Defense was good, offense was iffy, Tyler Zeller may have broken his wrist.
Basically it went like this, UNC came out, did a lot of damage early with aggressive defense that earned them a huge lead then threw it into cruise control the rest of the way. The defense showed great intensity for the first 10 minutes and by the time it was over UK had 28 turnovers. Some of that was UK but some of that was also UNC playing great defense at every position. On one hand it was good to see this team destroy a team with great defense as they did early on. On the other hand there is still concern that this team is still not capable of playing defense of that nature for 40 minutes. Based on Roy’s postgame comments, that is what he is looking for and really did not get it.
All you can say about the offense is it looks like it is missing the reigning NPOY. 87 points against Penn, 77 points in this one indicates that there is some production missing. Hansbrough returning should cure a lot of ills for an offensive unit which seemed out of sync and choppy in general. That being said, Deon Thompson has come light years since last season. Thompson lead the team with 20 points while pulling nine boards but more than that, Thompson appears to have finally arrived. When Hansbrough returns, Thompson will be a huge beneficiary since the former will draw a ton of attention. Thompson was really the only bright spot on offense. Wayne Ellington hit some threes but was 5-14 from the floor. Danny Green only took five shots and seemed largely disengaged on the offensive end. Ty Lawson did a great job distributing the basketball with nine assists but missed a ton of shots to the tune of 3-15. Other than that WIll Graves and Ed Davis made contributions including two threes from Graves. Overall not the best offensive effort of the season but there is plenty of time to get Hansbrough back and work out the kinks.
Anyway, the win is good. Now eyes turn to Tyler Zeller and hoping that his left wrist is not serious injured but based on the comments from Roy and Woody Durham on the radio network, it does not sound promising.
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So, what’s wrong with us? VMI put up 111 points on Kentucky.
I can honestly say that I much prefer this start than I would one where UNC was averaging 100+, but the defense looked if. If there is one thing that no Heel fan can doubt, it is that Roy’s teams will score points in bunches, but if the D is there, which it appears to be, then watch out!
agreed CM–I was very impressed with the D overall.
VMI plays a run and gun offense. They have been leading the nation in scoring for years now. The offense is missing a huge piece and it shows. I think you could easily tack on 10-15 points maybe more had Hansbrough played. The fact UNC held them to 58 points is a good sign where the defense is concerned.
THF,
Forgot to mention last night, but the “Live Blog” app is a tremendous addition!! Kudos and thanks!
As he often is, Jay Bilas was right on the money. He said that we’d know the outcome after the first five minutes of play. We did.
Putting to one side for the moment the Zeller injury, I was very encouraged by this game. I would go so far as to say that if Thompson plays this way when Hansbrough returns, there is indeed a realistic chance we’ll go undefeated. Thompson’s hustle, focus and defensive effort were all markedly improved, not to mention the offensive production.
Yes, Lawson had a poor shooting percentage, but he played a good floor game and had some of his old aggresiveness in going to the rim. Still, I wonder if anyone else here thinks he’s not quite as explosive as he was before last year’s high ankle sprain.
I don’t know what Ellington’s shooting percentage was, but I know that he hit big shots, and that when he’s on, as he often seemed to be, there is no prettier shot in college basketball. I think he’s the most underrated player on the team, because his overall game and athleticism do not get the credit they deserve.
I didn’t view Green’s performance so much as “disengaged” as fitting in with what the team needed for that particular game. Green’s problem in the past was trying to do too much, and tending at times to become a one-on-one player. That was not present last night, and I thought it helped, not hurt, the team.
I love Bobby Frasor, but he looks rusty. I trust this will improve with time; he did, after all, miss virtually the entire season last year. There was one vintage Frasor moment, however: He stole the ball, raced down the floor ahead of everyone, and missed the layup! As I say, I love the guy, but he really DOES need to learn to finish.
Ed Davis is going to be a big star. He reminds me a bit of Sam Perkins (although I wouldn’t want to put that on him). He has a world of talent, he hustles, has court sense, and gets great floor position.
Now as to Zeller: His production last night was slight, but I still think he’ll be a really good player. Beyond his years, he seems to kmow what he’s doing out there. Some added weight-room toughness will help him considerably.
If the wrist is broken, it will be a loss for sure. Generally somethiing like that takes six weeks to heal, and if that is the case, he’ll be back for conference play. What Coach Williams has to think about now is who will play the interior if and when Thompson and Davis encounter foul problems. Since I have no clue, all I can say is that we’ll probably win these next two games anyway, and then, with any luck, Hansbrough returns to solve the problem.
All in all, a good show last night. Let’s not forget we beat the winningest program in college basketball without our (or anyone’s) best overall player; without our best defensive player; and with our star point guard shooting 20%. And the game wasn’t close. If this is bad news, give me more.
Live Blog question: From the comments, it appears many of THF readers were watching AND listening to the game on ESPN. I understand that not everyone can get the radio broadcast, but why subject yourself to Vitale and Co.—except for during halftime, maybe—when you could listen to Woody Durham and Jones Angel. Sure, they’re homers (which isn’t a bad thing if you are a Carolina fan), but their play-by-play and commentary is much more informative and much less hyperbolic than ESPN.
Also, thanks for mentioning that “Jump into your Jeans” commercial on the live blog. I missed it in real time, but went back on the DVR to see what all the fuss was about.
I am a huge fan of Woody Durham. I moved to Baltimore from NC and can no longer get his broadcast.
I had to mute Dicky V a couple times last night.
Normally I can tolerate Vitale, but I thought crossed the line last night when he insinuated that the reason Alex Stepheson was transferring was so that he could get more playing time, and not to be with his ill father. He’s made a career out of cloaking idiocy as exuberance, but last night he crossed the line.
Aside from shooting poorly on his 3-point attempts, it looked like Lawson kept getting stuffed or altered on his forays to the basket. You can usually tell when a player is determined to drive and shoot by the body language. That looked like Ty to me last night. It was obvious that Kentucky was waiting for him at the rim and collapsing 2 – 3 players every time. Roy took him out before the half and had a little discussion with him. Maybe he read the criticism from the Penn game about not being aggressive enough. Anyway, I don’t care if he drives the lane on every play because he can do it. Just please assess the defense and look for the open man if there’s nothing there! Worst case dribble on through and reset the “O” if there is still time left on the shot clock.
Well in his defense, Lawson did have nine assists so he distributed the basketball. He also took 15 shots which is probably more of what you are looking in terms of trying to do too much.
One great thing about Lawson’s penetration is that even if he misses he has usually drawn 2 defenders and therefore we are in position for an easy offensive rebound. If they lay off him instead, then his chances of making the shot are very high. He finishes strong and can get shots up in some unbelievably tight quarters.
I hate it for Zeller, and he represents a legitimate shot blocker. However, if Hansbrough comes back soon, then I think we can afford to lose him as long as Davis and Thompson keep playing well. I can’t say enough about Thompson’s play so far, I just hope that he continues when Hansbrough comes back. One small part of me worries that he might fade a bit due to Hansbrough getting most of the touches inside. Time will tell.
In recent years, it seems like every time we play Kentucky, we get an outstanding contribution from an unexpected source. Last night it was Deon. I think Reyshawn Terry went off on the Cats once and David Noel had a monster dunk against them that was a recurring Dean Dome video highlight.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Z but if he is out for the season, I see a medical red shirt leading to a bulkier, more ferocious big man returning in ‘09-’10.
I have to agree with rathskeller68 that Lawson doesn’t look the PG we saw at the beginning of last season. The new Lawson shows less explosiveness AND worse shot selection. This team needs him to be able to pull up and hit a 12-16 foot jumper if he’s going to be able to draw defenders and free up interior passing lanes, and right now he’s not showing that ability.
I have to disagree that with you regarding Ellington. Until he can play CONSISTENTLy, I think he’s the most overrated player on the squad. I know this will piss off all of the THF bloggers because everybody sees him as being the guy who makes huge shots in close game situations. But the truth of the matter is that he’s also the guy who misses a few too many easy jump shots in the middle of the game, especially considering that he’s a pure shooter. I’d have to further disagree with you and say that Curry has the prettiest stroke in the NCAA (just watch the highlights from last night if you don’t believe me).
And cut Bobby a break, of course he’s rusty. I do seem to remember, however, that he split the UK D and finished at the basket last night, so thats got to be promising no matter how you feel about him.
“I know this will piss off all of the THF bloggers because everybody sees him as being the guy who makes huge shots in close game situations.”
I called for Ellington to be benched is freshman year. A lot of Ellington’s missed shots came from him trying to drive the lane and get a basket that way. He was 3-5 from three point range. I think he was simply trying to be aggressive which is probably what Roy wants him to do. Ellington is making the transition from being a shooter to a scorer. I think he will work it out.
Lawson’s speed looked fine last night. He missed some shots he should hit and I think UK’s bigger guards bothered him a bit.
With both of them I think they simply need to find a groove, the whole offense does. Hansbrough returning should be the answer. His presence on the block opens up everything else.
I thought Lawson looked terrible. He was throwing up shot after shot from difficult angles, and got blocked at least a couple of times. It looked similar to the Kansas game last year.
I wonder if Kansas figured out how to defend Lawson’s drive to the basket and Kentucky was implementing the same defensive posture against him.
I don’t think this has anything to do with the ankle because he had looked good going to the basket after coming back from the sprain, before the Kansas game last year, but in that game and this one, his offensive production apart from his assists, was very poor.
I wonder if he can accept scoring under ten points a game and being an Ed Cota-type assist man, should that be what the team needs to win the title.
Everybody loves to say that Carolina doesn’t play any defense, well, thank goodness for the defense on Tuesday night, because the offensive production and efficiency was terrible.