I know I haven't been as diligent in my coverage of the Tar Heels this season as I was a year ago, but honestly, it's really hard to find an interesting angle that'll consistently give me stuff to write about. Yeah, I know, I know, UNC lost its seven top scorers, play four freshmen on a regular basis, and rely on Happy Meal All-Americans Wes Miller, Quentin Thomas and Byron Sanders for a lot of quality minutes. But here's the thing, that's been the story virtually since the start of the season. At least with the 2004-05 team, you were sure Rashad McCants would do something nutty at least once a week, Roy Williams would blow a gasket trying to get his team to play defense, and most -- if not all -- of the underclassmen would bolt for the NBA. Then, of course, there was the ridiculous media-created story that the Tar Heels were so successful because of their athleticism, while an outfit like Illinois embodied the true meaning of "team."Anyway, here's the point: I love watching the 2005-06 Carolina team -- maybe even more than the Championship team from a year ago -- but I find it really difficult to come up with something interesting to say about them on a semi-regular basis. (I know what you're thinking: "That doesn't keep you from writing about all the other crap you write about." Fair enough.)
With that little disclaimer out of the way, let's get to Saturday night's regular season finale: Duke - UNC ... in Durham ... on Senior Night.
I haven't watched a lot of Duke basketball this year because there's nothing worse than watching a team you hate -- and who also happens to be one of the best teams in the nation -- win game after game, while one of the players you most hate (do I even have to mention his name here?) continually lights up opponents while they look on helplessly. Yeah, I'll pass on that and instead just watch Maryland, a team I used to hate, but who are now such a hapless bunch, I'd just be wasting my energy.
(Isn't it odd how The Teams You Hate Most are cyclical based on how successful they've been the last few seasons? Seriously, who gives a crap about the Terps anymore? They're awful. And Wake? Didn't much care for them in the recent past because Chris Paul single-handedly made that team win ... and sometimes against my team. Now? They're just a team that struggles to win an ACC game unless they're playing NC State.
By the way, I still hate NC State. The fact that two of my high school buddies went to school there -- only after getting rejected by UNC, I might add -- and make it their life's mission to include the word "Tar Hole" into every conversation we have, only makes it easier for me. And what a way for that team to finish strong. Heading into the ACC Tournament, they crap their pants in grand fashion and lose to the Washington Generals of the ACC. Solid work. But I digress ... )
Anyway, even in the few Duke games I have watched, I got the impression that the Blue Devils were basically 1.5 guys. JJ Redick and Frankenstein Williams. Without Shelden The Head, the team could still win; without JJ they couldn't. This line of reasoning isn't all that original or insightful, but it's true. And it proved to be the case this weekend too. I'm not sure how much of Redick's struggles have to do with him being near exhaustion at this late stage of the season (and given that he plays something close to 40 minutes every game), or if teams have just finally figured out to defend him (or, and god forgive me for saying this, maybe officials aren't giving him the benefit of every doubt).
Whatever. After starting off Saturday's game throwing in some ridiculous shots, he went ice cold. I mean, at one point in the second half, from the top of the key he was so far off target that his shot hit only the backboard, about a half-foot right of the rim. Those kind of shots are usually reserved for centers hoisting threes to beat the shot clock and NC State. Certainly not JJ Redick.
Personally, I think Marcus Ginyard should get most of the credit. After being a starter early in the season, he kinda got lost in the shuffle as Wes Miller got more playing time, thanks in part to his on-the-ball defense and his rafter-scraping three-pointers. Ginyard looked to lose a little confidence during the middle of the season, but has played pretty well the past few weeks. And the Duke game may have been his best effort so far. In addition to giving Redick Jackie Manual-type problems, he also made a big defensive play on Sean Dockery in the final seconds, and had several huge baskets in the second half. I forget Ginyard's 6'5", but he always seems near the basket on tip-ins and gets a lot of rebounds ... even for a guard.
And I was all set to have Marcus replace Wes on the HSS No Name Wall of Fame, if not for the recent play of one Mr. Quentin Thomas. Yep, that's right, the same Quentin Thomas who held the Guinness Book of World Records for most turnovers in a two minute span against the EA All-Stars during October Exhibition games. But a lot can happen in four months. And when Dick Vitale notices it, it's got to be obvious. Thomas has had the single biggest in-season comeback of any Tar Heel in recent memory. I mean, there are always stories of players who looked to be four-year Scott Cherry's only to have some kind of summer makeover that led to them being big cogs in UNC's success. Guys like Joe Forte, Shammond Williams, and Donald Williams all immediately come to mind. And likewise for one of my all-time favorite Heels, Dante Calabria. These were all players who struggled to varying degrees early in their freshmen or sophomore seasons only to have outstanding college careers.
After watching Thomas as a freshmen and early on as a sophomore, I was pretty sure he would be relegated to end-of-the-bench status for the rest of his career once the reinforcements arrived from high school this summer. Guess what? That ain't going to happen. If I were an opposing coach, I'd think about getting Thomas put through the Cylon detector, because he's done an in-season, career-changing 180, which is almost as impressive as some dude playing quarterback for an NFL team after selling insurance.
What's interesting is that Thomas blows by people on his way to the basket. Before, it was hard to tell because while he may have been fast, he was usually doing a lot it without the basketball. Honestly, anybody who can find ways to get Byron Sanders' wide open looks at the basket has to be doing something right.
And then there's Bobby Frasor ... and Danny Green ... and Tyler Hansbrough, of course. But like I mentioned above, what's left to say about these guys that hasn't been written 100 times before? They're freshmen and they're unbelievable. Frasor plays like he's a 10-year NBA vet. Hansbrough looks like he's what happens when you mix the DNA of Pete Chilcutt and Joe Wolf on the outside, and Eric Montross and JR Reid on the inside (and I mean that in a good way). And I'm still of the opinion that Green will be a better Rick Fox (the basketball player, not the actor).
And there's even more good news: this was Carolina's off-year. Remember way back in 2001 when everybody and his brother proclaimed that, "if you want to beat up on the Tar Heels, now's the time to do it?" Well, teams didn't miss out on the opportunity and the Heels finished 8-20. The 2005-06 team was also one that "teams could beat up on while they had the chance," except this time people forgot to tell the Tar Heels about it. And given how the ACC Tournament pans out, the Heels could be a number two seed, which only month ago seemed about as likely as Quentin Thomas playing like Isiah Thomas (the basketball player not the GM). Next year, UNC has six more guys coming in, allegedly better than the 2005 class, and David Noel and Byron Sanders will be the only graduating players who saw significant action this season. And Duke? Well, they'll have Josh McRoberts.
|