Happy New Year!
Considering this was a road game versus a fairly decent team and in front of a rather hostile crowd you have to like how things went. Wayne Ellington probably had one of his better games of the season on both ends of the floor. Ellington swiped three steals on his way to 15 points and hit a three pointer near the buzzer to end the first half that had dagger-like qualities to it. That play in particular highlighted how well the Heels executed on the offensive end most of the night. The fact this team has been together for three years now is evident in the way they work the basketball looking for the open shot.
Tyler Hansbrough got off to a slow start and was harassed early on but eventually got his 22 points. Ty Lawson had yet another all round great game with 11 points, 7 assists and five rebounds. Lawson did turn the ball over twice and for that I am sure there will be some kind of penalty for that level of slopiness. 
Ed Davis also had a nice game and was the leading rebounder with eight.
Concerns? Roy was not happy about the number of fouls the Heels handed out or the fact UNR outrebounded UNC despite having a smaller team. For some reason the team rebounding strikes me as being a bit of a problem this season. Last season the Heels had 43.5 rebounds per game, this season it is down to 41.9. I am not sure how much this should be considered a concern at this point but I do know there have been games the Heels have been outrebounded in they probably should not have been. A breakdown of the individual stats does not point to any one player being worse. Hansbrough is averaging 2.5 fewer rebounds per game but that if offset by Deon Thompson being two rebounds better and Ed Davis double Alex Stepheson’s rebounding averages from last season. The issue might lie with the fact the three guards: Lawson, Danny Green and Ellington are slightly down in the rebounding department and the fact Marcus Ginyard who averaged 4.5 rpg last season has been out. As I said, not sure if it is something that might be an issue but Roy is probably not happy with the face that half of Nevada’s boards were offensive.
The only other issue I saw was the fact Hansbrough let Luke Babbitt do pretty much what he wanted to. Hansbrough plays soft defense to avoid foul trouble but when UNC plays Duke, for example, they cannot allow Kyle Singler to have that many good looks. In some cases Babbitt was creating jumpers by faking the drive then shooting a fall away. That is a tough shot to defend for anyone. If there is one weakness in Hansbrough’s game, it is his one-on-one defense. Hopefully getting another body in the person of Mike Copeland will help because that gives you a couple of fouls to use if anything else.
Aside from playing College of Charleston on January 7th it will be all ACC from here on out. UNC opens the conference season with Boston College in Chapel Hill Sunday, the CofC followed by the first really big test of the ACC season at Wake Forest on January 11th.
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In terms of rebounding, last year UNC opponents shot 42.6 %. This year, it is 39.8%. I wonder if the fact that UNC is holding teams to a lower FG PCT, and by extrapolation, forcing them to take tougher shots, has something to do with their rebounding edge dropping from 11 last year, to only 7.7 this year?
C Michael – I would think since there are more missed shots available on the defensive end, our rebounding numbers would increase. I think THF correctly points out it’s the guards’ that are slacking. When our bigs are in position, we get the boards. It’s those long rebounds that the guards need to secure.
The Babbitt kid going off last night is a concern. I think the player best equipped to defend a player like that is Danny Green, but Roy doesn’t trust him defensively. They put Green on Babbitt for a few possession, but predictably Green lost him, leading to some very open, easy looks. Maybe Ginyard would be the answer, but he doesn’t have the length Green possesses.
Otherwise, a good win. I like what I hear from the players–they seem to know they’re capable of much better play even though they’re winning by 20+ nearly every time. Good sign of a hungry team.
I think Nevada was a pretty good team, and would finish at least in the middle of the ACC. I don’t think we played particularly well, but our depth wore them out. The TREY at the end of the half was a nail in the coffin.
THF, did you hear the comments by Montross at the end of the game? He thought the Heels played poorly and said something to the effect that they needed to get back to the way we played against ND and Michigan State. He didn’t go into specifics. I do think the Heels will be revved up for each ACC game and will reach “that level” Lawson to me was just going through the motions last night.
Our lower rebounds I believe are attributed to Ginyard not in the game. Once his stamina is up he’ll get us back up there. Did anyone notice Copeland limping badly while running around? Hansbrough’s defense was weak due to Babbitt bringing him out to the top f the Key. He couldn’t put his body on him and use his strength. All in all a good win. We seem to be totally wearing all the teams we’ve played this year down to a nub. Hopefully that will continue throughout ACC play.
Yo, Wilf, Heels by 23 – bingo! Exacto!
I am impressed.
I like the predicts. It “takes the temperature” of how strong on this team per opponent the fans here are. Hope we keep doing it.
How are we doing on the total wins vs Kentucky? By my math it looks like 11 or 12?
TarHeelInMinny, I agree. I should have added that, a priori, you have to assume that the tougher shots are more likely to be from farther away, thus the extra rebounds would be of the longer variety… thus, as you and THF mentioned, the diminished rebounding edge falls mostly on the guards. I think getting Ginyard back into the groove should help that some.
Rebounds we defintley a problem and so was fouling. Our turnovers annoyed me and at one point they kept putting up shots one after another and kept getting their own rebounds. There were simply not enough Tar Heels under the basket.
The good news is at guard: Ellington looked sharp, and Frasor looked better than I have seen him this season. Drew is already better than Q, and I think is going to be a quality player for us.
The bad news: Hansbrough’s rebounding has to be a concern. How does he wind up with three rebounds against a relatively small team like Nevada? And, as has been noted, his season average is down as well.
I was not all that concerned about his defense on Babbitt. First, Babbitt is a really good player with a lot of heart and offensive versatility. Second, as has also been pointed out, Hansbrough has been taught to stay away from fouling.
I’ll be interested, as I’m sure we’ll all be, in what happens in Winston Salem in ten days. It’s likely to be a battle of undefeated, top-five teams. Wake is also tall, and we (Hansbrough in particular) have some trouble with tall teams.
We are likely to be favored in that game, but by single digits. I’m more optimistic. With Lawson having stepped up this year to POY territory, and with Hansbrough continuing to be the heart and soul (and strength) of an ambitious team, I think we’re going to win by 15-20 points. Having had no real tests this season, we have something to prove. My guess is that in a week and a-half, we’ll prove it.
When we do, I only hope the network will bring back an old hand, so we can all see the grieving face of Billy Packer.
Rice still worries me a bit for Sunday. I will be very pleased if we defeat our next opponent.
JBowling — McElarney didn’t beat us this year when he was unconscious from 3-land, Rice didn’t beat us last year when HE was unconscious from 3-land, and it ain’t gonna happen on Sunday either. BC has a couple of top-flight players, we have about six, and we’re playing at our place. So be of good cheer.
Don’t forget, the BC game last year was Lawson’s first game back from injury, he didn’t even start. A healthy Lawson is an entirely different beast for Rice to have to deal with, both offensively and defensively…
Big thanks to everyone in the other thread.
I purchased tickets today to my first ever UNC game!! I am busting at the seams already, and I don’t leave until Saturday morning. I am worried because I am flying standby, but have my fingers crossed it all works out. I’ll be printing out other things to see tomorrow, but anyone here have suggestions? I have never even been to NC, and yes I plan on seeing the Tar Heel museum.
As long as it works out, I’ll be in the stands for the BC game!!! w00t!
Great job! You will love the experience of seeing them in person at home!
You guys are right. We have done a great job of containing teams that have had great individual stardom. Even last year we did a good job of that. The games that worry me are the close games like the Maryland one, where opposing teams are allowed to play Tyler with a little more physicality w/o being punished with a foul. He got nudged, bumped, and slapped with common occurence with them last year. We’ve gotta recognize when that is going to be an issue with no officials responding to it.
I’ll be looking for you in the stands, Dominic! Blue shirt, right?
Seriously, have a safe trip and a good time. You will love the Smith Center.
Be sure to take a walk down Franklin Street (you can get that blue shirt there too).
UNC did not look very good at all to me, but then again, with the exception of that Arizona game a couple of years ago, they usually don’t play their best games on the left coast, i.e., Santa Clara, USC….
Here’s a new article on the Heels from Basketball Prospectus:
http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=488
You’re going to have a blast Dominic!. The museum is a must, but make sure you get there early as it closes an hour before tip and is usually pretty crowded.
Make a plan to walk through the heart of campus, as it is beautiful (even with the construction). This often means not following the crowds as they will sometimes skirt the edge of campus to reach Franklin St.
As far as food and drink, Carolina Brewery on Franklin St. has some great beers and Mama Dip’s on Rosemary St. has some great southern cooking. However, to get a true taste of what NC food is all about, go to Allen & Son Barbecue (6203 Millhouse Rd, 27516, just off of Hwy 86 North on the left). It’s a little out of the way, but it is some of the best eastern NC barbecue (pork, not beef)! They’re not open on Sunday or Monday, but they are open until 8PM on Saturdays. It looks like a hole in the wall, but trust me on this one, you’ll be glad you tried it.
Interesting read William, thanks for posting the link.
What impresses me most about all these type articles I’ve read is that the authors almost always describe a “perfect storm” kind of game to beat the Heels. These conditions added to those conditions and this and that….and viola!
Being UNC fans though we know all too well the pain and agony of losing a game we shouldn’t lose (but then doesn’t that go for every fan everywhere)? I’m still maintaining a cautious optimism. Do I want us to go undefeated? Absolutely! Will it ruin the season if we don’t? Nope, although I prefer that loss not to be Duke. Or NCSU. Or Wake……..or….
I feel like a little kid I am so excited!!
We are staying in Durham, but I will definitely see if I can find that BBQ joint, coming from Kansas City, it’ll be nice to try the second best (just kidding!) BBQ in the nation.
I haven’t decided on which shirt for the game, either my standard blue Carolina shirt, or my old goto I wear for important games, a replica button down warm up jersey. My seats are up in section 212 but thanks to PRGuy, I paid face value, so I’m not complaining. I plan on hitting Johnny TShirt on Franklin, which has been in my favorites for years. It’s sort of hard to find anything besides a hat and an occasional tshirt here in KS, so I already have a shopping list to take advantage at Johnny’s. Even though its a 3 day trip, I’m taking a big suitcase for all the goodies, I plan on bringing back.
I was sad to see the guided tours are only on weekdays, but I planned on trying to take a pic of the old well, the bell tower and the campus too.
Dominic, I grew up in Durham, graduated from Carolina and now live in NY. I go back to Chapel Hill about twice a year and the 3 places I always visit are…
1. The Bojangles in Durham off of 15-501. Order the Cajun Chicken Biscuit with Cajun Fries and Sweet Tea…it will change your life and it’s only like $5.
2. The Quad on Campus. It’s beautiful, across the street from the old well and you can really get a sense of what life on campus is like.
3. Top of the Hill. A lot of beers on tap, a little pricey but has a great view of Franklin St from the outdoor patio area.
Chapel Hill is awesome and you’ll have a great time. Enjoy the game.
Well Dominic, if you follow all of our recommendations you’ll need a Rolaids and be drunk to boot. Not a bad weekend in my opinion!
After your trip, you’re going to be making a change of residency. I can line up some realtors from around here if you’d like.
c’mon. can’t forget time out chicken and biscuits. is that still around? bojangles is great but it’s still a chain. time out… that’s memories of drinking late at chapel hill. or hector’s. i agree about top of the hill. pizza and pasta was a staple as was pepper’s pizza. but one MUST try is ye olde waffle shop for some good breakfast. i once saw jawad williams finish a table full of goodness. haha. also, a staple for tar heel basketball players is sutton’s drug store. great burgers, hot dogs and shakes at LOW prices. it also has a collage of students, bball players, etc. all of the restaurants i suggested above are all on about 2 blocks of franklin st.
you might also want to visit dook while you’re at durham. you can appreciate the ugly faux gothic architecture that those poor souls think is so great.
in terms of rebounding. i’ve been brushing it off as the opponents jacking more 3 pts resulting in longer rebounds for their guards while our guards are running off for easy transition baskets. but now i’m not sure after watching us give up one offensive rebound (in the paint) after another.
in that sense, BC would be a good test because their team matches up well with us in terms of their height. their top 9 players (all averaging over 11 mpg) include four players at 6-7 or taller. i think they will test the paint and we’ll see if we still get outrebounded when they’re shooting shorter range shots. although that may not be the case since we can expect rice to try to match last year’s performance.
either way, it is a dangerous game because the anticipated matchup at wake is looming…
Time Out is still there, and the chicken biscuits are still awesome. Nothing better after a night of drinking that a greasy chicken biscuit and some mac and cheese. I used to get the ‘box of bones’ when I was in school because it was a lot of food for a couple of bucks, and the old lady’s would always throw in a couple of almost whole chicken breasts just to be nice. However, if I had to choose one thing to get in NC it would be the BBQ. You can get good chicken biscuits all over the South, but there’s only one place to get NC style BBQ and that’s in the Tar Heel State!
And Dominic, heeledsoul is just kidding about visiting Dook. We don’t want your first trip to NC to be a bad one
Ah, memories of Time Out! I had many a bucket of bones after a night at the Cradle, He’s Not Here, The Cave, Linda’s, Bub’s…oh but Hector’s has to rank right up there with Time Out for late night munching, don’t you think?
Time Out was always memorable for Billy. Jawing with Billy was always in order!
Dominic, hope you have a terrific trip. I usher in between 214 and 214A and will give you another tip. If you get in the Dean Dome early enough, they will let you go down in the lower level near the Heels’ entrance (Section 112) and ask the players for autographs as they enter. The players drift onto the court one by one and not all of them will stop for autographs. Bring a Sharpie and something you want autographed. At the very least you’ll be able take pictures of the players as they come and go. Doors open 90 minutes before tipoff.
I don’t know why I thought of this (maybe it was the reminiscing about Time Out), but did anyone here eat at Chase dining hall? It’s gone now, but used to be beside Morrison dorm. There was a little crazy dude in there named Terry who took orders at the grill. If you didn’t have your order ready he’d go nuts and start talking about how “this isn’t McDonald’s” and such. Just wondering if anyone had the pleasure of seeing him in action. He was the original ‘Soup Nazi’.
I had heard stories about how ‘green’ and full of trees NC was, but wow, I love it!
We didn’t make the second flight from Nashville to Raleigh, but finally got here. I had enough time to get down to Franklin street and buy some goodies. We ate at a Bojangles (yummy) and I got some pictures of the Well, before we headed to the hotel to check in. I could have spent the rest of the night there, but I was starting to wear down, and the adrenaline was wearing off. I had to wake up at 4 this morning to pick up my Dad and head for the airport back in KC.
Tomorrow after breakfast, we will head back into Chapel Hill, and hit the museum before the game. I want to be there as soon as the gates open (thanks for the heads up yet again PRGuy!!) I’ve never been a big autograph hound, but would love to take some pics of the floor and the players too.
Can’t wait for the game, tomorrow, and this definitely won’t be my last trip here!
Welcome to North Carolina!
Enjoy the game and don’t hurt your neck staring up at the banners in the rafters!