Not unlike in games played in years past, Sean Smith had a penchant for escaping defeats like Houdini. That was his gift and why I hated UNC with such zeal..
I can only hope its something much more profound, and a complete collapse is imminent, but I fear this is yet one more Houdini-esque performance. Like cockroaches that you can stomp and stomp, but live and flee when you raise your foot... These Heels are like those...
I can hope upon hope that the "Master" (Roy) has learned and is sowing more Program Destroying seeds @ UNC than seems then he ever bestowed upon the "Student" (Matt D.) I hope they implode, but I dont think Roy is putting a steak thru the heart.
However, Perhaps it would be a good time to welcome in new members to the Blue Devils, shoudl UNC fans be ready to jump ship.
As much as I enjoy watching the train wreck, I don't think it's any more profound than K having to deal with Paulus running the point at Duke.
Turnover Jesus, aka Larry Drew, is pretty bad. On top of his bad passing and poor ball handling, he can't shoot. So, even though Paulus didn't turn out to be as good as his high school ranking, he could still shoot, and won a few games in the clutch for Duke. I don't think Drew is capable of that.
Until Kendall Marshall matures, it will be more of the same for UNC. Profound and long lasting? Probably not. But fun as heck to watch.
This game unfortunately for non-UNC fans turned the worm. Changes in Chapel Hill are coming en masse and then some. UNC plays lights out from her on IMO
I mentioned this idea previously and thought I would make a recommendation for all again. You should record every Carolina game and then when you know it's a loss for them go back and enjoy every beatiful second of the game.
It is especially gratifying to watch when you know they were either up for most of the game and the opposing team comes back to beat them or when its a last second buzzer beater or just any close game. I mean honestly it's close (notice I am not saying that it is) to being more fun to watch these games than watching us blow out some of the cupcakes in our early season.
Of course the penultimate is re-watching Duke beat the living crap out of them!! If my wife would let me I would have one DVR solely dedicated to holding these games for my viewing pleasure especially in the middle of the summer when I really, really miss Duke basketball.
Uhhhhhh...nope. Not going to happen. Ol' Roy continues to blame his players without taking much responsibility for his own coaching shortcomings, so unless the en masse change is that he takes some responsibility then I do not think (and really, really hope) that things will improve drastically for them.
Can't take credit....I got that off of one of the other 2 boards...TDD or Scout.
Makes me laugh everytime I hear or say it.
Especially when I'm watching with a UNC fan, like the time he launched a pass off his teammate's face on a fast break during the last few minutes of the Texas/UNC matchup. Turnover Jesus, Baby!!!!
I am amazed that people continue to put all of this on Drew. There is a heck of a lot more going on that is causing this 2 year train wreck, than just bad play from Larry Drew.
It starts with coaching. Ga Tech started 4 guards last night. They have zero inside play. For large stretches of the game, Henson was being defended by 6'6 Brian Oliver yet UNC rarely attempted to get the ball in the post. They should have abused the Oliver/Henson match up all night long, as well as getting the ball to Zeller. Instead, Henson played 25 minutes and took 9 shots. Zeller played 20 minutes and took 6 shots.
You are playing the smallest team in the league and you play right into their hands. Meanwhile, Justin Watts gets 15 minutes at the PF spot, and Roy decides that subbing in and out 5 man rotations is somehow helpful. Even there though, he out smarts himself. 3 different times the starting 5 fall behind by 10 and the 2nd team comes in and either ties it back up or cuts it to 1. Roy then goes right back to the 5 starters who once again gets down 10 or more.
Just bizarre. They did not play with passion and they did not match Tech's intensity, and having no leader on the floor definitely hurts, but Roy did them no favors with his coaching either.
Drew is not a great player but he alone is not the issue. Barnes is an issue, the wings are an issue, and coaching is a huge issue. Marshall has played well on the offensive side of the ball, but he is a huge liability on the defensive end, so while he makes the offense better, he makes a bad defense even worse.
They need to shorten the rotation, slow the game down, and pound it into the paint. On the defensive side, with their quickness and length, there is no reason why they are not one of the top defensives in the league beyond Roy not giving a crap about playing defense.
It will be interesting to see if they bounce back from this and get it together or if they repeat last year and fall apart.
BTW, if you can log on to Scout, this picture referencing Roy's quote about chainsaws had me absolutely rolling on the floor. I hope this works right:
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=167&f=1386&t=7061016&p=2
Before last night, UNC was one of the top defenses in the league actually. I think kenpom had them around 10th nationally. This was actually one of the reasons I thought they had turned the corner. Their defense was actually very effective and looked sound. But then the GTech game happened and apparently their guards had their way with the UNC guards.
I think the heels have loads of issues with communication. This is evident on the offensive end and it must have had something to do with their defensive breakdown last night. But then again, how good can the communication be when there is a constant flux of personnel on the floor?
"Just be you. You is Enough."
Excellent as always, Booz.
Clemson tomorrow is huge. A game they should win, but with A LOT of pressure because of "the streak." For some IC posters, it appears that it is all they have to hold on to. If Clemson wins that game (again, not particularly likely), the wheels may really come off the bus.
You know, no longer going round and round, round and round, round and round. More like BANG! SPLAT! CRASH!
I hear you Supa and understand what you are saying, but I do feel that they could have had their way inside against Tech. Henson and Zeller are in no sense of the word "bruisers", but still, against last night's competition, they should have been able to have success in there. Zeller can score down there and has shown it. If Henson cannot score against Oliver, he does not have much of a future.
By the way, thought any more about the Barnes/Curtis Hunter comparison?