Carolina really hit a rough stretch. I’m surprised Roy Williams hasn’t pulled all of his hair out. The youth and inexperience has been a huge influence on the outcome of Carolina’s games. Turnovers. Turnovers. Turnovers. Why is this a problem? It’s because Larry Drew and Dexter Strickland are average guards. They leave their feet when trying to make a pass or they pass the ball to a teammate where he thinks he is going to be instead of actually seeing the pass through. But all of that is okay. Because I saw hope on Tuesday night against NC State. The same Wolfpack team that beat Duke 88-74 on the very same court.

For the first time this season, the Tarheels should that they can battle adversity. In the second half, the Wolfpack opened with a 10 to 1 run. Carolina answered with a 15-0 run of their own. Carolina’s defense was phenominal. NC State didn’t score for like 8 minutes in the second half. I loved the way Henson played. He might not be worth anything offensively, but he can create a lot of problems in the paint with his long wingspan. Roy Williams challenged them to do better and play with heart. The players answered and earned their first true road game victory.

Don’t be worried about Carolina and the NCAA tournament. They’ll make it. They already beat a good Ohio State team on a neutral court, and they beat Michigan State, a team in the top 5 currently. Carolina’s strength of schedule is definitely in the top 5. They’ve played both Texas and Kentucky, both of which were number one at point in the year. Roy William’s team will not die. They will not give up. For now, I say they are about a 7 seed. It doesn’t bother me. As long as they get an invitation to the dance.

I thought it’d be a nice change to break down the performances of recent Tarheels who made their leap to the NBA and rank them on their rate of success.

1. Ty Lawson

Team-Denver Nuggets

points per game-9.6

assists per game-3.8

salary-$1,438,680

Ty Lawson has done really well for himself in the NBA.  He got really lucky by being drafted by a great team in the Nuggets. He even has a good teacher and mentor in Chauncey Billups. I believe that Lawson even started a few games when Billups was injured. What’s really helped Lawson in the NBA is his quickness. He can easily get by older guards such as Derek Fisher. Lawson even got a highlight dunk earlier in the season. Teams are kicking themselves for not grabbing Lawson eariler. He will be a starting point guard in the NBA in the years to come.

2. Tyler Hansbrough

Team-Indiana Pacers

points per game-8.5

rebounds per game-4.8

salary-$1,859,160

I’m happy for Hansbrough and his success as an NBA players. All these skeptics saying that he will amount to nothing in the NBA are becoming less confident in their previous predictions. It all started when Hansbrough was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft. Nobody, not even me, saw that coming. He found a good place in the Pacers. Not a flashy organization or a team that makes the headlines, an absolutely perfect scenario for Hansbrough. Less pressure for him to perform. He can quietly pick up his stats and make a name for himself later in his career. Will he ever be a great NBA player? I don’t think so, but he can become a good role player.

3. Wayne Ellingtion

Team-Minnesota Timberwolves

points per game-6.3

assists per game-1.0

salary-$1,003,560

Wayne Ellington was drafted by a very young team. Not a lot of experience. That’s why the Timerberwolves record is 9-33, but this is also a good scenario for Ellington. He gets plenty of playing time which is vital for a first  year NBA player. He can get a feel for the NBA style of play without having to carry the team by shooting threes all of the time. It’s also good because he can practice and get better at other parts of his game, like maybe posting up sometimes. He is 6 foot 4 I think  he can hold his own if he tries.  His stats were pretty much expected. Like Hansbrough, Ellington has the potential to become a good role player in the future.

4.Danny Green

Team-Cleveland Cavaliers

points per game-1.7

.333 3 point %

salary-$457,588

I can see Green’s position in a positive way and a negative way. For the negative, he is a part of Lebron Jamese’s team. He can never get playing time to help out his NBA career. Currently he is a bench warmer and that is all he will ever be unless he gets traded or Lebron leaves for New York. The positive is that Green out of all the other Tarheels, landed with the best team. The Cavaliers can contend for an NBA championship. Green also gets to dance with Shaq and Lebron on the sidelines.  But if Danny Green wants to become a decent player in the NBA he will have to switch teams because he will never be heard of as a Cavalier.

I really hope Roy Williams talked some sense into his players, because Georgia Tech is a really good team, and I don’t want to see a second straight blow out especially not in the Dean Dome. Georgia Tech is kind of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team. They beat Duke at home, but them lost to Virginia on the road. What I do know is that they can match the size of Carolina and that is the only basic advantage Carolina has had on teams throughout the season. Rebounding will be a huge part of this game. The team with the most rebounds in the box score will win this game I can say with confidence. Carolina must not turn the ball over. A good day handling the ball for the Heels is like 15 turnovers. If they can keep it at the 12 or 11 range, I think that Carolina will have a really great shot at winning. Another X factor is toughness and heart. Against Clemson, most of the players showed no heart, toughness, or perseverance. I know this Carolina team is young, but they have to gain some mental toughness somewhere down the road. They’ll also have to face the Yellow Jackets without Tyler Zeller who is out 4 to 6 weeks. A Perfect time for a player like John Henson to step up and play well. Which player should the Heels concentrate on? Gani Lawal. He’s averaging 15 point and 9 rebounds on the season, a near double double. Carolina cannot let him get inside position and bully them in the post. The Heels have to be aggresive. They should also push the ball upcourt. Carolina would like to get the game into the eighties. I don’t Georgia Tech is fast enought to keep up with th Heels. If it’s a half court game, the guards for Carolina will have to take care of the ball. It is vital for Strickland and Drew to make wise choices when passing the ball. There should be no “no look” passes or behind the back passes, just fundamental basketball. The big men for Carolina need see the ball into their hands and try to keep from dropping the basketball. Big men like Deion Thompson and Ed Davis sometimes let the basketball slip out of their hands. All in All the Heels will be in for a fight. If they put effort into every play and scratch and claw for every rebound and loose ball, the Heels will end the afternoon with a win.

I  honestly have never ever seen my Tar heels play so poorly. I am sick and tired of using the “their a young team” excuse. Carolina has two seniors on their team, Deion Thompson and Marcus Ginyard. Their leadership skills this season has been nonexistent. Each player had 5 turnovers each, adding to the total of 25 turnovers. It was like watching a high school team at times. Carolina has no answer for the Clemson’s full court press. The Tigers came in the game hyped, smacked us in the face, and never looked back. Where is the energy and desire of the Carolina players? Where is the competitiveness? It’s either they think too much, or not enough. It was pointed it out several times in the game that some of the turnovers were not even pressure related. Early in the season when the Heel’s were throwing the ball away, I just shrugged it off to the players not being used to each other. Now it has become a real issue that needs to be taken care of. There is no doubt in my mind that Roy Williams will take care of this. He’ll spark a fire in them before the Georgia Tech game this Saturday.

They were hard to find, but there are some bright spots I saw in the Carolina vs. Clemson game last night.

                            1. Dexter Strickland is the best freshman on the team and he showed it last night. While the whole team was struggling, Strickland never lost his edge. He put in 17 points for the Heels. The next  highest scorer had nine points. It is clear to me that Strickland deserves the starting spot of Larry Drew. They both make poor decisions, but Strickland is lesser of two evils.

                             2. Roy Williams is a great coach. He literally turned his back for 5 minutes of the game, trying to get his starters mind right. He pulled all of his starters and put in 5 freshman. How many coaches would have enough confidence and trust in his young players to put five (like Dick Vitale says) diaper dandies in? Like I previously stated, he didn’t even watch them, and you know what? The youngsters were doing excellent for time they were in. Actually they performed better than the starters. Williams should have kept the freshman in, because the starting 5 turned the ball over instantly after they came back in.

   Usually I hear college basketball analysts say “Carolina doesn’t rebuild, they reload”. This year, they are wrong. Carolina lost 75 percent of their scoring last year. I saw that statistic several times toward the beginning of the year, because I didn’t think it meant anything. I believed that the freshman would bring youth and quickness. I also thought that Larry Drew practiced hard during the summer to prepare for filling Lawson’s shoes. I’m glad that the Heels have size, but the guards can’t get the ball to them without turning it over. I guess we Carolina fans just have to take our frustration one game at a time.

Tonight will be a true test. The Tarheels will travel to Little John to face the Clemson Tigers. History shows that the Heels do very well against the Tigers. You just might as well through that out the window. Everytime UNC plays Clemson, my heart beats rapidly. I can never relaz when the Heels play these guys. Everytime it seems like the Tigers get closer and closer to beating Carolina. Last year UNC beat them 94 to 70. Of course they did, last  year’s team was the national champions! To really discover my phobia of Tarheel games vs. Clemson you have to go back a year or two.

                              January 6 2008: North Carolina 90 Clemson 88 F/OT- I probably paced back and forth at least a mile while watching this game. The score was 87 to 88 with Clemson on top.  05.4 seconds to go Hansbrough inbounds to Lawson he dribbles passes it to Ellington for the three and SWISH; with .004 left. One of the happiest moments of my tarheel fan life……..probably top ten. What made it so much better was looking at the stunned faces of the Clemson fans. I loved it.

                            February 10 2008: North Carolina 103 Clemson 93 F/2OT- Carolina was down for the most part of regulation. Halfway throught the second half they decide to play some basketball. Later in the 2nd half both teams exchange some threes and Clinton Thomas, of all people, drives into the lane with the game tying layup to send the game into overtime. In overtime Clinton Thomas sinks to clutch free throws to send the game into the second overtime. (One of Clinton Thomas’s best performances)  So in the second overtime North Carolina starts to pull away, thus the score being 103 to 93. A very huge scare, but like before, the Heels survived

                            March 16 2008: North Carolina 86 Clemson 81 (ACC Championship)- Fresh off a game winning shot by Hansbrough against Virgina Tech, the Tarheels faced of versus the Tigers for a third time. It was either the Tigers or play Duke for a third time. So it didn’t really matter who the Heels faced I would have been equally as nervous. The game was close all the way through. Clemson  had a three point halftime lead, but gave it up in the second half to Carolina. The Heels win the ACC, but go on to get demolished by Kansas in the Final Four. Anyways……..

This Carolina team is full of youngsters. They are nowhere near the best of their ability. The team turns the ball over way to much, terrible free throw shooting, and not enough three point field goals to take away the zone defense that Carolina can never seem to figure out, but I have seen shots of brilliance in this team. They beat a very good Ohio State team, a well coached Michigan State team looking for revenge, and almost beat a spectacular Kentucky team. What do I expect? A very close game. Will the Heels pull it out. I have no idea. I just know that my palms are sweaty with anticipation just thinking of tonight’s game.