...and that's a damned good win, sometimes in spite of ourselves!
stats
- Here's the one that jumps out, and considering the size we were up against is pretty damned amazing --- We out-rebounded them 56-34, AND held those big jokers to only 9 Offensive Boards. Wow! Prolly the difference in the game. Meanwhile we managed 21 Offensive Boards. Impressive.
- They are a strong defensive team and make you work. We attacked more off the dribble today than I can remember in a long time. We only had 12 Assists on 31 made FGs, but that's kinda the way the game was playing out. They were hawking passing lanes and daring us to drive. We did. We won.
- How bout some Luke Maye? With Tony being out I worried about their length. Luke had a tough shooting day but worked his ass off and came out with 15 Rebounds, not to mention 2 of the prettiest length-of-the court Assists you're ever gonna see.
- 10 Fast Break and 24 Secondary Break points (many of those willed by JB).
- Somebody musta challenged Mr. Hicks today because he came out smokin' ---- aggressive from the tip, taking it right at those Nole bigguns and cashed in. 22 pts, 7 Rebounds, 3 Assists and a big 12/14 from the line.
- Buckets was Buckets --- 22 Points and made some impossible shots, including maybe the highest Floater in history right over their 7'4 guy.
- And welcome home, Theo F***ing Pinson! The disruptor was everywhere and cashed in a Double-Double with 12 and 10, plus was a neat 5/6 from the FT line, many of them late.
- Final good numbers --- the best player on the floor (as usual). Joel Berry. Scored 26 and seemingly every one came at a key time. Meanwhile, dog held XRM to 6 pts (and 5 TOs).
- BAD BAD number --- and had we lost, this would have cost us the game: We left no fewer than 20 Pts. on the floor in the Second Half alone by missing chippies! Yeah sometimes there was contact and we got a few back at the line but most were just empty misses where we didn't finish.
- Bad number for them --- fortunately the Noles helped our cause by leaving a lotta points at the FT line where they only shot 46.2%!
stuff
- Boy oh boy was there some talent on that floor today. That game was intense from the opening. Looked like it might get a little chippy here and there but the zebras called enough to keep the game under control. I'm sure many of us were happy to see Mike Eades in Louisville
. Roger Ayers is generally a decent ref, and while Roy had a couple of go-arounds with one of his colleagues, by and large they called it pretty well. Both teams were in Bonus and Double-Bonus early, and should have been. Fortunately we took better advantage of our ops, especially in the second half.
- Roy was quite creative dealing with their size, even going Ultra-Small late in the first half, with JJ being the tallest guy on the floor. JB, Nate, KW, JJ and Theo finished out the half and did it pretty well. We also went Small because of foul trouble a few times.
- Great key sequences --- Second half Luke plays flawless post defense, moves his feet and doesn't foul, gets the tough rebound then fires the home run pass to JJ. 4 Point turnaround right there, folks. And how about Theo's drive-and-dish in the closing seconds on the first half?
- Speaking of Theo, I've been harping on his psychological need to see a FG go thru the hoop. Welp, seems he had enough of missing so young fella rises up for a Sports Center highlight Tomahawk that absolutely brought the house down. So, as if on cue, a few minutes later at a key moment, he drains a huge 3 on a kick-out late in the shot-clock. I don't know about the rest of you but I was saying "Please go in. Please go in!". #Splash.
- Kennedy made a bone-headed foul on a 3-ball that got him in Roy's doghouse, but big fella had played well up til then
- And JB. I hope all Carolina fans appreciate what we're got in him. After he torched them for 17 in the first, they made a conscious effort to deny him on the return pass in the second half. But whenever he sensed we needed a basket he just made it happen. Dude has a knack for knowing when we need him to score, is fearless and just took it right at the trees. He can create his shot, get to the line and makes his FTs and like so many great UNC PGs can be a one-man fast break when he feels like it.
- Finally... don't know if y'all noticed, but this was one of the most impressive things about today: F$U was gassed in the second half, and I think that accounted for some of their bad FT shooting. They're one of the deepest teams in the country yet we had more in the tank down the stretch. #Conditioning
Strong, strong win against a big, talented bunch! That oughta get some national media attention
stats
- Here's the one that jumps out, and considering the size we were up against is pretty damned amazing --- We out-rebounded them 56-34, AND held those big jokers to only 9 Offensive Boards. Wow! Prolly the difference in the game. Meanwhile we managed 21 Offensive Boards. Impressive.
- They are a strong defensive team and make you work. We attacked more off the dribble today than I can remember in a long time. We only had 12 Assists on 31 made FGs, but that's kinda the way the game was playing out. They were hawking passing lanes and daring us to drive. We did. We won.
- How bout some Luke Maye? With Tony being out I worried about their length. Luke had a tough shooting day but worked his ass off and came out with 15 Rebounds, not to mention 2 of the prettiest length-of-the court Assists you're ever gonna see.
- 10 Fast Break and 24 Secondary Break points (many of those willed by JB).
- Somebody musta challenged Mr. Hicks today because he came out smokin' ---- aggressive from the tip, taking it right at those Nole bigguns and cashed in. 22 pts, 7 Rebounds, 3 Assists and a big 12/14 from the line.
- Buckets was Buckets --- 22 Points and made some impossible shots, including maybe the highest Floater in history right over their 7'4 guy.
- And welcome home, Theo F***ing Pinson! The disruptor was everywhere and cashed in a Double-Double with 12 and 10, plus was a neat 5/6 from the FT line, many of them late.
- Final good numbers --- the best player on the floor (as usual). Joel Berry. Scored 26 and seemingly every one came at a key time. Meanwhile, dog held XRM to 6 pts (and 5 TOs).
- BAD BAD number --- and had we lost, this would have cost us the game: We left no fewer than 20 Pts. on the floor in the Second Half alone by missing chippies! Yeah sometimes there was contact and we got a few back at the line but most were just empty misses where we didn't finish.
- Bad number for them --- fortunately the Noles helped our cause by leaving a lotta points at the FT line where they only shot 46.2%!
stuff
- Boy oh boy was there some talent on that floor today. That game was intense from the opening. Looked like it might get a little chippy here and there but the zebras called enough to keep the game under control. I'm sure many of us were happy to see Mike Eades in Louisville
. Roger Ayers is generally a decent ref, and while Roy had a couple of go-arounds with one of his colleagues, by and large they called it pretty well. Both teams were in Bonus and Double-Bonus early, and should have been. Fortunately we took better advantage of our ops, especially in the second half.- Roy was quite creative dealing with their size, even going Ultra-Small late in the first half, with JJ being the tallest guy on the floor. JB, Nate, KW, JJ and Theo finished out the half and did it pretty well. We also went Small because of foul trouble a few times.
- Great key sequences --- Second half Luke plays flawless post defense, moves his feet and doesn't foul, gets the tough rebound then fires the home run pass to JJ. 4 Point turnaround right there, folks. And how about Theo's drive-and-dish in the closing seconds on the first half?
- Speaking of Theo, I've been harping on his psychological need to see a FG go thru the hoop. Welp, seems he had enough of missing so young fella rises up for a Sports Center highlight Tomahawk that absolutely brought the house down. So, as if on cue, a few minutes later at a key moment, he drains a huge 3 on a kick-out late in the shot-clock. I don't know about the rest of you but I was saying "Please go in. Please go in!". #Splash.
- Kennedy made a bone-headed foul on a 3-ball that got him in Roy's doghouse, but big fella had played well up til then
- And JB. I hope all Carolina fans appreciate what we're got in him. After he torched them for 17 in the first, they made a conscious effort to deny him on the return pass in the second half. But whenever he sensed we needed a basket he just made it happen. Dude has a knack for knowing when we need him to score, is fearless and just took it right at the trees. He can create his shot, get to the line and makes his FTs and like so many great UNC PGs can be a one-man fast break when he feels like it.
- Finally... don't know if y'all noticed, but this was one of the most impressive things about today: F$U was gassed in the second half, and I think that accounted for some of their bad FT shooting. They're one of the deepest teams in the country yet we had more in the tank down the stretch. #Conditioning
Strong, strong win against a big, talented bunch! That oughta get some national media attention
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