Right now the Heels are riding a wave of confidence.  Finally many fans are getting the pleasure of watching the team that everyone expected to see at the beginning of the season.  The Heels are transforming into a well-balanced team that plays great defense and forces the ball quickly up-court in the transition offense. 

     For the second straight game the Heels dominated their opponents with an heir of dominance and flair that no one has seen this year.  This Tar Heel team is the team that the Associated Press expected to see, and no other teams around the country must take notice.  Carolina lost some very winnable games early in the season, but they are now on a four game winning streak and have won nine of their last ten contests.

     Opposing coaches around the ACC are definitely losing sleep over the thought of having to prepare for this Carolina team.  When you look at the roster from the very top to the very bottom, it should become painfully obvious that Roy Williams has miraculously constructed a ten player rotation that runs opposing teams ragged for forty minutes.  I choose to use the word miraculous simply because the Heels have lost over ten players to graduation transfers and early declarations to the NBA since the ’09 championship season.

     Roy Williams has mastered the art of puzzle building, and it shows with how well this team has gelled at the midpoint of the season.  The Heels played so well against Boston College last night in snowy Massachusetts that the fans in attendance had to wonder if the roof had collapsed, because Carolina brought the blizzard inside with their surprisingly effective three-point shooting.  Freshman Reggie Bullock provided the best example of how well the Heels were performing by scoring 18 points off the bench.  He scorched the nets for four threes in the first-half alone.

     Now the Heels have to guard against complacency after two virtuoso performances in their last two conference games.  Harrison Barnes cracked the 20 point barrier for the first and second time in his career in both contests respectively, but the Heels are such a balanced team that a scoring outburst can come from any player at any time.  The next two games for the Heels are a home game against Florida State and a trip to Durham for the game of all games against the Duke Blue Devils.  The team appears to be confident.  The fans are confident. And the upcoming teams on the schedule are probably having trouble sleeping.  Go Heels!!!   

Damein Fitzgerald

What are some minor concerns for the Tarheels after the first game of the season?  Dexter Strickland only attempted 2 shots all night and finished with 2 points total (from the free-throw line).  Of course, Strickland isn’t one of the Tarheels’ primary scoring options, he is on the floor for his quickness and defense.  However, Strickland only snatched 1 steal last night.  Larry Drew II has high hopes this season as the Tarheel’s starting point guard however last night against Lipscomb he only scored 4 points and only dished out 2 assists that matched his 2 turnovers.  Drew II went 0-3 from the field and, like Strickland, scored all of his points from the foul line.

With this only being the first game of the season the Tarheels starting back-court has all season long to show thrive on the court so we should expect some huge improvements on both sides of the ball from the Tarheels.

Josh Slater scored 21 points to lead Lipscomb

Box Score-

John Henson – 10 pts, 17 rebs, 7 blks

Harrison Barnes – 14 pts, 4 rebs

Tyler Zeller – 15 pts, 7 rebs

Dexter Strickland – 2 pts, 1 stl, 1 ast

Larry Drew II – 4 pts, 5 rebs, 2 ast

Leslie McDonald – 7 pts, 1 reb

Kendall Marshall – 10 pts, 3ast, 2 stl

Justin Watts – 0 pts, 3 rebs

Justin Knox – 6 pts, 2 ast

Reggie Bullock – 12 pts, 4 rebs

@ZachSykes31

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.

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.

So what’s next for Tar Heel Football?  Well, UNC was ranked 24 going into the game, but sinc they lost, they will most likely drop out of the top 25.  They are still bowl eligble, so stay tuned to see where they get the invite.

The defending champion men’s basketball team, got a win sunday night against a Nevada team that will surely be dancing come March.  I was concerned about this game, because it is sandwiched in their with Carolina’s tough games coming up against Michigan State, Kentucky, and Texas…all Top 10 teams.  It’s a good thing they won, but it took a little bit of work.  Nevada had two pre-season WAC Player of the Years on their team in Armon Johnson and Luke Babbitt, and they did all they could to challenge the Heels.  The first half, in my opinion, went as planned, with UNC playing well enough to have a decent lead.  The second-half though was where I think UNC will lose a few games they shouldn’t this season.  The youth and inexperience of this team was evident, when they allowed Nevada to get right back into the game and at one point regain the lead.  But just like in the football game on Saturday, somewhere around the five minute mark, the game changed…this time in the Heels favor.  A stout defensive performance during this time, and good shooting by point guard Larry Drew II allowed the Heels to go on a big run and seal up the victory with a score of 80-73.

So, what now?  Well, it gets a lot tougher for UNC Basketball.  Tommorow, they play #2 Michigan State in a Championship rematch.  On December 5th, the Heels play #5 Kentucky, then later in the month play #3 Texas.  Get through this stretch with a one or two wins, and fans might be able to get excited about the opportunity this team has in ACC play.  One thing is for sure though, keep the turnovers down and this team could be something to work with come tourny time.

Lets hope Zack Pianalto will be alright but at this point it doesn’t look good.  He definitely was the player of the game after getting the game winning catch and then being carted off the field.  Hopefully his MRI results come back negative.

We tend to do some college sports gambling but at this point we can’t see ourselves taking UNC anytime soon so they just don’t look together yet.  Lets hope this changes in the coming weeks.