Computer issues which needed a reboot and my laptop does not come boot all the way up as quickly as I like. Here we go.
8:07 PM: Bad shooting for both teams early, VT is wanting to run and UNC is not hitting anything. VT 4 UNC 1.
8:09 PM: More Billy Packer! Let's see if he talks about the Coach K record from 11 years ago. UNC looks tight early and the crowd is dead which is unfortunate.
8:10 PM: Way too many offensive rebounds for Virginia Tech and if the Hokies were hitting three pointers this would be a carbon copy of a month ago.
8:11 PM: Roy is pissed. Probably over the offensive rebounds which is usually an effort stat.
8:13 PM: 1st TV timeout and UNC down 8-6. Three things right now: 1. Offensive rebounds 2. Bad shooting 3. Offensive rebounds. Okay that is two but the rebounding issue is a big deal. It does no good to force misses if you give them another chance.
8:19 PM: What a slow game, lots of missed shots. Still 8-7 VT.
8:20 PM: The number of rim outs tonight is phenomenal. In fact you can hear the ball hitting the rim hard. I think the rims are tight. And Bobby Frasor just missed two FTs. VT hits a three and is up six now.
8:22 PM: No fear from the Hokies in their first trip to the Dean Dome.
8:25 PM: Another offensive rebound because Deron Washington hustled in and took the ball.
8:26 PM: UNC cannot hold onto the ball and if they do they cannot make a shot. VT also answers on the other end when UNC scores.
8:27 PM: Here you have the 12th ranked rebounding team in the ACC outrebounding UNC. That is all effort kids. VT up 19-13.
8:29 PM: Absolutely wasted possession and UNC is now down eight. I am beginning to winder if VT just matches up with UNC really well.
8:30 PM: Billy Packer: "As a freshman [Lawson] does not have the stamina a senior guard has" Of course he says this as Lawson hits a three but that is a patently ridiculous statement. At this point in the season I would think the stamina levels are about the same and with UNC's depth, it is not like Lawson is out there playing so many minutes that he is worn out at this point in the year.
8:33 PM: UNC down three.
8:34 PM: About time they called a foul on a VT offensive rebounder.
8:36 PM: Okay, I think we learned in high school that you cannot step on the line. Terry for three....tied at 23.
8:37 PM: Timeout VT, mainly because the VT guard picked up his dribble in a bad spot.
8:39 PM: Two Dowdell free throws puts VT up two. Hansbrough is fouled, probably multiple times, but they can only call one.
8:40 PM: Tied at 25 on the Hansbrough FTs.
8:41 PM: Heels have turned up the defense and UNC now leads by two.
8:42 PM: Oh boy! Another opportunity for that fabulous ACC officiating to screw something up. They are checking to see if Gordon was beyond the arc or not. VT has not backed down one bit as UNC is doing what they tend to do in most games which is play out of sync early on and pull it together as the game progresses.
8:45 PM: It was a two by the way. Not that the play by play guys care. 27 all.
8:46 PM: I am not real sure VT can stop the interior game but the VT guards do a great job of disrupting the offense.
8:47 PM: That is twice the play-by-play guy(I do not know his name) has said "BANG" when a VT player has hit a three pointer.
8:48 PM: Danny Green running the break. And now the crowd decides to show up. 31-30 UNC, VT plays for the last shot.
8:49 PM: Ah, another Roy Williams timeout to set up the last shot. This has notoriously not gone well this season.
8:50 PM: Wow. That could not have been executed any better and Ellington hit that three dead on.
8:51 PM: Apparently Seth Greenberg is upset that Roy stepped out on the floor to get the officials' attention to call the timeout with 8 seconds left. Packer mentioned it and let me just say that Coach K was standing well outside the coaches' box during the Duke-UNC game last week.
8:55 PM: The ACC sportmanship commercial is a little lacking. They need a new slogan like: The ACC: We Are Too Good To Celebrate Like That.
8:56 PM: Who the heck is Florida Gulf Coast? Butler is beating them as I write. Someone at Butler must have owed someone a favor.
Okay, not much to say here. UNC came out shooting badly and I am not entirely sure if the rims were not a little tight for both teams. Despite the heavy guard defense from VT, Ellington and Lawson have done well in the scoring department. Wright and Hansbrough have 11 combined but there seems to be some difficulty getting them the ball. The rebounding is the real issue which VT grabbing too many offensive boards early which is horrific considering how bad they are as a rebounding team and they usually denotes a poor effort on the part of the defensive team. Still with that horrible shooting start early on UNC has rallied to a four point halftime lead. I would expect lots of inside feeds to begin the second half and an overall concerted effort to push VT with some defensive intensity.
9:02 PM: Ah, Tim Brant is the play-by-play announcer. He is not bad, better than Patrick.
9:09 PM: What's up with the free throw shooting? Uh-oh, Hansbrough has three fouls. And Roy just got a technical foul and he. is. livid.
9:11 PM: Seeing that Tyler has only fouled out of one game in his college career Roy is leaving him in.
9:12 PM: Well looks like VT's foul problems are far worse. Hansbrough gives UNC a 36-31 lead.
9:13 PM: You would think in two games we would have figured out to put a body on Dowdell. Back to man-to-man after VT pops two three pointers.
9:16 PM: Well, refs missed that one, not calling a goal tend on the Ellington floater. He hits the FTs to make it 42-39 UNC.
9:17 PM: Let me say, as Stepheson puts UNC up five, that I want no part of VT in the ACC Tournament.
9:18 PM: Good gracious Lawson is fast. Sometimes it is not that obvious but he ran down the sideline and blew past Green who had the ball then took the pass for the reverse layup. UNC now up seven and Greenberg wants to see if he can stem the tide.
9:21 PM: Okay, pet peeve. Team calls timeout and they do the full commercial break but since it came when the TV timeout should have been the next dead ball produces the TV timeout. So in the past four minutes we have seen exactly 10 seconds of basketball.
9:24 PM: No Billy, Dowdell had an advantage because he pushed off Lawson.
9:26 PM: VT in the bonus with 13 minutes to play.
9:28 PM: Lawson is just plain scary. And the number of fouls Dowdell is getting called on UNC defenders is pretty scary too.
9:30 PM: The offensive rebounds are really killing UNC's ability to capitalize off missed shots.
9:31 PM: Lawson is on the verge of taking the game over. Now that he has shown he can hit his shot it is drawing the defender in closer which means he can drive by him, draw other defenders and then dish off.
9:35 PM: Okay, how can you defend the perimeter that well then give up the easy dunk. VT players are whining about being pushed which is comical if you ask me.
9:37 PM: Is it just me or is UNC allowing VT to live far too long here. UNC is maintaining this marginal lead and VT is keeping it close by hitting a three or getting an easy basket.
9:39 PM: Dodged a bullet there. VT taking the lead back would have been a bad thing. UNC back up four.
9:41 PM: Gordon slaps Ginyard's leg on the way by as Ginyard misses a dunk which was not called an intentional. I think someone needs to make it clear to the refs that if there is no clear intent to block a shot or steal the ball it should be called an intentional foul.
9:42 PM: Good to see Terry stepping up for the big shot when needed. Did I mention that Lawson was scary. The kid is a freak of nature.
9:47 PM: Lawson is showing that he can be the kind of player who can take over a game if needed. That will be very important in the NCAA Tournament.
9:48 PM: Perfect pick and roll on that last play.
9:50 PM: Oh, that's nice. UNC misses a shot to really out the dagger in and VT comes down, hits a jumper and Terry gets called for a foul which hands VT two FTs for a four point play.
9:51 PM: One of two FTs from Hansbrough. UNC up 69-65 with the VT timeout.
9:53 PM: Nice effort by Lawson who dove for the ball and permitted Terry to get it for the dunk.
9:54 PM: And once again, just went you push VT back they get a three(or four) point play. Of course they still need to hit the FT after the timeout but this game has been far too dangerous in nature for a home game against a team we fully should have been prepared to play.
9:57 PM: Okay, why are we all of sudden a perimeter oriented team while trying to protect a three point lead. Now VT has a chance to take the lead.
9:59 PM: UNC has allowed VT to hang around here and now it comes down to a defensive stop here to protect a one point lead.
10:00 PM: Nice head on Lawson's shoulders. Calls the timeout with Hansbrough in trouble to preserve a very important possession.
10:02 PM: Lawson missed the shot but grabbed the huge rebound to keep the ball.
10:03 PM: Terry! Geez. Well at least he is fouled out now so he can stop making bonehead plays.
10:04 PM: Wow. Amazing. Washington is limping which means he is being replaced by a better FT shooter.
10:05 PM: Tied game with 36 seconds left. I would imagine one shot here.
10:06 PM: Timeout UNC with 19 seconds left.
10:07 PM: If anything, this has to go overtime, no chances for VT to try and win it in regulation.
10:08 PM: VT timeout. Deron Washington is coming back in the game! He can walk! It's a miracle!
10:09 PM: Overtime. A three at the top of the key does not strike me as the best shot.
10:10 PM: VT has significant foul trouble. Three players with four fouls, one with three. Terry is already out and Hansbrough has the same three he had at the 18 minute mark.
10:12 PM: I am going to just watch now...be back later.
10:25 PM: UNC had a chance to put VT away and did not do it. Now they face a guard who they cannot stop and the possibility of being down four with under a minute to go.