This is Truely Depressing

Not only can UNC not win any games that we have grown accustomed to them winning, but we can't even stay remotely healthy even while losing. Tyler Zeller returned from injury to play 16 minutes and chip in 9 points and 7 boards, so I hope he is ready to up his play because it looks like David Wear is not going to play against Florida State. Travis Wear might return, but it is uncertain.

Either way, are you surprised? This season has not gone well and I know players are already talking about what they are going to improve on this summer. A little disheartening, but it is reality because this team will not make the NCAA tournament. It's bubble popped and we will not have a chance to add more banners this year (barring a miraculous run in the ACC tournament, which I have no faith in because of the team I have seen since the beginning of January).

I would just like to point out that every opposing team, especially in the ACC is loving this Tar Heels team because they can return the favor that UNC has done to them for the past 3 years, but even the last 5 years. To all of them, I can only say, enjoy while you can. This team is not dead forever and they should check out this piece from ESPN. It talks about how losing won't break Roy Williams and will drive him farther and I agree completely. He may be tearing his gray hair out coaching this year, but if you think this season won't burn a fire under him to bring in better players, coach harder, recruit harder, then you better watch and learn. We'll be back, so foes - enjoy it while you can.

Point Guard of the Future?

In watching the Duke/UNC game, I couldn't help notice how many unforced errors there were in the game (shocking, I know). But it seemed a good majority of the turnovers came from the point guard, Larry Drew II.



I like Larry Drew II and think he has done a serviceable job as the point guard for this year's team, but I'm not sure if he isn't just the second coming of Quentin Thomas. Many times this season, we have seen Drew drive the lane and try to have an amazing pass, but only for the rock to end up in the hands of the opposing team, which is why I question him as the point guard of next year's team.



I'll be honest, I don't pay close attention to recruits until they arrive on campus, but with the struggles this year's team has had, it's hard not to focus on next year's class a bit more than in the past. UNC is bringing in Kendall Marshall, a 6'3" PG, who is rated a 4 star recruit and is the 32nd ranked player in his class, but the the 9th overall PG.

For comparison's sake, Larry Drew II was the 71st rated player, and the 10th overall PG in his class.



In reading about Marshall, he is said to be the best passer in the class, according to ESPNU. Here is what rivals says about Marshall:


With a superb basketball IQ, Marshall plays with surprising poise and at a deceptive pace. He sets up for a burst that is just fast enough to beat his man and controlled enough for him to read the situation with precision. The leftly also has a more-than-reliable jumper and has a knack for delivering the pass with timing whether it is off his penetration in the half court or a
pass up the court in transition. Improving his explosiveness and improving on the defensive side of the ball are his next challenges.


Here's what Rivals said about Drew during his senior year of high school:

With a good mind for the game, Drew has a knack for running a team and finding an open man. Perhaps the best thing he does, however is shoot the ball from behind the arc. His foot speed and overall athleticism is an area for concern as a high-major prospect although.

Now, on paper it appears that Drew is the better shooter, which is most likely accurate and Marshall is faster and a better passer. But next year, Drew will have 2 years under Roy Williams' system, but the turnovers can be such a team-killer, especially when you are a team that's built for making runs.

I don't know who will start next year, but I posted this to pose the question of what could possibly happen next year. Personally, I like a pass-first point guard and while Drew has shown that at times, I'm not sure it translates as well as Marshall's game could in the UNC system. We'll see what happens. It could be worth noting that this situation could play out similar to Bobby Frasor and Ty Lawson during Lawson's freshman year. That year Frasor started the first 6 games and then Coach Williams took the reigns off of Lawson and the rest is ACC Player of the Year history.

Holy Moses, They Won!

I was beginning to doubt if we would ever see the win column move up again, but it did, despite the mountain of injuries that is plaguing this team currently. Ed Davis is essentially out for the season with a broken wrist, shortening our post rotation down even farther (Remember when big men seemed to be everywhere for this team?).

But John Henson filled in nicely as a hybrid post player and actually looked pretty comfortable there, despite not having enough bulk. I thought he played a great game and it will be fun to watch him play next year with more weight on him.

The defense was good and the turnovers were few. NC State is not ACC title material, but they are a rival, and they are an ACC team, and they were a win for this team that desperately needed one. Adam Lucas said it was refreshing to walk into the victor's locker room after what seemed like an eternity since the team's last victory.

Solid contributions all around, which is what this team probably needed and probably will need if they hope to win anymore games. Go Heels - even in the down times.

Well, at Least They Tried Hard

Imagine what our record could be if we had the same kind of intensity all season, as we did against Duke. I don't think it would be 13-11 and 2-7 in the ACC. But what the game came down to in my mind was a lack of a go-to scorer/leader in the last few minutes. It was an ugly game throughout, with both teams putting their noses close to the grindstone and digging in on defense, but Duke stopped being ugly with around 5 minutes left, when Jon Scheyer, Kyler Singler, and Nolan Smith took over the game. UNC does not have that luxury. Even if they did, they would probably be injured on the bench because that's how the season has gone.

The last few minutes were chaos for North Carolina, as they would dribble down the court, down by 8 and jack up a 3 pointer. Yes, they needed to score, but they could at least work the ball around for an open shot. And we should have tried to go with our go-to scorer, who is still MIA because we don't have one. We probably won't until next season, and even then, I'm not totally sure who is is going to be.

In reading postgame comments, it's obvious the players felt focused, but they all said the same thing: that it dropped in the last 8 minutes of the game. A few of the players also brought up the fact that if they played like this all season, they wouldn't be sitting close to the cellar of the ACC standings.

I thought John Henson played well and is giving up glimpses of what he will be like in the future. When he first showed up on campus, I thought he would be a one-and-done player, but I see that as highly unlikely. The defense was there and the effort was there, just not the execution tonight.

So where do we go from here? Well, we might be 3 or 4 more victories in the ACC, but I'm starting to look ahead to next year. I still support the team and will continue to watch and blog, but the NIT is calling and UNC is looking like they are on the guest list, which I never thought would happen under Roy Williams. Next year's class will help with depth on the wings and in the backcourt and should be special (but a lot of people said that about this year's class).

On a side note, Tyler Hansbrough had his #50 retired last night. I almost felt like the awe of Psycho-T would bring us to victory and perhaps Coach K would die of a heart attack when he saw him, but not last night. Anyway, Hansbrough certainly deserved the honor and I can't wait to go see his jersey up in the rafters someday.

About That

If Roy Williams doesn't have anything to say, how can I? What can I say that hasn't already been said on this blog, other blogs, message boards, and every national sports media outlet? The Tar Heels aren't doing so hot and no one is really sure why. Turnovers, defense, Marcus Ginyard, no guards, outside shots aren't falling, injuries, weak post players, intensity are all reasons that have been thrown around and no doubt, all of them have played a part in UNC's struggles this year.

We're on the bubble and in need of some big wins in the next few games to avoid NIT talk. I never thought we would see the NIT again with Williams at the helm, but I guess crazier things have happened in the college basketball world.

I don't know what it boils down too. And I don't think it's precisely one problem, but several problems. I do know that the problem is not the coach because Williams has taken the blame for his team's performance for awhile, but they players have to take up and take responsibility for their play. They keep talking about wanting it more and intensity, but talk is cheap at this point. We have seen Williams play zone, which I can only remember him doing in the 05 title game to keep Raymond Felton out of foul trouble. He has called timeouts to try to stop runs, but nothing has worked. I don't play Ol' Roy at all for this year's lack of success. Injuries haven't helped, as a healthy Tyler Zeller would have helped when Ed Davis was out, but it happens. We can only hope as fans, that something clicks soon in the player's heads and the W's start acomin'.