So...How's It Going?

So Friday, 10:00 seems like forever away right? I'm so ready to watch. I would hate to be a player and know that they are only 4 games between me and the National Championship. And with the layoff, comes the media hype. Boo media hype. I'll be honest, I read it. That's one of the first things I do now: walk the dog, turn on the computer, check the sports sites, check the blog sites, think about if I'm going to post and what about, and then either I do it or I don't.

Anyway, enough about me and more about the media. See, I understand, it's their job to write about this stuff, but today as I was thinking about the Gonzaga game, I felt we had a really good chance and I normally don't feel like that. Usually I get nervous (remember our region is always the toughest in my mind), but I have been feeling pretty good. After reading some articles, I'm back to being a little nervous, but that's normal. So here are some stories:

Story Number 1 is by . . . you guessed it . . . Sportsline! Their writer is picking North Carolina, but is cheering for Gonzaga (Remember, this is Sportsline, so they can do this) because he is tired of Gonzaga not getting to the Final Four. Here's my opinion - Who Cares? I'm not a huge fan of the small conferences. Do I mind that Davidson made an Elite 8 run last year? No, it was an amazing show, but I will never like Gonzaga and this doesn't stem from the NIT loss in 06-07. Adam Morrison - and that's all I have to say about that. I don't understand why they are still labeled a Cinderella. If I was a good basketball player and was offered a scholarship to play basketball for Gonzaga or some team like Washington, I'm probably going to go with Gonzaga because I know that they will most likely win their conference tournament once during the 4 years I'm there, so that means I'm going to the NCAA tournament. Mark Few is a good coach and pretty good recruiter and Gonzaga has been competitive for the last decade, so stop the Cinderella talk.

Story Number 2 comes from Adam Lucas. Usually after reading his articles, I feel better, especially after a loss, but this one did not make me feel all warm and tingly. He throws a lot of numbers out, which is fine, sometimes I do too, but what stood out to me is FG%. Gonzaga shoots 49% from the field, while only allowing 37%. UNC shoots 48%, but allows 41%. Another point that Lucas brings up is the Bulldogs running the flex, and we all know how we did about Boston College's flex offense. This is my opinion. In the 3 regular season losses, we have shot poorly and played average defense. In every other game, we have shot pretty good and had average to below-average defense. I believe that if we can shoot in the 45% range, hit the open shots, get to the free-throw line, work the boards, and play average defense, we should win this game.

Story Number 3 comes from the videos of ESPN. I don't have a link, but it was Jay Bilas talking about how UNC is the most vulnerable of the #1 seeds. You're on your own if you want to watch it. Now, I don't mind Jay Bilas, as I have said before and he has been high on North Carolina all year, so I'm not sure why. The only reason I can speculate is that it is a tough draw, which it is, but I think it will be a good game.

I was going to talk about something else, but I will mention that tomorrow, but it's another Blake Griffin issue that is bothering me about how he gets hit so much. Until then...

No, Sportsline No!

Oh Sportsline, you did it again. Just when we start thinking about national title with Lawson back, you have to go and do this. In case you don’t read the article, this is the Triumphant Tar Heel summary. Freeman questions Ty’s toughness. Now it’s not the “oh, it’s just a toe” toughness. No, it’s the injury prone toughness, specifically how it will affect his draft stock. He says that it is admirable to play through the pain, but it could hurt him in the draft if he does not heal properly or quickly. Also this is another issue about his long-term injury history with his ankle last year and now his toe.

See this is what I don’t like. I have seen several sites talking about the draft now that the NCAA tournament is here. Now players are put under more pressure to perform because if not, they don’t get a big paycheck. Seriously, why do you bring this up? I’m sure some of the players know who are scouts and who are fans and I am a fan. I do not care about where players like Ty Lawson and Blake Griffin are going to be drafted. Right now, I care about the tournament. If Ty Lawson is hurting his draft status, I don’t think he cares right now or he would be sitting on the bench. Actually, he would be playing pick-up games or watching Sponge Bob now because UNC’s season would be over.

I actually do care about where North Carolina players go, because I check up on them, but this is not the time. I’m glad the players don’t pay much attention to the media because I’m sure it would really do some damage.

So as Freeman is writing about how it could negatively affect his draft status, I think the opposite and how it could affect his draft decision. Maybe at the end of the year, this requires surgery and because it's a long recovery or something, teams won't draft him or draft him as high and he could return. Yes, it's a bit wishful thinking, but anything is possible.

Random Blog Notes
1. After the season is over, I will be doing a season in review post and a player-by-player season review, starting with the freshman and working my way up.

2. I am a "what if" kind of guy and I will be throwing hypothetical posts out here (like the Lawson-doesn't-go-pro scenario). Just for example, what if Jamison and Carter had stayed? Or what if any of the 3 juniors stayed after the 05 season? What if Wayne Ellington hits the 3 against Georgetown? Those are just to wet the appetite for awhile. These are gonna be sweet!

3. No news on Lawson's toe, but apparently, after the Duke game, he did some home remedy and that was why it swelled up so much. So Lawson, don't do that again.