Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
When: Sunday, February 24th, 6:30 PM
TV: FSN
Records: UNC 25-2, 10-2 ACC; Wake Forest 16-8, 6-5 ACC
Lawson doubtful, Thompson probable.
One week ago, Wake Forest managed what no other ACC school had up to that point and that was winning over Duke. In doing so they revealed to anyone who was watching how good their guard play was and some serious chops on defense. The Demon Deacons also got a week off to enjoy it and prepare for a trip to Chapel Hill. And while that were readying for the #3 team in the country, the middle of the pack feeding frenzy continued in the ACC and the dust settled to show Wake sitting a half game out of 3rd place at 6-5. So as Wake board the bus to travel east, they do so looking for a 3rd place tie with idle over the weekend Clemson. The downside for the Deacs is the actual boarding of the bus aspect of the whole situation since they are 14-1 at home but only 2-7 on the road. In short I really have no idea what we will see from Wake in this game. The big win over Duke and the week off screams flat start but the potential for an ascension in the standings says they will be highly motivated.
UNC comes off two impressive performances, one on the road in a building Wake lost in earlier this month. Ty Lawson is still not ready to play but did take limited practice. The good news is Deon Thompson is getting better and is listed as probably. Hopefully he can go for a full game after a part of truncated stints. In many respects it would have been nice to get Lawson back at full speed to face the quick Wake guards. However most of that concern is mitigated with how well Quentin Thomas has played of late. Still, handling Ish Smith and Jeff Teague is something Duke could not do and UNC’s perimeter defense ain’t the prettiest belle at the ball. Dribble penetration has been a huge bugaboo for the Heels at points this season. The positive for the Heels is the fact the defense has been playing much better and the Duke win means Wake will not be sneaking up on anyone. Also, UNC has an interior game which can make life difficult for the Wake Forest post players which was not the issue against Duke.
Now that Duke has lost two and UNC is in position to control their own destiny in terms of winning the ACC regular season, all games from this point on are must wins. Given how well Wake has been playing, there is opportunity here for the Heels to really establish themselves as the team to beat with a decisive win over the Deacs. Which for me is more preferable than the way they handled the last opponent they play at 6:30 on a Sunday night.
UNC 90 Wake 75
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That proves that the Tar Heels belong to all of the people of our beloved Old North State….
Who would you root for if Carolina played UNCG?
I was a lifelong fan from as early as I can remember. I wanted to go to UNC but my SAT was a tad low and UNCG offered the partial scholly to run XC there.
I went to George Mason for law and had to root for the Heels against Mason in 2006, although in retrospect I am glad that Mason won since they established themselves in a way that Carolina obviously already had. It didn’t make me any happier that day, however….
It’s funny because I ran against UNC in XC meets so I have been in competitive position against the Heels and I swore that while I was at UNCG I would not raise a hand against my school. At this point though if UNCG gets into the NCAA and find themselves against the Heels, obviously I would pull for the Heels but bear no hostility against the Spartans.
Wasn’t UNCG really good one year just a few years back? I forget what conference they are in.
they were briefly ranked number 1 in men’s soccer 3? years back.
Ron Green said one time that Carolina had more fans than all the other teams that the Observer covered combined….
anyone gonna watch some of the Stanford/Cal game?
Maybe after The L Word….
?
i remember them in soccer. I thought they had a good b-ball team too a few years back. Maybe it was UNCW.
It’s on Showtime right now….
don’t subscribe, so I have no idea
Jennifer Beals and Marlee Matlin…. High class stuff….
They are goodlooking but also drawn to other women which leads to interesting plot lines….
Cal and Stanford are West coast Duke-Carolina wannabees….
They are all like, “we are only 22 miles further apart than Duke and Carolina.”
ever watch “Breaking Bad”?–I’m hooked.
Yes and yes.
When I was there, they had two straight years of being really good. The first, 1995, the Big South had lost it’s automatic bid but it did not matter UNCG lost in the conf. final. In 1996, UNCG won the whole thing, got the big and lost to Cincy by four as a #15 seed. UNCG later joined the Southern Conference and won that tourney in 2001. I remember that because I was flipping between UNC’s piss poor effort versus Duke at home and UNCG winning the Southern Conference title.
In soccer, I think they may have been ranked #1 in recent years but in 1996 they were a #1 seed in the NCAA Tourney and hosted Notre Dame and lost 1-0. I was down on the field working for the SID during that one and I can honestly tell you the NCAA is really anal about how tournament games are played right down to starting at the exact minute they say it is supposed to start.
No, but I just ordered Seasons one and two of “The White Shadow.”
one of my assistant coaches’ brother played for them in 03 (I think) ….last name Ferrell-anchored their defense.
I must be remembering 1996. See, when you hit your 40′s that seems recent….
Ken Howard was a stud….
I am going to see if there is a box yet….
lol–we rented “Michael Clayton” last night–I doubt Ken Howard can dunk anything but a donut now.
Anyone want to write the game up for the blog?
Yeah, because he has a bad knee. That is why he left the NBA….
That game was horrible all around. Wake cannot be happy with that effort and Carolina was ragged.
Will Graves gets my player of the game award for two timely 3′s when we needed them.
Alex was 4-5, with 9 points and 6 boards–on second thought, he gets the award.
We only made 26-34 free throws–not good.
THF–that would be like a house-painter subbing on the Sistine Chapel.
william–how about Chuck Connor’s NBA career…”the original Rifleman”!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW-vQr7wcFM
Wake only made 8-17 free throws, earning their distinction as worst in the ACC except for Clemson….
Wasn’t he a baseball player?
I preferred Chuck Connors in another show called “Branded.”
Wake hit one of their last ten 3′s….
yes, but he also played for the Celtics–pretty amazing career!
Branded! Branded as the one who ran. What can you do when you are branded and still a man?
Thomas ended up with 7 assists and only 3 turnovers, so they must not have given him that last one, THF.
I remember
Stepheson also had 3 blocked shots.
No…he got his 3rd on a palming violation I think. Ginyard had five before that play happened and then the play-by-play showed the TO was on him giving him six.
He was a big deal when I was a little kid.
I liked him too, but he gave me the creeps when he called his tv son “boy”.
I remember him and that show Daniel Boone….
We had 3 team rebounds, whatever the heck that means.
Ginyard did have five boards but I guess we know why he is 3rd string PG….
7-14 from three point land. That must be our best all year….
Well, I guess I am going to shut things down. It’s nice having this 2.9 lb laptop….
Team rebound, IIRC, is when the ball comes off the rim and is knocked out of bounds by the player of one team giving the ball to the other team. Since no one on the team inbounding the ball actually rebounded the ball and the player who knocked the ball out never had possession they credit it as a team rebound.
Have a nice night william
When you do your next post, THF, remind me to go through the very few Tar Heel teams who have ever reached the heights of a 26-2 record and you will see that this team is beginnning to really achieve some things….
Things seem much better than 2 weeks ago & the nearly-death experinece against Clemson. Either it’s just me or signs are that guys are starting to come around into their roles a little more; 2 weeks ago this game could’ve been closer. You are dead-on, 26-2 is reaching some darn lofty standards
please keep references in the future to NC barbecue / Parker’s at a minimum…i live in a forsaken land called ‘Texas’ that knows not the glory of which you speak (let alone a real glass of sweet tea, least not in Dallas). Don’t get me started on Bojangles…the agony
Someone cast aspersions on Black Mountain basketball. Brad Daugherty (sp?) was from there.
Regarding rivalries – someone alluded to Cal-Stanford – I live in Ohio and may enter the Guiness Book of World Records by being the only person to unify Ohio State and Michigan fans when I tell them how Mickey Mouse their rivalry is!!