I hate your picture.

i would like BC to validate itself similar to how i want the team who eliminate my team in a tourney to go ahead and win the whole darn thing. then i can say we lost to the eventual champ. it doesn’t make my team any better but i do feel the loss is at least slightly more justified.

more practically speaking: if we’re caught at the end of the regular season in a situation in which we’re one of 5 or 6 teams with multiple losses all vying for the #1 seed, then it may help if BC ends the season highly ranked.

but you’re right in that BC’s validation is not a requirement. especially if the tar heels take care of business (doesn’t mean undefeated) going forward.

I agree with your point about the motivation issue, THF. If the only issue in the game had been poor shooting, then I think you can write that off somewhat. Here, there were just a whole host of mental mistakes and sloppy and lackadaisical play. It is one thing to lose, but to go from a two point deficit to a fifteen point deficit, that quickly at home, is kind of strange.

Having said that, perhaps the two greatest teams in the history of the ACC also had some puzzling outings. NC State back in 1974 got annihilated by 18 points by UCLA on a neutral floor during the regular season, after Maryland only lost to the Bruins by one point at UCLA. State also almost lost to Purdue and needed a huge rally to get past them. The Boilermakers were decent but ended up in the NIT.

The 1982 Tar Heels needed to go to overtime to beat Penn State in the Cable Car Classic! They also lost at Virginia by 16 points, which was a considerable margin back then and barely beat James Madison in Charlotte in the NCAA tourney.

Maybe a step behind those two were the 1993 Tar Heels, but the 1993 Heels also simply annihilated many rivals. They beat South Carolina by 31; they beat Texas by 36 and Ohio State by 20 in Columbus. They beat NC State by 33 and 46 points; they beat Maryland by 28, 14 and 36 points; they beat Virginia by 22 and 20 points; but then the 1993 Heels had a three game interval where they could do very little right.

The Heels fell behind FSU by twenty-something points and had to stage a huge rally to get an ugly win at home; they then lost by 26 points to Wake Forest and 14 points to Duke. With the exception of a close loss in the ACC finals, (without Derrick Phelps and where Donald Williams shot horribly) the Tar Heels would not lose again during its final 18 games.

1) If the Heels had pulled this game out we’d be basking in the glow and talking about where it ranked on the all time comeback scale. As it was they came very close but just like the Kansas game they were just too far behind to complete the comeback. We’d still have the same issues with lack of focus and times when they went on cruise control but we’d feel a lot better about it. As has been said, hopefully this will shake the guys up a little bit and make them just a little bit more hungry. Even though a perfect season shouldn’t have been one of their goals I’m sure it was in their minds. Everyone wants to be remembered as “one of the best”.

2)I was pretty happy with the way Danny conducted his interview. Especially given the way he is prone to saying whatever is on his mind at the time (see “testing the waters ’08″). I would have been surprised if he had shown any more passion or fire than he did. I believe this interview is one Roy would have approved of. Then again I am very old school. I’d rather see what you have on the court than listen to you tell me about it.

I DO agree with this. My point was that in a public interview with someone savvy like Dave Glenn, I thought Green said the right things in the right tone. Remember it was Green who said he “wanted a close game”…..(HP shakes head)

Watching BC this year will be interesting from now on out.