Clemson's got a chance

[feldspar]

Four point lead with just under two minutes left.

Hansbrough just lost a contact. What a great game.

[Duvall]

Four point lead with just under two minutes left.

Hansbrough just lost a contact. What a great game.

Well, not after this post.

Hansbrough should be forced to wear goggles. This is ridiculous.

[EarlJam]

The dreaded free throws.

[Bluedog]

One pt game now. Clemson needs to hit their free throws. 11-23 is no good.

[loran16]

Like i said in the other thread...clemson cant hit the side of a barn in FTs. Never have, even as they got better the last 3 years....

It's always freaking painful to watch.

[feldspar]

Crud. Really bad offensive foul by Clemson.

[RelativeWays]

Clemson is going to flub this one.

[EarlJam]

Like i said in the other thread...clemson cant hit the side of a barn in FTs. Never have, even as they got better the last 3 years....

It's always freaking painful to watch.

Yep. They could have pretty much sealed the deal. Missed one-and-one, then Green pops a three. That's a five point swing in seconds.

I hate UNC.

-EarlJam

[Bluedog]

Especially missing three front ends of one-and-ones to close it out....although 1 min left.....

[EarlJam]

Roy Williams has a very shiny forehead. Very impressive.

-EJ

[DukeBlood]

You may of jinxed them with this thread!

If Clemson loses they only can blame theirselves.. Their FT shooting is WORSE then Duke's.. Thats saying something

[feldspar]

YUGE rebound by Clemson. Just YUGE!

[Acymetric]

I'm missing TWO games I wanted to see! Why doesn't my college have FSN???

[EarlJam]

EarlJam heart rate: 167 and rising.

-EJ

[Lavabe]

13.7 seconds, Clemson ball. OMG!

[RelativeWays]

oh Clemson....

[Lavabe]

OT!

EJam: My heart can't take this

[loran16]

OT we go. This bears bad for clemson. Just like our game vs pitt, the team who cant hit a FT loses in OT.

Incidentally, i agree with the commentators, the going to zone and then switching back to man was a brilliant coaching move....

really caught UNC off guard.

[feldspar]

Wow. Just wow.

Three chances. Mays got hammered on his shot but you won't find an NCAA official in all the land who's gonna call that.

[EarlJam]

That was their (Clemson's) only shot. Now it's overtime. They're f$#@ed.

[Bluedog]

The missed putback reminds me of Singler's, unfortunately, to send it to OT.....

[RelativeWays]

That botched tip in brought back not so fond memories of last year.

[uncwdevil]

this game reminds me a lot of our Pitt game

right down to the missed tip-in at the end of regulation

UNC will win, no doubt

[loran16]

Terrible calls there....and now foul trouble kills clemson.

Seriously, that was a freaking held ball, but they call the foul. Jerks.

[feldspar]

Great. Booker fouled out.

[Duvall]

This game's over.

[feldspar]

Terrible calls there....and now foul trouble kills clemson.

Seriously, that was a freaking held ball, but they call the foul. Jerks.

It was a foul. If you saw the angle from the sideline camera, Hansbrough clearly had his arm hooked by the Clemson player. Good call.

[EarlJam]

Terrible calls there....and now foul trouble kills clemson.

Seriously, that was a freaking held ball, but they call the foul. Jerks.

I hope Hansbrough's left contact rolls back into the back of his head, gets infected and causes him serious, yet non-life-threatening pain tonight.

-EJ

[loran16]

New class offered at clemson during fall of 08. Hitting an uncontested shot. aka free throws.

[feldspar]

Luckily for Clemson, UNC's not hitting their free throws or making very good shot selection.

[EarlJam]

Shoot! Shucks! Dang it! Fudge! Fiddlestix!

Supreme being dang it!

[yancem]

Wow. Just wow.

Three chances. Mays got hammered on his shot but you won't find an NCAA official in all the land who's gonna call that.

I know that refs don't want to decide the game but come on! He was fouled by two guys. By not calling the foul they end up deciding the game. Horrible no call!

[dukie8]

It was a foul. If you saw the angle from the sideline camera, Hansbrough clearly had his arm hooked by the Clemson player. Good call.

yeah but hans clearly was over-the-back right before it to keep the ball alive.

[feldspar]

GREAT pass. Get rid of those cramps, quick.

Come on Clemson, hang in there for two more minutes.

[loran16]

Of note for duke clemson: How will we stop mays? He's rediculous!!!

[EarlJam]

Of note for duke clemson: How will we stop mays? He's rediculous!!!

How about Ellington? He looks unstoppable.

[Duvall]

yeah but hans clearly was over-the-back right before it to keep the ball alive.

Unpossible. Hansbrough never fouls. He knocks players down through waves of his own intensity.

[Lavabe]

I want the kid with the ram top to go home crying.

I want the announcers to stop saying PSYCHO T!

But most of all, GTHC, GTH!

[RelativeWays]

Shoot! Shucks! Dang it! Fudge! Fiddlestix!

Supreme being dang it!


LOL!

[DukeBlood]

How about Ellington? He looks unstoppable.

Demarcus Nelson :)

Im more worried about Lawson then Ellington

[sandinmyshoes]

I am in the just glad we are not playing either of these two teams this week camp. Also, some of you are sounding like the anti-Duke crowd with this whining about the officiating.

[feldspar]

Hmmm. I'll need to see the replay of that foul. I didn't see one in real time.

[EarlJam]

Stoo

Ped

Foul

[loran16]

Wow..this OT last minute is like deja vu....didnt we see this entire sequence already?

[loran16]

Here we go, last shot....terible shot attempt there.

EDIT-oh crap, a FT chance for clemson to decide this game....this can only be bad

[EarlJam]

I just soiled myself.

-EJ

[feldspar]

Great. It all comes down to free throws.

At least Green fouled out.

[feldspar]

Hit one.....hit two!!!

[loran16]

Please Please Please.....UNC is not Pitt, UNC is not Pitt, UNC is not pitt.


Oh god, why this again!

[Lavabe]

13.9 to go, UNC ball w/Clemson ahead by 1.

No way Clemson wins.

[EarlJam]

Hit one.....hit two!!!

Why do I not feel good about this?

[feldspar]

Good defense so far by Clemson. Only five ticks left.

[Lavabe]

I just want to see Roy cry.

[RelativeWays]

Maybe......

[Karl Beem]

Hopefully Ol' Huck won't call Coach K's play.
:o

[loran16]

C
L
E
M
S
N
....

Hmm apparently the fans there can spell better than me :-P

[feldspar]

Ugh.

[dukie8]

i want to vomit.

[loran16]

Please Please Please.....UNC is not Pitt, UNC is not Pitt, UNC is not pitt.


Oh god, why this again!

I hate myself.

[Lavabe]

What Earl Jam said.

RATS!!

[EarlJam]

Ellington = Stud

[Karl Beem]

That's the ticket - leave Ellington free!

[RelativeWays]

or maybe not. Lets make sure to spike Ellingtons food with castor oil for the 1st UNC game....and the 2nd

[Duvall]

Well, that was predictable.

[EarlJam]

Ellington, may the orifice between his buttocks grow shut tonight.

[mgtr]

or maybe not. Lets make sure to spike Ellingtons food with castor oil for the 1st UNC game....and the 2nd

And the third in the finals of the ACC tournament!

[feldspar]

That's the ticket - leave Ellington free!

S-E-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y

[EarlJam]

Bastards.

sorry.

[sandinmyshoes]

At least we may have just witnessed the game that ushers Ellington out of Chapel Hill and into the NBA. :(

[beach rev]

Quite a depressing evening. We struggle mightily, and the Heels pull one out at the buzzer for the 15,000th time.:mad:

[RelativeWays]

The big question for Clemson is can they come back from this loss. That loss at Cameron last year pretty much destroyed them, they were never the same team after that game.

[Bluedog]

If that wasn't a carbon copy of the Pitt game, I don't know what is. 50% free throw shooting. 25% 3-pt shooting. Point blank putback to win it in regulation. Other team hits 3 to win it in OT......except....Clemson played pretty well.....us vs. pitt, not so much....depressing b-ball day...gah

[Troublemaker]

At least we may have just witnessed the game that ushers Ellington out of Chapel Hill and into the NBA. :(

And take Lawson with him.

But yeah, Ellington has really stepped up big this season. It's not unreasonable to think that he could get drafted in the first round if he were so inclined to leave. UNC's got to win one before their troika of Hans-Ty-Wayne breaks up.

Man, that game was awesome but the result obviously sucked. This win for the Heels could possibly end up deciding the ACC regular season title later on.

[sandinmyshoes]

Biggest worry for me is that UNC appears to be toughening up mentally. People talk about them losing concentration or whatever, but this season they just seem tougher in tight situations than they did last year.

They're not unbeatable, but they're going to be a tough out.

[captmojo]

I know I'm old, half-blind and crazy. Disclaimers over, am I nuts or did anyone else see a double-dribble by the holes at the top of the key on that last possession before they called for time-out?

[devildeac]

Demarcus Nelson :)

Im more worried about Lawson then Ellington

Pick one-Markie can't guard both of them.

[Lavabe]

I know I'm old, half-blind and crazy. Disclaimers over, am I nuts or did anyone else see a double-dribble by the holes at the top of the key on that last possession before they called for time-out?

You are not nuts.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[dukelifer]

At least we may have just witnessed the game that ushers Ellington out of Chapel Hill and into the NBA. :(

This is the first ACC game of the year. Lets see how many 30+ pt games he has in him. If anything- this showed that UNC is vulnerable against a good team. I think this is the first ranked team they have played all year. And if the ACC does not get much better- Duke may be the only other ranked team they play until the big dance.

[captmojo]

You are not nuts.

Cheers,
Lavabe

But was I wrong in that they got away with what I saw?

How 'bout it Feldspar. You're the ref.

[Oriole Way]

As others have mentioned, it's mind-blowing to me how Ellington could be left open in any way whatsoever for that last shot. How can Purnell not tell his team to put a body on the guy with 30 points and hitting every big shot he takes for UNC down the stretch? And if Clemson hit's 70%, heck, even 65% of their free throws, they win in regulation.

Definitely discouraging to watch the contrasts between the Duke and UNC games today. Obviously the opponents are polar opposites, but I hope Duke doesn't allow UNC to fast break off our own made baskets.

[Troublemaker]

This is the first ACC game of the year. Lets see how many 30+ pt games he has in him. If anything- this showed that UNC is vulnerable against a good team. I think this is the first ranked team they have played all year. And if the ACC does not get much better- Duke may be the only other ranked team they play until the big dance.

I don't think anyone really disputed that UNC could be had by a good team, though. This win was HUGE for the Heels. The one schedule advantage Duke had over them was that they had to play at Clemson while Duke didn't have to. Well, now that's gone, and I can't really see a silver lining. I knew it would be a close game and I never thought UNC was unbeatable. I wasn't hoping for Clemson to keep it close. I was hoping they would win.

[dukelifer]

Biggest worry for me is that UNC appears to be toughening up mentally. People talk about them losing concentration or whatever, but this season they just seem tougher in tight situations than they did last year.

They're not unbeatable, but they're going to be a tough out.

Except for the first game- what tight game have they played other than tonight? They are going to be a tough out because they have really good players- including a possible player of the year candidate. They also are a bit thin at point guard. It is a long season and if Lawson gets banged up -and he will play many minutes- a lot can change come March.

[Ignatius07]

Obviously the opponents are polar opposites, but I hope Duke doesn't allow UNC to fast break off our own made baskets.

Well, they're certainly going to try. Carolina does that to everyone.


How can Purnell not tell his team to put a body on the guy with 30 points and hitting every big shot he takes for UNC down the stretch?

I'm sure he did tell his guy that. The announcers did a good job of pointing out how the Clemson guy was going for the steal. In hindsight, it was the wrong move. But if he had gotten the ball or caused a loose ball situation, nobody would be saying anything right now. We have seen Duke get burned on this countless times because of overplaying the passing lanes - granted, ideally you are more cautious at the end of a game.

Anyway, I think Clemson proved themselves to be quite capable today. I haven't seem them before this game, but we will certainly have a lot of trouble with Booker and Mays.

[feldspar]

How 'bout it Feldspar. You're the ref.

Sadly, I didn't see it and out of frustration I deleted it off my TiVo. Sorry, chaps.

[jipops]

As others have mentioned, it's mind-blowing to me how Ellington could be left open in any way whatsoever for that last shot. How can Purnell not tell his team to put a body on the guy with 30 points and hitting every big shot he takes for UNC down the stretch? And if Clemson hit's 70%, heck, even 65% of their free throws, they win in regulation.

Definitely discouraging to watch the contrasts between the Duke and UNC games today. Obviously the opponents are polar opposites, but I hope Duke doesn't allow UNC to fast break off our own made baskets.

In defense of Purnell, I do think they knew the play was going to Ellington. I mean come on, everyone in the free world knew it. The defender just made the huge mistake of trying to steal the pass instead of just making Ellington put it on the floor force him to make a decision with the ball. Maybe already knowing the play actually hurt Clemson. You can't help but be a bit blown away by this however 'cause Roy pretty runs this same play EVERY single time in these situations. Could Roy's unimaginative play calling actually have helped them in this situation?

[dukelifer]

I don't think anyone really disputed that UNC could be had by a good team, though. This win was HUGE for the Heels. The one schedule advantage Duke had over them was that they had to play at Clemson while Duke didn't have to. Well, now that's gone, and I can't really see a silver lining. I knew it would be a close game and I never thought UNC was unbeatable. I wasn't hoping for Clemson to keep it close. I was hoping they would win.

With the unbalanced schedules- the regular season is what it is now. The key is how teams play at the end of the season going into the tourneys. It is a long season - a lot can happen.

[Devilsfan]

going for the steal which gave Ellington the best shooter on the court a wide open three.

[Troublemaker]

Yes, Clemson went for the steal leaving a wide-open shot for Ellington. A bad mistake, but they should be kicking themselves much more for their FT shooting. When you allow a game to become a one-possession game, poop happens. The best team in the country could lose to the worst team in the country in a one-possession game. Similarly, I could beat Michael Johnson in a 1-inch sprint. The real problem occurred when Clemson was in control of the game in regulation and just needed to hit FTs to seal it. They missed, and that's where the game was lost.

[sandinmyshoes]

Except for the first game- what tight game have they played other than tonight? They are going to be a tough out because they have really good players- including a possible player of the year candidate. They also are a bit thin at point guard. It is a long season and if Lawson gets banged up -and he will play many minutes- a lot can change come March.


Well, the Davidson game for one, but that wasn't my point. They have had teams make runs at them, cutting double digit leads to single digits, but have responded by tightening their defense and sharpening their offense and rising to the challenge. Last year, even when they won, sometimes they seemed to just be hanging on in a lot more games.

Things changing come March, of course things can change. But they do not always change. I have said all along that I think a cold shooting game from the three point line, with the defense collapsing on Hansbrough, will be what ousts them from the NCAAs short of a title.

I understand that everyone wants to find (prays for) flaws in this UNC team. And it is not a perfect team, but it is a damn good one. First it was their supposed weak schedule, even though at least two ranking systems appear to have them with a tough schedule than we have played. Now it's the loss of Bobby Frasor, the same kid some of the same people used to denigrate as a player.

Well, I think the truth is that they can be beaten, but we have some improving to do before it will happen. Recognizing what they bring to the table and raising our game can make it happen. Deluding ourselves about how good a team they are won't.

[grossbus]

"I think Clemson proved themselves to be quite capable today"

not capable of hitting foul shots, however.

[gofurman]

"I think Clemson proved themselves to be quite capable today"

not capable of hitting foul shots, however.

Despite us not liking the outcome...let me tell you , these Clemson guys are for real. Mays and Booker and Sykes really frustrated Hansbrough for a majority of the game. Mays got seriously nasty at times. I was most impressed - esp considering it took a bad shooting night from CLemson at the FT line (typical) and the three (not typical as Oglesby has been hot of late) and a good shooting night from Ellington to overcome Clemson ... these guys will be good and will rebound from this... Obviously as a Duke fan I was pulling for CLemson and yet I think I can say without bias they are the real deal. Not a great shooting club but a tough, nasty and better than last year club. They will not fade into the NIT this year. NCAA bound they are. Heck, just looking at the ACC here early who other than Duke and UNC is their general equal? They will lose a few but I will be suprised if they aren't 10-6 in league. I hope they do well bc the ACC looks weak right now (and I sure would prefer a good Clemson team to a good Maryland team:)/// [I like what Purnell is doing there... by the way, much like Duke, Clemson could improve a fair bit throughout the year as they have two fresh and a soph playing a lot of time - Stitt is the starting PG as a frosh and Oglesby is a starter or 6th man at the 2 as a frosh and Booker is a Soph (I wish we had Booker....)

[SeattleIrish]

I thought BOTH UNC and Clemson look very capable of beating Duke, if they continue to play like they did tonight.

Aside from just generally being frustrated (I did my doctoral work at Clemson), it also brought home the limitations put upon this team because of the lack of a dominant post player.

s.i.

[Oriole Way]

In defense of Purnell, I do think they knew the play was going to Ellington. I mean come on, everyone in the free world knew it. The defender just made the huge mistake of trying to steal the pass instead of just making Ellington put it on the floor force him to make a decision with the ball. Maybe already knowing the play actually hurt Clemson. You can't help but be a bit blown away by this however 'cause Roy pretty runs this same play EVERY single time in these situations. Could Roy's unimaginative play calling actually have helped them in this situation?

I might be mistaken, and I might have to look at the replay again, but whoever made that last second steal attempt on the pass to Ellington was way out of position before the pass.

In other words, the Clemson defender wasn't doing a good job of defending Ellington before the pass was made. Whoever went for the steal might not have been originally assigned to guard Ellington anyway - my impression was that is was piss-poor defense. They had one or two guys guarding no one in particular in the lane in anticipation of Lawson driving, which is understandable, but they still overplayed it and left no one guarding Ellington until it was too late.

[Troublemaker]

Despite us not liking the outcome...let me tell you , these Clemson guys are for real. Mays and Booker and Sykes really frustrated Hansbrough for a majority of the game. Mays got seriously nasty at times. I was most impressed - esp considering it took a bad shooting night from CLemson at the FT line (typical) and the three (not typical as Oglesby has been hot of late) and a good shooting night from Ellington to overcome Clemson ... these guys will be good and will rebound from this... Obviously as a Duke fan I was pulling for CLemson and yet I think I can say without bias they are the real deal. Not a great shooting club but a tough, nasty and better than last year club. They will not fade into the NIT this year. NCAA bound they are. Heck, just looking at the ACC here early who other than Duke and UNC is their general equal? They will lose a few but I will be suprised if they aren't 10-6 in league. I hope they do well bc the ACC looks weak right now (and I sure would prefer a good Clemson team to a good Maryland team:)/// [I like what Purnell is doing there... by the way, much like Duke, Clemson could improve a fair bit throughout the year as they have two fresh and a soph playing a lot of time - Stitt is the starting PG as a frosh and Oglesby is a starter or 6th man at the 2 as a frosh and Booker is a Soph (I wish we had Booker....)

They look like they should be the 3rd-best team in the ACC this year. I actually had to go check their roster to see how young they are and was disappointed that Mays and Hammond are seniors. They should be a tournament team this season, but man, if they could've kept everyone together for one more season, they REALLY could've made some noise next season. That said, they should still be good against in 2009. Booker is really something and will alleviate the loss of Mays.

[oli-p]

I thought BOTH UNC and Clemson look very capable of beating Duke, if they continue to play like they did tonight.

Aside from just generally being frustrated (I did my doctoral work at Clemson), it also brought home the limitations put upon this team because of the lack of a dominant post player.

s.i.

I did not get to see the game, but got updates on b-berry. SeattleIrsish, just got promoted and moving to Seattle, if you are up for meeting up with a true college basketball fan, let me know. Heels fan, but absolutey understand your commetary. Duke is more fun to watch than last year, but lack in the middle will be thier down fall.

Peter

[Devilsfan]

66% for the season. You could foul them all the way in from the under 4 time out.
Soon we'll probably see the "Hack a tiger" defense.

[oli-p]

Toughest road game of the year. Carolina has four people who can score 20 or more on any given night and they won what will be the toughest road game of the year. Ellington is a winner and the emerging star. Duke, with no inside game (you can talk all day about Zoubek and Thomas) is an after thought. I don't know what 9f means, but who cares. I said it on ESPN last year and I will say it here again - two wins over Duke for the Heels this year. No point guard and no paint makes Coach K a dull boy. When he retires who will be the rival? No history and no track record for successsion. You think the Doughtery era was tough? You have no idea.

[Bob Green]

You think the Doughtery era was tough? You have no idea.

Who is Doughtery? Did you mean Doherty?

[KandG]

In other words, the Clemson defender wasn't doing a good job of defending Ellington before the pass was made. Whoever went for the steal might not have been originally assigned to guard Ellington anyway - my impression was that is was piss-poor defense. They had one or two guys guarding no one in particular in the lane in anticipation of Lawson driving, which is understandable, but they still overplayed it and left no one guarding Ellington until it was too late.


Yeah, it looked like one of the Clemson players was supposed to track Ellington, but as Ellington crossed the lane, he started to follow him, but then got distracted by Lawson on the strong side and cheated over toward Lawson instead. Then when Lawson whipped the pass to Ellington, the Clemson player had to run across the lane and lunge...and the rest is history.

[DukeBlood]

Pick one-Markie can't guard both of them.

I think you take away Ellington. As he just proved he CAN beat you. IF Nelson shuts Ellington down(Very Possible) then its up to Hans and or Lawson.

Lawson hasn't proved much. I think you slack off so he cant drive by and let him try from beyond the arc. He shoots 36% from the 3. There is no way Paulus can guardd him, and thats me being nice. If he is hitting his 3's.. Well try bringing in Smith. Who is a good defender and almost as quick as Lawson.

Im wondering if UNC players will tire out. This was a close game and ONLY had 6 players play over 10 mins and it went into OT.

I just now realized UNC IS NOT deep.

PG: Lawson- 36 minutes
SG: Ellington- 36 minutes
SF: Ginyard- 31 minutes
PF: Thompson- 36 minutes
C: Hansbrough- 42 minutes

6th: Green- 26 minutes

Thomas, Graves and Copeland played 18 minutes in the Clemson game.

The only reason they have so many guys averaging double figures in minutes is because they already won by halftime. I wonder if Duke pushes it as much as they can if UNC will tire.

[hondoheel]

When Stepheson returns to the team it will make a big difference in minutes. Plus QT just missed 3 games due to injury, so he looked especially bad last night and Roy had to yank him. Figure those guys normally get all the minutes Copeland and Graves played last night plus a few more.

[freedevil]

Can we stop the Carolina threads over here so that QT's public relations representative (hondoheel) and these new UNC fans (oli-p) stop having a reason to inform us of either (a) things we don't care about or (b) things many of us already know?

[freedevil]

^ I sort of kid.

[yancem]

I think you take away Ellington. As he just proved he CAN beat you. IF Nelson shuts Ellington down(Very Possible) then its up to Hans and or Lawson.

Lawson hasn't proved much. I think you slack off so he cant drive by and let him try from beyond the arc. He shoots 36% from the 3. There is no way Paulus can guardd him, and thats me being nice. If he is hitting his 3's.. Well try bringing in Smith. Who is a good defender and almost as quick as Lawson.

Im wondering if UNC players will tire out. This was a close game and ONLY had 6 players play over 10 mins and it went into OT.

I just now realized UNC IS NOT deep.

PG: Lawson- 36 minutes
SG: Ellington- 36 minutes
SF: Ginyard- 31 minutes
PF: Thompson- 36 minutes
C: Hansbrough- 42 minutes

6th: Green- 26 minutes

Thomas, Graves and Copeland played 18 minutes in the Clemson game.

The only reason they have so many guys averaging double figures in minutes is because they already won by halftime. I wonder if Duke pushes it as much as they can if UNC will tire.


Actually, Henderson did an excellent job on Ellington last year. I know that Ellington seems to be a different player than last year (last night is exhibit 1) but it seemed like playing his best friend really fired Henderson up.

As for UNC's depth, we may end up seeing a reverse of last season's match up, Duke stuck with or even out played UNC until their legs gave out. If Duke can maintain their depth and UNC continues to have some injury issues that can only help down the stretch.

Two last general thoughts on UNC: First based on last year I thought that Henderson was going to be significantly better than Ellington this year. After last night I'm no longer so sure. Henderson is playing very well but Ellington has made a much bigger improvement than I had thought. Their respective recruiting rankings make more sense now. Secondly, the most disappointing thing was that last night Ol Roy was able to demonstrate that he managed to reinstall the UNC mystique. Everyone knew that with 5 seconds and the ball, UNC would find a way to score. I knew it, you knew it and apparently everyone on Clemson knew it and most importantly the UNC players knew it. Duke has lost some of the luster off of their mystique a over the past few seasons. Hopefully we can get it back too.

[Troublemaker]

I think you take away Ellington. As he just proved he CAN beat you. IF Nelson shuts Ellington down(Very Possible) then its up to Hans and or Lawson. Lawson hasn't proved much. I think you slack off so he cant drive by and let him try from beyond the arc. He shoots 36% from the 3. There is no way Paulus can guardd him, and thats me being nice. If he is hitting his 3's..

You don't have to choose. Nelson on Lawson and Henderson/Scheyer on Ellington. I remember Paulus spent some time guarding Ginyard last year and I think the same matchups will be repeated. The more time Nelson gets on Lawson, the better.



Im wondering if UNC players will tire out. This was a close game and ONLY had 6 players play over 10 mins and it went into OT.

I just now realized UNC IS NOT deep.

The only reason they have so many guys averaging double figures in minutes is because they already won by halftime. I wonder if Duke pushes it as much as they can if UNC will tire.

Duke is no more (or less) deep than UNC. Both teams are very deep and both teams squeeze the rotation in close games. Every coach does the same. UNC loves to run and would be completely comfortable playing at a breakneck speed. Duke would probably be less comfortable doing so because Lawson is way better than Paulus and Smith at this point.

[sandinmyshoes]

I think Duke and UNC have about the same depth, just in different places. Before Frasor was injured, I gave the edge to UNC. Frasor was a streaky shooter, but he seemed to have a calming influence on the floor.

As it is now, Thomas is just an okay back up for 5-8 minutes. He did look bad last night, but as the UNC fans noted, he was coming back off of injury and against an athletic pressing team. Stepheson would have helped them last night. But Duke is deeper, in my opinion, on the wings.

Lost by too many in all this analysis of UNC is that we do have a game against Clemson. Maybe we should seriously consider that it isn't all a case of what UNC's weaknesses might be, and a case of what Clemson's strengths might be. Right now, to be honest, I think they're a better team than we are. But we have the potential to pass them in that regard. We better get busy recognizing that potential and making it a reality.

[evrdukie]

I thought BOTH UNC and Clemson look very capable of beating Duke, if they continue to play like they did tonight.

Aside from just generally being frustrated (I did my doctoral work at Clemson), it also brought home the limitations put upon this team because of the lack of a dominant post player.

s.i.

Please, SeattleIrish, I beg of you. Never refer to our lack of a dominant post player or any weakness at point guard. If our team is to achieve the success we desire, there are things that must not be spoken.

[devildeac]

just watch them shoot 85%+ from the FT line against us. sigh.