Caleb Wilson from the locker room:

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Great to see how Seth’s confidence is growing and translating to his game. QQ, AJ: He mentioned a pre-game locker room speech that had him ready to run through a wall. Who gave the speech?

…is that it can easily be replicated in Durham a few weeks from now. Lively ain’t gonna be there either!

...and that was just f***ing awful.

Welp, wanna create an upset for an inferior team?... easy, just self-inflict by making every aspect of the game f***ing awful:

- shooting of W I D E - O P E N 3s --- awful

- finishing around the rim thru contact --- awful

- converting EASY bunnies --- awful

- securing loose balls and contested rebounds --- awful

- FT shooting (when we actually got the chance) --- awful

- dictating our tempo --- awful

- and of course it takes opponents playing out of their minds. For example, I've probably seen Sturdivant play live 5 or 6 times over the years and you could leave that jabronie in the gym by himself and he couldn't make that damn many shots --- I suppose that banked heave 3 was par for tonight's course. Nothing you can do about that...

- and, oh dear Lord... after an (at least somewhat) evenly called first half, that crew did an absolute number on us in the second. Tech fouls a LOT, and on both ends, with constant shoves and grabs, as well as offensive push-offs, and yet they sat with 3 team fouls past the under-8, all the while a complete f*** job was coming our way, particularly aimed at our PG.

- and about that: Granted, Eliot shouldn't have given that zebra a chance to call the last one (son, we've GOT to have you on the floor!), but make no mistake, at least 3 of those calls were complete BS, guarding a driver who was blatantly trying to initiate contact the whole way. Here's the thing, EC had a terrific defensive first half, allowing only one made shot (on a switch miss-match) and stoning guys over and over while disrupting passes for TOs. But they kept going at him. Folks, there is a reason for that: Coaches who scout us know what I know, i.e., that #2 is the catalyst that makes this team nearly impossible to deal with (he was +12 in his limited minutes, BTW). Once he was in trouble and then gone we played too much of the game at TECH's tempo.

- Only by finally going to 44 did we speed them up and somehow manage to claw back into a game we had all but lost. I would've like to have seen that sooner. The other positive that got us back in was character and fight, especially from RJ Davis. Little guy did not deserve what happened at the end.

- and finally, there it was. When I saw our set for the last shot I knew exactly what we had called --- get RJ down-hill into a Mando high post hand-off. PERFECT call for that time and score. He was either gonna get a close shot, or a foul, or both. With RJ's proficiency at the floater the only way to prevent that was a foul, and yessir, I'll take Mr. Davis at the line down one with FTs for the win ANY time. We sure as HELL got the foul --- what we DIDN'T get was (what should have been) an EASY call. Hell, as soon as I saw their guy body-block him (not a "bump") I yelled "YES!"... but then there was no whistle. Make no mistake: THAT was just f***ing awful.

Anyway, I don't subscribe to the value of losing a game like this. The only possible good I can imagine is if the guys take a good long look at what we are LEAVING on the floor far too often these days. I shudder to watch the replay at all the misses and giveaways --- hopefully they will shudder as well in the film room. In EC's (ugh) only 21 minutes he had 5 dimes BUT we failed to convert on 7 more (!)... ALL good looks or layups. And hell, when JWash FLUSHED a putback in the first half, for a minute there I thought we actually meant business at the rim tonight... but that didn't carry over. Seth at least got more determined after his initial bunny miss, but Harrison, Mando and Cormac had rough nights. Guys, it's time to stop finessing at the rack. We need all our grown-ass men to play like it Saturday.....

is my prediction. I've been working on the models the last couple of weeks. I haven't really tried it with stats an analytics until this January. Defense will be the difference. The numbers indicate that North Carolina is much better on that side of the floor. I think they will get the late stops they need in a close game.

Have the referees been announced? I don’t have an obsession with referees, histories, and perceived prejudices.

However, I can’t stand tv Teddy. I’m already triggered when I see him step on the court. Totally spoils a game for me.

Curious how many of Cadeau’s fouls were called by Frank Gaffney at the Wake game. The 5th foul was absolutely terrible and the camera caught Gaffney with the most pernicious sneer, like “sit down xxxtch”. WTF was that. Not sure if Elliot was chirping about the previous fouls, but Gaffney’s look said “I’ll teach you a lesson, boy”.

Anyway, wondering who gets the call. I typically can’t stand the “ref you suck” chant. If Valentine is taking center stage with his “look at me whistle”, I’d prefer to hear a “TV Teddy” serenade.

I just read an article that Armando Bacot had a team only meeting after the team got back from Atlanta and the meeting took place after midnight….

Some things had to be discussed like to refocus on Duke on Saturday and just worry about one game at a time.

Having this team meeting to put everything out there to refocus does not sound like a WEAK player or someone WHO DOES NOT CARE anymore as many have dared to bring up.

I honestly believe no one on the team bleeds Carolina Blue more than Bacot does and I also believe he is playing with a undisclosed injury like he did when they played Kansas in the finals that no one knew about until after the game…

POSTGAME NOTES
CAROLINA 93, DUKE 84
FEBRUARY 3, 2024
ROY WILLIAMS COURT AT THE DEAN E. SMITH CENTER
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

UNC Scoring Leader: Armando Bacot 25
UNC Rebound Leader: Harrison Ingram 13
UNC Assist Leader: Bacot and RJ Davis 5
Team Records: Carolina 18-4, 10-1 ACC; Duke 16-5, 7-3 ACC

• Armando Bacot totaled 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Bacot is the second Tar Heel and first since Charlie Scott to compile at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists vs. Duke. Scott had 29-13-5 in 1970.
• The last Tar Heel with 25-10-5 in any game was Garrison Brooks at Virginia Tech in 2020 (28-14-6 in double overtime).
• Bacot recorded his fourth straight double-double against Duke and his fifth overall against the Blue Devils. It was Bacot’s 77th career double-double. UNC is 8-1 this season and 56-21 overall when he has a double-double.
• Carolina improves to 25-24 against Duke when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 10. It is the most top-10 matchups between two teams in college basketball history, the next highest being UNC and NC State with 14.
• UNC is 43-26 against AP Top 10 opponents in the Smith Center.

• UNC is 5-2 against AP-ranked opponents this season.
• Hubert Davis is 7-5 against AP Top 10 opponents in three seasons as head coach.
• Carolina scored the most points by any team vs. Duke since the Tar Heels scored 94 in Cameron Indoor Stadium on 3/5/22.
• The 93 points were the most this season by the Tar Heels since scoring 103 against Syracuse on January 13.
• UNC scored the most points Duke allowed in a first half this season. Carolina’s 10-point halftime lead was the largest halftime deficit the Blue Devils have faced this season.

• Carolina has led by 10 or more points in all 11 ACC games this season.
• Carolina committed five turnovers, which equaled the fewest in a game under Hubert Davis. UNC also had five against Charleston Southern this season and at Duke on 3/5/22.
• Carolina had two players (Bacot and RJ Davis) with five assists and committed only five turnovers as a team.
• Carolina shot 50% in a game for the fourth time this season. Carolina is 19-0 under Hubert Davis when it shoots 50% or better and has won 27 consecutive games when shooting 50% or better.
• UNC outscored Duke in bench points, 14-6. Carolina is 12-0 this season when it scores more bench points.

• Bacot led UNC in scoring for the sixth time this season and the 41st time in his career. UNC is 6-0 this season and 29-12 when he leads the Tar Heels in scoring.
• Bacot passed Louisville’s Wes Unseld and Detroit’s Dave DeBusschere for the 20th-most rebounds in NCAA history. Bacot has 1,553 (Unseld 1,551 and DeBusschere 1,552).
• Bacot scored 20 or more points for the first time since scoring 22 against Tennessee on 11/30/23. It was the fifth time this season and 31st time in Bacot’s career he scored 20 or more. UNC is 5-0 this season and 26-5 overall when Bacot has 20 or more.
• Bacot was 10 for 13 from the floor. The 10 field goals tied his season high, which he made in the season opener against Radford. It was the 11th time Bacot has made 10 or more field goals, UNC is 11-0 when Bacot makes 10 or more.
• Bacot passed Sam Perkins and Antawn Jamison for the fifth-most field goals in UNC history. Bacot has 789. Perkins made 786 and Jamison had 787.

• Bacot tied his season high with five assists, which he also had against Connecticut and Louisville. It was the fifth time in Bacot’s career he had five or more assists. UNC is 4-1 in those games.
• Bacot played his 154th game for UNC, one shy of Leaky Black’s record for most games by a Tar Heel.
• Ingram had a season-high 21 points, 13 rebounds, a career-high five threes and he tied his career high with four steals.
• It was Ingram’s seventh double-double this season and the 12th of his career. UNC is 7-0 when Ingram has a double-double.
• Two Tar Heels had double-doubles for the second time this season. Bacot and Ingram also had double-doubles against Syracuse.

• Ingram scored 20 or more points for the fourth time this season and the sixth time of his career.
• Ingram has 10 or more rebounds in eight of the last 10 games. He has 122 rebounds in the last 10 games.
• Ingram tied his season high with eight field goals (also vs. UConn).
• Bacot scored 25 points and Ingram had 21. It was the first time two Tar Heels scored 20 since RJ Davis and Cormac Ryan scored 27 and 20, respectively, against Kentucky on 12/16/23.
• RJ Davis, the ACC’s leading scorer, scored 17 points. He passed three-time first-team All-America Mike O’Koren (1,765) for 16th in UNC history. Davis has 1,772 career points.
• Ingram made five threes and Davis and Cormac Ryan both made a pair. UNC is 6-2 this season when all three make multiple 3FGs.
• Davis made two three-pointers to extend his UNC record for most consecutive games with multiple three pointers to 19.
• Seth Trimble (10 point) scored in double figures for the fifth time this season and sixth time in his career. UNC is 6-0 when Trimble scores in double figures.

Carolina-Duke
• Carolina is 144-117 all-time against Duke. UNC has won five of the last eight games vs. the Blue Devils.
• That includes 66-39 in Chapel Hill, including 21-18 in the Smith Center.

Next Game: Tuesday, February 3, vs. Clemson (7 p.m., ESPN)

For some of you older fans out there you might remember the 1970’s super musical group called: Three Dog Night who had one of their many hits come out called “One”. The main lyrics were all about this statement: one is the loneliness number that you ever knew and that pretty much sums up the one point loss to Georgia Tech who by the way also earlier in the season had beaten Duke at home..:

Yes one is the loneliness number. Like one more rebound, winning just ONE 50/50 ball, hitting one more ft from the many they missed, hitting one more three, Ryan and Ingram hitting one more shot during their combined 6 for 28 shooting exhibition. One more layup falling in the basket when so many rolled off. One less turnover especially in the first half. One less foul called on Cadeau, one less mental mistake and more importantly one less foul not called at the end of the game when Davis was definitely bodied up and knocked to the side on his game winning attempt Finally one last thing looking at the stats Georgia Tech had not one but eight blocks. Also Ryan did not shoot one free throw and Ingram did not post any ONE up like he has all season

Yes one is indeed the loneliness number…

Did anyone see him on this Podcast this week saying Michael Jordan was a Horrible Defender,and He got his A!S busted on a regular and he couldn't guard anybody. He also said the NBA loved Mike that's why he was All Defense. And they 💋 his A!S.
I was like you can't talk about the Carolina and Duke Game it seems there is alot of Animosity out there. I would of never thought I would hear it from Sheed.I said maybe he smoked a little too much before he sat Down. He is one of my Favorites to put on the Carolina Uniform.

ODDS
-5.5 UNC
Over/Under 152.5


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7

Duke​

16-4, 7-2 CONF

ESPN
2/3
6:30 PM

3

North Carolina​

17-4, 9-1 CONF





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NORTH-CAROLINA Odds: Schedule, Matchups, & Stats - VegasInsider​

Get the latest North Carolina Odds, see their recent and upcoming schedule, matchups, injuries, stats, and team news.
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havent seen anything posted about it. I reckon Mack figured that the 'book' that Sparkmaster kept for him was useless, therefore rendering him useless. I could have told him that analytics book was a waste of paper and Woods hire was nothing more, IMO, than another scheme to give Macks friends more money.