We heard all pre-season how the team was made aware of the games they lost when they held a second half lead (uh-hem, Northern Iowa). I will agree the new rule changes did not help (as I noticed through my Carolina blue tinted glasses) that the refs called so many touch fouls against the "big, bad, athletic" team ranked first in the nation and let the "poor, little, struggling" mid-major guys hang all over us and hardly blow a whistle on Northern Iowa. I honestly think the poor officiating helped them dwindle down our 16 point lead; however, our sloppy play and lack of effort on defense is what helped push them over the edge. What I don't get is all summer the articles I've read talked about how Marcus (I'm well aware he didn't play) could recite almost every game and the lead we gave up and how many points we lost by. Meeks said how losing to dook and Wiscy hurt the worst because the Heels had second half leads against them both, and could have beaten them, yet those two teams played for the national championship. The list goes on and on, but we also heard how this team was motivated, it had a different feel because everybody was on board with what they need to do to be a national championship caliber team, how this team was going to close out close games. They know they need to have that edge to step on the other team's throat when they have a lead in the second half and never give them a chance to come back or take the lead; this team was all business and everybody was on the same page about closing out close games and not relinquishing second half leads. The come back and the fight from the team vs K-State last night was great to see, and maybe it's just me, but I don't see that "edge" that mean streak, that take no-prisoners attitude that we saw from Psycho-T, or Lawson, or McCants (even though he's now dead to me), or Jawad, etc. They talked about it for months, now it's time to put your money where your mouth is, and maybe Marcus will be that catalyst coming back that will help them close out games when they have a lead in the second half or will continue to give 110% til the final buzzer sounds or until Roy calls off the dogs and gives Blue Steel some tick. I am not-so-patiently waiting for this team to show me that they know how to close out a game, hold on to a second half lead (a convincing lead against a decent opponent at that), that they have the balls to step on somebody's throat and win in convincing fashion, and maybe even have a little bit of a mean streak in them, enough to put those final nails in the coffin and win games with some umph!! Maybe a loss early in the season to a lesser opponent will give somebody the chip on their shoulder to speak up when they huddle at the foul line, and tell the rest of the guys, they're bleeding pretty bad and his left eye is swollen shut, now let's give him the knock out blow and end this thing once and for all!!
