Another mid-major comes calling. Live blogging after the jump.
8:02 PM: Oh. Joy. Mike Patrick and Len Elmore. Both are low on my list of announcing teams.
8:03 PM: Nice defensive stop to start the game.
8:04 PM: Here is the "What kind of pro is Tyler Hansbrough going to be" discussion. And no Mike, I don't think Lawson pushed off.
8:05 PM: Kent State is spreading the floor and getting open cuts right down the lane. Might necessitate a little zone perhaps to close that down. Flip side to that is giving up perimeter shots.
8:08 PM: Kent St. just used another timeout? UNC 8 KSU 4
8:09 PM: Ellington with four early points, perhaps he can get on track early and have a good shooting night.
8:12 PM: Fiesta Bowl Update: Fox pregame has already take out couple thousand viewers.
8:13 PM: Wow. Len Elmore and Mike Patrick can't remember when UNC went undefeated. Hey guys, take a look up in the rafters I believe to the left of the Kent State basket up in the corner is a giant banner that says "Perfect Season" on it with the year.
8:14 PM: UNC defense is doing a great job creating turnovers and the offense is clicking basically because KSU has no answer for Lawson.
8:15 PM: Because I had my head down typing I did not see: Danny Freaking Green hit another three. Mike Copeland getting Stepheson's minutes with a nice tip-in.
8:16 PM: Dear Lord. Mike Patrick says Hansbrough normally does not force shots in a double team. Are you kidding me? Most of what Hansborough shoots is forced and it is an amazing feat he makes it.
8:17 PM: KSU reels off some quick points but again they have no answer for Lawson. Ellington gets a nice look off the screen and is a little long.
8:18 PM: Will Graves is in. Let's see if he can pickup where he left off except Len Elmore said he only scored eight in 5-6 shooting which is impossible. It was 14, Len, with four three-pointers.
8:19 PM: 2nd TV timeout of the half. Let me apologize if I am spending too much time talking about the announcers and maybe I should cut Patrick some slack. If I am not mistaken he did the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on Monday and one of the bowls yesterday so his prep time was probably pretty short. Elmore on the other has done UNC games already this season. UNC 19 KSU 12.
8:21 PM: Mike: "Memphis has a good chance of going undefeated" Mike has apparently not seen Memphis' OOC schedule.
8:23 PM: UNC is very, very deliberate in the half court with Ginyard running the show and back comes Lawson which means we can resume the track meet. UNC 21 KSU 13.
8:24 PM: Wow, Danny Green with the rare mistake.
8:25 PM: Okay, I am getting sick and tired of guys trying to take Hansbrough down. Honestly. And Elmore/Patrick make a salient point. The guy had no chance to stop Hansbrough. And now Roy is telling them to move the cameramen back, probably to make sure Tyler does not get hurt again.
8:29 PM: Even when Danny Green makes a bad pass it turns into an assist. I bet he could make chicken salad out of chicken waste product. UNC now up 16.
8:30 PM: 3rd TV timeout of the half. UNC is in complete control on both ends of the floor.
8:33 PM: The speed at which UNC can score going from one end of the court to the other is freaking scary.
8:35 PM: Copeland making the most of the extra minutes provided by the loss of Stepheson tonight. This only helps down the stretch in my opinion. UNC up 14.
8:38 PM: Kent St. averages 11 TOs per game, they have 10 so the defense is definitely stepping up.
8:39 PM: Danny Green channeling Tyler Hansbrough with multiple offensive rebounds in a row eventually resulting in a basket.
8:40 PM: Final TV timeout of the half. Danny Green is having a rough night though I think he got hosed on the offensive foul call right before the timeout.
8:43 PM: Nice hustle rebound by Graves. That cut down the middle for a layup KSU keeps getting is really odd.
8:46 PM: Graves forced the 19 foot jumper there. Not great shot selection but his work on the defensive end has been good.
8:47 PM: Lawson with not great shot selection on the three and UNC has lapsed a bit leading to seven unanswered from KSU. Basically the Heels have just bought for themselves a nice butt chewing at halftime.
8:49 PM: Is it just me or does UNC always botch the play coming out of the end of half timeout.
8:51 PM: Well UNC throws up all over themselves guarding the Golden Flashes giving up the alley-oop dunk. Fortunately for UNC Wayne Ellington hits a 25 footer at the buzzer. Then again knowing Roy he will tell them they Wayne saved their butts with the three and they really let things slide over the final our minutes.
Overall, I thought UNC played one of their better halves of basketball with the only negative being allowing an 18 point lead to get cut in half before having Ellington hit the shot at the buzzer to get it back to 12.
9:05 PM: Fiesta Bowl Update: Rich Rodriguez? We don't need no stinking Rich Rodriguez. WVU 6 OU 0.
9:08 PM: Apparently there was not enough time at the half to discuss the defending the backdoor cut.
9:09 PM: Lawson with another three which was setup by the drive down the baseline by Ellington that collapsed the defense.
9:10 PM: Deon Thompson has been quiet tonight but does get a nice put back.
9:11 PM: What do you know...it was a clean block. Ginyard probably should have looked to pass there but did not.
9:12 PM: What? You mean Hansbrough is not allowed to dive on top of people? TV timeout, first of the half.
9:17 PM: Ellington might be well advised to corral the ball before trying to start the fast break.
9:19 PM: The rare sighting of the Marcus Ginyard three pointer...which will be reviewed and it appears a foot was on the line.
9:22 PM: Well when you practically pat defender on the back that usually garners an offensive foul.
9:23 PM: Mike and Len have finally picked up on the fact that the crowd is booing Fisher because he committed the intentional foul on Hansbrough. Way to pay attention guys.
9:24 PM: No Len, they blue background jerseys are the retired jerseys. All the other ones are simply honored. And let me just say as Hansbrough gets another monster dunk that Len Elmore is clueless.
9:27 PM: I wish Copeland could have finished that play because that pass from Ellington was sweet.
9:28 PM: The more I see of Graves the more I am convinced that he is a very good decisionmaker with the basketball and does a great job working in the offense.
9:31 PM: Wordpress is apparently doing some server maintenance. UNC 63 KSU 42.
9:34 PM: If the crowd is consistently booing Fisher for the foul he committed on Hansbrough I can't wait to see what they have in store for Gerald Henderson.
9:36 PM: Danny Green is human after all. Three fouls and two goal tending calls against him.
9:42 PM: Everyone remember how Sean May played down the stretch in 2005? That is Tyler Hansbrough right now.
9:44 PM: Hansbrough is done for tonight with 25 points. I like that Roy pulls him with as many as six minutes left in the game. No need to risk injury up 30.
9:46 PM: Will Graves is decidedly not as hot as he was on Sunday but I think playing a good game nonetheless.
9:48 PM: Again Len Elmore misquoting the Will Graves line from Sunday. He keeps saying Graves had eight points on 5-6 shooting. First of all you cannot only score eight making five shots. Elmore is looking at the minutes to get that eight.
9:51 PM: Mop up duty for UNC.
9:54 PM: I wonder what Little has to do to earn a name on the back of his jersey.
9:55 PM: Shooting air balls probably won't make it happen any faster. Copeland with eight points and showing some nice post moves.
9:56 PM: Surry Wood is a BEAST on the offensive glass. That will do it. UNC 90 KSU 61.