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Someone call the police, cause the Heels totally stole that game tonight. It's hard to be totally shocked by the outcome given Clemson's tendency to struggle in close games and Carolina's proclivity for comebacks. Yet, this is one that will go down in the annals of Tar Heels basketball lore as one of the all-timers. For a team to be on pace for 56 turnovers at one point early in the game (56!), go down again by 15 with 8 minutes left, and 11 with 4 minutes left and pull out a win is pretty amazing. And, Clemson is a good team. They are not great, for reasons demonstrated tonight, but the Tigers are a tournament team for sure. That being said, Carolina got tough. A tough Tar Heel team makes me very happy.
My quick thoughts:
- Tyler is incredible. If he's not the national player of the year, I don't know who is. His toughness and refusal to ever chill out and take a play off, no matter the score, is remarkable. He will definitely be the quintessential Tar Heel great for a generation or two, much like Phil Ford for my Dad.
- Danny Green's HUGE three-pointers at the end of regulation were...um...huge. For the boneheaded plays he still makes, Danny sure does come through big-time when it matters.
- I'm in the process of sawing my leg off in order to give my ACL to Bobby Frasor, ankle to Ty Lawson, and foot to Marcus Ginyard. But...
- QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ. I stand by Q. End of discussion.
- This team may not (and probably will not) win the national title, or even make the Final Four. But, as I mentioned above, they are as tough and resilient as all getout. As frustrating as the games can be to watch at times, one cannot help but admire and be inspired by this squad. That being said...
- If this team gets healthy in about two weeks or so, watch out. Motivated and at (nearly) full-strength, I like their chances at Duke, in the ACC Tournament, and in the NCAA Tournament. So keep that big picture in mind as you wait for the Boys in Baby Blue to get healthy.
I'ma get what I can and more, even if
my blood, my sweat, and my tears don't mean nothin'
It's the heart of a champion (it's the heart of me)
It's the heart of a champion in me
-Nelly
Go Heels and good night.
A few weeks ago, I made my first visit to Las Vegas. Big Balla, Rhino, Kev, Czar, Mean Steve, Ragin', and I descended upon Sin City ready to win some scrilla. Many of my posse were dead-set on winning money on card games or traditional gambling games like roulette or craps. I had my eye on the sports book. I follow sports a bit and am intrigued by the gambling side of it. I cannot bet on sports because of my job in collegiate athletics, but that didn't stop me from observing and dreaming.
Sunday night showed me, yet again, why I would lose a lot of money betting on sports. Why to never bet on the NFL. Why the "sure thing" is never sure in football. The 2007-2009 season was not kind to the two famous Patriots teams attempting to go undefeated: the Independence Patriots of Charlotte, North Carolina (109 game winning streak snapped, eventually lost in NC Football State Finals for first time since my senior year of high school in 2000) and of course, the New England Patriots who were trying to be the first team to go 19-0. Instead, the New Bern Tigers and New York Giants are each champions. I hate the way that sounds, btw. Both of those.
I'm not going to analyze the game, as you can go to any major newspaper or sports website and get all the analysis you'd ever want. But I will tell you that I am very surprised that New England played scared. The Pats never do that. The Giants "let it all hang out" and won because of it.
I will tell you from a personal standpoint that I got home from a Super Bowl party, got ready for bed, and said aloud, "man, I'm just so disappointed right now." I'm not a New England fan, not by a longshot. I'm not a Pats apologist either, although Rodney Harrison is one of my favorite players to watch (yes, he's dirty. But man, is he good or what?). But, I was definitely hoping to see history last night. I wanted to see a team go 19-0 and be the best team ever. And I didn't want a 14-10 win either. I wanted a blowout, an undeniable performance for the best team of all-time. I wanted to tell Lil' Kyle all about the 2007 New England Patriots, the champions of Super Bowl XLII when he asks me in fifteen years or so. He'd be a wee little eight year-old kid, sifting through the NFL record books online, and come wandering in to say, "Dad, how did the Patriots go 19-0?!?!? Were they the best team ever?"
Instead, Lil' Kyle will look through the record books at age eight and miss the Pats all-together. Then, at age sixteen or so, he'll be watching an NFL Films documentary about the best teams to not win a title and see something about New England in 2007. So, he'll wander out in the backyard where Dad is raining threes in the driveway and say, "yo, Dad, dude, I didn't know the Patriots almost went undefeated, then choked in the Super Bowl. That sucks. So, when do I get to borrow your car, there's this fly honey I want to take to Bojangles?"
And now, K-Trey (that's Kyle the third, Kyle III, "Trey", or "K-Trey" for short...or long...whatever), my unrivaled grandson will wander into my room in forty years and say, "Big Poppa, tell me about the 2007 New England Patriots. They were 18-1." And I'll say, "they were? Really? Hmmm...oh yeah, they lost in the Super Bowl. What a shame. K-Trey, let's go work on your batting stance." If New England had won last night and gone down as the greatest team I'd ever seen, there's no way I'd forget them in forty years. Now? Who knows. So that's why I am disappointed.
A couple quick UNC-related notes. First of all, let me say that five years ago, I'd have punched a hole in the wall during yesterday's game. As late as theMaryland road game in 2005, I've had meltdowns in-game that led to something being thrown, punched, kicked, cussed, or otherwise broken (in case you're wondering, we won that game after breaking down defensively multiple times late, then digging in a getting a stop, all without Rashad McCants). Now? I just watched it all unfold, calmly. Of course I wanted the Heels to win. I did pop the side of my grandfather's recliner after Ryan Reid hit the first three-pointer of his college career to send it to OT. But then I went in my bedroom and laughed for thirty seconds or so, took a leak, and returned to watch us lock it down in overtime. No need to get upset. Remember, there's a bigger picture to the basketball season (national championship) and, thankfully, a bigger picture to life (Jesus).
Second, Ty Lawson is not playing Wednesday night. No way. That ankle injury does not look like something he can play on this week, or maybe even next. Carolina will most likely lose, but not solely as a result of Lawson being out. However, once Frasor went down for the season, Lawson immediately became the most indespinsible player on the team. He might have been even with Frasor. Quintin Thomas will play, and play pretty well I think. But the Tar Heels are incredibly different without Lawson.
Third, do not fret about the short-term for the Tar Heels. As I mentioned above, the goal is to win the last game of the season (and don't worry, the Heels ain't NIT-bound, not this year). So getting Lawson back in time to get ready for the home-stretch and the drive through March is more important than beating Duke. And yes, I honestly believe this. Any Carolina fan who truly "gets it" should as well.
Not much else to say right now. Hopefully The Blue Team will return later this week with a National Signing Day breakdown (also on Wednesday, how great is that??) and analysis of the Duke/Carolina matchup. Until then...
bye bye bye.
Quick Super Bowl prediction, in case anyone cares: New England 37 New York Giants 13. I am stubborn in thinking the Pats are the best team until someone knocks them off. I have no real reason from a matchup standpoint other than I think the Pats have better players, better schemes, and the experience edge. Plus, giving Bellichek and Co two weeks to prepare certainly makes a difference. NYG only wins if New England turns the ball over a lot, and that's not happening because the Pats will be focused and ready to go. (My only "Howeva" here is that New England has not won any of its three Super Bowls convincingly. They had big leads in all three, but lost focus and the lead in two of them. We'll see if that becomes reality again tonight).
Now, for the only game that really matters to me on Super Bowl Sunday - Carolina vs Florida State. In case you missed it, the Heels prevailed 82-73 in OT down in Tallahassee. Ty Lawson missed nearly the entire game due to an ankle injury (one of those sprains that bothers you for a month. Great). Tyler Hansbrough did not have a made field-goal thirty minutes into the game. Wayne Ellington had only ten points or so (no boxscore up yet to confirm). SO how was this game won?.
Roy Williams knows. Toughness, Roy says. The Heels played tough physically and remained tough mentally. What started out as an infamous "No Eff-ing Way Game" (see Bill Simmons' column on ESPN.com) turned into one of the gutsiest performances of recent years. Now don't get me wrong, Florida St did its part. The Seminoles shot poorly, rebounded worse, and turned the ball over at inopportune times. Three FSU post players fouled out in overtime. Toney Douglas was 3-20 shooting. BUT, Carolina still worked to win this ballgame. On the road, in ACC play, against a team that has given them problems in the past.
Everyone contributed today. Not to mislead anyone, Hansbrough still played a great game. He did not get the ball to score much, but he rebounded like a man possessed (20+ I believe) and made some key shots late. Deon Thompson & Alex Stepheson played well at the four spot. Danny Green broke out of his recent funk and shot the ball well (he also turned it over a lot). Marcus Ginyard gutted it out on a sore foot and played great defense all day, as usual. William Graves did something well I'm sure, I just don't remember anything right now.
But the story from this game is Quintin Thomas. Q. In ten years, I will be having a conversation with some Carolina fan and his name will come up. The other person will whine about how Q underachieved, had no confidence, and really made him mad. I will then turn away for ten seconds so as not to unload on the guy and gather myself. I will then remind him of this game. And the other guy will then shut up, realize he knows nothing about basketball, and punch himself in the face. Q is about so much more than points, assists, turnovers, etc. To appreciate him, you have to see the entire picture.
A freshman who has to start his first collegiate game in his home state of California, plays poorly, and watches his team lose to Santa Clara (yes, Santa Clara). He contributes little on the floor as the squad wins the national title. As a sophomore, he is bypassed by a combo guard from Illinois, Bobby Frasor, and plays eractically as a backup. As a junior, he is relegated to third-string after Frasor is bypassed by a freshmen phenom point guard (Ty Lawson). Frasor gets hurt, Q is the backup again, and again plays eractically. Same situation now as a senior. Turns the ball over three times in a row at Clemson and seems to have no confidence.
At what point in there would you have quit? Have asked to transfer? Maybe have quit basketball all together? I'd give myself until that junior year, then I'd have been gone. No way I could have stuck it out behind two guys younger than me. Be honest here: what takes more guts, quiting or staying? Starting or being a leader from the bench? Giving your all in practice and never getting it to come together in a game or being a superstar?
Has Quintin Thomas' career as a Carolina point guard been what he dreamed about prior to accepting a scholarship? No. But did God have a perfect plan for his life and does Quintin believe in that plan? Yes. I admire his toughness more than anyone on this team. To see him contribute today and play a great game in place of Lawson is inspiring. Because he's stuck it out, continued to work, got a chance and did well for himself. What will Quintin say about this? Probably something along the lines of, "it was nice to contribute, but I'm just glad we got the win. I have a bigger goal than this one game though." I don't know if he's already said that or not, but that's the kind of player and person Quintin Thomas is. Does this team need Ty Lawson? Duh. Is Ty Lawson still the better point guard. Again, duh. Will Q always play well? Probably not. But will Q ever give up? No way. And I promise to never give up on him.
So today, be happy that Carolina won. And be happy for Quintin Thomas.
