Here is video of the momentous shot. Hat tip to Joe Ovies who has your Charlie Sheen references if you need a fix there. Adam Lucas penned a nice piece about the locker room scene afterward which illustrates the incredible chemistry between the players on this team(no doubt elevated with Drew's departure.) Lucas noted that Roy Williams' first act when he met with the team postgame was to draw the final play on the whiteboard because they had actually run it incorrectly. Roy told them they did not have enough spacing on the wings to give Barnes in driving lanes to the basket. I actually think Barnes taking the shot at the top of the key was a better proposition. Barnes handle in traffic is suspect and I could see him losing the ball and never getting the shot up. Barnes got a great look and since he has the confidence to nail that shot, I am not sure it matters. Roy did go on to praise Barnes and John Henson for their play but I, for one, appreciate Roy teaching the team even amid a big celebration. According to various reports, Barnes was vocal in the huddle during the timeout prior to the shot saying he wanted the ball. He got it and took care of business.
Moving on to Saturday night, Dexter Strickland has gone on record to say he likes UNC's chances. Really likes them.
"I’m glad it’s home; that will give us a little advantage,’’ the shooting guard said after Wednesday’s victory. "I feel like the last time we played them, we just made mental errors that can be mentally corrected. I think that on Saturday, we’re going to win. I know we’re going to win on Saturday. I have a lot of confidence in myself and in my teammates. And if everybody has the same attitude I do, I know we’re going to win."
Duke and the Blue Devil fan base are going to take this as arrogance and overconfidence. I don't read it that way(I know, I'm biased.) Strickland has confidence in his teammates and thinks playing at home with the first game versus Duke under their belt as a learning experience gives them a good chance to win. Not to mention everyone and their brother not wearing royal blue was picking UNC to win after the first game anyway so it is not like Strickland is wandering into new territory here.
I have also seen a couple of Duke bloggers on Twitter say UNC struggled to beat an FSU team without Chris Singelton which, I guess, devalues the win. Possibly but you have the fact UNC whipped FSU by 20 in Chapel Hill when Singleton was healthy. You also have the fact UNC has played eight games against the top six in the ACC with a game versus Duke left. They are 7-1. Duke's record versus the same group? 3-2. The Devils are 10-0 versus the bottom six whereas UNC is 6-1. UNC has four more wins than Duke over the top six in the league, three of them coming on the road and while FSU did not have Singleton, UNC is the only ACC team this season to leave Tallahassee as a win.
A little food for though in the ACC COY voting.