Or you know what Roy could do? He could bring Will Graves off the bench and see if that is sufficient motivation to get him going.
Over the past few days here at THF we wrangled with lineup possibilities which, in most cases, included sitting Graves down and for darn sure taking him out of the starting lineup. Well, Roy did the latter and at the end of the day only had Graves in the game 18 minutes but they were easily the best 18 minutes of Graves’ career His play coupled with huge scoring nights from Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller lifted UNC from a five point early 2nd half lead to a 37 point drubbing. Overall there were five Tar Heels in double figures.
Besides the play of Graves, the whole team looked very good on both ends, especially in the 2nd half. The first half was a tad ragged. UNC turned the ball over eleven times before intermission and gave up six straight points in tip-ins by Marshall to close the half. After a small four point run by the Thundering Herd, the Heels ratcheted up the defensive pressure forcing Marshall into repeated poor shot selection and numerous turnovers. The defense allowed UNC to push the ball more. Zeller ran the floor like a gazelle all night giving him so fast break points. Ed Davis, as Roy pointed out, also ran the floor extremely well, an area of improvement for him.
The general guard play for UNC was decent. Larry Drew had six assists and three turnovers to go along with four points. Dexter Strickland had four assists and only two turnovers. Ginyard, in addition to his 14 points, dished out five dimes against three miscues. The only complaint I have about these guards is their passing decisions in traffic. Oftentimes, the Tar Heel guards do a great job of getting penetration but then make some inexplicable attempt to put the ball where it has not prayer of going. Some of those passes end up going backwards away from the basket to a big man like Ed Davis who is in no way positioned to make an effective scoring move. Smarter decisions with the ball would help the offense find its legs a little more. Once again I continue to be impressed with Strickland’s assertive nature on the fast break. He is definitely looking to push the basketball and if he can figure out how to that without the turnovers, it will go a long way toward solving the space problem.
And let’s be clear on something. Marshall is a good team with some potential NBA talent on the roster. With that in mind UNC got a balanced offensive attack, some outstanding 2nd half defense and in many was that up-tempo liik of UNC basketball many of us have been accustomed to seeing. In other words, it was a nice step, hopefully in the right direction. Games like this are confidence builders despite the final deficit. Needless to say, UNC was able to play well which will hopefully carry over into the next few games to get things moving in the right direction.
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Things I really wanted to see took place tonight. Granted, this was weaker competition, but Henson showed that Durant like athleticism we thought he had. He dribbled the ball in the half-court comfortably, he nailed a 3, and look out if he ever learns to block a shot and retain possession of it. He also took the ball off the dribble and penetrated to the paint beating his man to the rack. Gotta love it. Now if he’d learn to take his man off the dribble, and pull up for that 15 foot Jumper like he did in HS.
Strickland, although not a good shooting night for him, ran fast paced comfortably handling the ball, making decent decisions, and looks primed for success. Hate to say it, but what he needs to do now is watch some Duke games and see how their guards pull up for a j, give a headfake to get the defender off, and then shoot the ball. When he gets that down pat, he will be Lawson-like with his speed, and Donald Williams like with his shot.
The Wears may not have had their best night, but they look tenatious, eager to play hard-nosed defense, and appear to have a high basketball IQ.
Is it just me, or has Zeller packed on some muscle. He is looking more and more like a man. Yes, he is still thin from shoulder to shoulder, but his arms have well defined muscle, and his upper neck and chest looks like he has definately hit the weights. Along with that newly added muscle, he seems willing to use it in the paint. Some of his hook shots look unorthodox, but they miraculously bounce around the rim and go in (with contact) too.
Another nice game from Davis on the boards. He really does position himself well boxing out for the rebounds.
Great efford by Graves and our freshmen. All I ask now is that Henson, Strickland, and Drew get more comfortable pulling the trigger. They still look like they are holding back the inner amazing athlete that they are. Rest assured, one day, the game will take place that Henson goes 13-18, scoring in all variety of ways. When Strickland learns to shrug that defender off of him when pulling the jumper, we could be seeing a quicker Ellington, and I’m not talking about Duke Ellington.
Wow.
Whatever motivated them in this game needs to be bottled.
Clearly the recent tough games have led to nerves and a bit of insecurity especially for Thompson. These guys have talent. Playing at home is a huge advantage as well. Road consistency does not come quickly.
It was nice for Zeller to score, but seeing him play defense would be great too!
A game of two halves… The first half I was terribly frustrated, but the light seemed to come on in the second half. Spot on analysis, THF.
I hope we can keep this version of Graves going all year. I liked what flashes I saw from Strickland and Henson, too. I just want that to become far more than flashes, though.
I know now what I want for Christmas…
Will be curious to see if Roy keeps Graves coming off the bench, as he did start the second half. I guess the answer to that boils down to whether or not the benching was just motivational, or did it actually change the way Will approached the game by allowing him to observe the action for a couple minutes before actually being inserted into it.
The 2nd half was a thing of beauty. I was very pleased with the game last night. Great job by our guys.
C.Michael –
My view of these things is to keep doing what works and change what doesn’t. Graves has had a frustrating season starting, and the best game of his life last night coming off the bench. I’m not a behaviorist generally, but I am when analysing basketball. I don’t know what was going on in Graves’s mind, and I never have, but I could see what he was doing on the floor, and that’s good enough for me to want to see him in the same role next game.
JBowling — I saw what you saw. Zeller now has a body. It’s a shame he missed almost all of last year, because obviously he works hard and the improvement shows. He is also one of the three natural shooters on the team (Graves and Deon being the other two, with occasional signs from Strickland). A kid who works that hard sooner or later will be an adequate defender, and he’s getting closer. More than anyone on the team, I think he internalized what Hansbrough taught. From here on out I expect he’ll be an outstanding player. For a kid of his size, he just has a great blend of running speed, head-in-the-game, shooting touch and increasingly evident desire.
Looks like last night will be the last “challenge” before the start of ACC season.
Rutgers is 9-2 but appear to be even more of a paper tiger than Marshall. Their scoring margin for the season is less than 7 points and their wins include close calls against notable powers like Drexel, Colgate, Rider and NJIT (a.k.a The Worst Team in DI), and they have not played a road game all season. They will also likely be without their second best player, Gregory Echenique. Rosario is good and will get his points, but he shoots a pretty low percentage and, like the rest of the team, turns the ball over a lot.
Albany is just bad, and there is really no other way to put it. On top of that, the UNC game will mark their 8th straight road game.
Charleston seams pretty weak, as well, but at least that is a road game. I like the idea of this team going on the road against a weaker team, as it will allow them to learn deal with hostile environments while having the cushion of superior talent.
Rath,
I agree, and based on this article by Adam Lucas, Roy does too.
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122309aaa.html
“But in all that thinking, he’s (Roy) developed a foolproof system for doling out playing time. It doesn’t sound very scientific, and there’s no complicated formula, but it’s almost impossible to disagree with it.
Here’s the system, as described by Williams himself: ‘You play the best, you play the most.’”
Rath, you are onto something. There are things in life I do well and don’t do well athletically. One thing I know, I lift weights 4X/week. I can’t stand putting the clothes on, getting ready, and generally can’t stand going through the motions, BUT I like how it makes my body look and the extra strength and “feeling of invincibility” that it offers.
If Tyler Zeller has made himself willing to go through the necessary training to pack that muscle on, then I have to draw the conclusion that he feels he wants to prove himself and his abilities to others. To me, its that desire to show that you can defeat the obstacle of genetics and bodily limitations. In other words, he feels as if he is being taken too lightly (no pun), and wants to let other centers in the league know that he is to be taken seriously. I have lived that thought process myself. It is that inner desire to show your worth from an athletic standpoint. It has also allowed me to grow from a skinny 5’11″ 190 pound frame to a 225 pound frame.
Point is, it is nice to see Zeller continue the pysical improvement, and I expect he is just as eager to prove others wrong on the defensive end as well, and I thought you could see traces of that this game.
Thanks for the observation Rath.
C. Michael, sometimes its just the simple things, though seemingly complex to some (especially sportswriters). I love how Roy gives such a simplistic answer to questions by interviewers expecting a sophisticated response.
My grandfather is a retired MD. He once told me he was going on a citrus diet. I asked, does it have something to do with acidity breaking down fat storage (or something along those lines), expecting a detailed phylisophical or medically estude answer. He simply said, “less calories equals less fat storage”.
I could only say “Ok, I get it”.
Amen, JBowling. Desire counts for more than people give it credit for. It doesn’t count for everything — you can’t get to be seven feet tall by desiring it — but when God has given you the framework upon which to build, desire is the key to whether it actually gets built.
That was the reason I loved Hansbrough as no other player, and I’m getting to love Zeller too.
Yes Rath, in addition to the fact that desire is exciting to watch. I love watching players on a mission, unless it is the Tyrece Rice performances lol.
C.Michael & JBowling — Reagan once said something that still sticks in my mind. He was often accused of being a lightweight who saw only simple answers. His response: “There ARE simple answers. There just aren’t easy answers.”
Same deal with improving yourself as an athlete.
Zeller showed some fire.
and when i saw his breakaway dunk again, it looked like he steeled himself for the contact and he wasnt stopped, or even knocked off course.
as i ended the last thread, i wonder how Roy will get it down to 9 players. maybe the competition for minutes will really pay off for the whole team.
Occam’s razor: the simplest solution is often the best solution.
if zeller could only jump. does anyone else think strickland should start over drew2?
Keith, I can’t say who should start, but Strickland is becoming a gamer for sure, and I’d like to see him play a majority of the game (just for fun).
“does anyone else think strickland should start over drew2?”
Not even remotely!! You don’t even think about replacing a starting PG who is 4th in the NATION in APG, shooting 41% from 3, and has an A/T ratio of better than 2:1 with a freshman who is learning to play point, shoots 30% from 3, and has almost the same number of TOs as he does assists.
I like Dexter a lot, and when it is all said and done, he may end up being the best player on this current roster, but I don’t think I’d ever consider staring him over LDII.
Alongside? Absolutely! And I would guess that is the staring backcourt we see at the begining of next year.
But not in place of…
Just like the BC and Wake losses last year pressed a button for the Heels, early returns tell me the Texas loss may have a similar affect. Happy to see Graves have a big game.
I like to see a backcourt of Drew and Strickland for certain stretches of games. In fact let me give Roy a call to see if he’s thought of that…….;-)
Did any one else notice that Henson played the “4″ last night. This was the first time I had seen him be in that position. He was in the high post several times. A change from the games earlier in the season when he was only a wing player.
As I toss this around in my mind, I would think that Roy and UNC offered him a chance to play on the wing. We have the size to allow him to do that.
As the season progresses and winning the games become more important, those promises disappear and doing what helps the team becomes more important.
The Wears are tremendous but the stars will be Strickland and Henson.
good points C.Michael, strick just looks so fast. when i see strick in the game hes a flash taking it to the rim. i think more reps would do wonders for the young man.
Yup. I see a lot of Kenny Smith in Dexter. Kenny was a more natural PG than Dexter, but the size (Smith: 6’3/170; Strick: 6’3/185), athleticism, and slashing/scoring ability are eerily reminiscent.
With a year under both his and LDII’s belt, plus the addition of Kendall Marshall, UNC will be as loaded at PG next year as I can ever remember.
(Note: I’m not suggesting that any of those three will be better than Ray, Ty, Cota, etc. Just commenting on the depth of talent.)