year squad of Mickey D AA’s.
UNC’s interior D is what it is and I do not believe this inherent weakness will find miracle cure. Anyone who saw the Oklahoma game yesterday may know my concern; their interior bigs would have crushed us. And if we play them, they still may. Ellington OR Green AND Team-D will be necessities against such competition. And it’s coming.
Become greater than the sum of your awesome parts, Heels!
Zoomba!
I still think that we will beat any team in the land regardless of how big their bigs are. We have too many weapons that will overcome any team’s one or two strengths. I think you will see this come to fruition through the rest of the season. Sure, there will be teams that we only beat by single digits that find their best way to play us. It wouldn’t surprise me at all that a team with good bigs like Wake will only lose by single digits. It wouldn’t surprise me if a good 3 point shooting Duke will only lose by single digits. Gonzaga, they have good bigs that can give us fits, and we may only be able to beat them by single digits as well. There are teams out there that can give us a run for our money. But look at OUR bigs. Look at OUR shooters, slashers, rebounders, hustlers, etc. They are all better than anyone else in the field, if at times only slightly.
My biggest gripe is that we played pretty lazily in the 2nd half. We’ve got to bring it all the time, or we are going to lose some games that we should win. We can get away with some sloppiness against a team like Oral Roberts, but not against Wake and Duke. I think the Evansville game will show us how much of this was rust and lack of focus after exams.
I was at this game. We were pretty good in the first half, but complacent thereafter. The game was never competitive, and I expect it’s difficult to maintain defennive intensity in such a setting.
This might be the start of playing down to the competition, but the evidence on that score is not anything like conclusive based on this one performance. A ten-day layoff is going to have its effects.
The time is coming when we are going to be in a competitive game. I think this squad has the toughness to win. We’ll know, probably on January 11, whether I’m right about that.
I do think it’s worth remembering that this is Hansbrough’s team, and that he returned principally for one reason, i.e., to win the national championship. My estimate is this: To whatever extent he fails to inspire his teammates to step up to his level, he will simply put the burden on his own back. Either way, I like our prospects.
I think one flaw in the general logic is that UNC players would approach a game with Duke, Wake, Oklahoma, heck even NC State with the same attitude they approached this one. This was Oral Roberts. It was the first game in ten days. The team practiced twice during the exam break. Some rust was expected and if you heard/read Roy’s comments, he was not happy with the effort on defense and the rebounding. He understands the break had something to do with it and you can bet large portions of whatever salary you make that Monday’s practice will be straight from the handbook of hellish practices.
My point is I am in no way ready to proclaim a piss poor performance versus Oral Roberts as a sign this team will not be able to handle better teams down the road. At this point there is more evidence of the dominance than anything else.
Gross game but entertaining.
I sat on my couch eating tacos and listening to the game.
I laughed the whole time.
Does anyone realize this is the second time Danny Green got cut over his eye? I’m not sure whether it was the same eye or not but it happend.
I can’t wait till next game when Tyler breaks that record. I think Im going to cry.
Hopefully Marcus will be back soon after Christmas break. I really, really want him to come back for the first time at a home game and not at some random far away place.
Overall sloppy game but I saw some things that I liked.
Go Heels!
Good to see Marcus in the warmup, even though I’m sure it will be a while before we see him play. I was also there early enough to see Marcus and Tyler Z. do conditioning drills with Jonas. I hate that Z. got injured this year but I predict he will be an absolute beast next year.
The history of college basketball is replete with teams struggling their first game out of the break. It is just a fact of nature.
Danny better not go into boxing, with that soft tissue issue.
Oral Roberts made it to the Final 8 back in 1974 and should have been in the Final Four but choked away a lead at the end versus Kansas. They have a program that is decent every few years but I didn’t think this was one of them.
Kansas ruins even the best teams.
I think Thompson said it best, “we were more excited about the first practice back than the game.