Duke 87 UNC 83: The Aftermath

Well, the young bucks made a valiant effort last night, I’ll admit. Still, one has to be disappointed in the end. Despite shooting like pee-wee leaguers in the first 5 minutes of the game (missing untold numbers of lay-ups and five footers) the Heels kept the game close, thanks to some pretty good defense on this years Duke poster boy JJ (“fad”) Reddick. I’d written us off at halftime, however. I figured Duke would make a run and pull away. And they did, sort of. The Goo Devils increased their lead to 17 points. Then, showing why he should be coach of the year and not Bruce Pearl, Roy Williams benched the starting five and excoriated them as the scrubs closed to within single digits of Duke. When Hansborough and the lads returned, Carolina managed to take a lead . . . only to revert to the kind of playing that characterized the first five minutes of the game, blown lay-ups and weak defense. Still, even though Duke’s stars managed some timely shots, they still gave us opportunities. At the end, our boys sphincters clinched tighter than a Klan member naked at a gay bar. With a few seconds to play and three points behind, suddenly they became scared to shoot the ball. Our problems remain youth and weak play at the point guard spot. I’m still not sure how we managed to stay in the game without much of a perimeter game. I suppose we stuck close because of the emergence of Rayshawn Terry, a junior, who decided it was time for him to step it up. Hansborough, again played pretty solid in the middle. He’s got to bulk up, attack the rim with force, and develop some post moves. Noel, outside of a clutch 3 pointer, did little.