One last chance for the Heels
Conte Forum
In about an hour or so North Carolina (14-12 & 3-8 in the ACC) will be taking on Boston College (12-13 & 34-8 in the ACC) at Conte Forum. This is yet again another game that at the beginning of the season was a definite win and now has become a must win for the Heels. Let’s face it, as I have said so many times this year, this season’s motto “it is what it is” works very well and this game proves it. In this instance it is a road game, where the Heels have not done well (1-6), against a team that has given them fits for many years (due to their style of offense), playing as underdogs (BC is a 3 points favorite). Tell me you would have thought that this would be the opening paragraph for UNC/BC preview before the season began? But as I have said, “it is what it is”. But one thing that head coach Roy Williams has made it’s not is the end of the season:
“It’s not very comfortable with this feeling that we have right now, but we can change that by playing better.”
And that has to start today, with the two seniors, Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard. The first one needs to have a 20 and 10 type game while the second one has to make sure that the top scorer for BC does not have a stellar game. That is the beginning of playing better, the rest, meaning players like Will Graves, Larry Drew, Dexter Strickland and the returning Tyler Zeller have to be a positive and not a negative while getting their minutes in. Good shots, not just any shot. Good passing and not turnovers, especially ones that turn into easy points. Good team defense and not just hold your man. And most of all, Carolina can not let Boston College go on a 10-15-20 point run, as they have allowed too many other teams to do this season.
“The bottom line is the ball hasn’t gone in the basket as much for us,” Williams said. “The ball goes in the basket, everything looks a lot better. The toughness issue, being able to be focused, being able to block out the crowd and just focus on our bench and what is going on on the court, we haven’t maintained that intensity level or concentration level that we have been able to in the past.”
And that is the reality of this season, where a young and talented team has been closed many times (yes they have also had blow outs), but does not seem to find the way to win games. As I have stated many times during this season, .750 on the charity stripe and just one extra three pointer going in would make this Tar Heel team above .500 in the ACC and a lot closer to 20 wins overall. That might have taken the pressure of this squad, and it might have let them be a bit more comfortable in their new roles as college players. I have also stated many times that I do not understand how this squad hasn’t learned as much from the losses as they should have. Once again, “it is what it is”.
“I’m still confident we can go on a run and be in the big tournament,” Williams said. “It looks a lot cloudier. If not, I’ll be more interested in the ACC Tournament than I’ve ever been interested.”
And like it or not, believe it or not, if this sentence is to be true that run has to begin today, on the road, against a team that has given better squads a lot to chew with their trademark flex offense. That is why in my opinion it has to all start on the defensive side if the Heels want to win, and that means Ginyard has to shut down his man while the rest of the team have to play tight D. Knowing what I do about UNC and having seen/read about BC I have to say that this game is no gimme, but it’s not one that you shouldn’t believe can be won by the Heels. In a tight one, where there is plenty of sloppy play, I say Carolina wins it by 4, with the final being 78 to 74.
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