Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
When: Sunday, March 29th, 5:05 PM
TV: CBS or MMOD
Livestats: SCACC Hoops
Liveblogging: No
Records: UNC 31-4, Oklahoma 30-5
NCAA Results: UNC-def. Radford, LSU, Gonzaga; OU-def. Morgan St., Michigan, Syracuse
Here is what happened the last time UNC met Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament.
That was 1990 when UNC was in the midst of one of the worse seasons in the modern Dean Smith era. If memory serves, that version of Oklahoma was seen much the same way this season’s version is. Yes they were a #1 seed and #1 in the nation at the time but not many were convinced they were a strong team. The same could be said about the Sooners this season and there is merit to the argument until you consider that Oklahoma not UNC played in a conference that put three teams in the Sweet Sixteen and two into the Elite Eight. Speaking for myself, I think I may have been incorrect to view Oklahoma in such an unfavorable light given the present evidence.
All that being said and setting aside the Tyler Hansbrough vs Blake Griffin matchup everyone wants to discuss let me just say, if the Tar Heel team that showed up on Friday night, the Heels will be heading for Detroit come next week. It is really that simple. As for the Hansbrough-Griffin matchup, Hansbrough himself says the team is the priority and he will look to do his part to help the team win. Bobby Frasor has indicated that Hansbrough is being diplomatic and wants to prove something. Whatever the case, I do not expect Hansbrough to not get caught up in a individual war with Griffin. UNC is at their best when all the cylinders are firing and that starts with Ty Lawson,
In the Saturday media availabiliy, Lawson indicated the toe was in good shape and if he had said anything else people who saw him play versus Gonzaga would have called him a liar. What Lawson does will determine how well this game goes for UNC. Against Gonzaga, Lawson came out and took immediate control of the game opening up the scoring for UNC by hitting two threes and dishing out a pair of assists. Lawson got the motor running and if he does that again, it will bode well for UNC.
Worries? There always are. A cold streak for Wayne Ellington is one concern thought it is hard to imagine Ellington won’t keep doing what he has been doing. Danny Green could relapse but against Gonzaga he looked like he got his groove back. The Heels need more productivity from Deon Thompson and Ed Davis at the four, though I think Davis ends up playing a huge role on defense in this one. Besides the free throw shooting, my only other worry is some sort of ridiculous shooting night from the Sooner guards if UNC opts for the double team on Blake Griffin.
In the end I expect UNC’s experience, superior firepower and an advantage in the head coaches chair to punch the Heels’ ticker to a 2nd straight Final Four.
UNC 87 OK 75
![[Bloglines]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[MySpace]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Technorati]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
I’m a bit nervous for this one. I don’t know OK very well and anyone still playing is pretty good. If we advance no Pitt to play…Yeah
In his PC yesterday, Roy said he believed that Oklahoma was the top #2 seed and would have been a #1 seed if not for the Griffin concussion. If that is the case, today is basically a final four game instead of a regional final.
In the Gonzaga game, we needed to be focused and play great basketball to win, which we did. Today, we will need some luck on the defensive end to get stops with Griffin on the court. It will be interesting to see if we go at him on the defensive end. Capel would be smart to put Blake on Deon or Ed.
Something tells me that neither coach wants their star PF’s in foul trouble, so Griffin might be d’d up on Deon Thompson/Ed Davis, and Hansbrough could be facing up on Taylor Griffin or someone else.
Blake Griffin will get some points, but UNC has to put him in foul trouble. The key to this game is how everyone that doesn’t have a #50 on their jersey for UNC will play. If Lawson, Ellington, and Green play as well as in the Gonzaga game, I don’t think OU can hang, unless their guards are able to match the output. If their guards are able to hit perimeter shots and Blake Griffin gets his 20 points, UNC could be in trouble.
As far as Blake Griffin goes, I think he’s tough and a good player. However he’s one dimensional on offense. If he’s nto in a situation where he can get a layup or dunk, he has problems scoring. If you put him at the FT line, he has problems with that too. I expect to see a mix of Deon, Ed, and Zeller guarding Griffin today. Maybe even Danny Green will get a shot at a matchup.
The Sooners have not been a team that applies significant amounts of ball pressure–they rated 302nd in the country by forcing opponents to relinquish the ball on just 18.1% of possessions–and have not always been the best caretakers of the ball, giving it up on nearly 20% of their possessions, a figure that puts them in the middle third in the country.
–thanks to adam lucas
That victory was so sweet. It came during a relative lull in our program’s history. I was in school then and remember that game more than many many other tournament games.
Is is just me or did OU’s coach surreptitiously go on to become Vladimir Putin?
wb3, as you know EVERY year we have the tough row to hoe.
I like Oklahoma’s position here because they have nothing to lose whereas our only goal from start to finish was to win a game on the first Monday in April. I strongly doubt if the Sooners were thinking in those terms in late October.
However, I have every faith that Roy will have them mentally prepared to do the physical things which must happen for a big win today.
that makes me like our position.
none of us has any idea what the players are telling themselves or each other about “The Mission”. it could be what made the performance against Gonzaga possible.
to us, its just one concerning matchup after another, while to them it could be about finally taking the mental and physical games to an all new level to get beyond 07 and 08.
i think one of the big keys is keeping griffin off of the baseline.most of his scoring comes from slinking around the baseline grabbing offensive rebounds for putbacks or dunks.what should be fun to watch is our own beloved rebounding machine hopefully snatching them away.tyler also has the ability to shoot fom 12-15 feet and beyond,something neither griffin is very good at.deons ability to shoot the jumper can also present problems,drawing them away from the basket,so hopefully he’ll have a good game today.danny’s help coming from the weakside plus ed davis blocking shots,i dont think the post should be a problem.lawsons pressure on johnson may be the biggest factor imo.
I had a dream we lost last night. Remember the opposite of my dreams usually happen, just like the Gonzaga game.
Tyler’s play is huge with him going up against Griffin. Wayne’s streak must continue and Danny must be funk free. Ty is going to be a huge factor. We want to push the ball and run with it. They want to control the pace and we can’t let them.
Heels by 6 or 7.
This isn’t a game any more. This is all out war. Detroit is one game away. These guys are going to come out fighting. We want this and if play can’t win this, heart will and we have plenty of that. GO HEELS!
^indeed.
theyve probably been awake for hours. before the game, during the game, the Final Four is going to be bringing out their best effort.
we got this one.
a true oklahoma butt whuppin’(theirs not ours)would do alot of good for us.this team reminds me of the 05′team as the media says alot of the same things.the defense isnt great,players are accused of taking plays off,disintrest,…etc.but when crunch time came the boys stepped up and played really good ball.i think the same applies here.the team seems focused more so than any other time with the exception of the michigan state game.a good beatdown might silence the media,and scare the bejesus out of nova.
On an ESPN show (Sports Reporters) this morning, much of the talk centered on keeping the Oklahoma scoring machine tamped down. Apparently UNC having guys like Ellington, Green, Thompson or Davis didn’t matter as much to these folks.
Let Griffin get his, and make the others beat you. ES31, great analogy to the 2005 team (all else equal, that team was better defensively or at least I want to think that they were).
Speaking of ESPN, they ran a feature on the “Krispy Kreme Challenge” this morning. Makes me darn proud to be a NC native !!
lol,me too txtarheel.where from?
Originally and much of the growing up in eastern NC; Williamston, Martin County. 11-12 years in the Durham/Chapel Thrill area
I would love the ACC/Big Ten challenge go away and make it the ACC/Big East.
“Let Griffin get his, and make the others beat you.”
This may be what we end up doing most of the time. We have 15 fouls to give Griffin between Thompson, Zeller, and Davis. This could end up being the game that Zeller can help us the most by his returning.
In terms of the strategy, the no doubling philosophy worked best in the 2004 NBA finals when Larry Brown refused to double Kobe and Shaq. But we probably want to mix it up a few times to keep Blake guessing as to whether a double is coming.
no kidding.rocky mount here.home of the great phil ford.remember seeing ford’s number on the wall at the same high school.heck, my coach was ford’s coach.talk about stirring the basketball juices.i hear now there’s a kid named mabry lightin it up down there now.heard roy even paid a little visit,and they had to lock the gym to keep everyone out of watching the practice.or seeing roy.
the problem wb3 is griffin has seen lots of doubles,and is pretty good at passing out of them.perimeter play will be key in attacking the passing lanes,sticking to warren like a fly on….poop,(bobby should do that nicely with a healthy dose of wayne)and pressuring johnson.he’s a decent point guard and i think lawson will have his way.
IC, has this thing “Terminator vs. Crazy T”. So Tyler’s new nickname is “Crazy T”? I was under the impression it was “Psycho T”. Hmm, I guess I was wrong.
Hey esheel31 and TxTarheel, I’m in and from Morehead City…. hard to beat the beach this time of the year.
I think Carolina will get blake’s best game, but we win out as a team. I’m sure nobody has to remind these guys what it’s like to go home early.
Go Heels!!!
spent many a time in morehead city,emerald isle.great time to be at the beach
Rocky Mount, home to a few athletes of note. Buck Williams starred at Maryland (and an early favorite of mine as a non-Carolina player). Buck Leonard played in the negro leagues and was inducted into the baseball HOF in 1972; I would swear part of the US64-bypass is named for him around there.
Wikipedia rules !
Field trips and July 4th day-trips…spent a few of those going to Morehead city and fort macon. my mom used to rave about Sanitary fish market too
“the problem wb3 is griffin has seen lots of doubles,and is pretty good at passing out of them”
True, but if you show him the exact same defense for 40 minutes, you run the risk of letting him get into a good flow. Need to keep him off balance.
Let’s change the conversation to what does Oklahoma have to do to stop UNC. If it were me, I’d say just stay in front of your man and challenge shots. Seems like that is what Wake Forest did and it worked. It may sould elementary, but that is what they have to do. I’d say play good man to man, don’t worry too much about the times Lawson gets past you. Just stay with him, maybe it will throw him off balance. When it comes to Wayne & Danny, do not defend the drive, but force them into mid-range & long-range jump shots. We can live with that. Very few double teams. It is a gamble, and when you do, it usually results in Lawson/Green/Ellington breaking down the defense and attacking the glass.
This is in part my game plan if I am OK.
I think OK threw in a little zone Friday night during the Syracuse game. Probably not a bad idea for them at different points today.
OK should also try to limit the pace, running with UNC is not their best path.