Yardbarker: North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina-Kentucky Preview

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:10:02 -0500

STATS Senior Writer Defending national champion North Carolina could have used a replacement for Ty Lawson at point guard. A player from just down the road from Chapel Hill seemed like a perfect fit - John Wall.

Game Notes: UNC @ Kentucky

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:49:12 -0500

UNC at Kentucky Date 12/5/2009 12:30:00 PMLive StatsLinkTV CBS Team Stats

The Battle of the Blues

This is going to be a game that draws attention for many reasons. The top two winning programs all time, two of the top coaches out there today, to very athletic teams. The storylines are many, but it all boils down to what is going to happen on the court in Rupp Arena tomorrow just after noon.

Roy williams is coming off another storybook season in Chapel Hill and just as it happened in 2005, most have deemed this season a rebuilding one for he and his Tar Heels. Senior starters Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green along with Junior starters Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawsons are now on NBA rosters, which to most teams would indicate a rebuilding year, if not two or three. Coach Williams seems to keep his cupboard stocked with young NBA hopefuls though and this weeks win in the Big Ten / ACC Challenge over a very good Michigan State team indicates the dropoff time may not last that long. Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are big and have played big for the Heels thus far and have kept the team in games with their play inside the paint and on the boards. Larry Drew II has had some big shoes to fill by taking over the point guard position from Ty Lawson. While he still has things to work on, his game has shown great improvement over the last few games while cutting way back on turnovers. Freshman Dexter Strickland, John Henson and David and Travis Wear have all seen plenty of court time this season and have all put forth solid efforts. At times all have played like freshman, but all have shown the flashes of brilliance that brought them Chapel Hill.

John Calapari has taken the Bluegrass by storm. Kentucky is four seasons removed from a Sweet Sixteen appearance and everyone in the Commonwealth knows it and wants something done about it. This is why Calapari was brought in and this is why this Kentucky team is like no other team they have really seen this decade. This like North Carolina of last season is a very deep and athletic team with worlds of potential. The question is this, How quick can Coach Calapari get this team to play as one and not as five ones? Some question if there are enough shots to go around and enough attention that can be paid to keep this team of stars satisfied? The team has a very strong steady force inside the paint this season in Junior Pattrick Patterson. He has spent his first two seasons in Kentucky without playing in an NCAA game, something that very few UK players can nor want to claim. His game is starting to evolve now and Calaparis influence and use of the junior should make him a more complete player in the end. Kentucky has some freshman of their own. Starting alongside Patterson in the middle is Demarcus Cousins. He is a very large and mobile power forward / center and comes in with NBA size and strength. He has seemed to pick up the offense and defense to this point and will continue to get better as the season wears on. The other freshman and his play is no secret and is of no suprise to anyone in the country. John Wall is a lightning quick point guard who also appears to be NBA ready. John is from ACC country and was courted by top ACC coaches like Coach K and Roy Williams, but in the end chose to play his ball at Kentucky. He seems to do just about everything well. He passes in the flow of the offense, he can break down the defense with his driving ability, and he can finish. If there is one weak part of his game, which is not all that weak for a freshman, it may be his jumpshot. All in all this three headed monster is tough for any lineup by itself, but just like North Carolina, Kentucky is deep and has a very good supporting cast for these guys.

It should be interesting to see these two teams clash again this season. The two have played a series all through this decade and over the last few season the matchup has been dominated by the Tar Heels for the most part. With the team that Coach Calapari will put on the floor this season, it should make for one hell of a basketball game.

Front Court: Advantage Carolina (I just see them as a bit deeper in terms of experience)

Back Court: Advantage Kentucky (Its hard to find a backcourt that can stack up to Kentucky, at least talent wise)

Bench: Advantage Carolina ( Again I see more experience with a comparable amount of talent coming off the bench)

Coaching: Advantage Carolina ( Cal may be Roys equal as a recruiter, but only one of these men have rings to brag about)

My prediction is that Carolina wins a very close game 87-84 in Rupp Arena

posted by: Casey Head

UNCNameGPMinsPtsAstsRbdsStlsBlksTOsFG%3P%FT%Off Eff Deon Thompson 8 27.4 17.3 1.4 8.3 1.0 0.6 2.8 54.3 0.0 80.0 90.5 Ed Davis 8 25.4 13.9 1.5 9.4 0.5 2.4 2.1 70.0 0.0 64.3 107.0 Marcus Ginyard 8 30.9 11.1 4.5 3.6 2.0 0.1 2.5 55.7 47.6 57.9 123.9 Larry Drew II 8 25.5 9.0 6.6 2.3 0.9 0.0 3.0 55.8 47.4 68.2 143.3 Tyler Zeller 8 15.8 9.6 0.4 4.0 0.4 1.0 0.8 57.7 0.0 73.9 110.9 Will Graves 8 18.4 7.0 0.8 3.8 0.9 0.1 0.8 37.7 29.6 80.0 99.1 Travis Wear 8 9.0 3.6 0.1 2.1 0.3 0.0 0.6 50.0 0.0 87.5 97.7 John Henson 8 10.6 3.4 1.3 2.6 0.6 1.3 0.4 45.8 20.0 40.0 121.8 Dexter Strickland 8 13.4 3.3 1.8 0.9 0.4 0.3 1.6 40.0 22.2 44.4 93.8 Justin Watts 8 6.8 2.9 1.4 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.9 56.3 75.0 40.0 122.3 David Wear 8 9.4 1.8 0.8 1.1 0.3 0.1 0.6 35.3 50.0 25.0 86.8 Leslie McDonald 6 6.7 1.7 0.7 1.3 0.3 0.2 0.5 28.6 16.7 16.7 76.5 Marc Campbell 3 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Terrence Petree 3 1.7 0.0 0.3 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Thomas Thornton 3 1.7 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 50.0 50.0 0.0 46.9 James Gallagher 3 1.7 0.0 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 135.1

North Carolina Tar Heels @ Kentucky Wildcats: Pre-game analysis

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:17:30 -0500

by Ed Reinke - AP We hope to see a lot of this out of the Big Cuz tomorrow. View full size photo » Obviously, the UNC contest at Rupp Arena tomorrow is a big, big game for the team, but even more so for the fans, who are very tired of losing to our neighbor to the east. The Tar Heels are young, but not nearly as young as Kentucky is. The Tar Heels start two seniors, a junior and two sophomores. North Carolina...

The Hunt: No. 3, North Carolina

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:39:46 -0500

The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here. Last year's record: 29-4, 13-3 ACC (Oh, and they were national champs, too.)2009-10's toughest games: at Kentucky, at Texas, Michigan State (89-82 win), at DukePrimary attraction: After his second national title, Roy Williams has a brand new team. Fortunately, that team is already really good.Three items of undeniable interest:1. Turnover:...

Marcus Ginyard would rather see Duke lose than the ACC win

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:14:16 -0500

Hey, college hoops fans, maybe you've heard about this. Did you know last night was the first time in the history of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge (or the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, depending on the year) that the Big Ten has actually won? 11 years in a row passed without that result, but finally, thanks to the Big Ten's deepest roster in years and a few upsets along the way -- including Clemson's utter meltdown against Illinois at home -- we Midwestern folk finally have something to clin...

Big Ten Wins the Challenge; Marcus Ginyard Sees the Silver Lining for Non-Duke ACC Fans

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:28:47 -0500

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge came to a pretty strong conclusion last night with the Big Ten finally coming out on top after a decade of being beaten by the ACC. Although Michigan State-North Carolina was the headliner (quick aside: Why not save the headliner for the final night?), Wednesday night had some of the strangest and most unexpected results. Clemson lost a 23-point lead against Illinois. Miami proved their start was no fluke by beating Minnesota. Michigan took a bad loss at home against...

BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE ALL TIED UP 3-3

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:12:00 -0500

While many prognosticators are predicting that the Big Ten may have a break out year and finally win the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, after last night it’s all tied up at 3-3.Penn State got the B10 off to an early lead with a win over Virginia. The home loss last year’s N.I.T. Champs looked like a mismatch on paper and turned out to be one on the court as well.Maryland is nothing if not inconsistent. This leads to more yelling by Terps’coach Gary “Speed Stick” Williams. If Gary ain’t yelling, it ai...

TUESDAY NIGHT HOOPS: BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE WINS

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:09:00 -0500

NO. 10 NORTH CAROLINA 89, No. 9 Michigan State 82Ed Davis and Larry Drew II both scored a career-highs as No.10 North Carolina beat No. 9 Michigan State in a rematch of last season's national championship game won by the Tar Heels. The game wasn’t really that close until the final five minutes.Davis scored 22 points and Drew II had 18 points for the Tar Heels (7-1), who led most of the game before having to hold off a rally in the final minutes. North Carolina shot 58 percent and led by a...

Once Henson fills out, he could fill Heels’ hole

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:28:18 -0500

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—When you think about this, how big could the hole in North Carolina's lineup really be if somebody as skinny as John Henson could fill it? Henson is so thin he makes Kevin Durant look like Lou Ferrigno. He is listed at 6-10, 195 pounds, but it looks like he'd need to weigh himself after a Thanksgiving feast to hit the scale half that hard. Larry Drew II is proving to his critics that he can handle playing point guard at North Carolina. He is every bit the sm...

No. 11 Tar Heels hold on against Spartans' rally

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:52:22 -0500

Ed Davis scored a career-high 22 points Tuesday night to help North Carolina (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) beat No. 9 Michigan State 89-82 in a rematch of last season's national championship game won by the Tar Heels.

Davis scores career-high 22

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:27:00 -0500

Ed Davis scored a career-high 22 points Tuesday night to help No. 10 North Carolina beat No. 9 Michigan State 89-82 in a rematch of last season's national championship game won by the Tar Heels.

Roy Williams is pissed the place wasn’t at capacity for No. 600

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:00:06 -0500

Deon Thompson presented his head coach with a framed No. 600 jersey Sunday night after the Tar Heels skated by Nevada to give the 22nd-year coach an overall record of 600-139. But although the place sold every ticket, it wasn’t packed to the gills. Hardly, in fact. The Heels’ fans have always gotten a bit of a [...]

OL’ ROY GETS 600TH WIN - BUT WHO'S COUNTING?

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:12:00 -0500

According to the Associated Press, Ol’ Roy’s milestone victories are starting to blend together for No. 11 North Carolina, the 2009 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball National Champions. The Tar Heels gave their Hall of Fame coach his 600th career win Sunday night, an 80-73 triumph over pesky Nevada behind a career-high 23 points from Deon Thompson.Ed Davis added 16 points, a personal-best 15 rebounds and a pair of momentum-changing blocked shots late for the Tar Heels (6-1).The Heels endured a...

UNC dodges Nevada, gives Williams 600th victory

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:47:00 -0500

Deon Thompson scored a career-high 23 points and No. 11 North Carolina beat pesky Nevada 80-73 on Sunday night to give coach Roy Williams his 600th career victory.

Easily The Stupidest Thing You Will Read Today

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:35:00 -0500

What you are about to read is called stirring the pot and Josh Hailey at WRAL Fankind(no link for obvious reasons) basically shovels a bunch of manure onto the page then watches as the kids come along and play in it. It is traffic bait which Hailey readily admits up front with the classic “I know people are going to hate me for this” disclaimer which really means “I know people are going to hate me and that is exactly why I am writing it.” Anyway, something like this requires a piece by piece dismantling and I feel obligated to provide it.

Hailey starts out by saying that last season when Marcus Ginyard got injured it was a benefit to UNC since it allowed the more offensive minded Danny Green on the court and UNC would be better off having another weapon on the floor. I won’t argue with that too much. On one hand, yes UNC was near impossible to stop when everyone was hitting. On the other hand, UNC got lit up by players Ginyard might have been able to stop such as Greivis Vasquez and Jeff Teague. At the end of the day UNC figured out how to play defense when it counted so you can argue that Ginyard was not really missed. Then Hailey drives the bus right off the cliff.

So here we are a year later and Ginyard is back. The senior is a tremendous leader off the court, but he has always been touted as a defensive stopper. Well six games into the season I still don’t see it.

With only four games against true competition the opposing players top perimeter player has gone off against the Tar Heels. Brandon Wood of Valpo went for 30, Evan Turner of Ohio State 23 points, Wesley Johnson had 25 for Syracuse, and here is the capper, little Grayson Flittner who came in averaging just 7 points per game went for 32 and tied the Smith Center record with nine three pointers. These are not the kind of performances you would expect against a fifth year senior defensive stopper.

Well first of all, it has only been six games which is a really difficult point to drop an opinion like this. And mind you it is all opinion because things like box scores and numbers often get in the way of a good rabble rousing. Haily points to four players who had pretty good scoring nights against the Heels and uses just their point totals as evidence against Ginyard’s individual defense.

Brandon Wood, Valpo, 30 points: It is true Ginyard and the rest of the Tar Heels let off the gas in this game, were not focused and as a result Roy Williams chewed out Ginyard after the game. So for this one you can say Ginyard(and his teammates) did not do a great job but one game is hardly worth trashing Ginyard’s defense.

Evan Turner, OSU, 23 points: Read the rest of the stat line Josh. It also says 10 turnovers next to Turner’s name. Ginyard’s defense was so good Luke Winn, who actually watches games and you know, reads box scores, wrote about it in-depth.

Wesley Johnson, Syracuse, 25 points: Wesley Johnson is listed as a forward and is 6-7. I am not sure Ginyard was even assigned to Johnson though it is possible. I was not paying much attention to the matchups especially when I started having Kansas Game flashbacks. I do know watching the highlight video on ESPN.com Johnson scores seven points with someone else guarding him besides Ginyard. So without further evidence I am not sure you can hang Johnson’s performance on Ginyard.

Grayson Flittner, Gardner-Webb, 32 points: Yeah, I actually think Ginyard did all he could. When a player is pulling up from Efland and shooting then that is tough to defend. Also, Roy Williams said in his press conference than Flittner ended up getting open on two occasions because Ed Davis screwed up. There were other times when someone had a hand in the guy’s face and still others where he just pulled up from some ridiculous distance which is impossible to guard. Then there is the issue of Ginyard doing what a veteran defensive specialist does: rotating off his man in help defense which ends up leaving the guy open. Was that a mistake? Depending on how you look at it. Ginyard was basically doing what he has done for four years and when a team gets penetration(someone else’s fault) and Ginyard rotates over to help leaving Flittner open then pray tell what do you expect him to do?

You can say that all the points haven’t been on him, but a lot of them have. And if you’re the best defender on the team you move onto the hot hand even if he is lighting someone else up. There have been plenty of times that he has played well, but he is still not a complete player.

No, I can’t say a lot of the points have been on Ginyard because I don’t have access to the defensive grading Roy uses. In fact you know what might have been a better idea? Having someone ask Roy about Ginyard’s defense and how he has rated out against the four individuals you mentioned before going of half cocked, writing this kind of garbage in a public forum and making people dumber for having read it.

The liability that he is on offense will make it tough on the inside bigs trying to score as the season moves along. As important as guard play is in the college game, there isn’t a whole lot of room on the court for wings who can’t shoot.

Let’s see what those pesky stats say again. So far this season Ginyard is averaging 11.7 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 spg. Ginyard is also shooting 47% from three point range, 60% overall and 88% from the foul line. His points per shot is 1.56 which is 3rd best on the team behind Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller. During the two games in New York, Ginyard had excellent offensive games. Against OSU Ginyard scored 13 points and hit 3-5 three pointers. He followed that up with a 15 point performance versus Syracuse. Last night versus Gardner Webb, Ginyard scored eight points and dished out six assists which is at least 20 points he had a hand in creating. The only complaint thus far about Ginyard on the offensive end is his turnovers which is not bad enough to declare him an offensive liability.

For North Carolina to have any chance in March they will have to get more out of Ginyard on both ends of the court, because he will most certainly be out there for his leadership.

Ya think, Dinozzo? For my money I think Ginyard has played up to expectations, maybe even beyond it. He is in great physical shape, is leaner than he was and has shown some aggressiveness on the offensive end aswell as some explosiveness going to the basket. Time will tell whether his three point shooting stays at a fairly high level though if he settles in the 40% range that is still great. Implying that he is an overrated defender and liability on offense is short sighted at best and journalistic malfeasance at worse based on the evidence. At this point I am not sure how Ginyard’s season will go but I do know there is nothing I have seen so far to make me think he is playing worse than we thought he would.

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UNC: Barth, Burney Honored In ACC Weekly Awards

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:43:30 -0500

Kendric Burney was a no brainer. Then again so was Casey Barth who has kicked eight FG in the past two weeks. Both were recognized this week by the ACC.

DEFENSIVE BACK