Sorry I didn't post directly following the game, but geez, Louise. Heels win 110-76, and, if you can believe this, it wasn't even that close. The Blue team hit the floor with more than 8 minutes to go. The Tar Heels led the Cavaliers 62-26 at halftime. Even with Rashad McCants scoring just 5 points (all in the second half), the Heels put together their single most complete game of the season. A definitive road win in the ACC speaks volumes.
Poor Pete Gillen. HeelsBlog likes the guy, but his career in Charlottesville is over. The bigwigs at UVa are building a new arena, and the Pete Gillen Show is just not exciting enough to open it with.
ACC news - Maryland is getting back on track, the Wolfpack are mercurial, Wake is skipping rocks, and Marvin Williams is a beast. What else is new? As I write this, the Virginia Tech - Duke contest is at halftime, but the Devils are up 25, so I'm going to go ahead and chalk it up.
1. North Carolina 6-1
2. Duke 6-1
3. Wake Forest 5-2
4. Maryland 4-3
5. Virginia Tech 4-3
6. Miami 4-4
7. Georgia Tech 3-4
8. N.C. State 3-4
9. Florida State 3-4
10. Virginia 1-7
11. Clemson 1-7
I put the Tar Heels ahead of Duke because the Devils lost at home to a team the Tar Heels beat by 34, and the Heels' only conference loss came on the road at Wake.
Key games this week - Wednesday: FSU at Georgia Tech, Duke at Wake
Thursday: State at UNC.
Saturday: Georgia Tech at Duke.
HeelsBlogger starts his full-time job Tuesday, so updates may be on a strange schedule. If you'd like to contribute with a column or a news update, let us know!
The Tar Heels have their fourth ACC road game of the season when they travel to University Hall in Charlottesville to take on the 10-7 Virginia Cavaliers.
Common Opponents:
The Wahoos have lost 70-89 to Wake Forest, 69-92 at Georgia Tech, 80-91 vs. Miami, 68-82 at Maryland, and 73-79 at Virginia Tech. The only common opponent the Cavs have beaten is Clemson, winning at home 81-79.
The Cavaliers have been on a skid this season ever since upending Arizona, 78-60 in U Hall on November 21st. However, as you know, the Heels get everyone's best shot and are still proving themselves on the road in the ACC. Heels by 18.
Check out this article from Maryland's Diamondback student paper. The Cameron Crazies thought they were taunting Nik Caner-Medley, but actually chanted the name of an infamous character in Duke's basketball history.
Sorry for the delay in updates. I've been busy with other projects. I'll be back with a preview of Virginia, and an update of ACC standings.
Football recruiting season is in full swing. Before this year I haven't been nearly as interested, but I'm hopeful JB can continue the program on the upswing. The recently-released 2005 football schedule poses some serious challenges. I'll get to the scheduling later, but now, a quandary.
Montario Hardesty, the running back from New Bern, is ranked #2 in the state, behind State commit Toney Baker. Hardesty verbally committed to the Tar Heels last week over Tennessee. However, since then, Phillip Fulmer's staff has been all over Montario. Several visited for up to ten hours this past weekend.
I understand that it's open-season on kids, even after they verbal, until the letter-of-intent is signed and faxed to the school of his choice. Tennessee has a 4 or 5 star running back coming already, yet they're telling Hardesty he'll be 'the man' for four years. John Bunting needs to be all over this, and firm up Montario. He can be a solid contributor from the get-go, and a stud for several years.
Sure, it was ugly. Sloppy. Scrappy. Neither team shot over 30% for the game. Double technicals. But it's a win, and an end to the Lady Tar Heels' losing streak in the previous 12 games against Duke. Big performances from the seniors La'Tangela Atkinson (12 pts, 10 rebounds), Nikita Bell (12 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 steals), and Leah Metcalf (8 pts, 3 rebounds), who might have had the drive of the game in the clutch. Ivory Latta led all scorers with 13 points, but she didn't shoot particularly well. Carolina's surge toward the end of the first half, with several steals and fast breaks in a row, set the tone for the game: They were going to defend home court. And they did. For the first time in the program's history, the Lady Tar Heels knocked off the #1 team in the nation. What a foundation to build on.
Ivory Latta and Sylvia Hatchell's Tar Heels take on Gail Goestenkors and #1 Duke tonight at the Smith Center at 7:30. Carolina has dropped the last 12 to Duke and is 0-19 all-time against top-ranked teams. It's time to change history. The Lady Heels are coming off a tough road loss at Florida State, and need a warm welcome at the Dean Dome. Last year, the lower level of the Smith Center was almost full for this game, and the Tar Heels gave a valiant effort. Come support your ladies. They are a fun team to watch, and are due.
Why not? After 5-6 conference games for each team, I thought I'd put together some power rankings. I'm just as qualified as anyone, right? This is, of course, not, how I think things will shake out by March 6, just a picture of where things are right now. But it appears that there is the top three, and then a big drop-off.
1. Duke (5-0,15-0). As much as I hate to do it, the schedule has been in their favor at this point. They will not play any true non-conference road games this season, and I don't know how 'ready' you can get for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament by playing the Toledos of the world at home. Since conference play began, they've beaten State, Florida State (something Wake wasn't able to do), and Miami (something State wasn't able to do) on the road. Their first real test of the season is February 2nd, when they travel to Wake Forest. Up next: Maryland at home on Wednesday.
2. Wake Forest (4-1,16-2). The Florida State hiccup notwithstanding, this team has looked solid, getting great guard play and good post play. Beating Carolina in the only head-to-head was huge. Up next: @ Georgia Tech on Thursday.
3. North Carolina (5-1,16-2). Huge home wins over Maryland and Georgia Tech suddenly don't look so amazing. And here I thought we won those games so big because we were that good, not because those teams were that bad. The Heels took out an upset-minded Miami team without their A game on Saturday. Up next: Just the kind of game that an unfocused team can drop, @ Virginia Saturday.
4. Virginia Tech (3-2,10-6). The only other team with a conference record above .500, the Hokies have come into the ACC with a bang. Everyone assumed they'd be the conference doormat, yet they've been the only team able to win at Georgia Tech thus far. Next, Thursday vs. Virginia.
5. Georgia Tech (11-5,2-3). I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, because they've played a lot without B.J. Elder lately. But they have just looked uneasy in conference play, dropping winnable (even without Elder) games like VT at home. Next, Thursday vs. Wake Forest.
6. Miami (3-3,12-5). The Hurricanes have beaten some good teams, and played better teams close. They, like the Hokies, are an early surprise. Next, Wednesday vs. Clemson.
7. N.C. State (2-3,12-6). Ah, the mercurial Wolfpack. Winning at Maryland looks great, until you look at the Terps' conference record. The jury is still out on State, but, if they don't run the table at home, they could miss the tournament. I keep waiting for State to get their momentum and start winning games against good teams. Better start now. Next, Wednesday vs. Florida State.
8. Florida State (2-4,10-9). A solid home win against a great Wake Forest team, followed by a pitiful second-half effort against the Blue Devils. Someone resting on their laurels? Could be 5-1 in conference, losing by two to Maryland, Clemson, and by one to Miami. Still a chance to make a run, but they too will have to defend home court. Next, @ N.C. State on Wednesday.
9. Maryland (2-3, 11-5). This team is imploding. They absolutely could not afford to drop the game at home against N.C. State, and now they have 3 of 4 on the road. It only gets tougher for the Terps, who will miss the tournament this year. Next, @ Duke on Wednesday.
10. Virginia (1-5,10-6) Because they beat Clemson. By two. Next, Thursday @ Virginia Tech.
11. Clemson (1-5,10-8) Because they lost at Virginia. By two. Next, Thursday, at Miami.
So there you have it, the ACC Power Rankings as of Monday, January 24th. Read. Recap. React.
It was a twenty-point win, sure, but the Tar Heels had an up-and-down game against the Miami Hurricanes, topping them 87-67. It was fun to watch at times, but there was a lull in the second half where the Heels could not buy a basket, and turned the ball over several times in a row. Luckily for the Heels, they were up 24 when the drought started. Apparently Roy told the Heels after the game, "I don't want to coach a mediocre team." Stretches like tonight's, against a stronger opponent, could be costly.
Quentin Thomas played well tonight. At one point, he came in the game at 29-25, and checked out with the Heels up 33-25. Job done. The kid will never be Raymond, but he is doing a fine job as Quentin.
Obviously the Tar Heels have got to play better, but there will be some good things to take away as well. Rashad played good defense when his shot wasn't falling. Marvin brings needed toughness to the post. Charlie Everett got thrown to the floor by his face, too, but that's not a good thing.
The best thing about tonight was when the students started chanting, "Let's play football" when wide receivers Brooks Foster and Jesse Holley checked into the game late. 'Cause we beat the Canes on the gridiron too.
The Miami Hurricanes blow into town playing some good ball; they beat N.C. State and gave Duke a semi-close game at home. This is the Tar Heels' first home game in 10 days, so they should be happy to be back at the DES.
Guillermo Diaz is a great player at the guard position, so Raymond will have his hands full when the Canes have the ball. But I don't think Miami matches up as well when the Heels have the ball, and we'll look to run.
Miami's an NCAA Tournament-caliber team, and will be a good test for Carolina.
I think (and hope) that Michael Jordan's presence at practice will ignite a new fire underneath the Heels and they will probably take this one by 18 or so.
So the HBG and I made the trip to see the Charlotte Bobcats play the Dallas Mavericks last night. HBG's very generous boss used to work with the Hornets, so he had some Bobcats tickets we could use. It was a lot of fun, in fact, more than I expected. I normally don't pay much attention to the NBA, except to check on former Tar Heels, but I enjoyed watching the upstart hometown team.
For the first three quarters, however, it wasn't about the game, but rather about what celebrities (local and otherwise) one could pick out. Here's who we found:
Bob Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Brian Vickers, Michael Jordan (all in the above picture), Charles Oakley, Muhsin Muhammad, Sam Mills, Mike Rucker, Julius Peppers, Mike Minter, Brentson Buckner, and actor Robby Benson.
Also on the court were Emeka Okafor, Jerry Stackhouse, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, Josh Howard, and Gerald Wallace.
I'm sure I'm leaving someone out so HBG will have to log on and help me out. She tried to stop Julius Peppers for a picture as he walked by us, but he just gave her a "Hey, what's up?" He didn't even hang around for the answer. He did, however, get a high-five and thug hug at halftime from Stackhouse. That was neat to see. Anyway, it was quite a spectacle and it will be interesting to see how the Bobcats improve in the next few years.
Now for the caption game: What is MJ asking Jeff Gordon? Your comments below, and the winner gets a fabulous prize!
